Leading Naruto to Destroy the World - Chapter 43
“Shisui, I’m entrusting Naruto to you. Please ensure you keep a close watch on him!”
In the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen solemnly ordered the kneeling Shisui.
His voice was earnest.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was too significant.
As long as Naruto was in the Uchiha clan, he couldn’t sleep soundly at night!
He urgently recalled Shisui from his mission outside the village to keep an eye on Naruto’s movements.
Among the Uchiha clan, Shisui was the only one he could trust.
“Don’t worry, Lord Third, I will protect Naruto with my life!”
Shisui, carrying a short sword, bowed his head deeply.
He had heard rumors about Naruto while outside the village.
Naruto being in the Uchiha compound was undoubtedly a colossal disaster!
The already strained relationship with the village had now become highly precarious.
Seeing Shisui’s sincere performance, Hiruzen felt gratified, his wrinkled face smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum.
“Only you and Itachi in the Uchiha clan have inherited the Will of Fire.”
Shisui felt even more ashamed.
“My clansmen don’t understand your intentions. Please give me some time, and I will persuade them.”
“Good.”
Hearing Shisui’s response, Hiruzen’s tense nerves relaxed slightly.
The situation was not beyond remedy.
Perhaps it was time to bring Itachi into the Anbu.
Once Itachi joined the Anbu, he could act as his spy within the Uchiha clan.
No action by the Uchiha would escape his eyes.
He needed to find an opportunity to discuss this with Itachi.
Just as he contemplated, an Anbu member suddenly appeared, looking panicked.
“Lord Hokage, there are suddenly a lot of unfavorable rumors spreading in the village.”
“Rumors?!”
The Anbu stammered.
“Speak!”
“There are rumors saying that Lord Danzo has been secretly researching the powers of the Sharingan and Wood Release, even abducting an Uchiha as a test subject. This test subject escaped from the Root three years ago and, out of hatred for Konoha, controlled the Nine-Tails…”
The Anbu’s voice grew quieter, his forehead sweating profusely under his mask.
The content of this rumor was too sensitive!
The critical point was…
As he recounted it, he found the rumor somewhat plausible.
Following this logic, many incomprehensible things could be explained.
As an Anbu, he knew traces of the Sharingan and Wood Release were found that night!
But this thought was immediately suppressed.
He didn’t dare think it, nor could he!
Hiruzen’s entire body trembled with rage, his tightly clenched fists and trembling shoulders revealing the depth of his fury.
“Absurd!”
“Utterly absurd!!!”
“Danzo could never do such a thing! Quick! Stop the villagers from discussing this immediately! Also, find out the source of this rumor!!!”
Hiruzen’s eyes were bloodshot, and he almost gritted his teeth as he spat out these words.
This rumor was too vicious!
It directly pointed the blame for the Nine-Tails night at him and Danzo!
If left unchecked, who knows what kind of damage it would cause!
Amidst his anger, he also felt a deep confusion.
Who on earth was spreading such rumors in the village?
Most importantly, Danzo was indeed researching the Sharingan and Wood Release!
As for whether he had abducted a Uchiha as a test subject, he wasn’t sure, but knowing Danzo…
He might do such a thing!
Because of this, he was sweating profusely.
…
“Did you hear? It’s said that night had something to do with Lord Danzo?”
“Apparently, one of his test subjects escaped, possessing both the Sharingan and Wood Release powers, which are the powers of the God of Shinobi! Makes me want to be a test subject.”
“In your dreams! Being a test subject must involve inhumane torture. Otherwise, why would he hate the village and control the Nine-Tails to seek revenge?”
“What a pity, the Fourth Hokage’s child is really pitiful…”
Hearing this, several villagers’ emotions dampened, some even wiping tears.
Naruto was too miserable!
They used to bully Naruto, and after learning his true identity, they felt even more sympathy for him!
Such a young child, living alone and being scolded by them daily!
I’m such a bastard!
Mirai exposed Naruto’s identity before had achieved an unexpected result.
Out of sympathy for Naruto, the villagers harbored immense hatred for the culprit behind all this!
Thus, as soon as this rumor emerged, it immediately grabbed their attention!
At the same time.
In the Root base.
Danzo was dumbfounded.
He was sitting at home, and a pot fell from the sky!
What the hell!
An escaped test subject, researching Wood Release, and now I’m the mastermind???
“Damn it! Which bastard is framing me!”
Danzo trembled with rage!
Has the world gone mad?
Why do I have to bear all the blame? Am I a professional scapegoat???
He never became Hokage, but he did become the “Scapegoat Kage”!
Amidst his anger, a wave of trepidation arose.
Except for the part about an escaped test subject, he had done almost everything mentioned in the rumor!
Where did things go wrong?
Danzo, who had always been skilled at manipulating public opinion, finally experienced the taste of being targeted by it for the first time.
A shot he fired years ago hit him square in the forehead!
…
The rumors in Konoha showed no signs of stopping. Perhaps because they touched a nerve with the villagers, they even evolved into multiple versions as they spread.
Some said the test subject was Danzo and Uchiha’s illegitimate child!
Danzo had nine such test subjects!
Due to being disfigured in the experiments, the mastermind always wore a mask, never showing his true face…
Various versions were spreading vividly.
Standing on Hokage Rock, on Minato’s head, Mirai looked down at the village with azure eyes.
From this vantage point, the entire village was in view.
He spread those rumors.
To be precise, he had asked Uchiha Shisui to spread them.
After capturing those villagers planted by the Root, the Uchiha Police Force interrogated them overnight, extracting their methods and strategies.
Almost copying them exactly, they stirred up a storm of public opinion in Konoha.
The spread was exceptionally smooth thanks to Mirai’s storytelling skills and the villagers’ hatred for the culprit behind the Nine-Tails night.
The effect was even better than expected.
But now, Mirai wasn’t in the mood to savor the results.
He stood on Minato’s statue, using the height to maximize his bio-magnetic field’s range.
Covering all of Konoha!
On a nondescript tree at the village’s edge, a crimson eye gazed through a mask at the town below.
“It’s been confirmed, your identity hasn’t been exposed. These rumors are likely just coincidental.”
White Zetsu emerged from the tree trunk beside him, revealing his white upper body.
To be honest, when these rumors first surfaced, even he was startled.
Except for the part about being Danzo’s test subject, the rest matched perfectly.
Upon hearing the news, Obito had to temporarily stop monitoring Nagato in the Akatsuki to determine how much of his identity had been exposed!
The only one who saw him in his masked form should have been Minato, but he was dead.
He was killed in the very coup he orchestrated!
Fortunately, it seemed the rumors were just a villager’s wild imagination.
His identity wasn’t exposed.
Feeling relieved, Obito prepared to leave.
Almost simultaneously, atop the Hokage Rock, Mirai’s eyes snapped open!
His blue eyes filled with ferocious red veins!
“I’ve found you!”
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