Reborn in Konoha as the Anbu Torturer

Aoba stood on a tree branch, watching everything unfold. Indeed, things had developed differently than he initially envisioned but had taken a completely different turn.

He had not anticipated that the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist would give up their mission upon realizing that Minato could use the Flying Thunder God Technique.

It must be said that after some time, Juzo had matured much more than before. He could effortlessly make judgments, and upon realizing that the mission was impossible to complete, he immediately ended it without any hesitation or conflict. This was indeed very rare.

Aoba had not reached the point where he could see everything clearly like Juzo, nor did he expect the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist to abandon the mission at this moment.

However, he was not particularly saddened by this turn of events. Since arriving in this world, he had understood that he was merely flapping a butterfly's wings; the rest was beyond his control, with each having its development. He could only lead a trend but could not decide all the details. It was a tide of the era, not something that one person's will could control.

This was a completely acceptable phenomenon!

"Sigh..."

Aoba found his mood suddenly bland; he had expected to witness a thrilling battle here, seeing Kushina, as the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, confront the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist using the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. However, the situation had developed into something rather interesting, making the remaining issues seemingly easy to resolve without further concern on his part.

Upon reflection, this resolution was quite beneficial for both parties. If they had forcibly battled the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kushina might have also been injured. Now, this method of resolution had achieved his intended goal without causing any harm to either side.

Upon hearing Kushina's words, Juzo's body tensed, and he fell silent.

"Let me think about it."

Juzo did not immediately agree with Kushina, nor did he refuse her, because he understood the implications of her words.

He coldly watched the young girl's silhouette, his mind racing, pondering whether to reveal this information. They were under Danzo, who is their mission's client. Logically, ninjas should not disclose the identity of their clients.

However, at the same time, they did not receive any benefits from their client.

According to Rentaro's words, their mission aimed to secure a future for Kirigakure.

Given the current circumstances, the mission was not achievable, and the future of Kirigakure became uncertain. Thus, they did not gain any benefits from their client and even risked offending Konoha's future.

This unsuccessful mission had instead allowed them to witness Minato's charisma. This young man, appearing only sixteen or seventeen years old, possessed a composure and wisdom beyond his age. Even facing the seven of them, he showed no panic or concern, maintaining a demeanor suggesting everything was under his control until now.

This was truly impressive!

Even Juzo thought it was impressive!

Because they had launched a surprise attack with almost no prior intelligence, they should have reached Minato just as he became aware of them!

This indicated a very serious problem!

Their encounter with Minato was the most genuine response, completely representing his inner thoughts. Even if he used some strategies, those strategies were devised in that instant.

This was extremely rare.

Additionally, witnessing Minato use space-time jutsu indicated that as long as Minato did not wish to die, no one in the future could kill such a being.

Not to mention, he had Kushina as a formidable companion.

In Juzo's view, the rise of Konoha was inevitable, and both Danzo and the Third Hokage were relics of a past era.

On the wave of the new era, there was no longer a ship that could carry these older men!

Juzo fell into deep thought. If he did not reveal Danzo's name, it would amount to making an enemy of Konoha through such actions, which would be detrimental to Kirigakure. His previous considerations were from a ninja's perspective—what a ninja could and could not do. Now, his thoughts were from the village's perspective—what was beneficial and what was not helpful for the village. These were his primary considerations.

If he now stubbornly kept Danzo's identity secret, it would be the greatest harm to Kirigakure, potentially making Konoha a significant enemy.

With Kirigakure already facing a powerful enemy, Kumogakure, if Konoha also became an enemy...

Kirigakure would be constrained along the entire coastline!

This was something he did not want to see.

The situation was clear: if they pretended nothing had happened, it would be as if they had never come here, and both parties would act as if nothing had occurred without any grievances.

It must be said that this was very tempting.

"Even if you don't say it, we would have investigated this matter thoroughly. But you're saying it would save us some time. Think carefully..."

Kushina caught Juzo in a deep contradiction, immediately adding some weight to his thoughts.

Her words were not unreasonable.

But without a definite answer from the mouth of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, even if she knew what was happening, it was only speculation without solid evidence.

This was a very passive situation.

She needed a very definite answer.

This way, even without solid evidence, this person could be completely confirmed in her heart.

However, she did not fully express her needs because doing so would have given Juzo a chance to bargain. Only by making the situation appear trivial would she have caught his attention and added an element of threat.

"Phew..."

Juzo took a deep breath, a hint of heaviness arising in his heart. He understood that Kushina's words made a lot of sense.

