Hearing that his old man really intended to go after the Akatsuki, Takeshi quickly spoke up to stop him.
"I don't think it's a good idea."
Seeing his own son opposing him, Danzō wasn't angry. He remained seated calmly, looking at him with interest.
"Go on."
"Right now, Konoha is in the midst of a war, and Hanzo's Amegakure hasn't directly joined in. Instead, they've allowed Iwagakure shinobi to pass through freely, essentially using them to kill for him. That shows that there's still a lack of full trust between the two sides."
"In the short term, Hanzo won't truly ally with the Akatsuki. On the contrary, we can use this to our advantage—contact them before Hanzo makes up his mind, and see if we can bring that organization to work for Konoha. Or perhaps we can support them in gaining control of Amegakure to stabilize the Rain Country."
"A peaceful and controlled Rain Country is far more useful than a chaotic one, isn't it?"
Unable to express his full plan to Danzō all at once, Takeshi tried clumsily to convey his general goal.
"How can you guarantee that once the Akatsuki gain control of Amegakure, they'll act according to your expectations and not turn against Konoha like the other great nations?"
Danzō's tone was flat, making it hard to guess his true thoughts.
Takeshi was stumped by the question.
Right... how could he be certain the Akatsuki wouldn't become Konoha's enemies?
Wait, let me make something up...
Just as Takeshi was struggling to come up with an answer, inspiration struck, and he blurted out:
"The leader of the Akatsuki... might be one of Jiraiya-sensei's students. He told me that himself before sending me on this mission."
"I see. So you're counting on the shallow bond of a master and disciple?"
Danzō nodded, unsurprised by Takeshi's mention of Jiraiya.
"But you should understand—and you should see it clearly—in this so-called shinobi world, bonds mean little. Ninjas act driven by all sorts of motivations: profit, hatred... Most of them are very pragmatic. So how can you be sure this Akatsuki isn't the same?"
"Or let's suppose that Jiraiya's student really does bear goodwill toward Konoha because of him. What about those Amegakure ninja who've suffered from Konoha's attacks? What about the civilians who lost loved ones? Mightn't they push Jiraiya's student to change, using the pressure of public opinion?"
Danzō's voice was calm and unhurried as he laid out all the possibilities.
Takeshi fell silent.
Danzō's words were grounded. Everything he said was entirely possible—and all Takeshi had to go on was his knowledge of the storyline from his past life.
He didn't have a solid reason to refute Danzō's logic.
Seeing Takeshi no longer speaking, Danzō didn't press him. He simply looked at his son, seemingly deep in thought.
It felt like his old man was waiting for something...
Gazing at the silent Danzō, Takeshi realized something. He had a feeling this whole conversation had been orchestrated by his father—designed to get something out of him.
Damn it, my head's itchy—feels like I need to grow a brain.
Someone like Takeshi, who couldn't be bothered to strategize even during fights, naturally couldn't figure out what Danzō was really after. All he could do was kick his brain into overdrive and try to come up with a plan.
"Because I believe. I believe in Jiraiya. Jiraiya believes in his student. And you believe in me. That's why I hope you'll hold off on acting for now—let me try contacting them first."
After a long pause, his face slightly flushed from the mental effort, Takeshi finally managed to squeeze out that line.
Seeing his son's reddened face from brain overload, Danzō nearly couldn't resist slapping him on the spot.
If anyone else had dared give such an idealistic answer in front of him, Danzō would've promptly invited them to spend a few days in his specially prepared little black room.
Sigh... He's got the power, but did the intelligence not keep up? Or is it that being around Hiruzen for too long has infected him with that indecisive attitude?
Massaging his aching temples, Danzō increasingly regretted entrusting his son's education to Hiruzen.
Recalling how Hiruzen had once told him to "trust in the people of the village," Danzō finally decided it wasn't Takeshi's IQ that was the issue—it was all Hiruzen's fault.
Still... this power of belief...
Anyway, if something went wrong, he was the father—he'd take care of it.
Danzō decided to trust his son this once and allow him to contact the Akatsuki.
"Then go."
"Huh?"
Takeshi had fully expected to get slapped for saying something like that. He was already bracing himself for Danzō's signature backhand when his father's calm voice made him instinctively look up.
What did his old man just say?
"I said, since you've decided to believe in them, then go make contact."
Danzō replied gruffly, feeling more and more like his foolish son really might be lacking in the brain department.
"Dad..."
Takeshi hadn't expected his awkward answer to actually be accepted. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Could it be that this father really... loves me?
Peeling away the biased lens of Danzō's portrayal in the original story, Takeshi felt he could sense a trace of fatherly love from him.
Suddenly rushing forward, he grabbed Danzō's head and gave him a firm hug.
"Thank you, Dad!"
Before Danzō could react, Takeshi released him and bounced cheerfully out of the cave.
"Hmph. So undisciplined—how is he going to achieve anything like that?"
Watching Takeshi run off, Danzō stood up with a look of mock disapproval, brushing off his clothes. But the slight curve at the corner of his lips betrayed his true emotions.
After checking his expression and confirming that Takeshi had truly gone far enough, Danzō called over Raku, who was stationed at the entrance, and issued a stern command.
"Stop all contact with Hanzo for now. Also, cease all friction with Iwagakure shinobi. You and your team are to follow Takeshi closely. If the Akatsuki make any move against him, notify me immediately. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Raku accepted the order without hesitation. Seeing that Danzō had no further instructions, he instantly disappeared with a Body Flicker.
"Akatsuki..."
Turning around and staring hard at their territory on the map, Danzō drew the ninja blade from his back and stabbed it down with force.
The tip sank deep into the stone table.
"I hope you know how to make the most of this opportunity... or else—"
...
"Hey, Takeshi, are you okay?"
Outside the cave, Kakashi and the others—who had been closely monitored by Root shinobi—finally saw Takeshi emerge and hurried to surround him.
"I'm fine. It was an ANBU mission. No need to ask unnecessary questions. Let's just keep going with our task."
Smiling, Takeshi assured them he was alright and didn't explain the Root shinobi's purpose. Instead, he led the group to continue their mission.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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