Danzo recalled all his interactions with Fujin, 'When he first got my interest, Hiruzen refused to let me induct him in the Root. That wasn't too odd considering Hiruzen's nature. However, there is no explanation as to why Fujin was so on guard when I met him. Even in the council meeting, he opposed me and even challenged Root to a fight to prove his point.
The two Root ninjas I sent after him mysteriously vanished. And today, his words caused Hiruzen to suspect me of something I haven't done and put me in a terrible position. I have only suffered losses due to this boy.
Not to mention, why is his house covered in so many seals? I felt that it was just a trap to lure me into making a mistake, but the more I find out about this boy, the more I feel that something about him is horribly wrong.
Even this incident… I manipulated Katsuhiro into making a move against him. Yet, he somehow managed to stall Katsuhiro for over 5 weeks. And, the day he met Katsuhiro, 15 of Root ninjas died. It was as if this was a retaliation for me manipulating Katsuhiro into making a move against him.
It's just that there is a lot of information I am missing! Why was he so on guard against me? Why would he eliminate any Root ninjas following him? How could he link Katsuhiro's actions to me? And, how could he, someone who has no history of using Lightning, kill 15 ninjas with Lightning jutsus and replicate a high-level jutsu like Chidori?'
Danzo had no answer to any of his questions. In fact, he couldn't even make an educated guess as there was no information relevant to those questions. It was why Danzo wasn't sure whether what he thought was true or not.
In fact, even he found his analysis to be completely absurd. There wasn't even a hint of proof that Fujin did any of that. If he were to tell it to someone else, they would look at him like something was wrong with his brain. Yet, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that something about Fujin was odd.
Danzo decided, 'I need to put him under surveillance once again. The only issue is that he is extremely careful. Nothing inside his house can be spied upon. Even in his training ground, he is extremely careful. Even bugs can't enter undetected.
The last time I spied on him, I didn't find anything substantial on him. Unlike others in the village, I can't threaten the ones close to him either. He is an orphan and mostly stays by himself. The few people he could be considered friends with are quite strong or well-connected as well. There is very little I can do against him…'
Danzo was troubled. He had made up his mind to act, however, his options were extremely limited and without much hope. Though they lived in a deadly world of ninjas, even ninjas had weaknesses and Danzo specialized in exploiting those. However, Fujin had none. Danzo couldn't help but mutter, "I now see why you compared him to Sensei. He's almost a perfect ninja. He might be the toughest opponent I faced. Yet, I can't even be sure if he is facing me or whether this is all in my head!"
While Danzo was in a dilemma and wondering what he should do, be it about Fujin or his dead subordinates, he suddenly heard a commotion. He stopped thinking and looked in the direction of one of the entrances to the Root headquarters.
At the entrance of the base, two Root ninjas stood extremely alert, as if they were facing an enemy. One of them asked, "Suzuki Fujin, why are you trying to enter the Root headquarters unauthorized?"
Fujin's clone replied, "Unauthorized? Lord Hokage has ordered me to inspect every base in the village. Even Elder Danzo didn't oppose him. Stop blocking me, or else I'll be forced to apprehend you two before searching the base."
The two Root ninjas grew tense. Unlike others in Konoha, Root ninjas were well aware of how difficult Fujin was to deal with. Suddenly, Danzo's figure appeared behind them and asked, "What is happening here?"
The Root ninjas were relieved to see that Danzo had appeared. Before they could say anything, Fujin's clone said, "It's good to see you, Elder Danzo. These two were stopping me from doing the task Lord Hokage assigned me."
Danzo's expression grew dark as he realized, 'He wants to search the Root headquarters? Have I fallen so much that even a kid wants to disrespect me so much?'
Fujin's clone observed Danzo's reaction carefully. Though not much could be observed, he could clearly see how provoked Danzo was. He chuckled internally and thought, 'Do you have the sole right of creating trouble for others? Let me see how much you can endure, Danzo. Once you make one mistake, I'll let you know how it feels to be on the receiving end for once.'
While Fujin's plan of creating trouble and distraction for Danzo worked excellently, Fujin realized that Danzo might still target him if connected his meeting with Katsuhiro and the death of his subordinates happening the same day with each other. If so, he would trouble Fujin once again. Since that was the case, Fujin decided to provoke him right away.
The last time Fujin provoked Danzo, he didn't receive much of a response from him. If that happened once again, Fujin would be glad as he won't face much trouble. If Danzo acted the opposite, Fujin wouldn't mind that either. It was a good opportunity to have his Akuro identity break loose for real. Though it would increase Danzo's suspicion, it would be pointless as he would already be suspecting Fujin and he would still not have any evidence.
Facing Fujin's clone, Danzo said, "The reason why Hiruzen asked you to investigate is because the number of Grandmasters is low. I have already inspected this base. You don't need to waste your time here."
Fujin's clone asked nonchalantly, "Are you sure you don't want me to take a second look, Elder Danzo?"
Danzo replied, "I am sure."
Fujin's clone said, "Alright. I'll report to Lord Hokage that you have taken the responsibility of inspecting this base."
Fujin's clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Immediately Danzo's expression became very ugly. Even his Root subordinates could see how infuriated he was. He cursed internally, 'Such arrogance. I can't remember the last time I felt so insulted.'
Danzo's anger wasn't unjust. Even though some opposed his methods, it was a fact that he was highly respected due to his strength, cunningness and position. Ever since the end of the First Great Ninja War, he couldn't recall any instance of being so humiliated. If there was any such incident that was even more humiliating, then that would be Tobirama appointing Hiruzen as the Third Hokage before his death.
Danzo turned around without speaking to his subordinates. He walked over to Torune and ordered, "Once Suzuki Fujin is done with his search, you will keep an eye on him. Take four Root ninjas with you."
Torune was surprised. He asked, "But Lord Danzo, the killer is still roaming free. Would it be wise to disperse our forces secretly?"
Torune wasn't concerned about his death, but losing 5 more capable ninjas would be a deadly blow for Root.
Danzo shook his head and said, "If an attack happens to you while you are spying on him, he'll sense it and will be forced to help you out. It might be a good way of luring the attacker."
Torune was surprised by the logic. However, on thinking about it, it was completely sound. Fujin couldn't stand by if a fight broke out in the village. Torune asked, "What will we be spying for?"
Danzo answered, "Nothing specific. He seems clean on the surface, but I have suspicions that he is involved in this incident somehow. Keep an eye on him and see if there is something off about him. If my intuition is accurate, then we will save Konoha from a great tragedy in the future."
Torune was surprised by how serious Danzo was. He immediately said, "Alright, I'll start spying on him as soon as he is done scanning the village."
Danzo nodded and left.
On top of the Hokage Building, Fujin received the memories of his clone and a smile appeared on his face. He opened his eyes and looked towards the location of the Root base.
He thought, 'Just like the Anbu Headquarters, the Root Headquarters is big as well. Unlike the four auxiliary bases I targeted the previous night, the main base is huge. There are several underground floors in the base. Seeing what all he is scheming in those underground bases would have been interesting.
Though I have been in the Anbu, I still never saw that Sakai clan Jounin we captured after becoming Chunins. If she is still alive, then I suspect she is being kept in the Root Headquarters. I wonder what else is hidden there and how much Hiruzen knows…'
