"Danzō's letter to Hanzo of the Salamander has already been intercepted. We'll forge a reply in Hanzo's handwriting and send it back."
"Oh? But what should we write?"
White Zetsu tilted his head, puzzled.
"Lure him out? That could work. Obito did say he wanted to kill the guy."
"..."
And when that guy dies, who's going to take the blame?
Black Zetsu silently shook his head. Dealing with this idiot constantly was draining.
But over time, he'd gotten used to it. After all, he was always surrounded by idiots.
"No need to kill him just yet—keep him dangling. He might still be useful later. Plus, we can use him to deal with Orochimaru for now. Isn't that what Obito wants?"
If someone had to take the fall, then Orochimaru would just have to play the role. That guy was a traitor anyway—no guilt needed when dealing with him.
"And also, I remember that someone from Kumogakure seems to be sniffing around us. Depending on how things turn out this time, if the conditions are right, let's lure them in and let them have some fun."
Suddenly, Black Zetsu thought of something and casually added it.
The fact that those people from Kumogakure were investigating them didn't surprise Black Zetsu. Last time when Nagato made his move, the Fourth Raikage had been watching the entire time.
And that shameless brat Kitagawa Gen had even managed to pin the attempted assassination of the Raikage on them. Honestly, if anyone wanted to kill the Raikage, it would've been Konoha, right?
To shift the blame like that—no wonder Obito was so furious. He had every reason to be.
'But that little brat... really does remind me a bit of the Second Hokage. Just as shameless and cunning!'
'Still, we owe that Second Hokage some thanks. Without him, Madara wouldn't have made it this far so smoothly.'
Black Zetsu thought to himself. But as he continued down that line of thought, he suddenly froze. A moment later, his gaze was once again drawn to the moon.
His expression grew more and more peculiar. After a long silence, a thought suddenly struck him like lightning.
'Ever since Kitagawa Gen showed up, all kinds of strange things have been happening.'
'And his chakra... it's so unusual. Not to mention the chakra eruption from the moon this time—and his Sage Mode eyes were white... Could it be—'
'Could he be connected to those Ōtsutsuki on the moon?!'
...
"Damn it, Hanzo of the Salamander... are you really dead?!"
Konoha, Root Base.
Shimura Danzō sat quietly in his seat, still maintaining that calm, composed demeanor as he flipped through intel reports from across the shinobi world.
But inwardly, he was far from calm.
He still hadn't received any response from Hanzo of the Salamander.
The Land of Rain... he truly didn't dare to go there. He could never forget the horror of what had happened back then.
Even someone like Hanzo—once hailed as a generation-defining warlord—had been forced into hiding. What good would it do for him to barge in recklessly?
"And those eyes of his…"
Danzō would never forget that red-haired brat—that pair of eyes with ripple-like rings, like concentric circles. The sheer shock they gave him still lingered.
He was certain those eyes were anything but ordinary. And of course, he had his own ambitions about them.
Even if he couldn't act on it for now, what about the future?
"But where exactly are these people? According to the intel Jiraiya gathered, they're scattered all over. That makes things extremely difficult for me."
Shimura Danzō furrowed his brow, trying to remain composed. He knew full well that his window of opportunity was narrow. He had to seize it.
"And what exactly is their goal? Based on what we've learned from Kitagawa Gen and Takigakure, Uchiha Obito is after the Tailed Beasts. Could there be a deeper connection?"
To be honest, Danzō suspected they might be targeting the Tailed Beasts.
But whether it was the incident in Konoha or the one in Kirigakure, Obito seemed to rely on his Sharingan to control the Tailed Beasts and cause destruction.
Takigakure had clearly intended to ambush Jiraiya's group—maybe Obito had planned to use the Tailed Beast again, only to be discovered by Kitagawa Gen.
"A bunch of idiots. The Tailed Beasts have such destructive potential, and they don't even know how to use them properly… Then again, maybe they have other plans."
Although Danzō had a tendency toward rigid thinking, he remained vigilant. All this intel had come from Sarutobi Hiruzen, and their thoughts on the matter were largely aligned.
At the end of the day, it came down to one issue—there simply wasn't enough information. He had far too little to make any confident judgment.
"Danzō-sama, a message has arrived."
Just as Danzō was sifting through scrolls in frustration, Aburame Torune appeared at the doorway, kneeling on one knee to report.
