LRAB Chapter 505 Conspiracy
Chapter 505 Conspiracy
Chapter 505 Conspiracy
"My personal endorsement represents only myself."
"This does not represent the Director's Office, nor does it represent the Uchiha clan."
"I will make this clear to all of them, and there will be no room for misunderstanding."
In the evening, in the corridor on the third floor of the Joint Affairs Bureau, before Sasuke began to fulfill the promise he made the night before, he first emphasized the limitations he acknowledged.
"So if you use the same persuasion strategy as yesterday, the result today will not be any different from yesterday."
Naruto, however, looked full of confidence.
"I'm not just preparing for that—"
Sasuke's eyes flashed with warning.
Naruto swallowed the part he couldn't say and quickly glanced to his left and right.
"————I've prepared everything perfectly."
As he said this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
"Sasuke, just you wait and see."
It's the same time period, and only one day apart; the number of remaining personnel is unchanged from yesterday.
Most of them recognized the blond boy and the bureau chief's intern.
Although he didn't show any impatience, he also didn't offer any enthusiastic greetings; instead, he continued with his work.
A female ninja from Konoha stepped forward.
"Is Naruto here today also to ask for permission?"
"Sasuke-kun didn't take Naruto to the fifth floor yesterday, did he? There are a lot of people there, how about we try it today?"
She didn't mention her colleagues' unwavering opinions, but instead used methods like coaxing a child to get Naruto to shift his focus.
Upon hearing this, Naruto pulled out a new form from behind him: "Thank you, sister. But today, I'm not here to get everyone's autographs."
The table was held up in mid-air.
"I'd like to know what kind of names people prefer."
He turned up the volume a few notches.
"Today I want to solicit everyone's opinions and find out what kind of names you care about more."
"Brother Shuji will be collecting feedback in a few days."
"If possible, we'd like to make sure that what we submit is liked by more people."
The office workers, who had been keeping their heads down, all looked up.
Whether it was the ninjas from Konoha or the staff stationed from other ninja villages, their gazes shifted from being engrossed in their work to being inquisitive.
The female ninja took the form from Naruto's hand.
The paper was very simple; it was just a request for suggestions on what elements should be added to the badge.
"Is Lord Shuji going to accept all the recruits from the Ninja Academy?"
"Yes, I do!"
The female ninja did not respond immediately. She glanced at the form, then at Naruto, and then shifted her gaze to Sasuke, who was standing to his side and behind him.
Waiting for confirmation.
Sasuke noticed it, of course.
Naruto was telling the truth. He didn't embellish or exaggerate unnecessarily.
"The news has already spread throughout the village. However, at this point, it's just the Hokage's office collecting opinions, and it doesn't represent a final conclusion."
""
As soon as he finished speaking, another Konoha ninja stood up from his workstation and walked over.
"Naruto, you don't like the names you chose?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head.
"I like it. But it would be great if we could add something new and make it even cooler."
A Cloud Village ninja took the form and raised an eyebrow: "We need our opinions too?"
Some Konoha ninjas expressed doubt: "Isn't this an internal village matter?"
"But the final name is one that everyone will use, right?" Naruto said. "No matter whose name is chosen, it's a name that everyone will use."
Without waiting for further questions, he strode towards the next office.
Sasuke was a step too slow. Before he could even step out the door, the voice behind him caught up.
"Hey, you're really going to start writing? This is a feedback form the Hokage's office needs. As a ninja from another village, shouldn't you have some self-awareness?"
His tone was somewhat joking, but it concealed a warning.
The person being asked responded with a smile.
"It's the people from your village who are collecting opinions, so are you saying you can't come up with a suitable name?"
His tone was light and cheerful, but he didn't compromise on the proper measure in his words.
"The naming style of Sunagakure has always been very popular."
A third person stepped in.
The smile and the sharpness were revealed only slightly, just enough for the other party to understand the meaning.
These words were still echoing in Sasuke's ears as he walked out of the office.
Similar arguments gradually spread along the route Naruto had taken.
People peeked out from the corridor, and whispered amongst themselves in the break room. Those who had initially shown no interest in the consent form began asking what it actually looked like.
