◉◉◉◉◉
THUMP!
Danzo slamd his wooden staff against the floor. His one exposed eye narrowed coldly as he gave the order.
"Send him back."
"Yes, sir."
The Root agent approached Neji with a tone that no longer bothered with courtesy.
"Follow ."
Neji didn’t respond just turned and walked away.
Danzo watched him go, fingers tightening around his staff. He had confird what he needed. That aura, that presence Neji Hyuga was dangerous.
Too composed. Too confident. Too smart.
Too much like a threat.
Danzo’s expression darkened.
"This boy... that arrogance isn’t from youth. It’s built into his bones."
Eliminating threats before they grew out of hand was Danzo’s self-proclaid duty as the shadow of Konoha.
"Danzo-sama," another Root mber said, "Neji Hyuga has left the compound."
Danzo didn’t look up. "Begin investigating. Find out everything especially what’s happening in that so-called ’research lab’ of his."
"Yes, sir!"
Danzo stepped back into the darkness, gears already turning.
Tsunade... You’re no match for .
---
Neji, however, didn’t return to his lab. Not yet.
Instead, he pushed open the door to Ichiraku Ran.
"Yo, Neji!" Teuchi grinned, eyes sparkling. "What’ll it be today? Fifty bowls? A hundred?"
Aya noticed the glint in her father’s eye and instantly knew what ti it was: Ran War Mode.
She flipped the shop sign to "Closed Private Reservation" and tied her apron tighter.
Neji casually took a seat. "Let’s go with a hundred. I’ve got so thinking to do. Mix the flavors evenly."
"Coming right up!"
Teuchi rolled his sleeves, grinning like a veteran stepping onto the battlefield. Aya hurried to prep more broth.
The first bowl landed.
Neji didn’t hesitate he dug in. Smooth noodles, rich broth. Each bite was thodical. Each sip is ditative.
But his mind was sowhere else.
Danzo’s sudden appearance wasn’t random. He wasn’t just probing Neji.
He was plotting sothing far broader.
Bowl after bowl arrived.
Steam rose.
Noodles vanished.
Thoughts churned.
Danzo wouldn’t risk revealing himself unless sothing major was shifting. And Neji had humiliated him—twisting the knife with that jab about Tsunade’s authority.
But what would a man like Danzo do next?
Not bark. Bite. Quietly. Strategically.
By Bowl #5, Neji leaned back, chin resting on clasped fingers.
Teuchi took the cue. His hands blurred, molding dough into thin, perfect strands. Aya’s broth bubbled in sync.
Danzo doesn’t bark unless he’s already positioned his fangs.
If Neji was now marked as a destabilizing elent, Danzo’s first move would be to find a flaw or any excuse to charge him with treason or conspiracy. And through him, pressure the Hyuga clan into submission.
Danzo’s entire legacy was built on dismantling clan influence.
The Senju were gone.
The Uchiha? Erased.
Now only the Hyuga remained as a pure-blooded kekkei genkai lineage embedded in Konoha’s power structure.
Which made them the next logical target.
Slurp. Sip. Bowl #10.
But Neji was more than just a Hyuga now. He was Tsunade’s protégé. A key architect of the new power distribution system.
Tsunade had been slowly restructuring village leadership giving minor and major clans alike greater influence. Clan heads were now overseeing dical, intelligence, and logistical departnts.
That ant Root, once the all-consuming hand of Konoha’s shadow politics, was losing ground.
And Danzo? He couldn’t stand it.
Especially when many of his Root mbers had been pulled from families like the Yamanaka, Abura, or even lesser bloodlines. With new departnts offering better futures... fewer shinobi were choosing Root.
Slurp. Bowl #20.
Neji’s chewing slowed as another realization hit.
Danzo might try to taint his na not just to destroy Neji’s reputation, but to use it as leverage against Tsunade herself.
If Neji were discredited, Danzo could claim Tsunade’s apprentice had manipulated her. Then push for a vote of no confidence.
Would the other two advisors support him?
Possibly.
But... not without reservations. If they really wanted Danzo as Hokage, they wouldn’t have stalled for Jiraiya. Or backed Tsunade in the first place.
Even they knew: Danzo cannot be trusted with the village.
Still, even if his political coup failed... Danzo could still stir enough trouble to shake the system.
Which ant Neji couldn’t let him move unchecked.
Sip. Bowl #30.
Ti to counter-strike.
---
By Bowl #50, the ran shop resembled a battlefield.
Empty bowls towered like castle walls. Teuchi was red-faced, his motions slowing. Aya slumped over the counter.
Neji casually wiped his mouth and placed a massive pouch of money on the table.
"Thanks, Teuchi-san. Aya-san. Sorry for the trouble."
Teuchi, barely standing, grinned. "Keeping the village safe... making ran worth eating... both are duties of honor!"
Aya gave a tired wave. "Co again anyti..."
Neji turned to leave.
He needed to return to the lab.
Ti to get serious.
Danzo wants to play gas?
Fine.
But he’d chosen the wrong opponent.
---
"NEJI!"
A voice called out as he reached the edge of the street.
He paused mid-step.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced Chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!
Reviews
All reviews (0)