"It's from the Land of Rain."
"Oh?!"
Danzō's eyes lit up. He immediately stood up and strode over, grabbing the scroll before speaking.
"You may leave. Don't let anyone else enter."
"Yes, sir."
Aburame Torune quietly withdrew, and Danzō immediately unrolled the scroll and began reading it carefully.
The handwriting was different—but that didn't matter. What mattered was that it contained Hanzo's personal token, and the contents largely matched what he already knew.
"So, those people left the Land of Rain, and Hanzo took the opportunity to lock the country down while hiding inside Amegakure?"
"What a coward. Still, that lines up with Jiraiya's intel."
"So he's been investigating them too... and even tracked that organization all the way to the Land of Wind?"
At this point, Danzō fell silent. Hiruzen had just instructed him to look into Orochimaru.
He'd been pondering how best to approach it—after all, he did have real ties to Orochimaru.
And now, Hanzo had conveniently delivered the intel straight to his doorstep?
"Besides... this gives me the perfect opportunity to verify whether this 'Hanzo of the Salamander' is genuine."
"And it also gives me a chance to seriously consider... my next move."
...
"Gen, what do you think of him?"
In a training field in Konohagakure, Kitagawa Gen sat alongside Might Guy. Not far from them, a young boy dressed almost identically to Guy was training with wild intensity.
The moment Kitagawa Gen saw the scene, he immediately understood what was going on.
"This is the new student you've chosen, Guy-sensei?"
"That's right."
Guy nodded and gave Kitagawa Gen a big thumbs-up.
"This kid might not have talent like yours, but he's a great example of someone who works hard from the very beginning. He has a pure heart and is full of youthful energy!"
"And I see my own shadow in him—because we're both underdogs who refuse to lose!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! I believe he'll definitely become an outstanding shinobi!"
"I agree with that."
Kitagawa Gen nodded. In the future, Rock Lee would certainly grow into an exceptional ninja and inherit Guy's legacy well.
Even if opening all Eight Gates might not let him surpass Guy, he would still be a force to be reckoned with.
"Time really flies. Hard to believe another batch of students is about to graduate already."
"It's not that fast. You graduated around this time too, didn't you?"
Leaning against a tree trunk, Might Guy smiled as he spoke.
"I still remember how you used to follow me around every day when you were little. The way you pushed yourself—that image is still vivid in my mind."
"But it's your growth that's truly impressive. You became a chūnin just last year, and now you're already waiting for the jōnin exam. You're seriously something else."
"I earned it all through hard work and sweat!"
Kitagawa Gen gave a light snort, but soon glanced around.
"Where are his two teammates? I don't see them."
"It's not time to gather yet. But my other students aren't ordinary either," Guy said proudly, beaming.
"One of them is a prodigy from the Hyūga clan, and the other is a kunoichi with excellent skill in throwing weapons."
"Speaking of which, Kakashi didn't take on any new students this year. Looks like you'll be tagging along with him solo again."
"No problem. I'm used to it."
Kitagawa Gen shrugged, completely unfazed. He really was used to it by now—after all, the missions they took on were absurd in scale.
If he were suddenly lumped with a few deadweights, he probably wouldn't be able to tolerate it.
Besides, Kakashi had asked him if he wanted to try mentoring newcomers, and he had refused. Only then did Kakashi drop the idea.
Of course, he suspected Kakashi never actually wanted students in the first place—he'd just made Kitagawa Gen be the fall guy.
'But time really does fly. Lee's graduating now, and in just over a year, Naruto will be graduating too. When that time comes…'
When that time came, the shinobi world would enter a period of intense upheaval. The Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki would begin appearing one after another.
And for him, that would be the perfect opportunity.
Even if he wasn't planning to just sit around waiting for those threats to emerge one by one, he would still strike first—strike hard—and enjoy the thrill of a "max-level player wrecking the noobs."
But more importantly, that would be the true test of all his years of "hard work and effort."
After all—
'Four or five years from now, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and the rest will start showing up. Even if she doesn't, the others from the Ōtsutsuki clan will arrive within ten years or so.'
'When the time comes, I'll make sure all of you get a taste of what a true, original Ōtsutsuki iron fist feels like!'
That thought burning in his chest, Kitagawa Gen couldn't help but clench his fists.
Just then, he noticed Kakashi walking toward him.
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