"Who's there?"
Two Root shinobi immediately launched an attack the moment they saw the intruder.
The forehead protector from Otogakure said it all—whoever this was, they couldn't be up to anything good. Better to strike first and ask questions later.
But even though it was only a shadow clone, Kiyosuke's strength far surpassed theirs.
He easily dodged their attacks, snatched one of their long blades, cut one down, and then sent the other flying into a wall with a brutal kick. The man was embedded in the stone so deep he couldn't even be pulled out.
"Well then... it's your turn."
Kiyosuke turned around—he was now surrounded on all sides by Root shinobi.
These ninja were the silent, deadly type. They had no past, no future—only missions. And right now, every single one of them moved to strike.
"Yare yare..."
Wind-natured chakra surged along the blade in his hand.
With a single slash, a swarm of wind blades exploded outward, cutting down a group of Root nobodies instantly.
Kiyosuke took a step back, facing off against the few elite Root members who had managed to withstand his attack.
They were decently strong, but against Kiyosuke, they still couldn't even put up a decent fight.
He hadn't spent the past few years sitting around doing nothing. He took on missions constantly. In terms of taijutsu, the only one in Konoha who could still outrun him was Guy.
With a grin, he cleaved through an enemy blade with a wind slash, then opened his mouth and unleashed a sea of flames, instantly incinerating several men.
Locking on to Danzō's chakra, he bolted forward in pursuit.
Behind him, a pile of wounded Root ninja lay motionless.
...
At that very moment, Danzō was inside Root's training base, overseeing several new recruits.
His personal guards stood on either side of him. One of them, a sensor from the Yamanaka clan, suddenly tensed.
"Danzō-sama, we've got incoming. Enemy chakra—strong and approaching fast."
"How strong?"
"In terms of chakra alone, only Asakawa Kiyosuke surpasses him in all of Konoha."
A flicker of unease crossed Danzō's face.
"Did he just appear out of nowhere?"
"Yes."
"We're leaving."
Without hesitation, he abandoned the trainees he'd spent years cultivating.
To Danzō, people could always be replaced—but his own life? Once it was gone, it was over.
He still intended to become Hokage, after all.
He had transplanted Hashirama's cells and still had a full head of black hair.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, on the other hand, was old, wrinkled, with white hair and age spots.
Danzō was convinced that as long as he kept living, Hiruzen would eventually die of old age.
And so, he had to run.
But he hadn't gotten far when Yamanaka Fū warned,
"He's here! Torune, protect Danzō-sama!"
Covered in blood, Kiyosuke charged in, cutting down several Root shinobi in an instant.
"In the name of Orochimaru-sama, I've come to take the life of Shimura Danzō!"
"How arrogant!"
Danzō's face turned even grimmer than usual—though he was never exactly cheerful to begin with.
"Torune, Fū! Buy me some time. I need to release the seal on my right arm."
"Yes!"
Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune were Danzō's most loyal subordinates, raised by him since childhood.
They would die for him without question.
Even knowing this enemy wasn't someone easy to deal with, they still charged forward without hesitation.
Torune was a member of the Aburame clan—but even among them, he was special.
His body harbored nano-sized poisonous insects.
Anyone infected would die as the insects rapidly destroyed their cells from within. These insects could only survive in living cells, reproducing by breaking them down. Once the host died, the insects would die with them.
His entire body was covered in thick clothing, revealing only half his face. Rumor had it he was Shino's cousin.
As for Yamanaka Fū, he was a taijutsu expert from the Yamanaka clan.
In fact, it was he who had taught Torune hand-to-hand combat in the first place.
"Ninja Art: Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Fū moved first, forming hand seals and focusing his spirit to a single point, then sending it flying toward Kiyosuke.
His goal was to briefly control Kiyosuke's body—just long enough for Torune to close the distance.
If Torune could land even a single touch, it would be over.
But Kiyosuke wasn't stupid. He'd come prepared, having gathered intelligence on both of them.
He dodged the incoming Mind Body Switch easily—it only traveled in a straight line, after all.
A glaring flaw, though it could be effective against someone unfamiliar with it.
Evading Fū's jutsu, he turned to face Torune, who had just arrived.
Torune's techniques relied heavily on taijutsu.
He removed his gloves—his hands were already turning purple, crawling with nano-insects.
If I touch him, we win!
That was the thought in Torune's mind.
But reality was cruel.
Kiyosuke ducked low, driving his shoulder straight into Torune's chest and sending him flying.
What strength!
Torune had trained in taijutsu since childhood—his physical power far exceeded ordinary shinobi.
But he'd still been sent flying.
Could a minor village formed just a few years ago really produce a monster like this?
Kiyosuke didn't give him time to think.
He followed up immediately, grabbed Torune's clothes mid-air, and hurled him upward—then launched a kick straight into his gut.
Boom!
Torune's body slammed into the wall, embedded deep into the stone.
Blood spurted from his mouth as he slumped to the ground.
"Torune!"
Fū wanted to run to him, but he knew his priority was protecting Danzō.
He quickly pulled back to guard his superior.
Behind him, Danzō continued undoing the seals on his right arm.
"So... it's just you now."
Kiyosuke twirled his blade as he approached.
Clang—
The last of Danzō's seals fell away.
He began unwrapping the bandages on his arm.
"Then I'll finish this quickly."
Kiyosuke shot forward like a cannonball, fist raised only for Fū to intercept the blow.
"Such power!"
Using his sensory skills, Fū had managed to predict and block the punch.
But the difference in strength was overwhelming.
He couldn't hold out.
Meanwhile, Danzō had completed the hand seals.
Kiyosuke knew he couldn't afford to waste another second.
He launched a side kick into Fū's ribs, sending him flying toward Torune.
At that moment, a kunai flew from Danzō's sleeve—
Clutched in a pale hand filled with Sharingan eyes, it stabbed toward Kiyosuke.
Clang!
Kiyosuke blocked the kunai with his blade, then leapt back to create distance.
He stared at Danzō's arm, disgust contorting his face.
"What a revolting arm."
The flesh was unnaturally pale, as if it had been preserved in formaldehyde.
Ten scarlet Sharingan eyes stared in different directions, all at once.
It was utterly grotesque.
"For the sake of Konoha, I've made sacrifices you outsiders could never comprehend."
Danzō raised that disgusting arm and spoke softly.
"Where there is light, there must be shadow. And I—who shoulder the burden of Konoha's darkness—swear to cut you down right here."