Chapter 34. The Benefit of Doubt

“So.. what’s your business to come here? I don’t have much time.”

Akabane didn’t want to waste much time. After his store opening and became a member of team 7 he rarely got free time now a day.

Orochimaru hesitated, a little difficult to speak, looking embarrassed he said his intention “I want Akabane-kun to teach me how to use genjutsu.”

“Genjutsu? My genjutsu is fairly simple. I just used it as multiple deceptions.”

Akabane said lightly.

“But how do you projected what you want into what I saw?”

Orochimaru wasn’t proficient in genjutsu yet but has studied these subjects. The main foundation of genjutsu is to disturb chakra and mind, so the target can see their most feared imagination.

Then how could Akabane precisely project what he wants them to see?

“Well… through predicting your opponent’s move.”

“Intuition?”

Orochimaru fell into deep in his thought.

 “Back then when my mission start, what I’m worried the most was that my teammates fell into your bluff and you with Tsunade would attack me first, but it seems that you two were confident enough to face us separately, and I’ve calculated my teammate’s capability and guessed that they could beat Tsunade.”

“With that condition in mind, I could accurately execute my strategy without being bothered by other things. The key to my genjutsu was because I could predict the outcome, and my Kekkei Genkai took the biggest role.”

Akabane explained.

“The Kurama’s Kekkei Genkai? The Five Sense of Control?”

Orochimaru felt his biggest downsides.

When it comes to Kekkei Genkai, it’s a unique trait of ninjutsu that only can be passed down between generations of certain clans. Even among the Kurama Clan, only Akabane, who has been seen to awakened his Kekkei Genkai.

“Sorry, I can only help you with that explanation.”

Akabane politely apologized.

“It’s me who should say thanks, Akabane-kun, farewell then..”

Orochimaru was a little lost, got up and bowed.

After that, he climbed out of the window and jumped out.

Akabane was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly, lay down, and closed his eyes.

“It can be seen that Orochimaru also took a severe loss.”

His clone said lightly.

Akabane felt it that Orochimaru took his defeat harder than his teammates since he was always the top student on the academy, and none has ever reached his level.

“Hmm… This will be a great piece of information about him in my comic.”

Akabane then stood up.

“Speaking of which, we’d better hurry up to reach “The Lands of Waves Escort Mission” plot. There was a lot of ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai being used, which could give me tons of new ninjutsu to exchange.”

Akabane said excitedly.

“If you are that impatient, shouldn’t you help me finish this?”

“Nice suggestion! … the shadow clone Jutsu!”

Akabane summoned another clone to help finished his comic faster. Then he sat down, leg crossed to recover his chakra.

In the room, the two clones looked at each other, speechless.

 …

Orochimaru left the Kurama clan and walked passed the woods.

Suddenly he saw Jiraiya was holding a drawing board in one hand and a pen in the other, trying to draw comics.

“Jiraiya also started to draw comics? is this thing more important than his training?”

“Ridiculous!”

Orochimaru sneered and was about to taunt Jiraiya.

However.

If drawing comic is an idiot, what is he who lost to Akabane!?

He froze, then turned and left.

Orochimaru has always been smart and assertive since he was young. He always knew what he wanted, but now he has felt his first loss.

He wouldn’t hate Akabane for this, but can he fight equally with Akabane in the future?

Not sure.

Orochimaru walked aimlessly while looking to the sky.

“Naruto, huh?”

At this time, many workers were working on the Third Hokage’s statue.

“Intuition?”

Orochimaru wondered.

This is it!

Maybe I should try too, what’s it like to draw comics.”

He thought to himself.

To understand the way of someone’s mind, you must first learn to figure out their desires.

As for understanding Akabane, he must learn the reason of Akabane’s comic.

“No, comics are too difficult, all I need is the reason!”

“I’ll try it!”

It’s rare to see Orochimaru excitedly learned something new.

…

“It seems that Orochimaru has solved his problems.”

On the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen, who had been monitoring Orochimaru for a while, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Orochimaru is not as fragile as you think. He had what it takes to be an Anbu.”

Danzo was entering the office with a confident expression on his face.

Although Akabane also has excellent talents and awakened his Kekkei Genkai, he doesn’t have the work ethics of Anbu, which can be seen on Orochimaru.

Only those who have motivation could become stronger!

“We have discussed this before. I will not allow you to take Orochimaru!”

Hiruzen burst out of vigor, and the entire office was suddenly rattled.

“Put away your fragile threats; our deal is one year of your training.”

Danzo chuckled and turned away.

…

Back at Anbu’s headquarter, he took out the comic he bought before and read it from the beginning again.

Previously, he lost interest after only a few pages because he got other things to work with. Now that he has spare time, coupled with Akabane’s outstanding performance on the field, he has once again become interested in the comic.

“Let’s see…”

After reading the first chapter, his eyes wandered around his office while lost in his thought.

“Shimura-san, that comic… is it that interesting?”

Said one of his subordinates.

Seeing that the head of Anbu has taken an interest in reading a comic was just an unusual sight.

“What took my interest was the author of this comic.”

Danzo explained clearly.

“Oh? Is it one of your students? Akabane Kurama?”

“Yes.”

Danzo’s response was straight and cold, as he continues to read the comic.

…

Soon after he finished reading all the five chapters, something took his interest.

“What are you thinking, Shimura-san?”

His subordinate asked him curiously.

“The tailed-beasts are the strongest living form of chakra, and Konoha has a mandate to sealed the strongest of them all, Nine-tailed Fox, Kyuubi. There has never been a problem with the sealing method of the Uzumaki clan, but in this comic, the Kyuubi was set rampage on Konoha, then sealed within the main character who knows nothing about being a Jinchuriki.”

Danzo sneered.

The pure-blooded of Uzumaki clan has always had red hair. How come there are blond hair, Uzumaki?

“You mean…”

“Akabane thinks something will happen to the Uzumaki clan and Konoha that almost destroyed the whole village!”

Danzo said with suspicion.

“What will happen? Maybe this is just the story he made?”

His subordinate was even more puzzled.

The Hidden Village of Konoha had always put the greatest respect to Uzumaki Clan and their successor. What’s the worst thing that could happen to them?”

Besides, this comic is just a fictional story of a kid, so there is no deep meaning!

“I’ll give this the benefit of the doubt as the village’s security partook within the story. Help me collect his latest chapters. I want to see it as soon as possible.”

Danzo put down the comic and ordered his Anbu.

“Understood!”

Although puzzled, his subordinate nodded as a response.

When his subordinates left, Danzo picked up the comic again and looked at the first page.

“The Nine-tailed…the Uzumaki clan will be gone, left only one successor..”

Danzo watched it carefully. Akabane’s comic was just a fiction, but he felt that the possibility was quite high by seeing how close is it to the real thing.

The powerful sealing jutsu and their vitality are the reasons why Uzumaki Mito still lives long as a Jinchuriki. On the other hand, the Jinchuriki on the other hidden village ended up miserably…

If you want to deal with Konoha’s tailed-beast, you must first cut off the strength of the Senju and the Uzumaki clans combined.

There is an indication that the Uzumaki clan is in danger!

“Will this caused by the Kumogakure? Or Kirigakure? Or, other factors?”

Danzo was lost in thought.

This is something that may not necessarily happen, but as the head of Anbu, every scenario of catastrophe that included the Konohagakure must be calculated.