"I, Shigaraki Tanuki, am willing to be the most loyal dog of Lord Naruto!"
Boom!
As these words were spoken, a bombshell was dropped in the meeting room full of Foundation members. What kind of place was this? This was the headquarters of the Foundation, Danzo's most loyal base. Everyone here was unflinchingly loyal to Danzo. This guy, Shigaraki Tanuki, actually dared to belittle Lord Danzo in front of everyone!
Upon hearing this, many Foundation shinobi were instantly filled with rage. Their faces flushed as they moved forward, wanting to teach this man a lesson. Facing the agitated crowd, Shigaraki Tanuki was not flustered in the least. In fact, he was eager to fight.
In the past, he was just an ordinary researcher. He knew a little about ninjutsu but wasn't very strong. But now, after receiving the blessing of Lord Naruto, he had completely mastered the water and fire natures of chakra. Dozens, even hundreds, of water and fire-related ninjutsu suddenly appeared in his mind! It was as if he had been an expert in these arts for decades, and all the jutsus were second nature to him.
What's more, he felt his body was bloated to the point of explosion! The abundant physical and mental energy within him gave him an seemingly inexhaustible supply of chakra! This seemingly endless chakra energy, this experience that appeared out of nowhere... it was... it was incredible!
Shigaraki Tanuki felt that at this moment, he could challenge the Hokage!
Lord Naruto, you are my eternal sun!
After a heartfelt praise for Naruto, Shigaraki Tanuki looked at his "old acquaintances" with a mocking expression. As a former member, he knew what these people were thinking. He used to be the same, so blind as to serve that incompetent old fool, Shimurat Danzo. Lord Naruto was right; what could that old man give them? Strength? He couldn't provide strength! Glory? He couldn't provide glory! The Foundation could only be a rat hiding in the shadows, completely afraid of the light!
Look, as soon as something was exposed, as soon as one of the old man's dirty deeds was revealed, he would immediately desert them. With a cold eye, he watched the dogs of Danzo, ready to make a move at any moment and show his loyalty to Lord Naruto, thereby severing all ties with them.
However, the situation was not what he had hoped for. These people only dared to hurl insults; no one dared to step forward and fight. It seemed they were afraid of Lord Naruto, who was standing behind him!
"Heh!" Shigaraki Tanuki snorted.
They are nothing but stray dogs. After their master, the old dog Shimura Danzo, deserted them, these dogs don't even dare to bare their teeth at others! It's so contemptible! Garbage!
Since these cowards wouldn't fight, Shigaraki Tanuki sighed in disappointment, regretting that he couldn't show his loyalty to Lord Naruto. He was about to provoke them again, but remembering Lord Naruto's mission, he put away his impulsive thoughts. Completing Lord Naruto's command was his top priority! Loyalty!
The thought of his lord's mission made Shigaraki Tanuki look up and search the crowd. He quickly found the man in the black cloak. It was his "senior" whom he had seen earlier, Aburame Ryoma!
"Aburame Ryoma!" Shigaraki Tanuki called out, his tone devoid of any respect. He motioned behind him, indicating for Ryoma to enter the small, dark room. "Lord Naruto wants you inside."
'Me?' Aburame Ryoma thought to himself, nodding slightly. He had been expecting this. With the Anbu leading this "outsider," Naruto Uzumaki, here, and with what Naruto had just done, Aburame Ryoma had a feeling that Naruto had come to take over the Foundation.
But this sudden display of power... Aburame Ryoma looked up at the sky. Dozens of meters of soil and rocks had been completely cleared, and the rising sun broke through the clouds, casting a bright light into the perennially dark meeting room. It was as if it was a sign of the new light this person would bring to the Foundation.
However, a faint twitch appeared at the corner of Aburame Ryoma's mouth. This method was certainly unexpected, but not unimaginable. He had been a bystander during that battle and had seen everything clearly. The abilities of that person were something even the First and Second Hokage could not withstand, let alone ordinary people like them. And that earth-shattering Dust Release! If that person so desired, not just the Foundation but the entire Leaf Village could be wiped out with a single wave of his hand!
So, when his name was called, Aburame Ryoma knew there was no escaping. Besides, he didn't want to escape; he wanted to meet this Naruto Uzumaki. This was the person who would determine the fate of the world. As a small-time character who had already chosen the wrong path with Shimura Danzo, he didn't want to miss his chance with this one!
Aburame Ryoma stepped out of the crowd and walked straight toward the small, dark room.
"Lord Ryoma!"
The quiet whispers of many people made him pause. But it was only a moment's pause.
"It's over! It's all over!" Looking at the figure walking toward the dark room, several loyal Foundation members felt a sense of dread.
Meanwhile.
Upon entering the dark room, Aburame Ryoma found it to be much darker than the outside, similar to the meeting room before the roof was broken. Fortunately, a small candle flickered inside, allowing him to see the situation. By the candle's light, a figure was seated on a high chair in the center of the room. It was the very person he had been hoping to meet, Naruto Uzumaki!
Under the faint candlelight, Naruto's silhouette was cast onto the wall behind him, creating a huge dark shadow. As the candle flickered, the shadow swayed, just like his own nervous heart at this moment.
"Lord Naruto!"
Facing this being one-on-one, Aburame Ryoma lowered his head.
