Dealing with Danzo is not that complicated, as Naruto knew that even Sasuke could finish him off.
However, Naruto's goal is not to kill Danzo, but to eliminate Danzo's influence.
In simple terms, he wanted to erase this man completely.
Danzo had once been a major player in the Shinobi World, stirring up a lot of troubles, one of Konoha's former top leaders. Old and crafty, his plans were always water-tight.
Naruto wasn't stupid. He knew directly confronting Danzo wouldn't do much good, so he didn't bother to try. He just occasionally mentioned the development of the village to Tsunade, who had her own judgments.
The only one who can really force Danzo into a desperate situation is Tsunade herself, while Naruto was just a fisherman stirring up the waters, making a mess of the Root and disrupting its order, waiting for Danzo to react.
Killing someone is easy, but breaking their heart is far more effective. The only things Danzo cares about are power and prestige.
Sandaime could rule without fame or recognition, but Danzo had to climb to the top, making his name shining for generations!
So, Naruto's initial plan was simple: spread rumors. Rumors were free, but Danzo would exhaust himself trying to debunk them. It would be a minor scandal, just enough to shake his base.
But before he could even begin, his plan was thwarted… thanks to Jashin corrupting his tools and muting him.
'What a tragedy.'
Still, it didn't bother Naruto much. Naruto closed the system panel directly. He glanced at Kurama again and asked, "What do you think of the Uchiha Clan?"
"Those evil Uchiha!" Kurama growled in response.
Naruto: "…"
"Alright, there's an Uchiha in the village. Go take him out."
"Are you kidding me?" Kurama draped a paw over himself and leaned back on the couch. Then, he said, "I'm done with that life. Fighting and killing aren't for me anymore."
"Kurama, I've never asked you for much."
"Stop right there! A mature Biju must learn to say no." Kurama said, playing coy, "Only by being brave enough to refuse can you break free of control and live a beautiful future…"
"You're banned from alcohol for a month."
"What!!??" Kurama nearly exploded, "Can't we negotiate?!"
"No!"
"… You!!!" Kurama was at a loss for words, knowing he was facing a month without alcohol.
Since Kurama wasn't cooperating, Naruto didn't push further. It was his usual approach. If a conversation didn't work out, he'd drop it and try again later.
However, if he found an alternative method in the meantime, Kurama would certainly have some trouble coming his way.
Since no solutions came to mind, Naruto got up and headed out. He stopped by Ino's place first, letting her know that Tsunade had approved the communication plan.
"Really?" Ino's eyes sparkled with excitement. She hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek, "Hehe, you're amazing."
"But the higher-ups didn't approve it." Naruto added casually.
Ino, who had been ready to celebrate, immediately deflated, and her expression became visibly depressed.
"Those old folks up top will never agree. Maybe we should just forget it," she said with a sigh, "I've calculated carefully, and even if the higher-ups agree, setting up a communication system would cost a lot of money."
"My dad said the village probably doesn't have that kind of budget, so…"
"Money?" Naruto thought about it and realized that he didn't seem to be short of money now, so he asked directly, "How much would it take?"
"To cover the Land of Fire, at least 50 billion ryo will be needed." Ino held up five fingers, her face showing frustration, "And if we want to cover more large countries, the investment will be even more..."
Naruto didn't react much to that.
He knew that revolutionizing communication in the Shinobi World was inevitable. If they didn't do it now, the technology era would arrive in another decade or so. The tides of progress were unstoppable.
But by that time, the communication system would have nothing to do with him or Ino.
Now that Ino already has that ability, it would be a good thing for Konoha if she could establish Chakra communication first.
Naruto had a fortune left behind by Gato, which roughly equal to the value of 20,000 Asuma. However, during the early turbulent days of the Land of Snow's development, he had poured most of that wealth into rejuvenating its economy, leaving much of it in Koyuki's hands as a safeguard for himself.
The Land of Snow had since flourished, thanks to geothermal taxation, and Naruto had inadvertently gained significant control over the small nation, helping its technology grow rapidly. However, he was left with around seventy billion ryo himself.
Naruto planned to give the money anonymously to Shizune to fund Ino's project, but with one condition: Ino couldn't have control over the system's authority. Those would go to Shikamaru or someone else.
"If I run out of money in the future, will you take care of me?" Naruto suddenly asked, out of nowhere.
"Of course I will. Do you need money right now?" Ino asked with concern, "I've got a lot. How much do you need?"
"Fifty billion ryo." Naruto replied casually.
Ino: "…"
"Just kidding. Just buy me a snack. It's lunch time, and I'm starving." Naruto deflected and changed the topic.
"Okay." Ino didn't overthink it and pulled Naruto along to go find something to eat.
Their relationship had grown increasingly natural, but they hadn't discussed any formal commitment. Ino didn't seem too concerned about it, accepting things as they were.
Even though she knew there might be heartbreak in the future, she just smiled and let it go.
"I want to eat that!"
"Buy it yourself. I told you I'm broke… remember, you're supposed to be taking care of me now."
"Sure! I'll take care of you." Ino's eyes curved into little crescents as she playfully squeezed his hand, teasing him in the same way he usually teased her.
"What do you want to eat? I'll buy it for you."
Naruto had now started to take on the role of being kept, ordering everything Ino liked and everything he wanted in one go. The two of them sat under an old tree, enjoying their snacks.
"I've noticed my skin seems to be getting whiter lately. Why do you think that is?" Ino asked, pulling up her sleeve to reveal her pale arm.
"Have you ever seen a balloon being blown up?" Naruto replied.
"Yeah, I have seen it before."
"The bigger the balloon, the whiter it gets."
"Go to hell!!!" Ino blushed furiously and chased after him, hitting him several times.
During the playful scuffle, Naruto managed to cop a few cheeky touches, causing Ino to blush all the way down to her neck. She went from being out of breath to just gasping for air. She finally pushed Naruto away and said with a red face, "I need to get back to the shop."
With Shikamaru's wedding approaching, most of his friends were stressing over what gifts to get, and Naruto is no exception.
While out, he bumped into Kiba, who happened to be on the same mission, so they decided to search together. After wandering around Konoha, neither of them found anything suitable.
"This is so frustrating. How's he getting married so fast?" Kiba grumbled, chugging a bottle of soda as he sat with Naruto under the shade of a tree, cooling off in the heat.
"Who knows? Must be love." Naruto answered nonchalantly.
"Hey, could you help me find a girlfriend?" Kiba asked suddenly.
"Cough, cough!" Naruto choked on his drink, "Good brother, I will pay back the five thousand ryo I owed you tomorrow."