The sudden explosion caught everyone off guard. Even though all present were elite shinobi, it happened in that brief moment of relaxation after Kaede Tsukasa had left, and worse yet, the blast erupted from a corpse that had already been drained of all vitality.
Inside the base, the noise and shock were unmistakably loud.
"Kaede Tsukasa actually tampered with it right under our noses. But how did he do it? When could he have slipped an explosive tag inside that body?"
One Root shinobi was killed instantly, another, a meter farther away, was only lightly injured.
Danzō's expression grew dark.
So the boy truly bore a vicious streak. He had just compared Kaede Tsukasa to Orochimaru at seventeen, but in truth, Kaede Tsukasa was even more ruthless.
Orochimaru threatened and warned with words and gestures. Kaede Tsukasa, by contrast, kept smiling the entire time, pretending full cooperation—then the moment he stepped out, he struck.
That wasn't a warning. That was an attack.
"Most likely summoning. He laid down all those seals earlier—using a corpse to summon an explosive tag is possible. According to our intelligence, the technique he uses most often is actually the unremarkable Summoning Jutsu—whether to call up zombies or to produce ninja tools." Terai analyzed.
Which meant Kaede Tsukasa's mastery of summoning had also reached a formidable level.
Danzō looked coldly at the Root operative lying wounded on the ground, then gave his order: "Clean this up. Quickly. Make it look like the result of a failed jutsu experiment."
"Danzō-sama, aren't we going to capture Kaede Tsukasa? To openly attack a senior of the village, showing no discipline and no respect at all—he's walking the edge of becoming a rogue shinobi. Such a man must either be under our control, or eliminated before it's too late," Terai pressed.
"How? He can escape with space–time ninjutsu. Who knows how many corpses he has buried all across the Land of Fire?" Danzō's tone had returned to calm.
"The village has space–time shinobi too. Why not recall Namikaze Minato? Uzumaki Kushina also wields the sealing arts of her clan. With their power and the secret arts of Root, Kaede Tsukasa could be dealt with."
"No. Minato is Hiruzen's protégé. If he moves, Hiruzen will know as well." Danzō's voice was ice. The last thing he wanted was the Hokage's faction entangled in this.
The truth was simple—Kaede Tsukasa's jutsu was far too valuable. The synergy of Zombie Release with the One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu produced effects no one could ignore.
Not Madara, not Black Zetsu, and certainly not Danzō.
"In the whole shinobi world, there has never been a ninja like Kaede Tsukasa. Different forbidden arts in his hands fit together flawlessly, reducing their costs to the lowest level."
Danzō knew well that the Zombie Release system must have its risks—every jutsu carried risks. But his knowledge of it was insufficient, and he had yet to discover what they were.
The group stepped out of the laboratory, when suddenly a Root operative rushed in: "Danzō-sama, the Hokage is outside. We can't stop him."
"Root is Konoha's roots, existing only to nourish the great tree. Why would you even try to stop the Hokage?" Danzō's face hardened, his tone sharp.
From the direction of his gaze, a short, hunched figure walked slowly into view.
"Danzō, I'm glad you think that way. If your deeds always matched your words, I'd be even more glad."
The Third Hokage, pipe in his mouth, smiled. "There was a great commotion here. I couldn't rest easy, so I came to see for myself."
For the leader of the village to march into the stronghold of his deputy was breaking political convention. But the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi had done it meant he believed it worthwhile.
"Danzō, you've unwrapped the bandages on your head. What happened that made you need to remove them? Even if you had faced an enemy, it shouldn't have come to this."
"There's no need to report that to you. I would never do anything to harm the village."
The Third Hokage stared at Danzo, watching as he calmly wrapped his bandages.
He knew his old friend and shadowy counterpart all too well. That eye of his definitely had something wrong with it—most likely some forbidden jutsu hidden away, to be used only when necessary.
But for someone as young as Kaede Tsukasa to already push Danzo to such lengths? To make him reveal a trump card even the Hokage himself hadn't known about?
"That young man gave you a hard time," the Third Hokage said with a faint smile.
"Not exactly, but his performance did surprise me. Everyone has overlooked his talent. Even Tsunade never truly promoted him."
"You've decided to take him in as a subordinate and cultivate him directly? That's rare. Normally, you'd just absorb outstanding youngsters from the different clans into Root."
"If the chance arises, I would put him in Root. But you'd never allow that," Danzo replied, expressionless. Even with one eye, he could clearly see the kind of scheme the Hokage was plotting. "You already have the Sannin, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina. Isn't that enough?"
"The younger generation of the village is growing strong. As Hokage, it's my duty to pave the way for them, to ensure they grow even better. Isn't that one of the very purposes Konoha was founded for?"
The Third Hokage smiled. "As Hokage, I've signed an order promoting him to Special Jōnin, with command of a squad at the frontlines. A man who has developed an entirely new hidden technique system, who can skillfully use space–time ninjutsu, and even earned a 'troublesome' evaluation in Jiraiya's mission report—it's hardly excessive to make him a Special Jōnin."
Eight months ago, Kaede Tsukasa had only just been promoted to Chūnin. Now, he was being fast-tracked to Special Jōnin.
Even during the height of the Great Ninja Wars, when countless shinobi with unique skills emerged, such a meteoric rise was astonishing. Kaede Tsukasa was not like Namikaze Minato—who came from a clean background, with a clear lineage of masters, and had access to the Book of Seals to learn space–time techniques.
He was merely a war orphan. Once, even becoming a Genin had been the result of years of desperate struggle. By all appearances, he had no outstanding talent to speak of.
Yet he had revealed the unprecedented Zombie Release, rapidly filling it out with supporting techniques, perfecting the system until it made him incredibly difficult to kill.
And this was without the Hokage knowing that Kaede Tsukasa had mastered the One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu, which allowed him to constantly replenish his life force and erase the weakness of both body and chakra. If Sarutobi had known, his assessment would have been far higher.
At this point, even elite Jōnin would struggle to kill him. Unless someone of Hokage-level strength acted—and even then, they might not be able to stop Kaede Tsukasa from escaping.
"Two A-rank missions under his belt, and all his military merits… Promoting him to Special Jōnin makes sense. He's one of only two in the village who can wield space–time ninjutsu. No one will question this. Isn't that right, Danzo?" the Hokage said with a smile.
Danzo let out a cold laugh, mocking how little Hiruzen truly understood Kaede Tsukasa's nature.
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
"Danzo, I am the Hokage."
And with that, the matter was settled.
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