Danzo's pace varied between fast and slow.
Sometimes he would suddenly stop, staring blankly into the air as if lost in thought.
Other times, he would sprint wildly, dragging Yako and the Aburame ninja far behind him.
Just thinking about it made Yako pity Danzo.
All along, Danzo had been planning how to deal with Kato Dan, preparing battle strategies, only to have an old Uchiha on the brink of death suddenly appear and beat him badly.
His newly transplanted trump card, Kagami's Mangekyo Sharingan, was instantly rendered useless by Madara Uchiha.
Madara was the original master of the Sharingan. Even if Uchiha Kagami were alive, facing Madara today meant certain death.
Yako felt a mix of relief and anxiety—would Danzo really start killing?
Couldn't he at least kill the Aburame ninja, his own guard? Losing an eye meant his guard's responsibility was even greater.
It was like when six bodyguards were assigned to protect the Second Hokage, yet he died, and all six returned intact. Shouldn't the guards be held accountable?
Danzo was ahead, his face a sickly shade of blue and purple, blood constantly flowing from his right eye socket.
That right eye had completely turned into a gray, useless eye.
Danzo recalled the overwhelming Wood Release attack earlier.
At the Valley of the End, Madara's Mangekyo Sharingan had lost to Senju Hashirama's Wood Release.
Now Madara somehow possessed Wood Release, and Danzo's Mangekyo was no match for it.
So it wasn't that he was weak—the Mangekyo itself was weak, inferior to Wood Release.
Madara had lived so long without attacking Konoha, perhaps because he knew Konoha had been researching Hashirama's cells?
Was he afraid of Hashirama's cells?
Wood Release was Konoha's strongest force—it could suppress the Nine-Tails and defeat the Mangekyo.
Using Mangekyo repeatedly was taxing on Danzo's body, and his Sharingan hadn't fully synced with him yet.
He wondered if Orochimaru could discover a perfect transplantation method.
Danzo silently resolved that once he returned, he must urge Orochimaru to expedite Wood Release research.
After witnessing true power, Danzo was determined to grow stronger.
Suddenly, Danzo stopped in place.
The Aburame ninja and Yako quickly halted, cautiously watching him.
Danzo glanced at the two shrinking figures with his one good eye and criticized:
"Look at how cautious you two are—just a single defeat in battle.
For Konoha, a little setback is nothing.
Even the First Hokage faced hardships and failures.
This operation yielded crucial intelligence: the Uchiha's treacherous spirit remains, and Madara Uchiha is still alive.
He's lived longer than Uzumaki Mito and must be plotting something.
When we return to the village, increase surveillance on the Uchiha, purge their dangerous elements. Madara's schemes must not succeed."
Yako sighed in relief as Danzo resumed serious instruction, proving he had no intention to kill.
"Yako, you did well uncovering such valuable intelligence."
Suddenly addressed, Yako jumped and hurriedly replied, "Danzo-dono, it was my investigative error for failing to clarify enemy details."
Danzo magnanimously said:
"An enemy like Madara—how could ordinary Anbu possibly uncover his secrets? That's not your fault.
Find a tree hollow; I need to tend to my right eye."
The Aburame ninja found a rain shelter in a tree hollow.
Danzo entered alone.
The Aburame stood guard outside, while Yako waited at a distance.
The heavy rain filled the air with unease.
Yako wondered if Danzo's original eye remained after the Sharingan transplantation.
The Aburame stood motionless, as if the rain did not exist, not shifting posture.
After half an hour, Danzo slowly emerged.
Yako was surprised to see Danzo's right eye once again covered by a bandaged eyepatch!
At the same time, Danzo's demeanor changed dramatically—he radiated confidence as if everything was under his control.
The rain around Danzo seemed to ease slightly.
Could Danzo have implanted another Mangekyo Sharingan? The other eye of Uchiha Kagami?
After Orochimaru's human experiments, Danzo was the greatest beneficiary, regaining immense power.
The three continued northward.
After over ten minutes, Danzo suddenly said, "Wait!"
Yako and the Aburame immediately stopped, unsure what Danzo intended.
"No," Danzo said. "Yako, repeat the situation you encountered during your mission."
Yako recounted everything, including the three controlled Konoha ninja and his team's casualties.
Danzo said:
"Madara's interference confused my judgment. The three controlled Konoha shinobi were definitely his doing.
But the Anbu killing each other? That's not Madara's style.
If it were him, he would have directly attacked you and massacred your team.
He's villainous, but at least straightforward in his methods.
The real culprit is someone else. Only one person could kill this way: Kato Dan.
He's nearby—we can't let him escape."
Danzo thought, the Senju sealing scroll was still with the Senju clan. If they could get it, they'd gain more intel on the soul manipulation jutsu.
The Aburame took out a waterproof map and opened it in the rain, saying, "Yako, mark the spot where your team was attacked."
Yako marked the position of their ambush.
The Aburame connected the ambush sites with a smooth arc, roughly indicating a center direction.
Yako's heart skipped—this was exactly the direction Whitey had last indicated.
Whitey's last words had been whispered in Yako's ear; the others didn't know. It was Yako's most guarded secret.
Surprisingly, the Aburame approached the truth so easily.
Danzo said:
"This place is far from Madara, no need to worry about him.
Advance toward this spot. Kato Dan is also a grave threat and cannot remain."
"乙 (Otsu)," the Aburame's code name, was of very high rank in Root.
Once the direction was clear, Otsu released her insect swarms.
A few bugs flew back intermittently to her body.
After scouting over ten kilometers, Otsu suddenly said, "Found a suspicious cave!"
Yako was first to enter cautiously, using a shadow clone to scout. The cave was empty.
Otsu followed, releasing bugs onto the floor.
The insects gradually formed a humanoid shape. Otsu said:
"A few hours ago, someone lay here, most likely Kato Dan. There's a scent of medicinal herbs; probably Kato Dan was treating himself here.
The bugs have locked onto his scent—he can't escape!"
After exiting the cave, the trio quickened their pace, following the insects toward a direction.