If he had not disclosed Danzo, Danzo would still have been discovered.

By that time, the nature of the matter would have changed, and they would no longer just be hired by Danzo; they might even be regarded as conspiring with him.

This was entirely unnecessary.

Juzo slowly shook his head. He felt that he had conspired with Danzo for the future of Kirigakure, but now he had to come clean for this future. Everything he had done was for the future of Kirigakure without any personal gain, making it easy to make a decision.

Sorry, Danzo.

Your era is over.

Since I know you can't compete with Namikaze Minato, we don't need to accompany you in your demise.

"Are you serious?"

Juzo looked up into Kushina's eyes, a questioning look flashing in his eyes. Before speaking, he had to clarify things, as this was his only bargaining chip. Once given up, they would be in a passive position.

"Yes."

Kushina nodded, aware that there had been a breakthrough in the situation, and continued hastily, "I assure you, as long as you reveal the name of the person behind this, we from the Konoha will not make things difficult for you, and these matters will be treated as if they never happened."

"How can I trust your words?" Juzo asked cautiously.

Whoosh!

However, just then, a figure suddenly appeared beside Kushina. It was Minato, who had just disappeared using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Minato had been watching from a distance on a tree branch, and he had seen that six of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist had indeed left. This confirmed that Juzo was not playing tricks but was seeking a guarantee to speak out.

This was a guarantee Kushina could not give!

Only he could personally speak out!

"Can you believe my words?"

Minato stared intently at Juzo, his voice slightly deep and slowly rising. He clearly understood that the situation had progressed to a critical moment, and he needed to resolve this issue.

"Then I will guarantee it with you: if you reveal the name of the person who instructed you, this matter will be treated as if it never happened. Can you believe that?"

"If you believe my words, we can continue this negotiation."

"If you don't believe my words..."

"Then you can leave!"

"I won't stop you."

"But the matter of today, I will settle it later!"

Minato spoke sentence after sentence, beginning to threaten Juzo as well, as he realized this method was very effective, and Juzo had already started to waver.

"I believe you."

Juzo, seeing Minato appear, had no intention of continuing the mission. He understood that Minato could use space-time jutsu to leave anytime. Once he harbored the thought of continuing the mission, the mission would fail, and the current situation could not be reversed.

He was now a wise man, or rather, a rational person. In doing anything, he would think very clearly. He understood that under the current circumstances, he should not do anything detrimental to Kirigakure; otherwise, he would be the village's eternal sinner.

If its Kushina, he might not fully believe it, but if its Minato's words, he would believe it because he was very clear that this brilliant young man would soon be the Fourth Hokage.

If even the Hokage's words were unreliable, then no one's promises had any value or meaning.

"I hope you keep your promise."

Juzo clenched his fists tightly. This name was his last bargaining chip; once spoken, it would represent a betrayal of the client in his ninja career, casting a huge stain. But if it was for the future of Kirigakure, he felt it was all worth it.

"I also hope you are telling the truth."

Minato's eyes were fixed on Juzo, trying to discern the other's thoughts through facial expressions and body language. They still had great differences, each standing on completely different grounds. Juzo could easily guide them in a different direction with a false name, making the problem even more serious, perhaps facing a completely different enemy.

"I will tell you the real instigator behind this. Since we are negotiating a deal, I will naturally express my sincerity and not use Kirigakure as a bet. I hope you will not harbor hostility towards Kirigakure because of our actions," Juzo said solemnly.

"Okay." Minato nodded without hesitation.

"That person is your Konoha's Advisor, Shimura Danzo!"

Juzo directly named Danzo, reaching a point where no disguise was needed, as he had already reached an agreement with Minato. Although he could still befriend Konoha by giving a different name and reach an agreement with the Third Hokage, he would rather befriend this genius future Fourth Hokage.

"Danzo?!" Minato was surprised by this name, which was beyond his expectations. He had not had much contact with Danzo before and even felt that this person had a very low presence.

"I have no reason to lie to you!"

Juzo, seeing Minato's doubt, continued to speak, "Behind Danzo is the Third Hokage!"

"The Third Hokage hopes to use us to eliminate you and prevent you from returning alive to Konoha, thereby resolving the issue of the succession of the Hokage. As for the internal systems of Konoha, you are clearer about that than I am."

Juzo explained that although he did not know Konoha very well, he could now understand the Third Hokage's heart. If the Third Hokage still wanted to continue as the Hokage, then he must eliminate Minato, this young man who was too talented. If allowed to develop further, he would take over his position as Hokage.