Naruto: The Hidden Protector

Despite not being used very often, the interior of the villa was quite clean. The floors were swept clean, and the furniture polished to a shine. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting a warm glow over the tastefully decorated rooms. It was evident that someone had been maintaining the place meticulously, despite its infrequent use. Izanami walked through the halls with a sense of familiarity, her footsteps echoing softly against the wooden floors.

Following her, the rest looked at the villa with curious eyes. It's not every day you see something so luxurious, especially since the wood here is made by their revered God of Shinobi. If news of such a building's existence were revealed to the public, this place would have already been hailed as the most famous tourist attraction.

As everyone knows, Hashirama, despite being hailed as the God of Shinobi, wasn't known for his creativity and intelligence, so he rarely made any buildings. Even in making the Senju compound, Hashirama only supplied the wood and not the building itself, like how Yamato would do in the future.

So for Hashirama to make such a wonderful villa, it is seen how much effort he put into accomplishing it. This building may as well be his greatest masterpiece if we didn't take Konoha village into account.

While they were marveling at the building, a group of animals emerged from inside to welcome them. This group was quite bizarre, as there were cats, dogs, and crows among them.

Usually, such a group wouldn't come together, as some of them are each other's natural enemies. Even if trained at a young age, they wouldn't come as a group. But the most surprising thing here is that all these animals have eyes full of wisdom. If one didn't know any better, some might mistake them for a bunch of ninjas who used transformation jutsu.

Even amongst ninja beasts, only sage animals have shown this much intellect in their eyes. This is also one of the reasons why the Sannins are quite popular, due to their ability to command many beasts who have wisdom similar to any human.

"Oh, it's been a while, you guys," Izanami greeted the animals as she crouched down and began to pet them. She started with the cat who had a shy expression, then moved to the dog, which tried to dodge her hand, and lastly to the crow who seemed to be eager.

After petting them all, she got up and dusted her clothes a little bit. Then, she looked around and asked aloud, "So where is your caretaker?"

"I'm here, Izanami-sama," replied a middle-aged man who emerged from one of the rooms. If Naruto were to look at him, they would immediately recognize him. After all, he is the legendary Ramen Guy, Teuchi, the owner of the Ichiraku Ramen shop in Konoha.

Seeing him, Izanami smiled. It was actually a coincidence that Teuchi came in contact with her. During the time he opened his shop for the first time in Konoha, he needed a sponsor to help him. So he applied for a loan from the World Bank. And it just so happened that Izanami saw this during her visits to the World Bank.

After recognizing Teuchi, Izanami immediately sprang into action. She used her authority and issued a private meeting with him. And in that meeting, they made an agreement. Izanami would fully sponsor his business, and in return, he needed to do some odd jobs for her. Of course, most of her requests were quite simple, like keeping the mansion clean and taking care of the pets. So Teuchi didn't really mind it.

In fact, this deal was quite advantageous for him. Not only did he get a great backer, but he also got a free residence in a luxurious mansion. And most of all, his shop is only a few meters away from the mansion, making it quite convenient for him.

"How were the negotiations, Izanami-sama? Did the village allow it?" Teuchi asked with a bit of expectation and hope.

Izanami gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Yep, it all went according to plan."

Hearing her words Teuchi burst into tears. Finally, his friend's son would be able to live his life as a normal kid. With Izanami as his backer no one in Konoha would ever be able to bully him again.

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While Izanami and the others were talking with a Teuchi, a rather peculiar situation was happening in the Hokage office. The ever-calm and smiling Hiruzen was now cursing loudly. If it was not for the seals placed on the office to restrict the sound the whole Konoha would have heard his curses.

Apart from him, the other Konoha elders weren't faring any better. Especially Danzo who was turning more gloomy the second after reading one file. If it wasn't for his excellent control over his emotions he would also join his friend in cursing Izanami.

After what seems like forever Hiruzen finally calmed down. Not really as he kept smoking to fill the entire room with smoke. But he is still able to have a proper conversation for now.

"Any ideas on how to settle this debt?" Hiruzen inquired, his voice punctuated by the haze of smoke from his cigarettes.

" With the current economic situation in Konoha, I'm afraid we simply don't have the necessary funds to spare. We are already barely hanging on after the Kyuubi incident, " Homura said with a grave tone. During the time Hiruzen was cursing he calculated the minimal funds that were required to hold off this debt till the village was able to stabilize itself. But unfortunately, even that amount is not something the current Konoha can handle.

" Tsk, do you think we would be able to make the other clan leaders agree to share the burden? " Hiruzen asked with a click of the tongue.

" That is highly unlikely, the clan leaders themselves are not faring any better due to the nine-tail incident. "Koharu interjected. As the person responsible for internal affairs she knew how much damage the village sustained more than anyone.

" damn does this mean we have to agree to her demands? " Hiruzen said helplessly.

Hearing his words Danzo who was silent suddenly sprang into action. He shouted at Hiruzen, " Hiruzen are you out of your mind? That is the nine-tailed Jinchuriki we are talking about. How can you let an outsider get her hands on Konoha's greatest weapon? "

"Then provide a damn solution to this problem!" Hiruzen finally snapped back at Danzo, his frustration boiling over.

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