章 20: Targetting Aizen
As Kurenai Yuhi finished speaking, the previously quiet Hokage office suddenly became lively, with the various team leaders whispering and discussing among themselves.
Only Danzo's face looked particularly grim.
Being naturally suspicious and envious of the capable, he had already developed a slight intent to eliminate Aizen.
And he had found his reasons.
On one hand, Aizen was involved with a girl from the Uchiha clan, which made Danzo highly suspicious that Aizen might have secretly allied with the Uchiha, or even intended to marry into the family.
On the other hand, Aizen could very well be the second Namikaze Minato.
Currently, all of them, the Konoha F4 members, were getting old. Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi had reclaimed the Hokage position, at most he could hold onto it for ten more years, maybe just seven or eight.
By then, it would be time to select the Fifth Hokage.
With Aizen's talent, clean background, and his admiration for Hiruzen Sarutobi, when the time came for Hiruzen to step down, there was a strong possibility that Sarutobi would groom Aizen as the next Namikaze Minato.
He would support Aizen to become the Fifth Hokage.
Once Aizen gained Sarutobi's backing, families like the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who had always supported previous Hokages, would likely follow suit.
And with Aizen's connection to the Uchiha girl, the Uchiha clan would probably support him as well.
Danzo had already waited through Sarutobi stepping down for Minato to rise, then endured Minato's death for Sarutobi to retake the position.
If another Aizen came along...
The cycle would repeat.
At that point, Danzo's dream of becoming Hokage would once again be out of reach.
That was something he absolutely could not tolerate.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had no idea that Danzo's mind had gone so far ahead in such a short time.
He too was amazed by Aizen's progress, feeling a bit wary.
However, Sarutobi soon reminded himself that Aizen wasn't an Uchiha, nor did he possess any special bloodline limit. Aizen was from a perfectly ordinary background.
His ceiling was probably no higher than Kakashi or Asuma.
With that thought, Sarutobi felt at ease.
He exchanged a glance with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, and they both nodded in understanding, ready to speak.
Seeing this, Danzo grew anxious. He had no intention of giving Aizen the chance to build his reputation in Konoha.
Immediately, he employed the same tactic he had used against Itachi Uchiha years ago.
Over-praising.
By subtly guiding Aizen, who had not yet fully formed his worldview, Danzo hoped to gradually draw him into the darkness and recruit him into the Foundation.
Danzo quickly spoke up, "Since Jonin Kurenai Yuhi believes Aizen already possesses Jonin-level strength, then I think he doesn't need to participate in the Chunin Exams."
Turning to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo continued, "Hiruzen, how about this? We, the higher-ups, could set up a special test for him. If he passes, we can directly promote him to Chunin. What do you think?"
"That's not impossible, but there's no precedent for it since the Chunin Exams were established," Sarutobi hesitated, as always.
But Danzo's suggestion clearly aligned with his own thoughts.
The Uchiha clan was growing increasingly troublesome.
The situation was even worse than it had been during Shisui Uchiha's lifetime.
If an internal conflict broke out, it would be a disaster for Konoha.
Therefore, it was urgent to send another spy into the Uchiha clan.
"Precedents are meant to be created, right? Just like Itachi Uchiha, who graduated from the Ninja Academy in just a year, even during peacetime, and grew into one of Konoha's pillars."
Danzo knew Sarutobi was tempted. By bringing up Itachi, he implied that he was willing to let Aizen serve as a spy in the Uchiha clan in exchange for promoting him to Chunin ahead of time.
"Koharu, Homura, what do you think?" Sarutobi asked, though he had already made up his mind. He just wanted to consult his advisors out of formality.
Naturally, the two advisors, who often wavered between siding with Sarutobi and Danzo, had no objections.
And so, the decision was made.
Outside the Hokage's office, Kurenai Yuhi quickly found Aizen and his teammates and informed them of the Chunin Exam arrangements.
"Here's the situation: Aizen, you won't need to take the Chunin Exams in a month. Instead, the Hokage will arrange a special test for you. As for Airi and Ponsu, the Hokage will assign a senior Genin to form a new three-man squad with you."
"So, they're trying to over-praise me, huh? Looks like those old guys can't hold back any longer. Well, this works out perfectly for me. Soon enough, I'll have all of them in the palm of my hand," Aizen thought coldly to himself.
Beside him, Airi Akitsuki threw herself into Aizen's arms, sobbing, "Wah! I don't want you to leave, Aizen-kun!"
After spending more than six months together, the three teammates had developed a bit of camaraderie. Despite Aizen's cold demeanor and limited interaction with them, he had always been reliable in critical moments, saving them from danger multiple times.
Deep down, Airi genuinely liked this younger teammate, though only in a sibling-like way.
After all, in the cutthroat world of ninjas, romantic feelings were rare. People were more concerned about surviving than falling in love.
Otherwise, they wouldn't survive long.
Feeling Airi's soft embrace and catching the faint scent of her perfume, Aizen blushed slightly, caught between discomfort and enjoyment.
Kurenai Yuhi, watching from the side, clenched her teeth in frustration.
She couldn't help but recall the first time she met Aizen when he had boldly confessed to her, and the months they had spent together since. Inwardly, she told herself to stay calm.
Suddenly, the air seemed to fill with a strange tension.
Meanwhile, Ponsu Akimichi remained a passive observer, munching on chips as usual.
Noticing Kurenai's growing irritation, Aizen quickly freed himself from Airi's embrace.
"Airi, there's no need to be like this. It's not like we won't see each other again."
"But I'll still miss you!" Airi whimpered.
It wasn't until Kurenai spoke up that Airi finally ended the commotion. She then suggested, "How about this? Once Aizen becomes a Chunin, we can all go to my family's barbecue restaurant to celebrate!"
"Barbecue?" Ponsu's eyes lit up at the mention, his round little eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Your family runs a barbecue place?" Aizen asked, a bit surprised.
— 次の章はもうすぐ掲載する — レビューを書く
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット