Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 144: Leave Danzo to Me!

It was hard to blame Tobirama Senju for thinking this way. After all, the finance department had previously been under Hyuga Fuji's management. If Fuji had left any traps behind, it would be easy for him to make Tobirama's life difficult.

But would Hyuga Fuji really do something so petty?

Or perhaps someone had taken advantage of the chaos, much like when Danzo fell from power, and settled accounts in a way that implicated Tobirama?

Regardless, Tobirama was certain this was a case of being caught in the crossfire and that it had nothing to do with him. Still, if it wasn't resolved, it would disrupt his research.

He had been so close to completing his project. What a bother…

The young ninja watched Tobirama remain silent in thought and sighed. Picking up the report, he began to read aloud. "According to the testimony, in March, you withdrew one million ryo from the finance department. In April and May, you withdrew 1.5 million each month, for a total of four million ryo."

As the young investigator spoke, he noticed a subtle change in Tobirama's otherwise calm expression.

To him, this was tantamount to an admission of guilt, and he couldn't help but sigh internally.

Someone as highly ranked as a consultant to the Technology Development Bureau resorting to embezzlement—was human greed truly insatiable?

If not for this large-scale investigation, Consultant Tobirama might have continued withdrawing funds unnoticed. Who knew how long it would have taken for this to come to light?

Tobirama, however, finally recognized the numbers.

—It was Tsunade's gambling funds!

Because Tsunade frequently squandered money on gambling, Tobirama had asked Hyuga Fuji to put that portion of the budget under his control, occasionally withdrawing "a little" for his research.

To Tobirama, this was completely reasonable and had never struck him as misuse of funds.

But from Konoha's perspective, this money was meant to retain Tsunade. Taking it for his own purposes was undoubtedly embezzlement…

"Consultant Tobirama, please come with me."

Although the young ninja was now almost certain Tobirama was guilty, his tone remained respectful. After all, Shikaku had specifically instructed him to treat Tobirama with courtesy.

Tobirama glanced at the document in the ninja's hand, his face darkening. Without a word, his figure vanished.

Embezzlement wasn't under the Security Force's jurisdiction, and it was clear Shikaku intended to downplay the issue—detaining Tobirama in the Security Force for a few days as a mild punishment.

But Tobirama had no interest in such "preferential treatment."

He could accept being labeled a missing-nin—that was, after all, a fact. But sitting in the Security Force under the Uchiha's watch, "sipping tea"? That was torture!

To him, it was an unbearable ordeal. He would rather leave altogether. Most of his work had been completed anyway; he could continue his research elsewhere.

The young ninja stood frozen, his pupils contracting as Tobirama disappeared without warning.

Wasn't Consultant Tobirama just a chunin, aside from his research expertise? What had just happened?

Why had he hidden such strength? What was he planning?

His expression fluctuating, the young ninja immediately made his way to the Hokage's office to report everything to Shikaku.

…

Tsunade read the message from Shikaku, her expression turning odd. She looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi across from her and said, "Consultant Tobirama is my second grandfather."

Instantly disappearing from a sealed space, possessing extraordinary research abilities, using the name Tobirama—all of it pointed to Tobirama Senju.

Previously, she hadn't noticed, so she hadn't connected the dots. Now that Tobirama had exposed himself, many things became clear.

No wonder her gambling funds had decreased significantly—Tobirama had taken them.

A regular consultant wouldn't dare touch her gambling money, but Tobirama would.

A grandfather managing his granddaughter's spending—it was only natural, wasn't it?

Hmph, if he hadn't already left, she would have had a "discussion" with him about this.

"…"

Hiruzen took Shikaku's report and frowned as he read its contents, his expression growing complicated. "What was he doing during his time in Konoha?"

"Who knows?" Tsunade shrugged. "I can't figure out what he's thinking. Maybe he just wanted to leech a few more months' worth of gambling funds."

Knowing Tsunade was joking to avoid delving deeper into the topic, Hiruzen chose not to press further on Tobirama's actions. Instead, he asked, "What do you plan to do with the policies Hyuga Fuji left behind?"

"Keep them," Tsunade said, picking up another document from her desk. "I can tell the difference between good and bad policies. In fact, once the Fire Nation stabilizes, I intend to expand some of these policies and establish academies nationwide to recruit new talent."

Hiruzen observed Tsunade's calm, resolute expression and silently marveled.

Blessings in disguise—Tsunade has truly changed.

Seeing her handle these affairs with such composure, without succumbing to emotion, Hiruzen refrained from commenting on policy matters. Instead, he said, "Right now, Root and the hidden forces are leaderless. Most of their personnel were taken by Orochimaru and Hyuga Fuji. You…"

Before he could finish, Tsunade interrupted with a sigh, "I'll carefully assess the remaining individuals and recruit suitable ones into the new intelligence organization. Don't worry about that. You've just woken up from being trapped in genjutsu for days; you should focus on resting. I can handle these matters."

"I trust you." Hiruzen shook his head. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about. I was referring to Danzo."

"What about him?" Tsunade's brow furrowed.

"Leave him to me. I'll make sure he serves your purposes. Root's intelligence network can still be a valuable asset for you."

Hiruzen's eyes, no longer clouded, shone with a sharp intensity. "If he tries anything, I'll kill him!"

His words carried a murderous edge, leaving no room for doubt.

Clearly, he meant every word.

Tsunade remained silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "You've changed since waking from that genjutsu."

There was something both unfamiliar and familiar about him now—like the heroic young man he had once been.

"I've just reclaimed a part of myself," Hiruzen replied, a fleeting complexity in his gaze.

Perhaps he even owed Orochimaru some thanks.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Sensei," Tsunade said after a moment of thought. "If you run into any trouble, let me know."

"Understood." Hiruzen stood. "I'll return to Konoha now."

"Wait, how's Kushina doing?" Tsunade asked, concerned.

Hiruzen paused. "It's strange. She should have realized by now that Minato is dead, but we haven't seen any sadness in her expression."

When news of the Fourth Hokage's death first reached Konoha, Shikaku's immediate response had been to suppress the information, especially around Kushina. No news related to Minato was allowed to reach her.

Yet with the commotion surrounding Hyuga Fuji's supposed death and the time that had passed, it was obvious something had happened to the Fourth. And still, Kushina had been acting perfectly normal.

So normal that it was unsettling.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Take Yakumaru and Kakashi with you. They're close to her and might help."

"Understood."

(End of Chapter)

(End of Chapter)

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