"Who is that powerful Wood Release ninja who suddenly appeared in Konoha?"
"It's Tenzo. He was originally part of Root and the sole survivor of Orochimaru's experiments back then," Moonlight Rin explained in detail.
"Tenzo already possessed Wood Release abilities, but he was far from this strong in the past."
"It's like he suddenly became much more powerful."
The "Tenzo" they were referring to was Yamato. However, "Yamato" was a name he temporarily adopted when he served as a substitute leader for Naruto's team. While in Root, his codename was "A," and later, when he joined the Anbu, he changed his name again to "Tenzo."
In short, he was someone who had switched aliases multiple times.
Hearing Moonlight Rin's explanation, Deidara understood. Yamato must have had more of Hashirama's cells transplanted into him, which would explain the sudden enhancement of his Wood Release abilities.
And, of course, this likely involved Tobi's manipulations behind the scenes.
"What about Jiraiya? What's his stance right now?"
This question caught both Hyūga Kanade and Moonlight Rin off guard. After a moment, Moonlight Rin continued, "Lord Jiraiya is unlikely to be recruited."
"Despite facing heavy suppression from Danzo, Jiraiya has a large group of people around him, not just the Ino-Shika-Chō trio we mentioned earlier."
"Right now, Lord Jiraiya's goal seems to be becoming the next Hokage. After all, the village can't afford to let Danzo continue his reckless actions."
From the looks of it, they needed to take as many people as possible with them during this mission. Once Danzo was dead, Jiraiya would undoubtedly become the Hokage. Coupled with Tsunade—especially now that both of them had mysteriously reached a super-Kage level—it wouldn't be an easy situation to handle.
"Understood. That's all for today."
"Yes, Lord Deidara!" The two respectfully bowed and discreetly left.
However, Deidara's Clay Clone still had unfinished business. After all, there were three spies in Konoha, and the one who had infiltrated the deepest still needed to be contacted.
Deidara quietly made his way to Konoha's Police Department. The building had clearly been expanded since his last visit. Back then, it wasn't nearly as luxurious.
Choosing to wait in a nearby alley, Deidara had Sasori contact Shimura Seito. As for directly infiltrating the building…
Well, that wasn't Deidara's style of art.
A few minutes later, a figure, both unfamiliar and familiar, hurried over.
"Lord Deidara!" Shimura Seito greeted obsequiously.
"Hmph!" Deidara sneered. Unlike Hyūga Kanade and Moonlight Rin, this man was entirely different. Just looking at what he had been up to in Konoha recently was enough to know.
Deidara wouldn't be fooled by his seemingly respectful demeanor.
"Shimura Seito, how many days have I been in Konoha? Why haven't you come to greet me?" Deidara asked coldly.
"I didn't want to arouse suspicion from that old thief Danzo!" Shimura Seito explained with a feigned innocent smile. "Without orders from you or Lord Sasori, I wouldn't dare make any rash moves."
"It's fine. You're free to make moves—as long as you can live with the consequences of becoming a mindless idiot," Deidara warned.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Shimura Seito's forehead. "I wouldn't dare have any ulterior motives!"
"Don't scare me like that, Lord Deidara."
"Enough talk." Seeing that his point had been made, Deidara raised his hand to silence him.
"First, do you have any secret information on Danzo? Do you know what he's been up to lately?" Deidara asked, though he didn't have high hopes for an answer.
To his surprise, Shimura Seito provided some valuable intel: "That old thief has recently been focusing on developing two special ninja units."
"Oh?"
"Yes, not long ago, Danzo extracted a significant amount of Nine-Tails chakra from the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. It seems he's trying to create a Tailed Beast ninja unit. Many people have died because of this."
As expected of Danzo, always dabbling in shady and dangerous experiments.
"Did he succeed?"
"He definitely succeeded to some extent, but I don't know the exact number. After all, Danzo only trusts members of Root."
"And the second special ninja unit?"
"This one consists of elite ninjas forcibly recruited from the prisoners of Sunagakure. They've been sent to Root for brainwashing and training."
"Recently, I noticed that some of them have been dispatched by Danzo, but I don't know what missions they're carrying out."
After gathering this intel, Deidara changed the subject. "I hear your Police Department has grown quite powerful lately."
Shimura Seito's Police Department was no longer just a group of thugs and ruffians. He had recruited many members from smaller clans, significantly expanding his influence.
"Lord Deidara, that's not true. I've only recruited a few ordinary ninjas," Shimura Seito replied nervously, thinking Moonlight Rin might have complained to Deidara about him.
"When the time comes, I'll need you to act as an inside agent. No problem, right?"
Realizing it wasn't a complaint from Moonlight Rin, Shimura Seito breathed a sigh of relief. But he immediately tensed up again. If the village found out about this, he'd be doomed.
However, refusing Deidara would lead to immediate death. Comparing the two, he had no choice but to agree for now.
"Yes, Lord Deidara!"
"Once the mission is complete, you can come with me to Amegakure. Don't worry about your future."
"You'll still be the head of the Police Department in Amegakure, and I'll ensure you receive plenty of benefits," Deidara promised, offering an empty check to keep Shimura Seito in line.
Hokage's Office
Danzo stood by the window, looking out with a satisfied expression. Recently, Konoha had achieved unprecedented victories. With trump cards like Tsunade and Tenzo in hand, he felt unstoppable.
"Hiruzen, can you see this?"
"Konoha is thriving under my leadership."
At that moment, the door opened quietly, and his deputy, Aburame Ryoma, entered.
"Lord Hokage, everything has been arranged," Aburame Ryoma reported.
"Good!" Even Danzo, known for his composure, couldn't hide his excitement.
This time, if the plan progressed smoothly, dominating the ninja world would no longer be a mere fantasy. Neither the Akatsuki rebels nor the mysterious Cloud ninjas would stand a chance—they'd all bow before him!
"However, the sacrifices were significant. Both within the village and among the Sunagakure prisoners, the opposition is strong."
"Lord Jiraiya, in particular, is the most vocal critic," Aburame Ryoma added with concern.
"Hmph!"
"Fools!" Danzo scoffed dismissively.
Compared to the goal of dominating the ninja world, what were a few sacrifices?
With Konoha on the verge of reaching unprecedented heights, there were still idiots trying to hold it back.
How could they not understand?
Everything he did was for Konoha!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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