Chapter 19: Shimura Danzō
Whoosh!
A shinobi wearing a cat-faced mask and the distinctive vest of the ANBU stood before Gōenji. A standard short blade was strapped across his back.
"Jōnin promotion."
Gōenji looked down at the scroll in his hands, then glanced toward the masked ANBU before falling into thought.
It had been more than thirty days since he returned to the village. He hadn't expected to become a jōnin so quickly.
The ANBU had come to escort him to the Hokage's office, where he would formally receive his promotion. After that, he would probably be assigned another mission.
At least, that was Gōenji's guess.
This was wartime. For a shinobi of his strength, being allowed to remain in the village for an entire month was already an unusually long rest period.
The situation was easy enough to understand. Even students who had graduated early were already being sent to the battlefield.
Gōenji himself had spent two years fighting on the front lines. A month of rest was more than enough by wartime standards.
Most likely, the moment he became a jōnin, he would be sent straight back into action.
There would be no exceptions.
"Make sure you're at the Hokage's office on time."
The ANBU shinobi disappeared with a Body Flicker Technique.
Gōenji nodded.
That was probably exactly what was going to happen.
...
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi studied Gōenji carefully.
The young Uchiha standing before him had an impressive vitality about him.
From Hiruzen's perspective, Gōenji was no longer the same person he had been before leaving for the battlefield.
There was something about him that reminded Hiruzen of Kagami Uchiha.
More importantly, his strength had reached an astonishing level. If he continued developing at this rate, he might eventually surpass even the strongest shinobi of his generation.
He was already an important combat asset for Konoha.
"Gōenji, congratulations on your promotion to jōnin."
Hiruzen's tone was gentle, though the exhaustion around his eyes was impossible to hide.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Gōenji had only been in the shinobi world for a few months, yet he had already become a jōnin.
Back when he played Naruto-themed games in his previous life, he certainly hadn't imagined that becoming a jōnin could happen this quickly.
A jōnin was part of Konoha's upper echelon.
From this point onward, he would have opportunities to participate in important missions and, eventually, some of the village's major decisions.
That was especially valuable because the Uchiha were still firmly entrenched in Konoha's power structure.
Unlike the period after the Nine-Tails incident, the clan had not yet been pushed toward the village's outskirts.
Once he gained enough influence, Gōenji could potentially participate in important decisions concerning the village—and perhaps even events surrounding the Hokage.
That would significantly increase his chances of survival.
The higher one's position, the more information one could obtain.
With his current intellect, he was confident he could make good use of that information, avoid unnecessary conflicts, and perhaps even profit from conflicts that could not be avoided.
He also possessed the Sharingan and its ability to copy techniques.
Even when he lacked the corresponding chakra nature, simply observing other techniques could still give him valuable insights.
That was where his extraordinary mind gave him an advantage.
Kakashi was known as the Copy Ninja, but Gōenji felt that the true potential of the Sharingan's copying ability had never been fully explored.
Hiruzen took out a scroll.
"Now that you've become a jōnin, you'll naturally have to shoulder the responsibilities that come with the rank. I have a mission for you."
Gōenji accepted the scroll and opened it.
The contents immediately caught his attention.
Travel with this unit to the Land of Rain. Establish discord between Iwagakure and Amegakure and prevent them from forming an alliance. The commanding officer is Shimura Danzō.
There was also a considerable amount of intelligence concerning Iwagakure and Amegakure.
Gōenji raised his head.
Hiruzen nodded.
"That's right. According to our intelligence, Iwagakure is preparing to establish an agreement with Amegakure. If they do, they can withdraw the forces currently stationed around the Land of Rain and redirect them toward Konoha or Kumogakure."
"Konoha's front lines are already stretched too thin. We cannot allow Iwagakure to concentrate its forces."
"In other words, our objective isn't merely to create discord between the two villages. We need to keep Iwagakure's forces tied down in the Land of Rain."
Gōenji immediately understood.
Konoha was under enormous pressure.
If Iwagakure were able to consolidate its forces and redirect them toward a single battlefield, the consequences for Konoha would be severe.
At present, neither Iwagakure nor Kumogakure was inferior to Konoha in overall military strength.
