Ding-ling-ling——
An alarm blared throughout the Root base.
Root operatives sprang into action. Several death-defying members chased after the three intruders, hurling kunai and shuriken in pursuit.
"The last time I was hunted down like this was on the battlefield. What bad luck—being chased by our own people... and I can't even kill them."
Kiyosuke grumbled.
Kakashi sighed helplessly.
"You really don't know when to stop."
Are you some kind of killing maniac?!
"This way!"
Tenzo led the way, eventually guiding them onto a bridge that connected Root to the outside world.
But Danzo had already been waiting there for quite some time.
"Huh? How'd that old bastard get here before us?"
Kiyosuke was surprised.
Did those Hashirama cells make his legs faster too?
Tenzo said, "He must've taken a secret route only he knows."
He had already chosen the most time-efficient route possible, yet Danzo still beat them here. What else could that mean? Clearly, the man had a private escape tunnel!
"Figures. Makes for an easier getaway."
Kiyosuke nodded.
He never hesitated to assume the worst about Danzo. Why else would Root have a secret exit only Danzo knew about? Of course—it was for emergencies. For fleeing.
The old bastard was as slippery as a mudfish.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet!"
As they were speaking, Danzo launched his attack.
He took a deep breath, and a bullet of compressed air—visible only to Kakashi's Sharingan—shot from his mouth.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Kiyosuke immediately formed seals, spewing a torrent of water from his mouth that solidified into a barrier, intercepting the incoming Vacuum Bullet.
He chuckled.
"Sheesh, what's gotten into you? At your age, you really ought to keep calm. Flying off the handle like that isn't good for your blood pressure."
"Asakawa Kiyosuke! You little bastard!"
Danzo glared at him with undisguised loathing.
"And Kakashi—you too! I can't believe you two idiots actually came here to die. You trespass into Root territory, try to take one of our own, and expect me to let you walk out?"
Root agents surrounded them once again.
Tenzo spoke up.
"Danzo-sama, Kakashi and the others—"
"Silence!" Danzo barked. "You won't get away with this either!"
"Oh?"
Kiyosuke pulled Tenzo behind him and grinned.
"So what is it you're planning here, Danzo-sama? Hoarding a rare Wood Style user, trying to steal Kakashi's Sharingan... Both are powers that can control the Nine Tails. Let me guess—you planned to kill me, seize Naruto's Tailed Beast, and then control the whole village through him?"
"Ridiculous!!"
Danzo naturally wouldn't admit it.
"You arrogant little punk! Just because you're strong doesn't mean you can act like a lawless thug. This is Konohagakure! The Nine Tails is one of the village's greatest resources. With its immense power, it could go berserk at any moment. I'm taking necessary precautions!"
He pointed a finger at Kiyosuke.
"But you—you've taken the jinchūriki for yourself. Who knows what dangerous ideas you're feeding into his head?"
"Oh. Danzo is a bad guy."
Kiyosuke said with a blank face.
"What?!"
Danzo nearly choked from rage.
If not for the Hashirama cells keeping him stable, he might've had a stroke right there.
"Is there a problem?"
Kiyosuke casually dug at his ear.
"I'm just speaking the truth."
"You..."
Flicking the earwax from his fingertip, he continued.
"You try to kill Konoha's finest ninja without a second thought. You don't see us as part of this village at all. Is that what a Hokage advisor should be doing?"
"Also—Hokage-sama issued a summons for you. And what did you do? Pretend you weren't home. Ignored it. Are you suggesting your authority is greater than the Hokage's?"
"You don't understand anything! Hiruzen's too soft. Just look at what he's done to this village! Someone has to fix it!"
Danzo shouted.
"Then why didn't you say anything back then?"
Kiyosuke retorted.
"If you weren't so afraid to die—if the Third hadn't spoken first and taken responsibility—how would the Konoha you envisioned be any different now?"
Those old events were Danzo's deepest shame.
And having Kiyosuke drag them back into the open again...
He snapped, throwing dignity and decorum to the wind.
"I was going to say it! I was! That seat should have been mine! MINE!!"
"Oh, you said it."
Kiyosuke shook his head in mock pity.
"Tsk tsk... Just look at yourself, Danzo-sama. Absolutely pathetic."
He burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Hokage-sama, after hearing all that, how do you feel?"
Danzo froze.
Shadows flickered in the corners of his vision.
Masked shinobi surrounded them from all sides. Their masks were different—more ornate than Root's standard design.
These weren't Root agents.
They were ANBU—directly under the Hokage's command.
Which meant...
A frail figure descended beside them, landing softly on the bridge.
With a sigh, the old man said,
"To think you still carry that resentment from all those years ago, Danzo... I'm sorry. This is something Tobirama-sama entrusted me with."
Danzo clenched his jaw and tried to act indifferent.
"It's nothing. I'm just... not feeling well. Anyway, Hiruzen, why are you here?"
"I summoned you."
"You did? Huh, must've been a mistake with the delivery. First time that's happened."
"Let's just put their situation behind us, shall we?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen brushed the matter aside.
"I summoned you regarding this exceptional Konoha shinobi."
He walked up to Tenzo.
"You know how vital Wood Style is to the village. We've lost countless lives trying to reclaim that power. But now that someone with Wood Style exists again, you kept him hidden in Root. Why?"
Danzo quickly defended himself.
"I did find him, yes. But I only intended to protect and train him. I had no intention of hiding anything."
"Protect him? Is that what you call keeping him strapped to an operating table and brainwashed by genjutsu?"
Kiyosuke scoffed.
"Yeah, right."
Danzo's face darkened instantly.
Kakashi and Tenzo both thought: Could you not pour fuel on the fire right now?!
But Hiruzen didn't seem bothered.
"Danzo, the jinchūriki is already nearly four years old. Even with Kiyosuke at his side, the risk of a rampage can only be minimized, not eliminated. Konoha still needs the power of Wood Style. Will you entrust him to me? Let him join the Hokage's ANBU directly."
"But—"
"Please, Danzo. If you do that, we'll consider this whole matter settled."
Hiruzen's tone was expressionless—but absolute.
Danzo ground his teeth.
He glanced at Kiyosuke beside Hiruzen, who was already cracking his knuckles, clearly itching to fight.
In the end, Danzo had no choice but to agree.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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