Hiruzen was indeed very fearful of Fujin's tendencies to ask something very unreasonable. And even though what Fujin asked would be unreasonable, in most cases, it was something Hiruzen couldn't refuse without looking like a terrible leader and damaging the image he had created.
Fujin said, "It's nothing too serious. I was developing a range of Vacuum jutsus to make my arsenal more versatile. Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I can't create a Vacuum jutsu that has a wide range like say the Great Breakthrough jutsu. Whenever I try, my Vacuum Core collapses. Do you know any large-scale Wind Vacuum jutsu?"
Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief on hearing the request and thought, 'Fortunately, he isn't asking for my kidney this time.'
He answered, "Though I can use the Wind Vacuum technique, I'm not very proficient in it. I don't have such a jutsu. However, there is someone else in the village who does know it."
Fujin knew who that someone else was. He was hoping that Hiruzen knew the jutsu, or that he would mention that Danzo knew it. However, to keep up the act, he still asked with a curious expression on his face, "Who is it?"
Hiruzen replied, "It's Elder Danzo."
Fujin put up a thoughtful expression and appeared to be in deep thought for a few seconds. Finally, he looked at Hiruzen and said, "I rebuked him quite a bit in the only two meetings we had. I doubt he'll tell me about it. Is there any chance you can get it from him and then teach it to me, Grandpa?"
Hiruzen looked at Fujin with a deadpan expression. He cursed internally, 'So he wants Danzo to ask for my kidneys?'
Hiruzen coughed and said, "Fujin, at your level, especially considering your mastery of Wind Vacuum Technique, I'll recommend you to depend on yourself. Every person's understanding of the technique differs slightly. If you just copy it from others, then you won't be able to form your own ideas and might lose out on something special."
Fujin sighed and replied, "I had the same feeling. That was why I never asked you about this and worked on it by myself. Unfortunately, it caused me to lose out big time. If I had such a jutsu, I might have been able to kill Kakuzu during this fight."
Hiruzen's eyes widened. He was aware that Kakuzu was far stronger than someone like Juzo. Fujin continued, "Unfortunately, I don't think he'll ever give me such an opening again. I just don't miss out on any such opportunities to eliminate strong foes in the future.
Though I might lose out on the opportunity to create my original jutsu that is very compatible with me, I'm willing to make that sacrifice for the sake of our village!"
If anyone were to hear Fujin's words, they would be shocked and impressed by Fujin's righteousness and his spirit of sacrifice for the sake of the village! For a moment, even Hiruzen was caught off guard. He couldn't help but think, 'He is asking for a jutsu… Why does it sound like he is making some big sacrifice for the village?'
Fortunately for Hiruzen, he was no stranger to Fujin's greedy nature and saw through his lies in a few seconds.
He let out a sigh as well and said, "That's a shame, but I can understand your reasoning. When I was young, I was filled with the spirit of sacrifice for our village and had to make such decisions several times. You can ask Elder Danzo for the jutsu.
Though you two had some disagreements, both of you want the well-being of our village. Such disagreements shouldn't get in the way of helping out each other. Otherwise, the village wouldn't function."
This time, it was Fujin's turn to be surprised by Hiruzen's shamelessness. He sighed internally and muttered to himself, 'Why did I expect this shameless old fox to become kind and helpful? Asking it from Danzo… As if he'd give it to me! If such disagreements didn't get in the way, the village might still have had the Uchiha clan.'
Unfortunately, just like Hiruzen, Fujin couldn't speak his thoughts out loud. In fact, since Hiruzen recommended it, he would have to ask Danzo for the jutsu. Otherwise, it would be clear to Hiruzen that Fujin has a major issue with Danzo, causing him to be even more suspicious considering the fact that Fujin and Danzo had never had any confrontation. He said, "Alright. I'll try asking Elder Danzo."
Fujin took his leave. A smile appeared on Hiruzen's face as he imagined the scene of Fujin asking Danzo for a jutsu. He muttered, "Tomorrow's meeting will be interesting in more ways than one."
