In the forest near Richard's residence, Yugao Uzuki wielded a vibranium sword as she attacked Richard with determined focus.
Beyond the Konoha-style swordsmanship, she also employed the Tiger Hunt technique Richard had taught her.
Despite her best efforts, she still failed to land a single hit on Richard.
Whether in swordsmanship or raw strength, the gap between them remained substantial.
If Richard didn't want to be struck by her, even if she mastered the Flying Thunder God technique, she still wouldn't be able to touch him.
For long-distance movement, Richard's super speed indeed couldn't match the Flying Thunder God.
But within short distances, his super speed was no slower than the legendary technique.
The Flying Thunder God was undoubtedly fast, but the reaction speed of its user had natural limits.
Even if someone used Flying Thunder God to appear near him, Richard could employ his super speed to evade before the opponent could attack, thereby avoiding any strike.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crisp sound of vibranium blades colliding echoed through the forest.
At Yugao's request, Richard deliberately used his vibranium sword.
Though it made no difference to him, Yugao didn't want him to continue using the wooden sword.
Her reasoning was simple.
If he used a wooden sword, Yugao would feel even more inadequate.
To consider Yugao's feelings, Richard specifically wielded the vibranium katana.
Time passed steadily.
After sparring in the forest for more than half an hour, Richard and Yugao finally stopped.
For Richard, a fight of this level wasn't even a proper warm-up.
But for Yugao, it was a battle requiring her full strength.
This resulted in the two showing completely different conditions after the fight.
Richard's breathing remained steady, and he barely broke a sweat.
Yugao, however, was drenched in perspiration and breathing heavily.
Though she held the rank of Special Jonin, her chakra reserves weren't particularly vast.
Fighting at full capacity, lasting more than half an hour was already quite impressive for her.
"Let's end today's session here," Richard said, returning the vibranium sword to his system space.
"Sounds good!" Yugao quickly replied.
After Yugao recovered some strength, they walked together toward Richard's residence.
The day after the Third Hokage's funeral, Yugao had moved in with Richard.
It wasn't the kind of cohabitation between lovers—Yugao had simply relocated to Richard's house for the convenience of training with him.
Though she didn't pay rent, Yugao handled all the housework.
This included laundry, cooking, cleaning, and other domestic tasks.
Richard hadn't objected, happily accepting Yugao as his housemate.
They arrived home shortly.
"Are you hungry?" Yugao asked Richard. "If not, I plan to shower first."
"Go ahead. I'm not hungry," Richard replied.
Upon hearing his answer, Yugao immediately went to the second bedroom where she resided.
Then, she headed to the bathroom with clean clothes.
Richard, meanwhile, entered his study.
Though the Third Hokage was dead, he still didn't plan to leave Konoha in the short term.
Beyond that, he was contemplating whether to join Konoha officially after Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage—becoming a registered ninja and accepting missions to pass the time.
He knew plenty of jutsu and could rightfully call himself a ninja.
But without recognition from a Hidden Village, or becoming a registered shinobi of a particular village, he couldn't accept formal missions like other ninja.
Of course, he simply couldn't receive official missions from the Hidden Villages.
Informal requests could be accepted regardless of whether one was a registered ninja or not.
Zabuza exemplified this perfectly.
Though a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, Zabuza still received various commissions from clients.
However, most jobs accepted by rogue ninja tended to be assassination-type missions.
Otherwise, clients wouldn't specifically seek out rogue ninja, but would simply approach any Hidden Village.
After deliberating for a while, Richard made his decision and abandoned the idea of registering as a Konoha ninja.
His reasoning was straightforward.
If he registered as a Konoha ninja, then his superior wouldn't be limited to Tsunade.
On the surface, only the Hokage could assign missions to Konoha's ninja.
But reality differed.
The village elders and other high-ranking officials also possessed such authority.
Though he could disregard them, the fact remained that becoming a registered Konoha ninja meant having multiple bosses above him.
He had no desire to have anyone telling him what to do in the name of authority.
Regarding accepting commissions to occupy his time, he planned to solve this another way.
For instance, establishing a private agency, similar to a detective bureau, to accept commissions directly.
This approach would not only help him find interesting activities to pass time but would also free him from having any nominal superiors.
Perfect! That settled it.