The news spread faster than Naruto could walk.
When I got to the fourth floor, there were already people waiting outside the office door.
"I'm sorry, there are just too many people who want the forms, and we don't have enough prepared."
77
The ninja who was about to pick up the forms said, "Any form with the same format will do, right? In that case, we can prepare our own."
After saying that, the person left.
The same scene repeated itself at the entrance on the fifth floor. Different faces, but almost identical words.
Then, similarly, without lingering or pressing for answers, they simply received the information they needed to confirm and then went their separate ways.
Several Konoha ninja followed him out of the fifth-floor office. Their gazes first fell on Naruto, then passed over him and turned to Sasuke behind him, casting questioning shots.
Sasuke did not respond.
It wasn't until Naruto excitedly climbed to the top floor and confirmed that there was no one else around that his face finally revealed the smugness he had been holding back all the way.
The trainee bureau chief showed no sign of joy, only a cold, indifferent gaze as he looked at the fool.
"What are you so happy about?" Sasuke leaned against the wall. "Their enthusiasm isn't because they want to acknowledge you."
"If we do this, in the end, how much of what's been approved by the school do you think will still be left?"
"Did they consider their desire to interfere with Konoha's decisions a success? Idiots."
Naruto's smile did not disappear.
"Sasuke is the idiot."
He shut his mouth after he finished speaking, his eyes holding a thousand words, but he only let out this one.
Sasuke looked at him.
"I will report this matter truthfully. When their attempts ultimately fail, you'll be the one being ridiculed as a big liar."
Instead of gloating here, you should think about what you should do next.
"The name Dad chose will be approved."
Naruto remained steadfast in his belief.
Sasuke was too lazy to waste any more words on him.
"Go back. You've finished what you needed to do today, and the trainees' work time is about to end. You can go with Sakura and the others."
Where's Sasuke?
"I have other things to do."
"Aren't we going back together?"
"Have you forgotten that you have another mission?" Sasuke said.
Naruto stopped asking questions and turned to walk towards the stairwell.
Sasuke stayed where he was, preparing to prepare his explanation to Kakashi later.
Then he saw the door to the director's office, which had been opened a crack at some point.
Behind the crack in the door, Kakashi Hatake was crouching there, one eye peering at him through the gap.
Sasuke's expression instantly transitioned from indifference to speechlessness.
"————What are you doing?"
"There's nothing there." A voice came from inside the door.
"If there's nothing there, why use this position?"
"Because I wanted to hear my disciples and friends chatting."
That guy isn't my friend.
Sasuke replied, and seeing Kakashi still in that inappropriate posture, he finally couldn't stand it anymore and went forward to open the door.
The moment he opened the door, Director Hatake appeared behind his desk.
"Weren't you just plotting something with your friends? Using another mission as a code, this kind of mystery is something only true friends can have."
Sasuke steadied his breathing.
"Where's Itachi?"
"Looking for your brother again? He's at work."
"Such tactics are no longer effective against me," Sasuke said. "Since you've been eavesdropping, you can't be completely unaware of what's going on down there, can you?"
Kakashi nodded. "Got it."
"I told you not to talk like that!" Sasuke couldn't help but shout. "I'm not a child anymore."
Kakashi changed his tone: "I already know."
66
The kiss was completely different from what had just happened.
It went from being that sticky, greasy kind of product meant for children to having a more serious tone.
The switch came too suddenly. Sasuke had thought he would never be swayed by this person again, but now he realized he was wrong. A surge of anger rose from his chest, rushing up his throat.
"Then you still resemble a—"
Before he could utter a curse, he stopped himself, because Sasuke saw the uncontrollable smile in Kakashi's eyes and his tone became indifferent again: "What do we do now?"
66
"Naruto did a great job, why ask what to do?"
'
Sasuke frowned.
"What do you mean? The village plans to adopt the suggestions from other villages?"
"In that case, that guy still didn't achieve his original goal. The signatures at school are useless to outsiders. In the end, he only convinced his own classmates."
"If that guy's idea is to be adopted, the village will have to ignore the opinions of other villages. But among those suggestions, even if some of them sound strange, there are always a few that make sense."