A look of surprise flashed in Naruto's eyes. Why wasn't this guy following the script? The normal script should have been the same as with Shigaraki Tanuki. Under the power of suggestion, he would have come in, seen him, and shouted, "Lord Danzo, you're finally back!" Then, he would have rushed forward, crying, and recounted the anxiety he had been feeling for the past few days.
This was the first step. As for the next step... It would naturally be to replace the image of Shimura Danzo in his memory with Naruto Uzumaki!
Danzo? Who was that dog? An insignificant nobody! Only Lord Naruto was the one who watched them grow up! As for how Naruto, at the age of twelve, watched them, who were in their thirties and forties, grow up... Well, those "number monsters" were simply illogical!
After all this time and with so many subjects, Naruto's Genjutsu was as natural as an extension of his own arm. This was him being generous; if he didn't treat them as human, he could suggest they were dogs, and they would all start lifting their legs to pee. They might even start walking on all fours.
But... this man in front of him was completely unaffected. There could only be one possibility! There was a traitor in the Foundation, and this guy wasn't loyal to Danzo!
No. Naruto frowned. That wasn't right either.
This Genjutsu only made people see the person they most wanted to see at that moment. This man could see him only because he wanted to see him... Could it be that this Aburame Ryoma was loyal to him, Naruto Uzumaki?
That would be even more wrong!
Staring at the black-robed man from the same clan as Shino Aburame, Naruto sifted through Danzo's memories. According to the old man's memories, this man was a veteran of the Foundation, incredibly loyal to the organization! In both his work and other matters, Aburame Ryoma was loyal to Shimura Danzo and carried out his orders without question. Whether the tasks were good or bad, this man showed no mercy. He was definitely Danzo's most faithful dog.
However, now this loyal dog was suspected of being a traitor to the Foundation...
"You call me 'Lord Naruto'?" Naruto pondered for a moment, then asked tentatively, "What? Are you going to betray Danzo?"
"There is no betrayal of Danzo." Aburame Ryoma immediately denied it. His voice was calm, as if he were stating a fact. "I have always been loyal to the Leaf Village, not to Shimura Danzo as an individual. Besides, Shimura Danzo has already betrayed the Foundation and the Leaf Village."
Noticing Naruto scrutinizing him, Aburame Ryoma adjusted his sunglasses, his expression as cold as ever.
Naruto eyed him suspiciously. Could this man be using the belittling of Danzo to show his loyalty to him? And he specifically emphasized that he was loyal to the Leaf Village, not to Danzo as an individual?
You can't see what's in a person's heart. Naruto didn't know what Aburame Ryoma was thinking, but there were always "smart people" in every organization. They were good at reading the situation, and they could seamlessly join a new organization and even secure a high-ranking position.
But it didn't matter. Naruto knew that no matter who came, the process must be followed. After this "treatment," no one would have any disloyal thoughts again.
"Is that so?" Naruto went along with his words.
"Yes!"
Ever since he heard of Shimura Danzo's desertion, Aburame Ryoma had been reflecting on his life. Was the path he had chosen right? His thoughts were a tangled mess, and the more he reminisced, the more he realized he had done so much for Danzo. Especially when he thought about some of Shimura Danzo's past actions!
"Shimura Danzo claimed to put the Leaf Village first, but he ordered all Foundation members to stand down and watch as Orochimaru's Leaf Crush plan unfolded."
"He even provided help and convenience to Orochimaru behind the scenes. It wasn't until later that I realized all he cared about was having Orochimaru kill Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, so he could take the Hokage position himself."
"In his eyes, the Hokage position was more important than anything! For the sake of the Hokage throne, he could stand by and watch the Leaf Village suffer great losses."
Aburame Ryoma's voice was as cold as ever, but Naruto could detect a hint of sadness.
"It was the same during the Nine-Tails attack twelve years ago. At the time, I just thought he wanted to preserve the Foundation's strength because we were weak, but the Orochimaru incident made me see him for who he truly was."
Tsk, tsk, tsk... Naruto watched him with a cold expression. Were these all of Danzo's problems? With Danzo's own memories, Naruto knew exactly what Danzo had done. And at the time, this Aburame Ryoma was there every step of the way. The Uchiha clan massacre, the suppression of the Akatsuki, human experiments, and so on.
He wasn't mentioning any of that! These were just the big events; his minor crimes were too numerous to list.
Wait a minute!
Naruto suddenly thought, was he being too moral? Maybe these things were normal in the eyes of the man in front of him, and in the eyes of most people in the shinobi world?
"Sigh!" Naruto sighed deeply. He was always out of place in this world because he wasn't crazy enough!
"Lord Naruto, may I ask, what is your goal?" Aburame Ryoma asked with a piercing gaze. Although he was wearing sunglasses, Naruto couldn't see his eyes.
"My goal?" Naruto pondered for a moment, then his interest was piqued. His voice was full of passion. "My goal is world peace!"
At that moment, a light seemed to emanate from him.
"So you want to unite the ninja world?" Aburame Ryoma muttered to himself, understanding. It was a grand ambition, a goal that even the First Hokage had not been able to achieve.
But, if it was this person... Aburame Ryoma recalled the scene from that day. If it was him, it was entirely possible! Besides, he was only twelve years old!
"Of course, that's just a long-term goal." But after a moment, Naruto waved his hand. "My current goal is: to make the Foundation great again!"
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