"Shimura Danzo, you want an explanation, is that it? Fine, I'll give you one right now."
Aoba's voice was calm but firm.
"The reason I had Aoba act so decisively is simple—it was on my orders. I used my sensory ability to detect that your two subordinates were, without a doubt, spies from enemy villages."
He placed a hand on his chest and added, "I stake my reputation as the Hokage's assistant on this."
It was a blatant lie, smooth and practiced.
Danzo narrowed his eyes, momentarily caught off guard. How could he have forgotten that Kawaki Aoba had a keen sensory ability—capable not only of detecting chakra but subtle emotional intent?
This same ability had once exposed a small cell of infiltrators during the Second Shinobi War. Even if everyone in the room suspected deception, none could be certain enough to challenge him outright.
And the only surefire way to verify such a claim... was to extract memories directly.
Crack.
The sound of an explosion—wet and sharp like a crushed melon—echoed through the air. Danzo turned his head sharply. The corpse whose neck Aoba had just snapped now lay headless, its skull obliterated.
"I apologize, Lord Aoba," the Root shinobi said emotionlessly. "This man was feigning death and attempted a sneak attack. I... may have used too much force."
He gestured to the other spot. "As for the one buried underground, he resisted fiercely. He's... beyond interrogation."
Aoba wore a mask of solemnity, feigning mild frustration.
"You need to be more careful," he scolded. "These spies carried critical intelligence. Don't let it happen again."
"Yes, sir."
The Root operative bowed and moved aside with practiced obedience.
Danzo's expression twisted slightly. The whole exchange was so contrived it was infuriating.
"Very well... Kawaki Aoba," Danzo said through gritted teeth. "I'll remember this day. Don't come crying to me later."
With a huff, he turned and stormed off. His footsteps echoed with barely restrained fury, quick and uneven.
Aoba watched him leave, a smirk forming on his lips.
"Shimura Danzo," he called out, his voice calm and confident. "You'd better remember my words too. From today onward, this orphanage is under my protection. Yakushi Nonou and the children here are no longer yours to use."
Danzo hesitated for a split second before walking away even faster, the stutter in his step betraying his anger.
Aoba didn't believe his own words would deter Danzo. He said them to provoke him—and perhaps, buy some time.
Now that Danzo was gone, it was time to act.
He turned to face Nonou, who had been silently watching.
"You saw it yourself. Danzo's eyes are on this place. The only way to protect these children is to leave. Select those with ninja potential—we're leaving immediately."
Yakushi Nonou remained silent for a moment.
She had no illusions. Danzo would return—probably with Root agents. And while she didn't trust Aoba completely, he was clearly the lesser evil.
She cast a glance at the children behind her. Why only the talented ones? It stung, but she understood. Aoba's resources were limited, and he couldn't protect everyone.
This was the reality of the shinobi world. Sentiment had no place in survival decisions.
Reluctantly, she nodded. "Understood."
By nightfall, Kawaki Aoba had left with Nonou and seventeen children—all showing promise in chakra sensitivity or physical prowess.
Aoba smirked. "Seventeen. That should do for a start."
With the opening of his new ninja program, the freshman class had finally reached double digits. Still, the number was far too small. He needed more candidates. Where could he find them?
Above, the moon was obscured by thick clouds.
In the shadows of the forest surrounding Konoha's edge, several masked shinobi emerged.
Root had finally moved.
Danzo wasn't one to let grudges stew. His retaliation came quickly.
But Aoba had expected this.
As the black-cloaked figures approached the orphanage gates, a voice greeted them.
"Oh? Root operatives? Welcome. The orphanage gates are open to you."
Aoba stood calmly at the entrance, his arms folded.
"My Lord Aoba says you're free to do as you wish inside. But let me say this—once you walk through these gates, you are shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. If you walk out suspected as spies... that's not our problem."
His smile faded.
"The children here can't mold chakra. But if their deaths can preserve the lives of our comrades, then perhaps it's a worthy sacrifice... and one they would honor."
The Root ninjas hesitated, unnerved by his tone.
Aoba stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter.
But not one moved forward.
After Aoba finished speaking, the Root operatives fell silent, never uttering a word in response.
Not long after, Aoba noticed that one of the Root agents had quietly left. He didn't pay it much attention.
Deep within the Root's underground facility, that same ninja knelt before Shimura Danzō, reporting the situation at the orphanage.
Upon hearing the report, Danzō's expression darkened. He clenched his fists, muttering Kawaki Aoba's name repeatedly, his hatred so intense it seemed to spill from every pore.
