Sakumo, bowing his head in confession before Hiruzen, never imagined that the teammate he had risked mission failure to save would not only fail to appreciate his sacrifice, but would actually harbor resentment against him.
Knowing that his punishment wouldn't be delivered immediately, Sakumo bowed his head once more before leaving the room with his teammates under ANBU escort.
"Hoo..." Watching Sakumo and the others depart, Hiruzen slowly pulled out his pipe from his robes, lit it, and exhaled deeply, beginning to fill the room with smoke.
"Hiruzen, you called for me..."
Danzō, having received the summons, pushed open the door and was immediately surrounded by smoke.
Frowning, he waved his sleeve to disperse the smoke before him, finally making out Hiruzen's unpleasant expression.
"What happened?"
Seeing Hiruzen's face, Danzō also frowned, immediately realizing something must be wrong.
"Sakumo's mission failed." Hiruzen glanced at Danzō, exhaled a puff of smoke, and spoke in a low voice.
Danzō was stunned for a moment, then asked tentatively: "The mission personally assigned by the Daimyo?"
"Yes, that mission." Hiruzen nodded in confirmation.
"Even Konoha's White Fang can fail?" Danzō knew about that mission. While it was somewhat difficult, it shouldn't have been beyond even Sakumo's capabilities...
"Ib Rujin fell into a trap. Sakumo abandoned the mission to save him." Hiruzen took a deep drag of smoke, speaking sullenly.
"Hmph, all because of something like that..." Danzō's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
"But that's consistent with Sakumo's character—he's always been someone who cares for his comrades." Hiruzen instinctively defended Sakumo.
"Regardless, mission failure must be punished." Danzō slammed his palm on the desk.
"Mm." Hiruzen nodded. He had no intention of showing favoritism to Sakumo, especially since the Daimyo needed an explanation.
"In your opinion, how should we explain this to the Daimyo?" Hiruzen had called Danzō specifically for this matter.
"What explanation does the Daimyo need? The mission failed, so we forfeit the subsidy. Ninja missions are never guaranteed to succeed."
Seeing Hiruzen troubled by such a matter, Danzō waved his sleeve dismissively and stepped forward.
Hiruzen was quite satisfied with Danzō's response.
His position didn't allow him to treat the Daimyo with such an attitude, but Danzō could.
Danzō had never shown proper respect toward the Daimyo.
Let Danzō intimidate the Daimyo first, then I'll step in to smooth things over. That should be enough to cover up this incident.
It's just a shame about that substantial subsidy...
"So what about Sakumo? How do you think he should be disciplined?" Hiruzen extinguished his pipe and asked for Danzō's opinion.
"Konoha's White Fang is still one of the village's elite assets. We still need his reputation to deter Sunagakure. I suggest we keep this confidential for now and temporarily suspend his team."
Danzō thought for a moment before giving his answer.
This answer also carried some personal interest—after all, he still planned to support Sakumo as the next Hokage, paving the way for his own son.
If this stain became public knowledge, it would certainly damage Sakumo's reputation.
"This operation was indeed Sakumo's dereliction of duty. Once the storm passes, we might as well send him to the border—that would serve as punishment." Hiruzen nodded and shared his own thoughts.
"I think we don't need to inform Koharu and the others about this."
If those two found out about this matter, there was no telling what kind of trouble they'd stir up.
The two quickly settled on the general plan and reached agreement on certain details.
"Then I'll leave this matter in your hands." Leaning back in his chair, Hiruzen finally relaxed.
Danzō said nothing in response, simply nodded to Hiruzen before turning to leave.
"Abandoning the mission for the sake of comrades..." Watching Danzō close the door, Hiruzen turned his gaze to Tobirama's photograph hanging on the wall, muttering to himself.
"By Lord Danzō's order, Sakumo's team is to cease all activities temporarily, submit to ANBU investigation, and is forbidden from mentioning this mission to outsiders."
At the hospital, where Sakumo's group was gathered receiving treatment, an ANBU ninja suddenly appeared before them.
After announcing Danzō's order, the ANBU ninja didn't leave but instead stood at the door, brazenly monitoring them.
Faced with ANBU surveillance, Sakumo showed no emotion, but Ib Rujin beside him grew nervous.
The Hokage really did hand this matter over to Danzō, and now they've suspended our duties. All of this was Sakumo's doing—why, why did things turn out this way?!
Glancing at Sakumo, who remained silent beside him, the malice in Ib Rujin's eyes was almost tangible.
Why don't these damn higher-ups just arrest Sakumo directly instead of dragging us innocent people into this?
Of course—after all, he's "Konoha's White Fang." The higher-ups must be planning to favor that guy.
No, I can't just sit here waiting for death. I have to take action.
The higher-ups want to favor Sakumo? Well, I won't let them have their way.
Believing he would become Sakumo's scapegoat, Ib Rujin began plotting in his heart.
...
Completely unaware of what had transpired, Feng Bai returned home as usual, only to discover that neither Ryōma nor Danzō were home.
Only Yakushi Nonō sat alone on the sofa, studying medical ninjutsu.
"Nonō-nee, where are Ryōma-sensei and the others?" Feng Bai asked curiously.
"Oh, Feng Bai, you're back. Ryōma and the others went on a mission with Lord Danzō. They won't be back tonight. You can practice ninjutsu on your own, or you can learn medical ninjutsu with me."
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Nonō looked at Feng Bai and smiled beautifully.
There's such a good thing?
Hearing that he wouldn't have to endure a beating today, Feng Bai visibly brightened, flashing Nonō a sweet smile with a hint of playful charm:
"Then I want to learn medical ninjutsu with Nonō-nee."
"Alright, let me go make dinner first." Having received his answer, Nonō stood up from the sofa, stretched, revealing her graceful curves, making Feng Bai blush slightly.
Tsk tsk, today really is a good day—no beatings and no having to eat the old man's cooking...
Speaking of which, what mission did the old man and the others go on? Is it dangerous? It should be dangerous, right...
On the other side, Ib Rujin, who was being interrogated by Yamanaka Zen, was desperately trying to express his innocence.
"Brother, please, you must tell Lord Danzō that all of this was Sakumo acting on his own! I was already prepared to sacrifice myself for the village—it's all him, all him..."
"Mm." No matter how much Ib Rujin said, Yamanaka Zen only nodded in agreement, his face behind the mask showing no expression whatsoever.
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