Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 141: Orochimaru, You’ve Really Stirred Up a Storm!

"I don't need this so-called gift!"

Danzo Shimura was fully aware of the situation.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had all died in tonight's Nine-Tails incident, Konoha would have suffered a devastating blow. Those three were pillars of the village!

"But..."

"If they were all dead..."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his smirk filled with amusement as he poked at Danzo's weakness.

"There wouldn't be anyone left in the village suited to become Hokage."

"..."

Danzo's heart pounded.

That was true...

If they were all gone...

Then the only one left as a candidate for Hokage...

Would be him—the former Hokage's advisor!

"Hmph."

"All this talk..."

"And yet, you accomplished nothing."

Danzo had already received reports from his spies in the Anbu.

Despite the chaos, Konoha had suffered no real losses from the Nine-Tails' rampage.

This wasn't even a false alarm.

It was thunder without rain.

"I heard..."

Danzo sipped his tea slowly, casually mentioning a certain detail.

"You obtained the Uzumaki Clan's treasure?"

"Indeed."

Kabuto nodded, his smile never fading.

"This treasure is meant to work alongside the Reanimation Jutsu. More specifically, it allows us to summon certain powerful souls..."

"..."

Danzo immediately lost interest.

After all, he had never mastered the Reanimation Jutsu.

Still, that didn't stop him from criticizing Orochimaru's actions.

"What has Orochimaru been doing all these years? Wasn't he supposed to kill that Rinnegan user and bring me a Rinnegan?"

"And yet..."

"He still hasn't dealt with it?"

"..."

Kabuto's gaze lowered slightly, his expression unreadable.

"There were... complications."

"What complications?"

Danzo scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain.

"That fool couldn't even control someone as gullible as Shigen..."

And yet...

Orochimaru had taken Shigen's Kotoamatsukami Sharingan!

Danzo found that failure utterly intolerable.

If not for Orochimaru providing him with a new arm last time, proving that his research was still useful, Danzo would have already abandoned him!

But...

Danzo's attitude quickly changed.

"The situation has taken a slight... unfortunate turn."

"The Rinnegan user's strength appears to be far beyond our initial estimations."

Kabuto watched as Danzo calmly drank his tea, then spoke with a cheerful tone.

"The leader of Amegakure, Hanzo the Salamander, has been killed by the Rinnegan user."

"!!!"

Danzo's body trembled.

Hanzo... was dead?!

The same Hanzo who had once allied with them to crush the Akatsuki... had been slain by the Rinnegan user?!

Was this vengeance?

When you fear something might happen...

It often becomes inevitable.

Just as Danzo's heart filled with unease, Kabuto provided him with the final blow.

"According to our intelligence, that Rinnegan user may soon come after you, Lord Danzo."

"This is why, aside from triggering the Nine-Tails' rampage, I had another mission..."

"!!!"

Danzo shot up from his seat.

Damn it!

Why wasn't he told about this sooner?!

And...

That damn Orochimaru!

If he had known the Rinnegan user was coming for him, why had he still tried to kill Hiruzen and Tsunade?!

They were the ones protecting him!

Just moments ago, Danzo had been fantasizing about taking the Hokage's seat once Hiruzen and Tsunade were dead.

But now that he faced a deadly threat, his priorities instantly shifted—he wanted to be protected by the Hokage instead!

"No need to worry."

"We have already secured the Uzumaki Clan's treasure."

Kabuto reassured Danzo, watching him struggle to maintain his composure.

"Very soon, we'll use the Reanimation Jutsu to revive two powerful ninja."

In a way...

Danzo was the first to learn about the treasure's real purpose.

Inside the Hokage's Office

With the Nine-Tails crisis resolved, the village shinobi had turned their attention to Naruto's lineage.

This discussion seemed endless.

Hiruzen waved his hand, dismissing the shinobi and sending them back to their duties.

He then gathered the key figures involved and returned to the Hokage's office.

Obviously—

Ordinary shinobi only cared about Naruto's parentage.

But as Hokage, Hiruzen and Konoha's higher-ups had to consider many other factors—

Such as Orochimaru's growing threat...

And the stolen Uzumaki treasure.

"Orochimaru..."

Jiraiya lowered his gaze, sighing deeply.

"He's really stirred up a storm this time."

Even Jiraiya hadn't expected his former teammate to go this far—

To the point of attempting to assassinate them and even plotting to invade Konoha.

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It was clear now...

Orochimaru had completely fallen into darkness.

Even though his subordinates had been responsible for tonight's chaos,

Everyone knew it was under Orochimaru's orders.

"Orochimaru..."

