In the forests near Kikyo Castle—
The remaining Root shinobi still under Danzo's control had gathered here. When they saw him appear, just as described in their mission orders, like a mirage before them, the group of Root shinobi dropped to one knee.
"Lord Danzo."
"Kō, did you bring what I asked for?"
Danzo's face was pale. Though he had escaped death with Izanagi, after losing his Mangekyō Sharingan the Hashirama Cells in his body were nearing a rampage. Without an eye transplant, even after slipping away from the Sand ninja, he would die under the cells' backlash.
"Yes, Lord Danzo." One Root shinobi presented a small vial containing a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Danzo unwrapped the bandages covering his face, revealing the Mangekyō Sharingan that had already gone blind. "Do the transplant here. Quickly."
The procedure wasn't complex. To balance the Hashirama Cells and Sharingan in his body, Danzo had prepared everything in advance, including a medical-nin.
Shisui's Mangekyō had already been consumed. Without Mangekyō abilities, the eye was no better than an ordinary Three-Tomoe.
The transplant was completed swiftly.
The Root medic reported at once, "Lord Danzo, the operation was successful, but the Three-Tomoe Sharingan is insufficient to fully suppress the Hashirama Cells. We injected inhibitors, but over time…"
"This will have to do for now. Once we reach the Land of Smiths, we'll revisit it."
Danzo spoke calmly. The stronghold in the Land of Smiths had been left behind by the Shimura clan during their trading days, abandoned for years since. No one would suspect them there.
After being stripped of his position in the village, Danzo had immediately sensed something was wrong in the political undercurrents. He took the opportunity to strengthen his curse mark control over Root operatives outside the village. Those who now answered his call would never betray him. Nara Shikaku's trick of changing locations was laughable in his eyes.
He had Aburame clan's kikaichū on him from the start. No matter where the Nara tried to move him, the Root could still track him precisely. They staged an ambush and rescue at the Sand Federation's retreat point. The mission had only cost four Root lives, which Danzo considered a small price.
If it had been Kimimaro in charge, with his caution, he would have scoured a ten-kilometer radius before resting.
"Sand shinobi, Tsunade, Kimimaro… you'll see. Danzo never lets things go."
With that, Danzo led his remaining Root operatives toward the Land of Smiths.
—
Uchiha Mikoto didn't know why Hyuga Mirai had suddenly agreed to her request, but the fact that Sasuke's gift now seemed possible filled her with joy.
Her burdens were heavy. She had to atone on behalf of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku, while also guarding the Federal capital. Time with Sasuke was scarce. After learning the truth about his father and brother, Sasuke had been devastated. The only thing that had sparked interest in him recently was the Bloodline Ninja Tools. No matter what, Mikoto wanted to gift him one.
But Mirai's easy agreement left her uneasy. Her mind wandered often, and after leaving Mirai's home she resolved to ask Kushina for clarification. It was Kushina's vague words that had caused her misunderstanding, nearly embarrassing her in front of Mirai.
As for Mirai's suggestion that Sasuke visit more often, Mikoto had agreed without much thought. To her, it was a good thing for Sasuke to interact with others. If he could become Mirai's disciple, it would guarantee his future even more.
The more she thought about it, the better it seemed. She needed to carefully consider how to make Sasuke Mirai's student.
—
After returning, Pakura immediately plunged into piles of documents. Even with Yashamaru and Maki assisting her, she was swamped every day.
The territory had expanded by more than half. Countless matters needed the Kazekage's attention.
"Kazekage-sama, the Rain Village has reported progress on their reconstruction. Work has begun. According to… ahem, Elder Sanki's internal plan, once construction reaches the halfway point, we can activate the project to move the rainclouds from the Land of Rain into the Federation."
Yashamaru handed her an important document. When mentioning Keiko Sanki, he hesitated briefly, but seeing no change in Pakura's expression, continued.