If anything, either village could potentially overwhelm Konoha if it were allowed to concentrate its forces.
This was clearly an extremely important mission.
And there was another detail that made Gōenji cautious.
The commander was Shimura Danzō.
Gōenji knew the man's reputation from his previous life, but he had no idea how deep Danzō's hostility toward the Uchiha really ran at this point in history.
Nor did he know how much Danzō coveted the Sharingan.
For now, those remained unknown variables.
If Danzō had already begun plotting something...
Gōenji could find himself in serious danger.
His current physical condition wasn't enough to guarantee that he could survive every situation, especially if Danzō decided to make a move.
"I understand, Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen nodded.
"Your mission is to reduce the pressure Konoha is facing from Iwagakure."
Gōenji gave another nod.
"Understood."
Once the objective had been clarified, he had no further questions.
Vague mission orders could be frustrating, but this one was straightforward enough.
If they couldn't directly drive a wedge between Iwagakure and Amegakure, they could still find other ways to keep Iwagakure's forces occupied.
"Leave immediately. Prepare your equipment and assemble with the unit."
...
Gōenji quickly gathered his ninja tools and supplies before setting out.
This time, however, he couldn't completely shake his unease.
He was about to meet Danzō.
Even as a transmigrator with an unusually sharp mind, facing a man like Shimura Danzō made him cautious.
Ultimately, he didn't possess some omnipotent system.
His only real advantage was that his mind had become considerably sharper than it had been in his previous life.
A brilliant mind could make him exceptional in many areas, but his greatest talent remained his mastery of Fire Release.
As for Danzō...
The man's thoughts were notoriously difficult to predict.
There was no telling what kind of scheme he might devise.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Gōenji soon reached a dark region in the northwestern outskirts of Konoha.
"He has arrived."
A shinobi wearing an ANBU uniform spoke from beside Danzō.
Several other units were gathered around them.
More than thirty shinobi in total.
Danzō raised his head as a figure rapidly approached from the distance. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"That Body Flicker..."
The speed of that Body Flicker immediately reminded him of Jiraiya's disciple, Minato Namikaze.
It also reminded him of the young Uchiha prodigy known as Shisui of the Body Flicker.
He hadn't expected another Uchiha to possess such an impressive Body Flicker Technique.
The Uchiha's talent certainly seemed worthy of their status as one of Konoha's great clans.
But now they're under my command.
I might as well make good use of them.
Whoosh!
Gōenji descended from the trees and landed in front of the assembled unit.
He immediately performed the required hand signal, matching the formation's identification signal.
His eyes fell on Danzō.
So this is Shimura Danzō.
Seeing the man in person was rather different from seeing him in the anime.
His right eye was wrapped in bandages, and a cross-shaped scar marked his chin. A short sword rested across his back.
There was something about his appearance that reminded Gōenji of a veteran who had spent years on the battlefield.
And that impression wasn't wrong.
Danzō really was a battle-hardened veteran.
Unlike Hiruzen, who had gradually taken on more administrative responsibilities, Danzō was still active on the front lines.
More importantly, there was an oppressive presence around him that Gōenji could feel even without exchanging a single blow.
His instincts told him one thing clearly.
I'm not his opponent yet.
It was nothing more than a feeling, but Gōenji trusted his instincts.
Still...
He had to admit that Danzō looked rather impressive in person.
At least in terms of bearing and presence, there was a certain rugged handsomeness to him.
Whether that would still be true years later was another matter.
Danzō glanced over the assembled shinobi.
"Let's go. This is a wartime mission, so every second matters. Move at full speed."
His orders were decisive and efficient.
After confirming the signals were correct, he immediately turned and began moving with the unit.
Gōenji clicked his tongue quietly.
So this is what a battle-hardened elite feels like.
This version of Danzō hadn't yet been twisted by years of politics and obsession.
Standing before him, Gōenji could genuinely understand why the man had once been considered one of Konoha's most formidable shinobi.
It was almost absurd.
When he'd watched Naruto in his previous life, he'd never had a single favorable impression of Shimura Danzō.
Yet seeing the man before him now...
The word that came to mind was simply—
Impressive.