Chapter 565: Fujin's first official students!
[A/N: We ranked 10th last week with 5917 Power Stones! Keep it up guys!]
Fujin recalled, 'Danzo already tried to drag me into a political battle once. Fortunately, I could make him pay dearly. It also allowed me to make the clan leaders owe me one.
That said, I can't take all the credit as there is one big factor that has given me an unfair advantage. That factor is Hiruzen. Even though he didn't do anything on the surface, Hiruzen completely supports me right now. He was the one to add me to the council and also the one to generally support my ideas even if they aren't implemented yet.
Even if he doesn't say anything, there is little doubt that every council member can see that he backs me. It is the main reason why Danzo didn't go overboard and no one else is bothering me. It is also the main reason why no one else has tried to make a move against my seat or tried giving me a headache.
However, if Hiruzen dies and Tsunade replaces him, then I won't have that protection. Once that happens, I'll be dragged into politics slowly, one step at a time. With time, it'll only become intense.
Granted that I could just take a step back as I don't have much to gain politically, but that will create a situation where others think that I am easy to push around. Not something that I want to see as it'll just keep increasing my troubles until I decide to push back. The only way to deal with it would be to make the one who makes the first move pay dearly just like Danzo.
However, I can't rely on brute strength every time. After all, why would anyone engage against me in an actual fight when they know how strong I am? They will use schemes that don't involve fighting. If I use the Akuro identity again to flip the chessboard, then everyone will inevitably begin suspecting me even if they don't have any proof. After all, they aren't stupid and Danzo will connect the dots as well. So, I will have to do a political counterattack.
But to do that, I'll need more influence in the village. And, I need to start increasing it while Hiruzen is still alive so that I don't face heavy opposition while I try to do so.'
Fujin's eyes wandered on the 5 kids. He thought, 'Since Hiruzen has given me such a gift, then I might as well take complete advantage of it. I guess the reason why he put these kids under me is the same as well. He probably realized that I wouldn't have enough influence in the future once he gave up his hat or kicked the bucket and hence, he decided to take advantage of the Danzo's situation to strengthen my influence.'
The 5 kids finally began walking towards Fujin. All of them were covered in dust and soil. Fujin finally made up his mind, 'Alright, I will accept these 5 as my students. I'll also increase my influence over the other orphans. They can all believe in the Will of Fire as much as they want. However, as long as the village isn't at risk, they have to take my side and support me.
Of course, this won't be enough. After all, it'll take years for these kids to mature. I'll need to increase my influence among Konoha's ninjas as well. Fortunately, I have just the thing to do so'
The 5 kids finally reached Fujin and stood in front of him. To Fujin's surprise, there weren't any complaints in their eyes despite Fujin defeating them in such a manner. Instead, there was some admiration and respect as they understood how strong Fujin was to defeat them so comprehensively.
He quickly realized, 'Looks like having a terrible background followed by training in Root and brainwashing with Will of Fire diminishes one's sense of unfairness. Hmm, it's sort of the same as Naruto.'
Fujin said, "Not bad. I can see why Lord Hokage spoke highly about you five. That said, there is still a lot of room for improvement. I am sure our fight made you realize that."
The remaining two were living in extreme poverty despite having parents. And, they still remember the deaths of their parents. Of course, they were unaware that Root was behind the death of their parents instead of Kirigakure whom they blamed. However, that memory was still fresh in their minds.
Even though they found a new home in Root which treated them well and later found a Grandfather-like figure in Hiruzen, it was the first time someone had tried to create a personal relationship with them.
Unlike Danzo, who categorically stated that they would become Root ninjas in the future, and Hiruzen, who said that they would join the Anbu in the future, Fujin didn't put any conditions or mention any expectations with his offer. Instead, he only specified that he could make them much stronger.
While their young minds weren't able to process this difference, they somehow instinctively felt it. As a result, the emotional impact of his words on them was far greater than Fujin had thought of.
So, be it emotionally or intellectually, accepting Fujin's offer made the most sense to them. Looking at each other, they nodded. In one voice, they answered while bowing slightly, "We will be honored to be your students."
A smile formed on Fujin's face. He replied, "Good."
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