There was only one phrase that could describe Danzō in that moment: impotent rage.
After venting his frustration, Danzō finally regained his composure. He waved a hand.
"Tell them to return."
Once the ninja left, Danzō sat alone in the dimly lit chamber, brooding in silence.
After a long pause, a cold sneer curled across his lips.
"Hiruzen... even you misjudged him. That brat, Kawaki Aoba... he's beyond your control. Different from all of us."
Though Danzō was as ruthless and calculating as ever, he wasn't a fool. He understood now—Aoba was no longer the same boy. He was no longer within Danzō's grasp.
"Your arrogance... it must come from your power."
He spoke to the shadows.
"But remember this, boy. One day, you'll pay dearly for it."
—
After confirming that the Root operatives had fully retreated, Qingke returned to Aoba's side and reported.
"They actually backed down. Seems like old man Danzō is running out of reliable men. So, Yakushi Nono, feeling relieved now?"
Kawaki Aoba smiled at Yakushi Nono, who stood quietly by his side as he refined a high-grade defensive artifact for an important client.
Though Nono's expression remained calm, something inside her—some long-held tension—finally loosened.
With the children safe, she could finally breathe again. At the same time, she was astonished by Aoba's decisive handling of the matter.
Who was Shimura Danzō? A man like him never compromised. He didn't fear threats, nor did he care for the lives of his subordinates.
Yet somehow, he had backed down. It was unbelievable.
It seemed she would never escape this young man's influence—but that was fine. Being a teacher at a ninja academy might not be such a bad life.
Still... could someone tell her: Was it even possible to privately found a ninja school in Konoha?
With that lingering question, Yakushi Nono excused herself and left.
Aoba, watching her retreating figure, smiled knowingly.
Just as she thought—Danzō was the kind of man who would sacrifice his own operatives if it served his interests. Not even Aoba's official position as Hokage's Assistant would stop him if he wanted blood.
Killing the orphans wouldn't gain Danzō anything—except to provoke and hurt Aoba.
So why had he backed off?
Aoba had already stated the answer: the old man didn't have the manpower anymore.
When Minato Namikaze was inaugurated as Fourth Hokage, Danzō had dispatched a large number of Root operatives, which explained why he had been so quiet lately.
And where had those operatives gone? Every time Aoba thought about it, he had to suppress a laugh.
That foolish old relic had actually sent them to the Land of Rain.
If Aoba had to guess, Danzō was likely colluding with Hanzō of the Salamander, probably aiming to secure the legendary Rinnegan.
But if Danzō had been sure of its existence, he would've gone himself. He hadn't.
What a pity, Aoba thought. If Danzō had died over there, it would've saved him the trouble.
Besides, if Nagato's Rinnegan had really been that easy to take, Aoba would've dug it out himself by now.
Nagato's current strength wasn't the problem—it was the looming presence of Madara Uchiha that made things complicated.
That ghost of a legend lingered, influencing the shadows. Whatever schemes Danzō and Hanzō cooked up, they wouldn't last long under Madara's watchful eye.
Danzō could wait all he wanted for his agents to return with glory—or the Rinnegan. They wouldn't be coming back.
Without those elite Root members, Danzō's secret foundation was half-crippled. One day, Aoba would find the right moment—and crush him for good.
For now, he focused on the high-grade defensive artifact nearing completion in his hands. His grin deepened.
—
Meanwhile, at the Sarutobi Clan Compound, Hiruzen Sarutobi received an Anbu report.
After scanning it, he sighed.
"He really founded a ninja school... even clashed with Danzō. And Danzō backed off? Something's not right. He's hiding something from me."
He flipped through the rest of the report, eyebrows tightening.
"And these factories… why such haste? Ah, youth. Always rushing ahead."
"Minato, too... The job of Hokage should be taken one step at a time. Bite by bite, as they say. Growth is gradual."
He set the scroll aside.
"None of them let me rest easy."
After a long silence, Hiruzen glanced toward the Anbu at his side.
"What has Asuma been doing lately?"
—
Screams echoed through a grand estate. Panic spread like wildfire.
A giant axe spun through the air, cleaving a samurai's head clean off before returning in a perfect arc.
Kisame Hoshigaki caught it with a grin.
"Why didn't I realize before... killing nobles is this fun? These pampered pigs sit on piles of gold, guarded by flies."
Stepping through the blood-streaked hall, Raiga Kurosuki emerged, clutching the severed head of a fat nobleman.
"These self-important fools… they don't deserve their riches."
The noble's head thudded to the floor.
Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters