Naruto: The ANBU God

"Now with this, we can keep him occupied."

Hiruzen sighed after being silent for a while, his gaze lost in the void as he exhaled smoke from his pipe: "This will keep him busy, diverting all his attention away from the idea of becoming Hokage. There's no better way to control him, at least for now."

"Isn't there any other way to stop Luo Lei?"

Upon hearing this, Koharu gritted her teeth, "We can't go on like this forever, right? This is just a temporary measure!"

"Don't worry, a solution will come." Hiruzen put down his pipe with a brusque motion, his eyebrows furrowing and his eyes shining: "We just need to hold out until we have absolute certainty about how to defeat him. We won't make a move until we have the power to do so."

"Alright!" Koharu shrugged with bitterness, resigning herself, "Whatever happens, I won't get involved in anything related to Luo Lei. I don't want to be the next one on his list."

"Hiruzen, what happened with that matter?"

Suddenly, Danzo rolled his eyes and looked at Hiruzen with a fake smile, trying to sound casual: "Tsunade, what did she tell you about that?"

"Hmph, didn't you see it all today?"

Upon hearing Danzo's taunt, Hiruzen snorted coldly, "Tsunade already knows about Homura and the Senju clan. The relationship between her and me... it might have come to an end."

"It was lucky she didn't come directly to destroy my mansion. She could have done it if she had wanted to."

At this point, Hiruzen's tone was somber, full of resignation. Deep down, he knew all this was their own doing. In the beginning, Homura had secretly attacked the Senju clan, the largest clan in Konoha. Hiruzen had opposed it, tried to stop it, but Homura had gone ahead behind everyone's backs. When he finally found out, there was no going back.

The only thing he could do was turn a blind eye...

Now, Homura's assassination was like a late atonement for the Senju clan and for Tsunade.

"..."

Danzo remained silent. He knew that, in some way, everyone in the council had agreed with what Homura had done. Each of them had their share of responsibility, but Homura was the only one who decided to carry it out.

"Now that the army has returned, it's time for us to negotiate with the other four villages."

A few seconds later, Hiruzen changed the subject, showing a cold, calculating look: "This time, except for Kirigakure, the other villages, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure, must pay for what they did. We must make them sign treaties that benefit us at all costs."

"That's right..."

As soon as this topic came up, Koharu's spirit immediately lifted. Her eyes showed a gleam of greed as she confidently said, "We are the victors of the war. It's time to show them our dominance and our strength. Konoha is no toy, and they must understand that."

"Those three villages must pay a very high price, or we will continue fighting."

Danzo squinted his eyes, "Although I don't want to admit it, as long as Luo Lei remains in the village, there's no reason to fear those villages. We know he'll ensure our victory."

Hiruzen nodded: "We will strike with all we have. If they dare to oppose us, we won't stop, even if it infuriates them. Let them know who they're facing."

"In front of Luo Lei, we must endure, but in front of the other villages... it's a completely different game."

"Well..."

Seeing Koharu mention Luo Lei again, Hiruzen rubbed his temples, feeling an unbearable headache. He finally waved his hand, "Stop talking about it! That's all for today!"

The voice had barely fallen when Koharu and Danzo stood up, looked at each other, and without saying another word, left the office.

It wasn't until both of their backs disappeared from view that Hiruzen slumped in his chair. His face showed fatigue as he took his pipe and took a few puffs.

His expression was hidden in the white smoke as his thoughts turned dark.

Konoha had won the Third World War, but he... he had lost everything. The position of authority he once had seemed to crumble bit by bit.

Additionally, the Uchiha Clan seemed to be getting closer to Luo Lei, and the Hyuga clan was also acting suspiciously. At that moment, he could only move forward step by step, hoping to find a way to contain Luo Lei.

Once he found a way to do it, as Hokage, he could once again hold his head high with pride...

And regarding the Uchiha clan, he was considering whether he could win over a talented member, brainwashing them with the Will of Fire to serve his purpose.

"Kagami... I have high hopes for your descendants. Shisui Uchiha... will definitely inherit your 'Will of Fire.'"

Thinking of that young prodigy, Hiruzen showed a faint smile.

...

Looking at Luo Lei, who was becoming the center of attention.

I don't know what happened, but Minato's heart was filled with a sharp discomfort.

Because, according to the plan and arrangement of the Konoha Council, he should have been the greatest beneficiary of the war, the new hero of the village. With that, his candidacy for Hokage was almost guaranteed.

But...

The result?

Due to Luo Lei's appearance, all the arrangements and plans of the Council were completely ruined. Luo Lei became the absolute center, the one who benefited the most from the war.

Minato... barely gained anything.

"Forget it... I'd better go see how Kushina is. I can't let Hokage-sama be even more disappointed." Minato shook his head, with sadness reflected in his eyes.

He left the celebration scene silently, without drawing anyone's attention.

He had not been able to complete the mission assigned to him. Everything had been a disaster.

So he would put his mind, his energy, into Kushina, the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. She would be the key. As long as he could win over Kushina, the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails would be under the control of the Konoha Council. Thinking about it, a twisted smile formed on his lips.

________

Time: If you're craving more (and I know you are!), I have just what you need. On my Patreon, you'll find exclusive chapters. Join our community and be the first to discover what happens next!

👉 [patreon.com/Athome790]

Your support fuels me. Thank you for the support! 💖