Chapter 80: No Retreat
Sarutobi Tsubasa shook his head, his expression complicated.
The other Sarutobi Jonin looked confused. "Danzo has defied Lord Sandaime's orders time and time again. This time, he's even been caught building his own forces outside the country. Do you really think he'll get off scot-free when he returns? Even if he's not executed, he'll surely be stripped of all his power. Why would you be afraid of a man who's already finished?"
"Ha! Haha..." Tsubasa laughed at his subordinate's naivety, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions. He slowly shook his head. "You oversimplify the relationship between Danzo and Lord Sandaime. Think about all the times Danzo has stirred up trouble in the village, causing public outrage. And what was the result every time? A lot of thunder, but no rain. Lord Sandaime always let it go. That's why Danzo's influence has only grown, to the point where no one in the village, including me, dares to defy his will. You'll see. This time will be no different..."
The two in the tent continued their idle chat, but Kael had lost all interest in listening.
Danzo... is making a move personally!
Kael's face was grim. As one of Konoha's old guard, Danzo was a formidable power. Although his performance in the original story was often lackluster, that didn't mean he was weak—it just meant his opponents were all monsters.
In the original story, Sasuke Uchiha, who had just been thrashed by the Fourth Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage (Onoki), and the Fifth Mizukage (Mei Terumi), had nearly one-shotted Danzo. This led many to believe Danzo didn't even deserve the title of "Kage." But the truth was, Danzo, relying on Izanagi, hadn't even bothered to dodge Sasuke's attack.
Later, when Sasuke came for him, Danzo defeated him at the cost of only three Sharingan on his arm. And that was before his Kotoamatsukami, his strongest jutsu from Shisui's eye, had cooled down. If it hadn't been for Tobi (Obito) hiding in the wings, Sasuke would have died right then and there.
Based on that performance alone, Danzo was undeniably Kage-level.
Kael remembered debates from his past life about how Danzo had died without taking anyone with him, making him seem pathetically weak compared to his old friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had crippled Orochimaru in his final battle. But Danzo's fight had completely exhausted Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan, nearly blinding him and forcing him to seek an eye transplant.
Furthermore, Danzo's mastery of Wind Style was at the absolute pinnacle of the Shinobi World. Even without his implanted Hashirama cells and his armful of Sharingan, he was not someone Kael dared to trifle with.
"What do I do?"
In the forest on the border, Kael's expression was grim. "The enemy is Danzo and his Root... and the Konoha shinobi at the camp might even follow his orders and attack us..."
The dilemma wasn't whether to stop Danzo from entering the Land of Hot Water; it was if he could, and how.
He hadn't been in this world for long, but he had come to see the Hidden Hot Water Village as his home. He would never abandon it in its time of need.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kael immediately had his summons recall all seventeen ANBU members. With a major battle looming, spreading his forces thin was no longer a viable strategy. The original patrol mission was now meaningless. The enemy was here, and it was Shimura Danzo.
When Kael relayed the intelligence, the Hidden Hot Water shinobi were shocked. Many were terrified. Most of them were from the same generation as Danzo and knew of his dark reputation.
Watanabe Toneri couldn't help but ask, "Captain, what's our plan?"
While waiting for his men to gather, Kael had already made up his mind, so he appeared calm. He scanned the faces of his squad, seeing the dread in their eyes, and his heart felt heavy.
He let out a small, sharp laugh. "Your mission is to deal with the Root operatives. As for Shimura Danzo... leave him to me. If any other Konoha shinobi join the fight, don't worry. My summons will handle them."
"Huh? But..."
The squad was stunned. Many of them looked ashamed, feeling guilty for their own fear. Only Watanabe Toneri and Tanabe Kaze looked at Kael with unconcealed panic.
"Captain! How can you possibly be a match for Shimura Danzo? We should call for reinforcements from the village!"
"He's right, Captain! You're the future of our village, you can't..."
Kael cut them off with a wave of his hand. He looked at them, his face an emotionless mask. "You are the village's elite. What reinforcements are left to call? Lord Leader is old, and while Captain Watanabe and the other Jonin are strong, what do you think they can do against him?"
His words were harsh, but they were the truth. The two young men's faces fell.
"We have no retreat," Kael sighed. The oppressive silence was unbearable. He forced a note of confidence into his voice. "Don't worry. I'm not completely certain, but as long as you can hold your own against the Root operatives and don't break, I'm confident I can get us all out of this alive."
The shinobi looked at each other. The thought of Kael's flying summon gave them a small sliver of hope.
Kael was keenly aware of his own limits. His entire strength came from his summons. With his high-ranking beasts, he was confident he could survive an encounter with Danzo. But defeating, let alone killing him? That was a pipe dream.
As a shinobi, his strengths and weaknesses were obvious.
His C-rank summons were formidable, and their variety meant he could handle different types of enemies. His newest C+ summon, Kun Kun, even had a temporary invincibility skill, which was a huge reassurance.
But his own personal weakness made him the enemy's prime target. Any ninja with powerful long-range jutsu or high-speed taijutsu was a massive threat to him. He knew this all too well.