Just as Danzo Shimura unknowingly stirred up a hornet's nest, causing the entirety of the Hidden Leaf Village's elite forces to mobilize, let's rewind time just a little to see exactly what Danzo did to Naruto.
"Wow—this place is huge..."
Even though they had wandered in circles and taken more than a few detours under Danzo's lead, Naruto finally breathed a small sigh of relief upon arriving at the Root headquarters. One of the two main objectives of this trip was complete. Maintaining the appearance of an innocent, wide-eyed child—thanks to his naturally youthful face—he let his lips part in an exaggerated gasp of awe, masking the faint, uncontrollable smile tugging at the corner of his mouth now that the tension was easing.
"Hey, hey! Grandpa Danzo, Grandpa Danzo! Hurry up and come look! That building ahead looks super, super, super—like the Hokage office building in the village! Could it be... is that your house, Grandpa Danzo? That's amazing!"
'This must be what they mean when they say the most dangerous place is the safest one.'
A base carved out directly beneath the Hokage office building—a location so inconspicuous no one would ever think to look. No wonder even the Third Hokage's exhaustive investigations had come up empty. It was hiding in plain sight!
'This sly old fox... No wonder he's been able to keep this place a secret for so long. But now that I've confirmed the location, all I need to do is pass it on to Grandpa Hiruzen, and this so-called secret base he's been hiding for years will be fully exposed.'
Even as he thought this, Naruto's actions didn't stop. He silently dispelled the Shadow Clone that had been gathering intelligence with the Third Hokage but hadn't yet returned its memories. As the feedback flooded in, Naruto began organizing the discussion between Hiruzen and Uchiha Fugaku, scanning for the answer he was most concerned about: whether Danzo had come into contact with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
At the same time, he relayed the last branching path from the underground tunnels, along with the Root headquarters' coordinates (directly beneath the Hokage office), to his remaining clones. This way, the latest intel could be passed to the others immediately.
So far, despite Danzo's stalling tactics wasting time—and despite the potential wildcard of Izanagi showing up early as a failsafe—it was all still under control.
'As long as I confirm whether Danzo has interacted with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and how many if so, I'll be able to make up for the intelligence gap I missed before. Combined with exposing the Root base's location, this should give me full initiative over the situation.'
But it was this very line of thinking that caused Naruto's guard to drop. His mental fatigue set in, and his awareness dulled—just enough for a single opening to appear… and disaster struck right then.
'Huh? Even Uncle Fugaku isn't sure whether Danzo had contact with a Three-Tomoe or higher-level Sharingan? He still has to check records with the clan's tomb-keeper?'
'No wonder the Shadow Clone didn't return earlier. He must've been worried this bad news would shake my focus.'
A master of the Shadow Clone Technique, Naruto digested the memory feedback instantly. The fact that even the Uchiha clan head didn't know whether Danzo had acquired a high-level Sharingan was a serious blow.
'In that case, I need to buy more time. If I mess this up on the first operation and Danzo uses Izanagi to fake his death, slipping away in the chaos… it'll all be for nothing! …Wait a sec, why hasn't Danzo said anything in a while?'
That brief burst of glee was quickly smothered by the bad news. Naruto's thoughts stirred again, and soon he noticed something was off—normally, Danzo would respond with fake enthusiasm the moment Naruto spoke, but now there wasn't even a sound. Not only that, their distance hadn't changed at all. Instead, Naruto began to hear faint, deliberate sounds behind him—like someone carefully dismantling something.
'No way... did he already implant a Sharingan and is now breaking the seal on his right arm?!'
The thought sent a chill down Naruto's spine. His alarm bells rang. Still pretending to be curious and clueless, he kept his voice steady and turned around slowly to see what Danzo was doing behind him.
"Come on, Grandpa Danzo… Huh? Grandpa Danzo? What are you—"
Danger, Naruto! That man reeks of a stench I hate most…
Before Naruto could finish turning, the voice of Kurama exploded in his mind like thunder.
Don't turn around! Don't look at him! Whatever you do—DON'T!
'The smell you hate most...? That means—!'
Despite Kurama's frantic warning, it came too late. Naruto, stunned and frozen for a split second, was already halfway turned around—his body moving involuntarily, as if drawn by some unseen force.
"Yes... just like that, Naruto, my good child. Look. Grandpa has a present for you."
Danzo finally spoke. His voice dripped with sinister charm, seizing the crack in Naruto's awareness. As Naruto's gaze was drawn to Danzo, it landed—dead center—on the pale, grotesquely misshapen right arm… embedded with a crimson Sharingan.
'A Sharingan?! And it's Three-Tomoe?!'
'I get it now… This bastard is trying to use the Sharingan's eye power to control Kurama! I have to look away before— Ugh! My head! Why does my head feel like it's splitting open—?!'
As Naruto's consciousness faltered, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in Danzo's arm began to spin. Like a twisted funhouse mirror, it distorted everything Naruto saw.
Blinding pain exploded in his skull. Kurama's eyes started turning scarlet, morphing into Three-Tomoe Sharingan as well. The combination of psychic pressure and Tailed Beast backlash was too much—even for Naruto's iron will. He clutched his head, screaming.
"My head… it hurts—AAAGHHHH!!"
Naruto's agonized cries filled the chamber. He thrashed on the floor, trying in vain to scatter the pain. The whisker marks on his cheeks darkened into fierce, beast-like strokes. His fingernails began to lengthen at a terrifying rate, sharp as claws, tearing deep gouges into the stone floor beneath him.
"Hahaha! Yes! Perfect—everything is going just as planned!"
Danzo burst out laughing in triumph, stunned even himself at Naruto's overwhelming strength while losing control.
"That guy who claimed to be Uchiha Madara wasn't lying! The Sharingan can control the Nine-Tails!"
"Hiruzen, oh Hiruzen… Now that the Jinchūriki is in my hands, what will you do?"
That a three-year-old could shatter stone slabs effortlessly shocked even Danzo. But he soon recovered and laughed harder, thrilled by the destructive power unleashed through the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak.
"Hmph, heh… Hahaha! Enough playing house with this brat!"
"Uzumaki Naruto, you're just like your idiotic 'hero' parents. So pure, so easy to fool..."
"But don't worry. You said it yourself—Grandpa Danzo loves Naruto the most…"
Danzo's lips curled into a smirk. He leaned over the fallen Naruto, who twitched weakly from the pain, and whispered with fake affection, the same mock-gentle tone he'd always used.
"Once I deal with Hiruzen, you'll have no more value. I'll step forward as the hero who defeated the Nine-Tails and saved the village… and personally send you to reunite with your parents."
Whoosh—!
Before the words could even settle, a piercing whistle cut through the air—a shuriken, hurled from the shadows, slammed into Danzo's right arm. Too caught up in his gloating, he was far too late to dodge. It stabbed deep—just two inches shy of the embedded Sharingan—cutting his control for a crucial moment.
"Dammit… Who's there?!"
"...About your plan—I disagree."
The voice came from the shadows—deep and furious. A tall, white-haired man stepped forward. His fists were clenched tight, his face strained with fury beneath the Leaf Village protector stamped with the word "oil."
His voice roared with wrath, as if he were a wild beast pushed past the edge.
"That boy—Naruto—he was named by me, his father's teacher. To me, he's like my own grandson."
"You dare try to hurt him without my permission, you old bastard?!"