The sound of footsteps echoed nearby.
Several Root shinobi surrounded a figure as they entered.
Kaede Tsukasa narrowed his eyes, surprise flashing across his face as he looked at the man in the middle, whose right cheek was wrapped in bandages, slowly approaching.
At this point in time, Danzō had already tampered with one of his eyes, but his body was still intact.
"Looks like I've drawn the attention of a big shot. May I know who you are? Perhaps I've heard your name before."
"I am Shimura Danzō."
"It's actually Lord Danzō? The infamous Darkness of the Shinobi World taking the initiative to seek out a small fry like me—that's truly surprising." Kaede Tsukasa feigned astonishment.
One of the Root shinobi said coldly: "As a Chūnin of Konoha, you should show proper respect when meeting Lord Danzō."
"No need. I am not one to quibble over such things—especially not with talented young men."
Danzō slowly opened his single eye. Though no emotion flickered across it, the natural malice and cruelty it carried still weighed down on everyone present. "Kaede Tsukasa, you are no longer a 'small fry'. The way you deal with someone like Tsunade can be put aside when facing me. A man who specializes in corpses and even delights in playing with them—if he acts too humble, it reeks of hypocrisy. Tricks like that won't fool me."
"Is that so? To think Lord Danzō sees me that way… such bluntness is refreshing. Still, to be personally received by you must mean my technique has pleased you. May I ask what orders you have for me?"
'Your secret art allows you to control the corpses of kekkei genkai shinobi. It resembles the Impure World Reincarnation, but since no one has been able to master that technique, your talents alone are enough to catch my attention. And unlike the Impure World Reincarnation, your technique even integrates space–time ninjutsu patterns. That makes it superior.'
Danzō spoke plainly: "Aburame Ryōma made a mistake. He failed to select you from among those war orphans. That was a loss for Root, but not for Konoha. Under the village's protection, you've grown strong enough to contribute far more."
Kaede Tsukasa considered this. "I've already been promoted to head of the corpse disposal division. That lets me access many enemy bodies, which is very useful for further developing my secret art."
"Not enough. That so-called disposal unit is just a crematorium. Without making the right choice, you'll never touch truly valuable corpses. You just modified the Explosion Release shinobi I gave you—so you should clearly understand the difference between a kekkei genkai corpse and an ordinary one."
Danzō's voice was cold. "Of all kekkei genkai corpses, a small number end up in Tsunade's hands for medical research. But most are in mine. Tsunade will never hand over such limited resources to you. I, however, can."
"I must admit, your offer is hard to refuse… To strengthen myself, I do need a large supply of corpses for research. It seems I'm destined never to thrive under the light of the sun."
"The roots buried deep underground can give you shelter. Corpses, equipment, even public opinion—I can provide them all. All I require is your secret art in return."
The Root shinobi subtly shifted positions, surrounding Kaede Tsukasa and cutting off any path of action.
Whether he struck at Danzō directly or tried to flee, Kaede Tsukasa would be hit the moment he moved.
'So you came not to recruit me, but to rob me outright? As expected of the so-called Darkness of the Shinobi. Yet you're still young and arrogant, Danzō. Why do you give me the impression of being so impatient?' Kaede Tsukasa stood motionless, his gaze filled with doubt.
When Danzō later stole Shisui's eye and allied with Itachi to massacre the Uchiha, there were reasons behind his actions—by then, he was over sixty, had endured three Great Shinobi Wars, and was already considered very old for a shinobi.
Old age brings impatience, and combined with his deep hatred of the Uchiha, his actions were understandable.
But now? Danzō was only in his fifties, his body uncorrupted by Orochimaru's experiments—yet he was openly trying to steal the secret art of one of his own village's shinobi?
But that was fine—Kaede Tsukasa had never placed his safety in the hands of Danzō's personal sense of honor.
Orochimaru could work with Danzō only because his strength, research skills, and survival abilities were all top-tier, and on top of that, Orochimaru had no interest in the Hokage's seat. That left Danzō with no leverage against him.
But Kaede Tsukasa? A young man with potential but without Kage-level power, a war orphan, someone who openly embraced the Will of Fire—Danzō had countless ways to handle someone like that. He didn't even bother to put up a façade.
Kaede Tsukasa asked, "Is it because I'm a war orphan?"
"No. Even if you'd received the Academy's proper education, I would never trust you. And your secret art ensures no one could ever see you as someone pure and open. The more cheerful you act, the deeper I know your heart truly lies. Better that I hold your secret art in my hands."
Danzō believed himself magnanimous. If not for concern over Tsunade and the Third Hokage's reactions, he wouldn't even waste time talking—he would simply take it by force.
A deal? What deal? He'd rather just drag the boy back to Root, carve a cursed seal onto his tongue, and be done with it.
To control kekkei genkai corpses—and do it in a single day? Considering Kaede Tsukasa's act of devouring more than a dozen corpses, Danzō suspected it hadn't even taken that long!
A technique like this was enough to move him deeply. With it, he could train multiple Zombie Release shinobi and command an army of corpses.
Danzō was already thinking about when he should dig up the Uchiha clan's ancestral graves.
Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Kagami—he could dig them all up at once. With some preservation, perhaps they could even be made useful.
'Orochimaru has always wanted to begin experiments with Hashirama's cells. Once progress is made, those rotting corpses can be transplanted and restored…' Danzō calculated.
And it wasn't just the Uchiha. The Senju clan, the Uzumaki clan—their graves could all be put to use. So many famous shinobi lying wasted underground. Better to put them all to work for the village!
Danzō's frozen heart burned hot at the thought. Kaede Tsukasa's jutsu was simply too practical, too promising. If only one could break free from moral, political, and social constraints—its value would be immense.
And beyond that, the technique still had potential for further development.
"My patience is limited. As an inheritor of the Will of Fire, are you unwilling to make even this small sacrifice?" Danzō barked.
"Moral blackmail? Such a blunt, unpolished style… I suppose it's the cheapest method, one that lets you succeed again and again."
Kaede Tsukasa smiled. "But what if I have no morals? How do you blackmail me then?"
"You fool—attack!"
Whoosh!
Several Root shinobi moved at once.
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