Naruto: Teaching Makes Me Stronger Chapter 120 120 – You will regret this

Danzo entered the Hokage's Office without knocking.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing down at the village. From the height of the Hokage Building, one could take in the entirety of Konoha's Main District.

"Hiruzen, is there sothing we need to discuss?" Danzo asked.

Hiruzen turned, nodded, and gestured toward his desk. "Take a look at the docunts."

Danzo stepped forward, picked up the folder, and began flipping through it. The na Hayate Mugetsu imdiately caught his eye.

The mont he saw it, Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly, and a thought flashed through his mind.

I just told him not to expose his identity, and he's already been found out? Useless.

Still, as a seasoned actor, his expression didn't change. He quickly skimd the rest. It contained nothing but background on Mugetsu.

"Isn't this just about promoting a Special Jonin with good teaching ability? Does it require both of us to confirm?" Danzo said, feigning indifference.

Hiruzen let out a short laugh.

"Danzo… are you sure this is just an ordinary Special Jonin?" His gaze lingered, sharp and knowing.

"Does he have other qualities besides what's written here?" Danzo continued to play dumb. He would never admit to planting soone in the Academy.

Hiruzen placed his pipe between his lips, exhaled a slow cloud of smoke, and said, "You don't need to play gas with . I know he's a Root operative you trained in secret."

He tossed another set of docunts onto the desk.

Danzo glanced through them, and his expression finally shifted. Not only did they detail Mugetsu's training, but they also listed information on several other covert operatives.

How did he get this? Danzo thought, unsettled. He had never expected the Third Hokage to have such a clear picture of his "hidden" agents.

Root had been ford under the guise of Anbu training, but Hiruzen wasn't a fool—he had long since capped Root's numbers to prevent Danzo's power from expanding unchecked.

That was why Danzo trained additional agents like Mugetsu in secret. If he couldn't recruit openly, he would do it quietly.

"I do this for Konoha's protection," Danzo said, not admitting fault. "The number of operatives you allow isn't enough to ensure the village's safety. A great war is coming—don't tell you believe Konoha can stay uninvolved."

It was an attempt to steer the conversation away from illegal training and toward the looming threat of war.

But Hiruzen, who had sat in the Hokage's chair for decades, was sharper still. He rapped his fingers against the desk.

"We'll put other matters aside for now. Let's discuss your illegal recruitnt."

He leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

"There are five in total—and three are descendants of war heroes. Danzo, are you trying to destroy the Will of Fire itself?"

The term "war heroes" referred to ninja who had died in service to the village. Mugetsu's own parents, who had fallen in battle, were among them.

Danzo said nothing. Ninja from such families rarely lacked talent—and were often easier to mold.

"I'm training talent for Konoha," he finally replied. "That Hayate Mugetsu you're so interested in—didn't you just promote him to Special Jonin yourself?"

"Perhaps he would be even more outstanding if you hadn't interfered," Hiruzen countered without hesitation.

In his view, Mugetsu was clearly a valuable asset: an exceptional teacher, a promising sealing specialist, competent in both Water and Fire Release, and possessing an admirable temperant.

"Mugetsu is not staying in Root. Tomorrow, you'll co here and remove his cursed seal," Hiruzen said plainly, revealing his true aim.

Danzo's fists tightened.

"What do you an, Hiruzen? I spent years training him—and I am Root's leader."

Though Mugetsu was not among his most prized operatives, having him taken felt like soone else plucking the fruit of his labor.

"If you refuse… you will regret it," Hiruzen said, his tone calm but absolute.

Danzo's face darkened. He hesitated. "And what about the resources I invested?"

Hiruzen exhaled smoke and pointed at the docunts.

Danzo understood imdiately: there would be no compensation for an illegal project.

After a mont, he exhaled sharply. "I'll co tomorrow."

He turned for the door, then paused. "Hiruzen… you'll regret this."

"I am the Hokage," Hiruzen replied evenly from his chair.

Bang!

The office door slamd shut.

---

Outside, Danzo's face smoothed back into composure.

It was only a Special Jonin. He might be displeased, but he wasn't truly angry. His display of outrage inside had been calculated—to push for compensation.

Hiruzen had refused, but in exchange, he would overlook the other four operatives listed in those files.

That was the unspoken deal in Hiruzen's gesture toward the docunts: besides Mugetsu, the rest would be ignored and effectively accepted as Root mbers—albeit off the official roster.

Good thing "A" wasn't found, Danzo thought.

When he first saw the list, he had feared his hidden Wood Release shinobi had been discovered. That operative was far more valuable than any of the others.

As long as the Wood Release remained secret, the loss of the others ant little. With that power, Danzo believed the future leadership of Konoha was still his to claim.

Still, as he made his way back to the Root base, annoyance lingered. Just yesterday, he'd thought that once Mugetsu rose to a senior post at the Academy, he would have another foothold in the village's affairs. Now, Hiruzen had snatched that piece off the board entirely.

"Go. Bring Night to ," Danzo ordered a subordinate upon his return.

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