This plan was tied to the Federation's new grain crops and oasis expansion. If successful, the Sand Federation could become the largest grain exporter in the shinobi world, with many related industries springing up.
Pakura scanned the file. When she reached Rain's request at the end, her brow furrowed slightly. "Send someone. Yashamaru, you should go."
"This may not be wise, Kazekage-sama. I was never involved in this plan. Better to send Elder Sanki's former deputy instead." Yashamaru shook his head. Sending him would likely derail the project.
He recommended one of Keiko Sanki's aides, from the Keiko Trade Association, who had handled Rain's affairs alongside him. He added, "Fifth Kazekage-sama, Keiko Shinya has joined the Federation, but right now he mostly runs errands for Elder Sanki."
"I see… looks like I'll need to ask Elder Sanki for more staff again," Pakura sighed. If Keiko Sanki were still here, she wouldn't have to worry about any of this, and she might even have time to train disciples or cultivate her own strength.
Her thoughts didn't linger long. More files arrived from towns across the Federation.
Maki picked up a proposal from the Puppet Corps—an appeal for complete reform of puppet techniques. The proposer: Sasori of the Red Sand, Chiyo's grandson.
Before the truth about the Third Kazekage's assassination was known, Sasori had been considered one of Sunagakure's most promising prodigies. Though he had wandered for years, he had once rescued ANBU shinobi. If he hadn't left of his own will, with his prestige and backing, Rasa wouldn't even have dared compete for the Fourth Kazekage seat.
"Minister Sasori believes our current puppetry is too outdated. He proposes a complete overhaul, starting from the Ninja Academy curriculum," Maki summarized. Even Pakura couldn't decide this matter on her own.
Puppetry, developed by the Second Kazekage, had nurtured many talents when Sunagakure lacked powerful jutsu and kekkei genkai. The stronger a puppeteer's control, the more puppets they could command, and their strength scaled accordingly.
A puppeteer controlling three or four finely-crafted puppets could trouble even elite jōnin from other villages, unless they had techniques to crush puppets in a single strike. Such jutsu were rare, so puppet durability had always been the priority in their design.
"An overhaul of puppetry? That sounds impossible. We already have thousands of puppeteers across the Federation. Reform would be chaos," Pakura frowned.
But before she could finish, Maki added, "Minister Sasori used his new techniques to destroy Elder Chiyo's Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu within half an hour."
"Half an hour?" Pakura was stunned. She had seen Elder Chiyo's power firsthand. The Ten Puppets were her most formidable weapons, enough to battle Orochimaru during the Third Shinobi World War.
But Sasori had dismantled them in thirty minutes.
"Was Elder Chiyo holding back?" Pakura asked.
Maki shook his head. "It didn't seem so. Minister Sasori's puppets are truly formidable. If I fought him, he could likely defeat me with just one."
Maki was no ordinary shinobi. Groomed by both the Fourth and Fifth Kazekage, now head of the Examination Division, his strength was well regarded. If even he said so, Pakura could imagine how powerful Sasori's puppets had become.
"Then summon the senior puppeteers, Elder Chiyo, Elder Ebizō, and Minister Sasori. Set a time to discuss this and see his new creations," Pakura ordered.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama," Maki nodded.
Not long after, Yashamaru returned with another file. "Kazekage-sama, the Ninja Academy principal, Hyuga Mirai, has submitted a proposal. He's developed a new type of Bloodline Ninja Tool and wishes to meet with you about its adoption."
"Hyuga Mirai? Bring it here."
Pakura, reminded of Sanki's similar aura, reached for the file. It wasn't anything else—it was her curiosity about these tools.
Reading the details, her curiosity deepened. Tools that allowed ordinary shinobi to wield kekkei genkai—though costly—were immensely powerful enhancements.
"Yashamaru, put this before the puppetry issue. Arrange a meeting. I want to discuss it with Principal Mirai directly."
—
(End of Chapter)