Having made his decision, Richard left the study.
Yugao spent less than twenty minutes in the bathroom before emerging.
After showering, she didn't return to her black ANBU uniform and green flak jacket, but instead wore casual home attire—a white dress.
It had to be said that in this white dress, Yugao looked even more striking.
After exiting the bathroom, she entered the living room and inquired about Richard's dinner preferences.
"What would you like to eat?" Yugao asked.
"Anything is fine. I'm not picky about food," Richard quickly replied.
That's what he said, but what he actually wanted to eat now was Yugao herself.
However, he would never force his desires on her.
If Yugao didn't reciprocate his interest, he wouldn't act against her wishes.
This was, after all, a matter of principle.
"Alright!" After hearing Richard's answer, Yugao promptly responded.
She then turned and headed to the kitchen.
Time passed quietly.
More than half an hour later, Yugao prepared a traditional Japanese lunch.
It wasn't an elaborate feast, but it was certainly satisfying.
Yugao's culinary skills were quite impressive.
After enjoying the meal Yugao had prepared, Richard helped her clear the dishes and utensils.
While Yugao washed the dishes, Richard briefly explained his plans to open an independent office.
"If you just want something to occupy your time, you could register as a village ninja. There's no need to open your own office," Yugao suggested.
"I don't like being told what to do," Richard quickly replied.
"Fair enough," Yugao conceded. "But establishing a commission office in the village will involve complicated procedures. After all, it's essentially competing with the village for clients."
"I've considered what you're saying," Richard answered casually. "That's why after the Fifth Hokage takes office, I plan to discuss it with her personally."
Of course, he recognized that opening his own office would effectively draw business away from the village, but he remained determined.
As for convincing Tsunade, he had already formulated a strategy.
Compared to the Third Hokage, Tsunade was less rigid and relatively easier to communicate with.
If he made certain promises to her—such as assisting Konoha in times of danger, or offering additional support when Tsunade encountered difficult problems—there was a high probability she would permit his office.
Regardless, he was now recognized as an S-class ninja by Konoha's residents.
Though his true power exceeded that of the Five Kage, he had only revealed a fraction of his abilities during the Chunin Exams.
"Do you think Tsunade-sama would really agree to return as the Fifth Hokage?" Yugao turned to face Richard, asking with genuine curiosity.
The fact that Jiraiya had declined to serve as the Fifth Hokage and suggested Tsunade instead wasn't a secret in Konoha.
The day after Jiraiya's refusal, the news had spread throughout the village.
Though Konoha's leadership and citizens would have preferred Jiraiya as the Fifth Hokage, they could do nothing if he declined.
"Absolutely!" Richard promptly replied.
"Why so certain?" Yugao regarded Richard with confusion.
"Because she's Konoha's Princess Tsunade," Richard explained. "Konoha was founded by her grandfather. She won't simply stand by and watch as Konoha becomes the weakest among the Five Hidden Villages."
That said, it remained uncertain whether Naruto would influence Tsunade as in the original timeline.
Additionally, whether Tsunade could overcome her hemophobia remained in question.
If Orochimaru had had his arms' souls sealed by the Third Hokage as in the original timeline, Tsunade would likely be moved by Naruto and break through her psychological barrier just as before.
But Orochimaru's arms hadn't been sealed in this reality.
This meant the battle between the Legendary Sannin from the original timeline wouldn't occur.
Therefore, Richard couldn't guarantee whether Tsunade would follow the same path as before.
Nevertheless, the likelihood of Tsunade accepting the position of Fifth Hokage remained high.
As for the rest, it was difficult to predict.
After Yugao finished washing the dishes, she and Richard retired to their respective rooms for a brief afternoon nap.
Later that afternoon, they resumed the same training regimen as in the morning.
Like the morning session, their afternoon training lasted just over thirty minutes.
The outcome remained unchanged—Yugao still couldn't land a hit on Richard.
However, she emerged unscathed and maintained her fighting spirit.
Landing a hit on Richard had become her personal goal, her metric for progress.
After completing the afternoon training, Richard and Yugao returned home together.
Just as Yugao was about to head to the bathroom to shower before preparing dinner, a sudden knock came at the door.
Upon hearing it, both Richard and Yugao displayed surprised expressions.
