Neither side was willing to back down, as retreating would affect future interactions between the two parties.
However, neither side had any real intention of escalating the conflict into a full-blown fight.
Only Kin seemed eager for action.
If anyone dared to make the first move,
he would immediately take the opportunity to eliminate Danzo, that old bastard.
Danzo, observing the figures gathering behind Aburame Shiko, the head of the Aburame clan, frowned and offered an explanation.
"Today was just a misunderstanding."
Danzo was already considering retreat. If the standoff continued, it wouldn't just be the Aburame clan opposing him.
He was on the blacklist of many clans, having done plenty of underhanded deeds for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I merely didn't want any harm to come to a guest of the Aburame clan,"
Aburame Shiko also gave Danzo a way out. They couldn't afford to openly clash with Danzo, who was firmly aligned with the Hokage.
Danzo raised his hand and retreated, his group of ninjas disappearing into the shadows.
After a long silence,
Kin finally spoke. "Thank you for your help, Clan Head Aburame."
Aburame Shiko shook his head.
"The trouble was caused by our own issues."
He had realized why Danzo had appeared so quickly—someone must have tipped him off.
He gave Uchiha Kin a meaningful look.
Kin's strength was likely far greater than what Shibi had described.
Otherwise, how could he dare to confront Danzo so directly?
"Kin, you're still a chūnin, correct?"
Kin nodded. He planned to take the jōnin exams soon but hadn't gotten around to it yet.
"Try to apply for jōnin as soon as possible. Even Danzo can't easily interfere with a jōnin. After all, jōnin in the village have considerable autonomy."
Genin, being the youngest and least experienced, were required to follow the orders of chūnin and above.
Chūnin had to obey jōnin.
But jōnin could choose which elite jōnin to follow.
Aburame Shiko sighed. The clansmen Danzo had taken were all genin. Only a few chūnin were absorbed into Root.
Aside from jōnin being strong-willed individuals, their status and position also made them difficult for Danzo to command freely.
The only jōnin he could order around were those within Root itself.
"Understood."
Kin nodded.
Being a jōnin did come with many advantages, and he already had plans for his path after promotion.
"Still, Clan Head Aburame, aren't you going to clean up your household?"
Kin's tone was Meaningful.
Having your own clansmen act as spies for others was hardly good news.
After all, the Uchiha clan's future annihilation was orchestrated by such spies.
"The Aburame clan doesn't have as many rules as the Hyuga. Our clansmen are free to think for themselves. It's impossible to root out all the spies."
The Aburame clan had a tradition of placing bets on multiple sides. Otherwise, they wouldn't have allowed Danzo to recruit their members, even knowing some were deceived and never recalled.
But these were internal matters not suitable to discuss with Kin.
"Jōnin, huh?"
The midday sun was brighter than usual, and the bustling commercial street was livelier than before.
Compared to the past, the streets of Konoha were now far from deserted. Though not exactly packed, there were people everywhere, and passersby wore smiles.
It was a stark contrast to the gloom that had once hung over the village.
Even street vendors had multiplied, with merchants from other countries setting up stalls to sell their specialties.
"It's really lively now."
Compared to the empty streets of the past, where everyone wore expressions of despair,
the difference was night and day.
Kin greeted the patrolling Uchiha Police Force members. After all, he needed to maintain good relations with the Uchiha clan.
After purchasing supplies from the pharmacy and the beast-material shop, Kin carried his haul home.
Just as he reached the door,
he heard a sigh from inside.
"Jōnin, huh?"
Kin paused, took a step back, and glanced at the exterior of the house.
"This is definitely my place."
But aside from a cat and a snake, there shouldn't be anyone else inside.
Bang! He kicked the door open.
Inside the living room, Kushina and Namikaze Minato were chatting.
"How did you get in?"
He distinctly remembered locking the door before leaving. The fact that it was open now was puzzling.
"Oh, Little White let us in," Minato said, pointing at the white snake currently balancing upside down on its head.
Kin looked up at the broken rope hanging from the ceiling, then at Little Miao swaying listlessly nearby.
Finally, his gaze landed on Little White, who was still pretending to be tied up by wiggling its tail toward the rope.
The sight of a white snake trying to maintain the illusion of being bound made Kin's eye twitch.
"Enough. Drop the act."
This wasn't just an embarrassment to summoning animals—it was an insult to snakes everywhere.
Little White flopped to the ground, feigning exhaustion.
"Here, a housewarming gift."
Minato and Kushina handed Kin a piece of iron ore.
"What's this?"
Kin took it and channeled chakra into it, only to find it flowed through effortlessly.
"Chakra-conductive metal!?"
This material was perfect for crafting ninja weapons. Ordinary items resisted chakra flow, losing most of the energy in transmission.
But chakra-conductive metal reduced that loss to almost nothing.
"You shouldn't have!"
Kin's previously blank expression instantly brightened.
"Then give it back," Kushina said, rolling her eyes and holding out her hand.
"Dream on. Gifts don't get returned."
Kin promptly tucked the two pieces of metal into his pocket. With these, he could upgrade his Demon-Slaying Thousand Blades.
"When did you two get back?"
Kin warmly invited them in, preparing tea and snacks.
Minato and Kushina could only shake their heads at his sudden hospitality. This mercenary attitude was unmistakably Uchiha Kin.
"We arrived in the village today. Most of the frontline forces have returned."
"On the way, I saw Lord Orochimaru, Lady Tsunade, and Might Dai."
These three were currently the most celebrated figures in Konoha,
each a formidable ninja capable of holding their own.
"What about Lord Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya and the others should have been deployed to the Land of Rain,
according to frontline intelligence.
"Lord Jiraiya seemed to have urgent business and didn't return," Kushina added.
"Is that so?"
Kin vaguely recalled that around this time, Jiraiya began mentoring Yahiko's group.
It seemed history was unfolding as expected.
The wheels of fate were still turning along their original path, though Kin's current influence was too limited to alter it significantly.
Once he grew strong enough, who knew whether history would continue as before
or bend to his will?
But the answer would reveal itself soon enough.
...
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(End of Chapter)