Naruto: Eating Kaido's Azure Dragon Devil Fruit-Chapter 257: The "Villain" Lodges the First Complaint

Chapter 257: Chapter 257: The "Villain" Lodges the First Complaint

Watching Danzo’s back as he fled in a wretched state, like a homeless dog, Sora slowly retracted the aura surrounding him.

The Azure Dragon form was released. Tenji also dispelled the summoning jutsu and returned to the Land of Peaceful Bliss.

The scene was a mess, with Root ninja corpses scattered everywhere.

"Waste is shameful."

Sora muttered to himself, collecting the bodies of several relatively intact Root jonin.

These were valuable goods. They should not be wasted, whether for research or for the Impure World Reincarnation.

As for those that had already been blasted to pieces, they could only be reluctantly abandoned.

Finally, Sora, as usual, unleashed a "Boro Breath" to clean up the scene. Then, with a flicker of his body, he continued his journey towards Konoha Village.

...

Hokage’s Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was using the Telescope Technique on his crystal ball, his brow tightly furrowed.

Just then, the office door was knocked.

"Enter."

Sora pushed the door open and entered calmly, carrying a slight air of having traveled a long distance.

"Hokage-sama." Sora gave a slight nod.

"Sora, you’re back."

Sarutobi Hiruzen put down his pipe, a warm smile appearing on his face.

"You’ve worked hard on the front lines. I have seen Torifu’s battle report. You did very well, achieving great merit for Konoha."

"Just doing my duty." Sora replied flatly.

A trace of appreciation flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen’s eyes, but more than that was scrutiny.

He noticed that Sora’s aura seemed even more composed than described in the report. There was no sign of fatigue from having just experienced a major battle and a long journey.

Sarutobi Hiruzen steadied himself and was about to ask about Yumi and Ayumi, but he noticed Sora taking out a scroll.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Three corpses, wearing Root animal masks and Root uniforms, appeared on the floor of the Hokage’s office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s smile instantly froze on his face.

"This is...?"

Sora responded calmly.

"On the way back to the village, Elder Danzo led over twenty Root elites to ambush me within the Land of Fire."

"He claimed I attacked a Root squad and demanded I go back with him to Root to ’talk’."

He paused, his gaze directly meeting Sarutobi Hiruzen’s.

"I was forced to defend myself. I killed most of the Root ninja. I captured three of their bodies and specifically brought them back to be handled by you, Hokage-sama. Elder Danzo himself... fled wounded."

A deathly silence fell over the office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the corpses on the floor, then at Sora’s expressionless face. A storm of shock raged in his heart.

Danzo actually dared to act privately. He even brought over twenty Root elites to ambush a hero who had just achieved great merit!

What shocked him even more was that Sora not only returned completely unscathed, but also counter-killed most of the other side’s forces. Even Danzo fled wounded!

This level of strength... was probably even more formidable than described in the battle report!

’That fool Danzo!’

Sarutobi Hiruzen cursed inwardly, but he had to maintain composure on the surface.

He took a deep breath and said solemnly.

"How could such a thing happen! Danzo has gone too far! Privately mobilizing Root to attack a fellow villager with achievements. This is utterly lawless!"

He looked at Sora and added reassuringly.

"Sora, rest assured. I will deal with this matter seriously. I will give you an explanation!"

Sora inwardly sneered. Deal with it seriously?

It would just be the old routine of house arrest and funding cuts. It wouldn’t touch Danzo’s foundation.

He never expected to use this incident to do much to Danzo anyway. His goal was to annoy him a bit. At the same time, he wanted to register this with Sarutobi Hiruzen. He wanted to show he wasn’t a soft target to be manipulated at will.

"I believe Hokage-sama will handle it fairly."

Sora replied neutrally. Then he resealed and put away the corpses. He had just shown them to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Watching Sora’s actions, Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his mouth. He wanted to ask about the previous incident of the Root squad being attacked. But the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back.

The benefits of asking? Almost none.

Sora would not admit it. Instead, it would deepen the rift between them. If it pushed him to completely turn his back on Konoha, the loss would outweigh the gain. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

After all, he hadn’t forgotten when Sora first joined the Anbu. He was surrounded and captured by "Root" ninja in that valley in the Land of Grass.

The drawbacks of asking? They were very clear.

It would make him seem distrustful of a subordinate who had just performed meritoriously. It would chill the hearts of the frontline soldiers. Moreover, there was no concrete evidence, only speculation. It was impossible to convict Sora. Instead, it would put him in a passive position.

Thinking of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen decisively gave up the idea of pressing the matter.

Right now, the most important thing was to stabilize Sora and maintain Konoha’s superficial unity and stability.

"Ahem."

Sarutobi Hiruzen cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Regarding the matter of Yumi and Ayumi, I deeply regret..."

As he spoke, he carefully observed Sora’s reaction.

Sure enough, upon hearing these two names, Sora’s eyes instantly became "sharp".

"Iwa-nin... They were just ordinary medical ninja! Iwa-nin actually dared to target them!"

Sora suddenly looked up at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Hokage-sama! I request permission to go to the Land of Earth! No matter what, I must investigate their whereabouts. If they are alive, I want to see them. If they are dead... I want to see their bodies!"

Watching Sora’s "heartfelt" performance, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s thoughts raced.

He couldn’t determine how much of Sora’s anger was real and how much was fake.

But regardless, Sora proactively proposing to go to the dangerous Land of Earth was not a bad thing for him.

Firstly, it could temporarily remove this unstable factor from the village. It could ease the conflict with Danzo and give him time to handle the aftermath.

Secondly, Sora was powerful. Going to the Land of Earth might indeed stir up some trouble, disrupt the situation there, and create opportunities for Konoha.

Thirdly, he also wanted to use this to observe whether Sora was truly unrelated to Yumi and Ayumi’s "kidnapping". If Sora achieved nothing in the Land of Earth, or acted suspiciously, then his suspicion would greatly increase.

Weighing the pros and cons, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly made a decision.

He put on a "grave" expression and sighed.

"I understand your feelings. Yumi and Ayumi are comrades of the village. The village is also concerned about their safety."

"Since you are determined to go... very well. The war on the Kumo-nin front has basically subsided. I give you two months."

"Remember, prioritize your own safety above all. If things seem impossible, retreat immediately!"

"Yes! Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Sora "gratefully" bowed.

"Go. The necessary supplies can be obtained from the Logistics Department." Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand.

Sora said no more and turned to leave the Hokage’s office.

Watching Sora’s departing back, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly sat back in his chair and relit his pipe.

’Sora... are you ultimately Konoha’s guardian, or a potential destroyer...’

He picked up a pen and began writing on a blank mission scroll. At the same time, he thought to himself.

’Perhaps I should have Root’s informants in the Land of Earth also "pay attention" to his movements...’

...

After leaving the Hokage Building, Sora looked back at the structure symbolizing Konoha’s highest authority. His gaze was indifferent.

This place was never his home.

His future lay in a broader world. It lay in surpassing the Six Paths himself and reaching the legendary Kekkei Mora!

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