"That kid actually refuses to go to the ninja academy?"
"His talent should be quite good. Why not let train him?"
Danzo Shimura had only managed to place one of his Root operatives among the ANBU assigned to monitor the two brothers.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was highly wary of him, especially regarding sensitive matters like this.
Yet when it ca to causing trouble outside, Hiruzen imposed no restrictions, allowing Danzo to act freely.
Danzo understood very well—if he ever lost his value, the man in front of him would discard him without hesitation and pin everything on him.
Still, he accepted it willingly.
Everything for Konoha.
Where there is light, there is always darkness. And since darkness was indispensable, he would be the one to control it.
"Forget it. Minato and Kushina have already given a lot for the village."
"One child has already beco a jinchūriki. Don't force the other one."
Hiruzen shook his head and rejected Danzo's proposal.
But the real reason was that he didn't want Uzumaki Shuji to fall into Danzo's hands.
He knew that if Uzumaki Shuji ended up under Danzo's control, he would undoubtedly be turned into a killing machine.
More importantly, Danzo would use Uzumaki Shuji as leverage against Naruto Uzumaki.
Uzumaki Shuji had to remain under his own control. Since the boy refused to beco a ninja, then constant ANBU surveillance would suffice.
A jinchūriki was too important—he would never allow Danzo to interfere.
"Very well."
Danzo didn't argue further.
He could tell Hiruzen's true intentions—this was nothing more than continued distrust.
But it didn't matter.
He had always intended to replace him and beco the next Hokage.
As for what he did in secret, Hiruzen would have little control over it.
Root belonged entirely to him. Through sealing techniques, he controlled his subordinates completely. Even Hiruzen couldn't extract information from them. They were loyal, disposable tools.
"That child… he's a lot like Minato."
After Danzo left, Hiruzen lit his pipe, his expression heavy.
He had been extrely satisfied with Minato Namikaze.
Minato had handled everything on the front stage, while he remained behind the scenes.
All the difficult work fell on Minato, while he reaped the benefits without bearing the pressure.
At the sa ti, Minato inspired the civilians, making them lower their guard and work diligently for Konoha.
But such a perfect candidate… had died.
Jiraiya refused to take the position. Orochimaru had defected.
As for Tsunade, he was reluctant to appoint her.
So now, he had no choice but to keep carrying the burden himself.
And in Uzumaki Shuji, he saw a reflection of Minato's intelligence.
Unfortunately, the boy refused to beco a ninja. Hiruzen didn't want to push him too hard. By the ti Uzumaki Shuji grew up, he himself would already be quite old—he was sixty-five now.
"Consider it a reward for Minato. I won't force the child. As long as he lives peacefully in the village, that's enough."
Hiruzen believed himself to be magnanimous.
He chose not to exploit the child, rely keeping him as a safeguard to control Naruto.
Danzo had spread rumors about the Nine-Tails, causing the villagers to fear and hate the brothers, leaving them with only each other.
And the only person they could trust… was him.
…
Uzumaki Shuji's daily missions mostly consisted of training tasks.
Primarily focused on controlling mana.
The results were obvious—his strength had increased tenfold, yet he could still handle chopsticks without crushing them.
"The ninja academy, huh…"
Uzumaki Shuji watched Naruto walk into the school and let out a cold laugh.
Earlier, Iruka Umino had tried to persuade him to enroll as well, but Uzumaki Shuji found an excuse to decline.
He had no ti for such a place.
Now that he had gained so strength, he could finally afford to act a little out of line.
Daily missions provided very few points—sotis just ten, sotis even less.
Most of his points actually ca from farming his "tool" of a younger brother.
Mission types were divided into combat missions, growth missions, and daily missions.
Combat missions required defeating well-known ninja from the storyline, rewarding points based on their strength and reputation.
A genin was worth 50 points, a chunin 200, and a jonin 1000.
Growth missions could only be unlocked after establishing his own faction.
Each subordinate would provide 50 points, while recruiting nad characters from the storyline would grant additional bonuses.
Owning territory would also generate points annually, based on population.
For now, growth missions were out of reach. There was no way he could take over Konoha.
So instead… he fard his little brother.
Two hundred points per fight.
Equivalent to a chunin.
And Naruto was still just a kid.
He had also tried with Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno.
Both girls were captivated by his looks and didn't refuse his challenge. Uzumaki Shuji easily defeated them.
But they only gave twenty points each.
Worse, after losing, they would go bully Naruto.
After thinking it through, he gave up farming points from them. Naruto was far more efficient.
However, each person could only be fard once per week.
Accumulating enough points had taken quite so ti.
"Alright… the Konoha Twelve are all studying here now. It'll be much easier to find them. Before, I couldn't just barge into their clans. Now I can just wait for them after school. After all, I'm just a delinquent who doesn't attend classes!"
Uzumaki Shuji muttered excitedly.
Though his behavior was sowhat questionable.
After all, ntally, he was over thirty years old.
Blocking the path of seven-year-old children—first graders—left him with mixed feelings.
If it were the twelve at age twelve—middle school age—he probably wouldn't dare take such jobs.
Too dangerous.
One mistake, and he might be the one getting beaten instead.
Elentary school targets were much safer.
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