If you want to live better in this troubled world, you have to consider many things. After returning home, Chao Yanqian immediately sorted out the situation in the Shinobi world in his heart.
As the situation gradually became clear, the plan for the next generation of Haikeen became clearer and clearer.
Konoha must be the big tree that must be held firmly. Orochimaru's human experimentation is likely to be exposed soon, and Chao Yanqian must completely cut ties with Orochimaru before that happens. Otherwise, if Chao Yanqian is implicated, as a last resort, he might have no choice but to betray the village.
In the original story, Orochimaru, who lacked experimental materials, was forced to extend his grasp toward Konoha's ninja, which led to the exposure of his forbidden experiments. The Third Hokage would not tolerate Orochimaru's attacks on Konoha's shinobi.
But in this life, with the help of the Chao Yanqian Dynasty, many of Orochimaru's "experimental materials" can be used repeatedly. Will Orochimaru, who is no longer lacking resources, still be detected by the Third Hokage?
After staying at home all night, early the next morning, an Anbu ninja finally came to inform Chao Yanqian.
"Chao Yanqian, Lord Hokage summons you. Please report to the Hokage's office immediately!" With that, the Anbu ninja vanished in a flash, saying not another word.
That's the Anbu's style!
The Anbu are a force directly under the Hokage's command. Being notified by the Anbu means that the Third Hokage now places great importance on Chao Yanqian and is preparing to cultivate him as a trusted subordinate.
In the Hokage's office sat the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, and even the leader of Root, Shimura Danzō.
Such a lineup was something Akane had never seen before especially Shimura Danzō, whom she was seeing for the first time. He was known as the "Darkness of the Shinobi."
Shimura Danzō, already advanced in age, looked very grim, and his gaze toward Chao Yanqian carried a trace of hostility, with clear discomfort written on his face.
Danzō is very calculating, but his political depth isn't too great. Often, he expresses his intentions bluntly, and the schemes he uses tend to be petty.
At the Five Kage Summit in the original work, he even attempted to use genjutsu to manipulate Mifune and outright voiced his intent to annex the other four great ninja villages.
Danzō's ideas may be ambitious, but unfortunately, his capabilities fall short of his aspirations. Compared to the Third Hokage's leadership, Shimura Danzō is hardly worth mentioning.
And now, Danzō's displeasure toward Chao Yanqian was written plainly on his face.
The current situation is extremely unfavorable for Danzō. The Sannin are renowned across the shinobi world, Minato Namikaze shone brightly on the battlefields of the Third Great Ninja War, and Chao Yanqian, who remained neutral in the conflict with Sunagakure, achieved great success. Kakashi Hatake has also demonstrated talent on par with the older generation and is said to be developing his own original jutsu.
All of these individuals are affiliated with the Hokage faction.
In contrast, the number of capable subordinates under Danzō is far too few they can't even compare to those in the Hokage's camp.
Because the Third Hokage cultivated so many powerful ninja, he gradually earned the title "Professor of Ninjutsu." This title not only signifies his mastery of jutsu, but also reflects his talent in teaching and leadership it carries deep weight.
Because of this, Danzō is getting further and further away from the Hokage's seat.
After saluting, Chao Yanqian was addressed first by the Third Hokage: "Thousand Names, I summoned you this time mainly to understand how you discovered that Sasori of the Red Sand was the one who assassinated the Third Kazekage."
"As early as the last war with Sunagakure, I had a vague suspicion," Chao Yanqian responded.
Chao Yanqian had already mobilized many ninja to search for Sasori's whereabouts, and someone was bound to report this to the Third Hokage. So explaining how he knew Sasori was the culprit would directly impact whether the Hokage trusted him and would influence his future significantly.
"Oh? Then why didn't you report to the village at that time?" Shimura Danzō immediately pressed.
Chao Yanqian explained, "At the time, I only had a hunch and couldn't prove it. Until the war ended, my investigation had made no progress."
"How did you discover it, then?" Danzō continued.
Chao Yanqian replied, "At that time, I was on a mission to the Land of Wind with Minato-senpai. On the way, I secretly overheard a conversation between a few Suna-nin. They mentioned that Sasori hadn't been seen in the village for a long time and hadn't taken part in the war. Later, I investigated the last time Sasori appeared in the village and found that his disappearance coincided almost exactly with the time the Third Kazekage went missing."
Looking at the displeased Danzō, Chao Yanqian continued, "So I guessed at the time that if Sasori wasn't dead, he might be involved in the Kazekage's assassination. Originally, we had ended the war with Sunagakure, but then they launched a new conflict against us. So I sent people to track Sasori's whereabouts to determine if he had killed the Kazekage."
"Hm. Thousand Names, your thinking is meticulous, but you were too impulsive in confronting Sasori directly," the Third Hokage said with concern. "If something like this happens again, report it to the village immediately. Don't act on your own."
Chao Yanqian responded, "Actually, I wasn't even certain that Sasori had killed the Kazekage. I just intended to investigate. I was planning to report to the village once I had confirmation. I didn't expect Sasori to attack me and reveal the Kazekage puppet."
"I heard you acted together with Uchiha Chizuru from the Uchiha clan this time?" Danzō asked.
"Yes," Chao Yanqian nodded. "I happened to run into Chizuru on the way to find Sasori. After hearing my theory, he decided to assist me in investigating Sasori."
Chao Yanqian didn't believe Orochimaru would betray him regarding Uchiha Chizuru's involvement. Just as Chao Yanqian was afraid of being killed and wouldn't dare betray Orochimaru, now Chao Yanqian knew too many of Orochimaru's secrets. So Orochimaru also wouldn't dare betray Chao Yanqian easily.
If Orochimaru ever did decide that Chao Yanqian was a threat, he wouldn't betray him he'd simply eliminate him.
"Why would Uchiha Chizuru help you?" Danzō asked in a low voice.
"As a Konoha ninja, do I really need to be questioned about working for Konoha? I don't understand your implication," Chao Yanqian replied, staring directly at Danzō in defiance.
Danzō's face darkened immediately at Chao Yanqian's words.
The conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village wasn't something a mere chūnin could know about. So Chao Yanqian could only play dumb.
The Third Hokage glanced at Koharu and Homura, who had remained silent. After exchanging glances, Koharu finally spoke: "Well! That sounds reasonable. I don't see any issue."