(Konoha – Aftermath of Rebellion)
Within the village, chaos erupted.
Shimura Danzo, leader of Root, had unleashed overwhelming power. Alone, he'd crushed nearly all of Konoha's high-ranking shinobi.
When the delayed reinforcements from the village and a handful of ANBU just back from mission...finally arrived, the scene was a nightmare:
Shinobi bodies, nearly torn in half, lay scattered. Blood pooled everywhere, staining the ground.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was unconscious, barely clinging to life.
And at the center of it all, only Danzo remained standing—calm, untouched, his face as cold as stone. His aura oozed chilling arrogance, the kind that made everyone feel powerless.
The first thought hammering through the minds of the Konoha shinobi and ANBU:
Has Lord Danzo… really rebelled?
They'd heard reports of this before coming here.
But… could it really be true? And even if so—was he really this strong?
Before anyone could process the horror, surviving Root operatives swept in, seizing control of the area. The Konoha shinobi and ANBU—caught off guard by their own so-called comrades were subdued in moments.
Danzo stepped forward, voice calm, but weighty enough to crush hope.
"I am Shimura Danzo, leader of Root."
His gaze swept the crowd...every word echoed with authority.
"Some of you know me. Some of you don't. It makes no difference. I served under the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, as part of his personal guard.
I was once considered for the title of Hokage.
And while others stood in the light… I worked in silence, ensuring this village survived."
He gestured to the fallen. His expression morphed into an act of grief.
"Sarutobi… sought to master Sage Mode, recklessly drawing in natural energy. He lost control. The result—was the death of the Konoha Elders and others. I tried to stop him, but it was too late. A tragedy… truly heartbreaking."
A heavy silence.
The Konoha shinobi exchanged uneasy, suspicious glances. His words rang hollow.
No one truly bought it. Hiruzen's reputation ran deeper than Obito had ever expected, and Danzo's story didn't hold up for a second.
Obito—feeding commands to Danzo, was thoroughly amused.
This was pure bad taste for him. Still, he had to admit: Hiruzen's brainwashing was the real deal… or maybe Danzo's own reputation was just absolute shit.
Suddenly
"DANZO!"
An angry roar split the air. A man in a shredded green jumpsuit streaked into the clearing with incredible speed.
Blood still seeped from his stomach—he'd barely been patched up. But the anger in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
"Danzo Shimura!" Might Guy's voice boomed, grim and hard, a far cry from his usual self.
"You're lying!"
Might Guy's fists trembled at his sides, veins bulging, rage barely contained. For once, there was nothing boisterous or flamboyant in his presence—just deadly, quiet fury.
He swept his gaze over the carnage, searching.
Where...where was Kakashi?
Guy's teeths clenched. The bandages on his stomach tightened as he staggered forward.
"Kakashi!" he called, voice loud. "Where is Hatake Kakashi?!"
Danzo's face didn't change. His voice stayed flat, like he was just stating facts.
"As I said, he was attacked by Hiruzen too. I didn't have time to check on him, so…"
Guy nodded, steadying his breathing.
"I see."
He planted his foot, gaze sharpening.
"Eight Gates Release… Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit—Open!"
A surge of emerald chakra erupted around him, muscles bulging, hair flicking up with raw power. Guy's wounds reopened, blood starting to seep, but his eyes never wavered.
In a blur, Guy vanished—moving so fast he seemed to split the air itself. He darted through the battlefield, passing several shinobi in a single flicker.
In a flash, he appeared right in front of Danzo and drove a fist straight at him.
Boom!
Danzo's eyes widened—he barely got his arms up in time. The punch slammed into his guard, sending him crashing backwards through the dirt.
Danzo gritted his teeth, flipping through hand seals.
"Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Jutsu!"
Dozens of sharp wooden branches exploded from the ground, lashing at Guy like hungry snakes.
Guy's face dripped with sweat, pain tearing through his body as his reopened wound bled freely. Clutching his side, he twisted and dodged—his speed barely keeping him ahead of the barrage.
"Hah… haah… this is bad…" he muttered under his breath.
But his eyes burned brighter, that same unyielding fire as always.
"But I won't stop here. My friend Kakashi… and everyone else—I won't let you hurt them, Danzo. Not while I'm still standing."
He squared his stance, blood streaming, power crackling around him—a living testament to the Will of Youth.
Guy took a shaky breath, blood dripping from his wound.
"Eight Inner Gates—"
He forced his body further, gathering chakra, trying to open the Sixth Gate: Gate of Joy, and pushing for the Seventh Gate: Gate of Shock.
His muscles strained, veins bulging, power almost ready to explode...
But before he could finish, Shimura Danzo appeared in front of him in a blur—so fast only Guy even registered the movement.
Danzo leaned close, so only Guy could hear, and whispered something...his lips moving, but no one else caught the words.
Before Guy could react, Danzo's hands flashed through seals.
"Wood Style: Binding Nest Jutsu!"
Thick, gnarled roots erupted from the ground, wrapping around Guy's limbs and torso. He twisted, tried to force open another gate, but the words Danzo whispered rattled him. His pupils shrank, just for a split second—hesitation.