"Leaving decent facilities unused will only provoke more opposition."
Kakashi did not answer directly.
"Of course, they want to interfere in the village and gain the upper hand before the naming dispute really begins."
"So how do they plan to make it look like their interference was successful?"
"Incorporate the unique characteristics of your village into the name design."
Kakashi agreed. "Many proactive ninjas probably think the same way."
"certainly."
As he spoke, Sasuke suddenly realized what he meant.
If all the ninjas from other villages who participate come with this kind of intention, then the suggestions they submit will each bear the mark of their respective villages.
Support will be scattered. The more proactive you are, the more you will exert your efforts in different directions, and in the end, no one will be able to overshadow the others.
Even if some proposals gather support, in the end, the one that gets approved is the one that doesn't have a strong village flavor and has already gained a considerable number of approvals from the beginning.
He had to admit that neither the first nor the second version of Naruto's proposal had a very clear Konoha mark.
"Is this... the source of Naruto's confidence?"
"By soliciting opinions, we can make our side, which holds the most readily accepted opinions, the only compromise that can be accepted by everyone, in the face of constant conflicts among all parties."
The premise for this strategy to work is the power struggle between the Hidden Cloud Village, Hidden Stone Village, Hidden Mist Village, and Hidden Sand Village. They will find it difficult to persuade each other, let alone for one side's plan to prevail over the other three.
What was originally just an internal discussion in Konoha, after being publicized by the Joint Affairs Bureau, will naturally settle into a collective conclusion.
It wasn't imposed; it's the result of a choice.
Having figured this out, Sasuke's expression became somewhat complicated.
"How could Naruto possibly come up with something like that—a plan of that scale on his own?"
It wasn't that he was looking down on him. It was just that based on his understanding of the blond idiot over the past few years, he was certain that the other party wasn't yet at the level where he could plan out such a process on his own.
It's either Gaara or Shikamaru.
Or perhaps————
"Are you feeling the pressure?" Kakashi asked with a smile.
Sasuke stood there for a long time, then suddenly looked at the silver-haired bureau chief.
"This kind of style. Hiding, dominating—"
He paused halfway through his sentence, as if he was carefully considering his words.
Kakashi waited two seconds before hearing the second half of the sentence.
"Kakashi Hatake, are you, a member of the Hatake clan, a frequent visitor to the old house in the western suburbs?"
"?" Kakashi's eyes widened.
"Or rather, is that guy, the current Mr. Uzumaki, also a Senju?"
"I'm Hatake, you know. Hatake, Uchiha-kun. I have been to Shuji's house, but that's a completely different matter."
He repeated the surname clearly twice.
"No matter how imaginative a child may be, this is going too far off track."
Sasuke said, "They haven't denied what happened in the western suburbs, nor have they denied what happened in the vortex. It seems that's the case."
"No—no, suddenly—but even though Uzumaki is a distant relative of the Senju, he can hardly be called a Senju, right?" Kakashi said.
Sasuke didn't press the matter. He changed the subject.
"You've always known that Mr. Shuji is from the Senju clan, haven't you?"
99
"That's no secret, Sasuke."
"So, what is your opinion of Mr. Shuji?"
Kakashi thought for a moment.
"I am his mouthpiece."
"Is this all you're going to do to define yourself when you're considered a Hokage candidate?"
"There are plenty of qualified Jonin in the village, I'm just one who was unlucky."
Sasuke walked to the window. His Sharingan had been activated at some point. Those red eyes looked towards the doorway, then Sasuke turned around and leaned against the window frame.
"So, would you like to join us?"
"To become part of the revenge campaign against that man."
"This is not something you can say lightly, Sasuke-kun."
Kakashi was also watching the doorway.
"I've already been exposed. There's nothing left to fear," Sasuke said.
"I see. Naruto was one of them too?"
"Um""
Kakashi was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"I can only pretend I didn't hear this, Sasuke."
As he spoke, Kakashi turned around and glanced at him with his one eye.
"After all, it's still unknown whether you were sent by that guy in a fit of mischief."
Sasuke said calmly, "There's still time before that day. You'll see what we do, Kakashi."
"Then I'll have to look forward to it, Sasuke-kun."
7