~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter! Your votes keep this climbing. Thanks!
Qianyu left the Root base.
Danzō Shimura stood frozen on the spot for a long time, unable to snap back to reality.
It took him a good while to finally come to his senses.
Fury twisted his face into a hideous mask. He slammed a fist down on the table. Wood splintered. The desk shattered into pieces.
"Ryōma!" Danzō snarled.
A figure emerged from the shadows behind him.
Aburame Ryōma. Danzō's most trusted aide. An elite core member of Root.
Danzō turned, eyes bloodshot, to face Ryōma. Rage burned in his voice. "Answer me. If I gave you a squad of our most elite Root ninja… could you kill Qianyu?"
Ryōma's expression remained utterly blank. "My apologies, Danzō-sama. I have no confidence whatsoever. He knew I was hiding there the entire time. My kikaichū… they are terrified of him. They refuse to even get close."
He paused, voice flat. "Forgive my bluntness, Danzō-sama, but in the state he just displayed… even if all of Root attacked him together, we likely couldn't kill him."
"WHAT USE ARE ALL OF YOU THEN?!" Danzō roared.
Ryōma fell silent, standing motionless.
After his outburst, Danzō gradually calmed. But his eyes remained venomous. "Qianyu… I'll make you understand just how foolish it is to oppose me. The authority you hold in Konoha? I gave it to you. I can take it back just as easily. Without my support, you'll find no favor with Minato Namikaze either. We'll see if I can't keep you in check!"
…
Qianyu felt no disturbance in his mood after leaving Root.
To him, Danzō had always been just a tool. And the benefits he could still wring from the old man were minimal now. So, breaking ties? It was fine.
He headed straight for the Leaf Village Defense Force headquarters and found Kakashi.
Kakashi looked up, surprised. "Qianyu-sensei? What brings you here?"
He was genuinely shocked. Lately, Qianyu was practically glued to Kushina's side. Finding him here was unusual.
"I'm here about your position, Kakashi," Qianyu stated. "Your tenure as acting captain ends today."
Kakashi blinked. "Huh? Are you… taking over officially, sensei?"
Qianyu shook his head. "No. I'm not taking over. And from now on, the Leaf Village Defense Force has nothing to do with us."
Kakashi was completely lost. "What happened?"
"Danzō and I had a falling out."
Understanding dawned on Kakashi instantly. A falling out with Danzō. The Defense Force was Danzō's pet project. Of course the old man wouldn't let Qianyu keep the captain's seat after a split.
"Are the bail funds still here?" Qianyu asked.
Kakashi nodded. "All in storage. Over these past few months… it's accumulated to about forty million ryō."
"Forty million, huh?" Qianyu mused. "A bit less than I expected, but it'll do."
He'd been training at Ryūchi Cave for roughly four months. Forty million averaged out to just over three hundred thousand ryō per day.
Kakashi led him to the secure storeroom. Qianyu unfurled a sealing scroll. With a quick series of hand signs, he sealed every last coin inside.
With the money secured, he and Kakashi prepared to leave. As they exited, they ran straight into Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui froze upon seeing Qianyu. His expression instantly turned grave.
He was among the first to know of Qianyu's return to the village. These past few days, a constant, low-grade dread had hummed in the back of his mind.
Kakashi, while adhering to Qianyu's policies, wasn't nearly as… extreme. The news that Kakashi would remain as acting captain had been a massive relief.
Seeing Qianyu here now, Shisui's first thought was that the man was reclaiming his position. Tension coiled tight in his shoulders.
Qianyu offered him a light chuckle. "No need to worry. In fact… you won't have to worry about this at all anymore. Farewell."
He and Kakashi walked past, leaving a bewildered Shisui behind.
Won't have to worry anymore? What does that mean?
Outside the headquarters, Qianyu spoke to Kakashi. "Head to my place and wait for me. I need to make a stop at the Hokage Building. Resigning officially requires notifying Minato. Besides… it'll give Danzō something to choke on."
"Understood, sensei." Kakashi nodded and vanished in a flicker.
Qianyu watched him go, then turned toward the Hokage Tower. Once Minato was notified, nothing else should bother him until Miyuki Uzumaki went into labor. He could finally focus entirely on Kushina.
He reached the Tower and knocked on the Hokage's office door.
"Enter."
Pushing the door open, Qianyu found not just Minato Namikaze, but Hiruzen Sarutobi inside as well.
Minato looked up, surprised. "Qianyu? What brings you here?"
"Fourth Hokage," Qianyu stated without preamble. "Effective today, I am resigning as captain of the Leaf Village Defense Force. You can select your own candidate for the position."
Both Minato and Hiruzen's eyes widened in unison. "What? Why the sudden resignation?"
"Kushina is pregnant. She needs my care. That reason should be sufficient. As for the 'why'… I imagine you'll both find out shortly. But me telling you first, versus him telling you first… leads to very different outcomes. Consider this me doing you a favor. So, if there's nothing else, please don't disturb me. That's all. I'll take my leave."
Without waiting for a reply, Qianyu turned and walked out of the Hokage Tower.
Minato and Hiruzen stared at each other, thoroughly confused by Qianyu's cryptic words.
They wouldn't be confused for long.
Not long after Qianyu left, Danzō stormed into the Hokage's office, full of bluster. He'd originally gone to Hiruzen's home, only to learn the old man was here with the Hokage.
Barging in, Danzō declared, "Fourth Hokage! Hiruzen! Qianyu's conduct is disgraceful! I propose we immediately relieve him of his captaincy in the Leaf Village Defense Force and expel him from the organization entirely! I will personally recommend a qualified ninja to assume the captain's duties!"
He was confident they would agree. Minato was cozying up to the Uchiha. Removing Qianyu, their main persecutor, from the Defense Force would be a move Minato would welcome.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!