That was all it took.
The wooden roots squeezed tight, crushing Guy's movement. He struggled, every muscle bulging, but the pain in his stomach and the iron grip of the Wood Style made it useless.
Danzo stood over him, eyes flat and cold.
"Foolish idiot."
The words echoed as Guy was forced to his knees, trapped and helpless—his youthful spirit burning, but his body finally outmatched.
"Wood Style…?!" someone whispered, disbelief cracking their voice.
"That's impossible—only the First Hokage could use that…!"
Another shinobi gasped, hands trembling.
"How does Danzo—? This can't be real!"
The older ninjas stared in horror, information of the legendary Hashirama flashing in their minds.
To see those ancient jutsu in the hands of Danzo—a man who was never known for such power was beyond comprehension.
A dark realization rippled through the crowd:
If Danzo could wield the power of the First Hokage… who could possibly stop him now?
Turning toward the remaining survivors, Danzo spread his arms wide, voice echoing across the ruined battlefield.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen—the Third Hokage—has betrayed the village."
Danzo's voice rang across the hall, hard and unwavering.
"He murdered the Elders. He turned his blade on his own comrades. He even struck down Might Guy."
A pause.
Just long enough for the words to sink in.
"I, Shimura Danzo… acting in the will of the First Hokage… have put an end to his treachery."
His gaze swept across the gathered shinobi—cold, assessing.
"Konoha has been saved."
Another step forward.
"And now, in order to prevent further chaos, I will assume the seat of Hokage."
Not a request.
Not a debate.
"Those who agree...step forward."
A beat.
"Those who object…"
His visible eye narrowed.
"…speak now."
Silence gripped the shinobi. Even seasoned jōnin trembled as the memory of Danzo's overwhelming power flashed through their minds. The powerful wood style which has easily defeated the village's most outstanding shinobis.
To oppose him now was suicide.
"…All hail the Fourth Hokage, Shimura Danzo!"
One ANBU—young, newly recruited—fell to one knee.
A few resisted for a heartbeat more.
Then the rest followed.
In moments, the place was filled with bowed heads and voices that no longer carried will.
"All hail the Fourth Hokage!"
Stranger still, Danzo proclaimed himself the Fourth Hokage, deliberately skipping the Fifth altogether.
But not everyone submitted.
"What are you saying!?"
A shout broke through the crowd.
"That's impossible! The Third would never—!"
Another voice followed, sharp with fury.
"Danzo is lying! He's the one who—"
Several shinobi loyal to Sarutobi stepped forward, faces pale with anger and disbelief, hands tightening around their weapons as the truth slammed into them all at once.
They didn't have time to say more.
The Root operatives moved instantly...silent, precise, merciless.
Shhk—!
A single wet sound cut through the air.
Blood fanned across the shattered ground.
Heads rolled, bodies collapsing lifelessly before they even realized they'd been attacked.
The earth turned red beneath them.
--
"Hahahaha!"
Obito burst out laughing in his Kamui space, nearly falling over.
This was peak entertainment...Danzo flexing on Might Guy, then standing tall and blaming everything on the Third Hokage.
Pure, unfiltered brain rot.
Obito wiped a tear, shaking his head.
Even with a few shinobi still scattered on missions outside the village… they won't matter. The only real variables are Jiraiya and Tsunade, Obito thought to himself.
Jiraiya… now, that one's a pain. He never stays in one place for long, always moving, always vanishing off the map.
Tracking him down is troublesome enough, especially if he hides inside one of those giant toads. And without the space coordinates for Mount Myoboku, chasing after him is more hassle than it's worth.
Still, Jiraiya is a critical chess piece for my next plan. I've got ideas for him—big ones.
But once the word gets out that Sensei is about to be executed in public, Jiraiya will come running. No matter how far away he is, he'll show up—like a loyal hound on a scent.
That's when the real game will begin.
Danzo, acting under Obito's silent command, swept his gaze across the survivors—his eyes settling on where the Inuzuka clan head stood.
Inuzuka Tsume felt her spine lock up, cold sweat running straight down her back.
"Take Hyūga Hiashi and Yamanaka Inoichi to the hospital," Danzo ordered, his tone flat and emotionless.
"They are important shinobi for this village. But Hiruzen… throw him in prison. Three days from now, we execute him publicly. That same day, I'll hold the succession ceremony for the Fourth Hokage. Let all of Konoha witness the traitor's end."
"…Yes, Lord Danzo!"
Tsume opened her mouth—then closed it.
The battlefield was still littered with roots and corpses.
The warning was clear enough.
Danzo turned, voice echoing across the ruined square.
"And find Asuma and Kurenai. I want their locations reported immediately. The village is in danger, and those two are nowhere to be found… If they're just fooling around, I'll deal with them myself."
The shinobi who heard this traded uneasy glances.
They all knew what that meant—Danzo's idea of "dealing with" someone usually ended with a body bag.
"…Yes, Fourth Hokage."
They bowed, voices leaden with dread.
But even as they obeyed, their minds were racing.
We have to get word to Jiraiya-sama or Lady Tsunade—someone has to know what's really happening in Konoha.
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