Without hesitation, Richard used his enhanced vision to peer through the door.
Why him? After identifying the visitor, Richard frowned slightly.
He had expected the person knocking to be Sasuke.
After all, besides Yugao, Sasuke was the only person likely to seek him out.
As it turned out, he was mistaken.
The person standing at the door wasn't Sasuke but a strange ninja wearing a mask, dressed differently from the ANBU operatives.
Though he didn't recognize the individual, Richard deduced their identity from the mask and attire.
Root.
The visitor was a member of "Root."
Root was the division established by Danzo to realize his vision for Konoha.
Nominally, Root operated as the training branch of ANBU.
In reality, Root functioned as Danzo's personal organization.
Compared to ANBU, Root's operations were shadier and their methods more ruthless. They represented the most direct, effective, and merciless sword in Konoha's arsenal.
Unlike ANBU, Root—or rather, Danzo—pursued a policy of "better to kill wrongly than let a threat escape," eliminating any potential danger to Konoha.
It didn't matter whether the threat originated from within the village or outside.
Root's formation and existence operated with the Third Hokage's tacit approval.
Though born with the Third Hokage's acquiescence, Danzo had once ordered Root members to assassinate the Third.
After the Fourth Hokage died containing the Nine-Tails, the Third Hokage resumed leadership.
Danzo, unwilling to watch the Third Hokage continue governing Konoha, assembled a ten-man team to assassinate the Third.
Unfortunately for him, the assassination failed due to Kakashi's defection.
After Danzo orchestrated the Uchiha massacre, the Third Hokage dismissed him from his position as "Hokage Advisor" and ordered Root disbanded.
But within a few years, Root had been rebuilt.
With support from Konoha advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the Third Hokage couldn't prevent Danzo from reestablishing Root.
It wasn't until after the Fourth Great Ninja War that Root disbanded again amid universal opposition from Konoha's leadership.
But just as before, even after disbanding, many remained secretly loyal to Root, operating as remnants of the organization.
After opening the door, Richard addressed the Root operative: "Who are you looking for?"
"I've come to see you, Lord Richard," the white-masked Root ninja quickly replied. "Master Danzo wishes to meet with you, Lord Richard."
"Not interested," Richard stated flatly before closing the door.
Though Danzo possessed considerable strength and commanded the "Darkness of the Shinobi" Root organization, Richard had no intention of indulging him.
He hadn't respected the Third Hokage, let alone Danzo.
If Danzo truly angered him, Richard wouldn't hesitate to sever Danzo's Sharingan arm and keep it as a trophy.
Though Danzo's utilization of the Sharingan was wasteful, it wasn't without value.
First, one of Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan resided with Danzo. His left eye, typically covered by bandages, was Shisui's Mangekyō.
Through Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, Danzo could cast Kotoamatsukami, known as the "ultimate genjutsu."
Additionally, using the Sharingan implanted in his right arm, Danzo could perform "Izanagi," one of the Uchiha clan's ultimate dōjutsu techniques.
Izanagi allowed its user to erase unfavorable events that had already occurred within a specific timeframe, preserving only beneficial outcomes.
Even if killed, the user could "resurrect" themselves.
In essence, for Izanagi's duration, the caster became invincible.
Depending on the user's capability, Izanagi's duration varied.
The Izanagi cast by Danzo could last for one minute.
Though durations differed, the consequence remained constant—the Sharingan used to perform the technique would be permanently blinded.
But even with Danzo's access to Kotoamatsukami and Izanagi, Richard remained absolutely confident in his ability to kill him.
Specifically, he would eliminate Danzo before the elder had an opportunity to employ either technique.
When Richard returned to the living room, Yugao immediately asked, "Who was at the door?"
"One of Danzo's men. Said Danzo wanted to meet with me," Richard explained.
Danzo? Upon hearing his answer, Yugao immediately frowned.
Though no longer serving as an advisor to the Hokage, Danzo still commanded considerable influence within the village.
Not only did he control Root, but as a student of the Second Hokage, he maintained close relationships with many of Konoha's elite.
Otherwise, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who served as Konoha's advisors, wouldn't have supported his reformation of Root.
"You're not going to meet him?" Yugao pressed.
"Nothing to discuss," Richard replied dismissively. "Even without meeting, I can guess what he wants to say."
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