Hokage Building.
Danzo, who had been ignored by Sora, felt furious with nowhere to vent his anger.
He never expected that Sora would disrespect him in front of Namikaze Minato and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But ultimately, Danzo could only leave in anger.
After Sora returned home, he saw that Uzumaki Kushina had finished her meal. He smiled and asked, "Are you full? Do you want to eat more?"
Kushina shook her head. "I don't want to eat anymore. I'm completely satisfied. By the way, Sora, how was the meeting?"
When Kushina mentioned the meeting, Sora couldn't help complaining, "I was just there as an observer. Whether I went or not made no difference at all. They really have nothing better to do."
Kushina laughed out loud and comforted him, "Well, at least you've been there. So has Miyuki's situation been settled?"
Sora nodded. "Yes, when the time comes, Miyuki will give birth outside the village under heavy protection.
Kushina, you don't need to worry about Miyuki.
I placed a transcription seal in her eyes.
I've also made a deal with the Kyuubi, so Miyuki's safety shouldn't be a major concern."
Kushina looked surprised. "After making a deal with the Kyuubi? Can the Kyuubi actually communicate?"
Sora replied, "Of course. Summoning beasts can communicate, so why couldn't tailed beasts? However, almost all tailed beasts are strongly hostile toward humans, which makes communication difficult."
Kushina breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad Miyuki will be safe."
Sora smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll do everything in my power."
The next day.
Sora originally didn't want to meet with Danzo, preferring to stay with Kushina around the clock.
But after thinking it over, he decided he should still go see Danzo.
It was obvious that Danzo no longer trusted him, so certain matters needed clarification to prevent Danzo from causing trouble if he became irrational.
"Kushina, I'm going out but I'll be back soon. Just stay home."
Kushina kept her eyes on the TV. "Okay, I understand. Go ahead."
Sora left home and traveled to the Root headquarters.
The same Root facilities that had previously granted him unrestricted access now had Root shinobi stopping him at the entrance, saying they needed to report to Danzo before letting him in.
Sora smiled to himself. Danzo was being childish, becoming wary of him so quickly.
It seemed he would need to visit the Konoha Defense Force later to meet with Kakashi and collect the money earned over the past few months.
Perhaps Danzo might become angry enough to try taking the Konoha Defense Force away from him.
Only a few months remained until the Kyuubi incident, after which the Konoha Defense Force would have no reason to exist.
By then, the entire Uchiha clan would be isolated, with Danzo focusing all his attention on them. The Uchiha would certainly become extremely cautious, making it difficult for the Konoha Defense Force to profit from them.
The Root shinobi went to Danzo's office and reported that Sora had come to see him.
Danzo's face turned cold as he snorted, "Bring him to me!"
Sora followed the Root shinobi through the familiar base to Danzo's office.
Danzo looked at Sora with a gloomy expression. "I am very disappointed in you, Sora! You've been away for many months, and the Konoha Defense Force's efficiency in apprehending Uchiha shinobi has dropped significantly.
Now that you're back, you're still behaving this way.
Lazy and, what's worse, disobedient to my orders. Sora, are you planning to betray me?"
Sora smiled indifferently. "Disappointed? I'm quite satisfied with myself, and betrayal seems irrelevant here. I remain a Konoha shinobi working for the village. I told you yesterday that I would explain things to you.
Yet today I can't even enter the Root entrance. Strictly speaking, it appears that you're the one who has betrayed me, right?"
Danzo slammed his fist on the table. "Are you guilty of insubordination?!"
"Insubordination?"
Sora stuck out his tongue, and before Danzo's eyes, the empty shell of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal slowly dissipated from view.
"I am no longer a Root shinobi. I am no longer your subordinate, Danzo. So now I can't be considered insubordinate, right?"
Danzo's pupils contracted sharply.
The seal that no one had ever been able to remove had actually been dispelled by Sora.
Danzo stared at Sora with murderous intent. "So it seems you came today to show me your true colors?"
Sora spread his hands. "If you wanted to maintain the status quo, I wouldn't have severed ties with you.
After all, we share the same objective regarding the Uchiha clan.
But your actions today indicate you no longer wish to cooperate with me.
Since we're no longer partners, there's no need to keep pretenses, is there?
Don't look at me like that. You've gained plenty of benefits from my service over the years, but you've misunderstood the situation.
It's not that I, Sora, must be attached to Root and you, but that you and your Root need me. You seem to have confused your priorities."
Danzo spoke grimly. "It seems you're mistaken. In Konoha, I possess more authority than you! No matter how powerful you may be, you're still a shinobi who must follow orders!"
Sora gave Danzo a peculiar look. "You have more authority? You're not stronger than me, so are you planning to use your position to suppress me? If you're so powerful, try using your authority against me and see if I'm intimidated."
Sora continued in a strange tone, "Danzo-sama, you know I went to Ryūchi Cave to train, but do you know what exactly I trained in while I was there?"
Danzo's pupils trembled when Sora asked what he had been training at Ryūchi Cave.
Ryūchi Cave was a legendary location as renowned as Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest.
The most famous technique associated with these places was senjutsu.
Jiraiya had learned incomplete Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku, dramatically increasing his power.
Orochimaru had also visited Ryūchi Cave to learn senjutsu but failed.
The most famous practitioner was Senju Hashirama with his Sage Mode.
Indeed, Senju Hashirama's status as the God of Shinobi was inseparable from his mastery of Sage Mode.
Sora instantly activated Sage Mode. Dragon horns appeared on his forehead, scales covered his body, and green sage chakra surrounded him.
Simultaneously, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, which now featured a vertical pupil in its center.
The overwhelming presence made Danzo stand up abruptly, instinctively assuming a defensive posture.
Sora issued a direct threat: "Danzo, I hope you can recognize reality. If you do anything that crosses my bottom line, I will lose control, and many people may die. Among those many people, do you think you might be included?"
Having delivered his threat, Sora gave Danzo a sarcastic smile, deactivated his Sage Mode, closed his Mangekyō Sharingan, and turned to leave the Root headquarters.
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