"He's changed long ago."

Hiruzen sighed, his voice heavy.

"Our only option now is to increase our vigilance."

"If he ever does invade Konoha..."

"Then we kill him!"

Jiraiya clenched his fists.

Tonight's events had crossed the line.

Orochimaru's actions were no different from Obito Uchiha's treachery!

Unforgivable!

Trying to kill him was one thing—

But to target Hiruzen and Tsunade as well?!

The moment the Nine-Tails' rampage ended, Jiraiya had made up his mind.

A trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Tonight...

Everything had become clear.

With the information extracted from Mizuki and the intelligence gathered by Iruka, they had fully grasped the situation.

Orochimaru had sent his men to steal the Uzumaki treasure, using Naruto's lineage to lure him into despair—

Triggering the Nine-Tails' rampage to cripple Konoha.

It was all preparation for his future invasion!

"..."

Hiruzen glanced at Jiraiya.

He understood the bond Jiraiya and Orochimaru once shared.

Even as Orochimaru's former teacher, Hiruzen himself had hesitated when it came to killing him.

Let alone Jiraiya, who had grown up alongside him, fighting side by side for years.

But...

Hiruzen's own hesitation had nearly led to disaster tonight.

He, too, had made up his mind.

If he ever saw Orochimaru again—

He would not hesitate to kill him!

Just one of Orochimaru's subordinates...

Had almost brought Konoha to ruin.

If Orochimaru himself acted...

Who knew what horrors awaited them?

Hiruzen's heart grew heavy.

He was desperate to understand Orochimaru's next move—

And what role the stolen treasure would play in it.

After all...

It was an Uzumaki artifact.

As distant relatives of the Senju,

The Uzumaki Clan possessed unique and powerful abilities.

Who knew what kind of calamity that treasure might bring?

"We'll have to be on guard against Orochimaru."

Jiraiya sat casually by the window, then brought up another pressing issue.

"What about Naruto?"

Now—

Many Konoha shinobi knew about his parentage.

And by tomorrow morning,

The entire village would know that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage.

From tomorrow onward—

Naruto's life would never be the same.

Perhaps some would still fear the Nine-Tails inside him.

But at least...

No one would mock or mistreat him anymore.

Still...

Could that child ever live a normal life?

"If we follow Konoha's past treatment of Jinchūriki..."

Jiraiya thought of Kushina Uzumaki,

The previous Nine-Tails host.

"Jinchūriki can never live like ordinary shinobi."

What would become of Naruto's future?

Would he be confined to Konoha like his mother?

"It doesn't matter."

Jiraiya chose not to mention Shigen's prophecy about Naruto being the Child of Destiny.

Instead, he simply praised his student.

"Naruto is an exceptional kid. He'll come with me for training..."

"No."

Hiruzen pulled out a team assignment sheet.

"I've already made arrangements for him."

Jiraiya frowned slightly and leaned over to glance at the document Hiruzen had placed on the table.

"What kind of arrangements?"

Without hesitation, Tsunade reached over and snatched the paper from Hiruzen's hands, her eyes narrowing as she read through the details.

For a moment, she was silent.

Then her brow furrowed deeply.

"This doesn't seem like a bad setup..."

Jiraiya moved closer and examined the names written on the team list.

As he read, a smile slowly formed on his lips.

"This is actually a pretty good lineup!"

"Kakashi Hatake is their Jōnin instructor..."

Jiraiya nodded approvingly.

Kakashi was a skilled and experienced shinobi. Not only that, but his connection to Minato made him the perfect mentor for Naruto.

"And in the team... Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto have always been both friends and rivals. Sasuke won't be afraid of the fact that Naruto is the Nine-Tails' host. Their relationship is solid."

But then—

Jiraiya's gaze landed on the last name.

He paused for a moment before chuckling.

"Ah, and this girl... Haruno Sakura, huh?"

Jiraiya scratched his chin, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I remember Naruto always talking about a girl named 'Sakura' that he liked. But from what I observed during the graduation ceremony, this girl was only focused on Sasuke. Looks like she's got a crush on him instead."

At that, Jiraiya's gaze shifted toward Tsunade.

For a brief moment, an old memory flashed in his mind—one that made him grimace slightly.

"...Naruto wouldn't end up like me, would he? Always chasing a girl who's obsessed with another guy?"

But Jiraiya quickly shook off the thought and returned to seriousness.

"In terms of emotional bonds, this grouping seems fine."

"However..."

"If we consider strength differences..."

Jiraiya's eyes lingered on Sakura's name once more.

"This girl might struggle to keep up with Naruto and Sasuke."

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