Hiruzen stopped his work and opened the scrolls Fujin had given him. He began studying the seals that Jashin Bishop had inscribed in the cave. Though Fujin had failed in studying them, Hiruzen was far more experienced than Fujin. Even if he couldn't understand the entire seal, he was hopeful of uncovering some of their functions.
While Hiruzen studied the seals, Fujin returned to his house after leaving one Shadow Clone in the Hokage Building to meet up with his team when they returned.
After entering his house, Fujin thought, 'Asking Danzo for the jutsu… That seems to be a dead end. Even if I ignore his nature, it hasn't been a long time since I killed a couple of the Root ninjas he sent after me. Though I left no clues, it is inevitable that he would suspect me considering the fact that they were trailing me.
It looks like I'll have to depend on myself to master this jutsu. The only other way would be if I catch Danzo outside the village, ambush him with my clones and make him use that jutsu. Unfortunately, that is just too difficult. That bastard's movements are too secretive. It'll be hard to know if and when he leaves the village.
Oh well, time to return to my training. Once details of Hidan's abilities and the news of new seals get leaked, every major village will get restless for some time before things calm down.
By the time things calm down, I want to master the Flying Thunder God jutsu. Even if it is just short distances, being able to teleport will be very handy. I also want to master Danzo's curse seals by then and create my own seals. I'll finally be able to continue working on my organization then. Of course, I can't stop working on Wind Domain and the Gate of Life either. Only after I'm done with these, can I move on to other areas that need my attention.'
Though Fujin had just returned from a mission, Fujin began training immediately. He had no time to waste. The events of the Naruto story were only a few months away. Fujin no longer had years' worth of time to train. Fortunately, the soldier pill he had consumed earlier still had a couple of days left. So being tired wasn't an issue.
The day continued as normal for the people in Konoha. Fujin's teammates returned a few hours later and met up with his clone. They informed him about their meeting with the Daimyo. Apart from that, nothing else happened during their return journey.
As for Hiruzen, he sent messengers to every clan leader and elders to inform them about the council meeting the next day. Fujin already knew about it. Considering the nature of the meeting, Hiruzen didn't invite any civilian council members.
He studied the seals until late at night. He took a look at every seal that Fujin had handed him. Though he didn't study any seal in detail, he was still expecting some gains. To his surprise, he failed to figure out the functions of any seal.
He thought, 'These seals are quite different from the normal seals we use. It looks like this will require a thorough study to understand what these seals do. To completely understand their functions, it might take years.
I'll need to hand these seals to every Grandmaster in the village and have them study it. Fortunately, I won't have to persuade them as everyone will be intrigued by these new seals.
Apart from this, the only way to speed up the process of understanding the seals would be if that formation has any clues. Regardless, these seals have the potential to cause a breakthrough in our current mastery of seals. If their functions are useful, then Konoha will have an advantage over other villages.'
Hiruzen could easily see the advantages of these seals. While he couldn't be sure, any chance of getting an advantage over your enemies that didn't involve much risk was precious. Hiruzen had no intention of letting it go. He immediately sent his Anbu ninjas to call for a few ninjas.
Within half an hour, four ninjas gathered in his office. They were Kakashi, the Anbu Commander Eagle, the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster of the Senju clan and the Fuinjutsu Grandmaster of the Yamanaka plan. Hiruzen informed them about Fujin's mission and findings and shared some of the new seals with the Grandmasters. Seeing seals that they had never seen before immediately made them very curious. Kakashi and Eagle understood the importance as well.
Hiruzen instructed, "Leave the village secretly and reach that cave. Once you do, record the entire formation properly. Don't miss a single detail. Once you have recorded everything, destroy the cave.
No other village should get a hand on these seals. Though Yugakure sent a few ninjas earlier, they didn't include any SealMaster. So they should be unaware of the uniqueness of these seals. I want it to stay that way.
The cave should be empty as the process of storing the dead bodies should be long done. However, if Yugakure has stationed a few ninjas at the cave, eliminate them and don't leave behind any proof."
Everyone nodded seriously. They understood the importance of the matter and the need to keep it a secret from other villages. They left the village secretly under the cover of the night.
The next morning, the Council of Konoha met once again. It was the third time a council meeting was convened due to Fujin.
