Naruto: Being a Shinobi with no System But... Chapter 164: 164 - Danzo's Frustration!!

Danzo regained his freedom of movent within the village.

At least, on the surface.

There was no definitive proof that he had personally acted against Konoha's interests. On the contrary, the Root operatives he had dispatched alongside Orochimaru—while responsible for the ambush on the Uchiha Anbu squad—had also transmitted valuable battlefield intelligence back to the Village.

That intelligence had allowed Konoha to respond swiftly and decisively to the rcenary ninja offensive.

With no concrete evidence tying him directly to cris against the Uchiha, and with Root's intelligence reports verifiable through internal channels, even Tsunade had no legitimate grounds to continue his house arrest.

Thus, after the Fifth Hokage's inauguration concluded without incident, Danzo was released.

But only barely.

The majority of Root remained sealed within their underground base, pending Tsunade's final decision. Danzo himself was explicitly forbidden from returning there.

This did not an that the web of influence he had spent decades weaving throughout Konoha and the wider shinobi world had vanished overnight.

But in practical terms, he had beco sothing unprecedented: an Elder with no authority, no command, and no power of his own.

Danzo was deeply dissatisfied.

And yet, for the mont, powerless.

What angered him even more was Orochimaru's incomplete success. The casualties among the Uchiha had occurred on the battlefield, not within the village. There was no chaos to exploit, no internal collapse he could manipulate.

If the Uchiha did not fall into disorder, his value would never beco apparent again. Hiruzen—and the other two Elders—would have no reason to invite him back into the shadows.

Uchiha Enjin, the lone survivor, could have served as a lever.

But he had been silenced far too quickly.

Though Danzo's information network was no longer what it once was, he didn't need reports to know who had intervened.

Tsunade's shadow.

Efficient, calculated—but ultimately too clean.

Such a person could never beco Konoha's true darkness.

Nor could she truly protect it.

"What about the Sharingan?" Danzo asked quietly, his voice echoing faintly through the empty tatami room.

His most trusted subordinate lowered his head. "Orochimaru says it is inconvenient for him to return at present. And… given your current circumstances…"

Danzo snorted coldly.

Even Orochimaru was beginning to slip beyond his grasp.

Yet now more than ever, Danzo needed Orochimaru's knowledge—and his power. He needed leverage. He needed sothing that could overturn the board entirely.

The old thods would no longer suffice.

But the incident involving the Box of Paradise had reminded him of sothing important: not every legend in the shinobi world was a myth.

Perhaps his breakthrough would co not from politics, but from those forbidden, extraordinary powers.

—

With the core objective of a ceasefire provisionally secured and his own investigative goals already fulfilled, Roshi's deanor during the later stages of negotiation shifted noticeably.

The earlier pressure vanished so completely that i began to wonder if the sharp, relentless young man she'd faced at the start had been nothing more than a fignt of her imagination.

"Since both sides have essentially confird a mutual desire to end hostilities," i said after organizing her thoughts, cautiously steering the discussion forward, "perhaps we should also consider the gradual resumption of normal trade between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire."

Her suggestion was not arbitrary.

Genji had not misled Yagura—nor had Obito misjudged the situation. The dissatisfaction of the Land of Water's Daimyō was very real.

And peace, for the Hidden Mist, was no longer rely desirable.

It was necessary.

Because of the Hidden Mist's earlier string of military actions—operations that lacked clear strategic goals and produced no tangible gains—the primary mariti trade routes linking the Land of Water, the Land of Tea, and the Land of Fire had been almost entirely severed.

With tax revenues dropping as a result, the Hidden Mist nevertheless continued to pressure the capital to expand military spending. Unsurprisingly, this sparked growing resentnt among the financiers and rchant houses.

It was one thing for the Hidden Mist, as a military institution, to act independently. They had always done so, and the Daimyō had limited ans to restrain them.

But prolonged military actions with unclear purpose—actions that inflicted sustained economic damage on their own country—made it increasingly difficult for the Daimyō to justify continued funding.

Now that the purse strings were tightening, and public sentint was turning sour, the Hidden Mist found itself in a weak position. It had little choice but to seek tangible outcos at the negotiating table—results that could placate both the populace and, more importantly, the Daimyō.

In response to i's proposal, Roshi rely replied,

"When the conflict between the Hidden Mist and Konoha ends, rchants who no longer fear for their safety will naturally resu trade."

The implication was unmistakable.

Trade would follow peace—but it could not be treated as a bargaining chip, nor a prerequisite.

Everything would have to wait until a formal peace agreent was signed and both sides confird the withdrawal of their forces.

i sighed inwardly.

At this stage, it was clear she wouldn't be able to extract any concrete advantages for the Land of Water. Reporting back with a confird ceasefire frawork would still count as fulfilling Genji's orders—but it was far from ideal.

Still… if possible, she wanted more.

Her gaze drifted back to Roshi.

Given his composure, it was obvious that he would remain the primary figure in any future talks.

The thought alone made the road ahead feel bleak.

"I'm pleased that our first eting has yielded such an important preliminary consensus, Terumī-san," Roshi said at just the right mont, neatly drawing the discussion to a close. "I look forward to your village's response regarding the finer points of this draft."

i stood and extended her hand, her expression solemn.

"To be honest, I can't say I particularly enjoyed the negotiation process," she admitted. "But Roshi-kun… you taught quite a bit."

In hindsight, she recognized her early missteps. She had been too cautious simply because Konoha's initial demands fell within an acceptable range—and in doing so, she had surrendered control of the dialogue far too easily.

That said, she had to admit one thing.

Once he gained the upper hand, this young Konoha ninja did not press it rcilessly. He refrained from escalating demands, leaving room to maneuver. In his own way, he had shown restraint—perhaps even generosity.

Had he chosen otherwise, the agreent on the table would have been far harder to swallow.

Roshi accepted her hand and gave it a brief, asured shake.

"Regardless of the process," he said evenly, "what matters most is reaching an agreent that both sides can accept—and sustain in the long term. That, I believe, is the true goal."

i paused, absorbing his words. After a mont, she smiled faintly.

"If the attitude you represent truly reflects Konoha's future direction," she said softly, "then perhaps… there really is a better future awaiting the Hidden Mist and Konoha than the one we have now."

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