*Land of Waves, Leader's Office (Main Office).*
Yuto sat in the plush executive chair behind his desk, fiddling with a circuit component in his hands.
This was the latest product from the Land of Waves' electronics factory. Compared to the modern products of his past life, it was still far from perfect—the wiring was messy, the slots uneven—but for the backward shinobi world? This was nothing short of a revolutionary breakthrough!
With such a promising start, his grand dream of "hosting an esports league in the shinobi world" was one step closer to reality.
Happy!
Yuto's joy was practically oozing out of him, his grin stretching so wide it nearly reached his ears.
*Click.* The sound of a camera shutter snapped him out of his reverie.
Turning his head, he saw Kushina holding a camera, grinning mischievously as she winked at him.
"Big sis," Yuto sighed in exasperation. "Sneaking photos of people isn't nice, you know."
"Hmph, sneaking?" Kushina smirked. "Not at all! I was taking this completely out in the open! Right, Mikoto?"
Uchiha Mikoto nodded, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Send me a copy of that photo later."
"Hey, I heard that shady deal, you know." Yuto's forehead twitched. "What's even the point of taking a picture like that…?"
"Of course there's a point," Kushina said, glancing at the photo on her camera. "You actually looked like a real kid just now, not the little old man you usually pretend to be."
"True" Mikoto agreed with a nod.
"Huh? Do I really seem that old?" Yuto instinctively touched his face.
"Yep!" Kushina plopped herself onto his lap, looping an arm around his neck. "Honestly, you act like you're a whole generation older than me, little daddy—"
"Pfft—!"
Mikoto couldn't hold back her laughter. "Kushina, you're talking nonsense again."
"Oho? But doesn't that nickname sound kinda thrilling?" Kushina's eyes sparkled as if she'd stumbled upon a whole new world. "Hey, Mikoto, why don't you try saying it too?"
"No thanks," Mikoto flatly refused, her eyebrow twitching. "I'm not playing this game."
"Tsk, look at her…" Kushina nudged Yuto's shoulder, jerking her chin toward Mikoto. "She's already your shape in every way, and yet she's still so stiff! You really ought to train her properly—don't go soft on her now!"
Yuto let out an awkward chuckle, wisely choosing not to engage.
"Leader, Danzo has awakened," came the voice of Uzumaki Rina over the communicator.
"Proceed as planned. Have Lord Hanzo handle the initial negotiations," Yuto ordered calmly.
"Understood." The communication cut off.
*Clap clap.*
With two light taps of his hands, the screen at the front of the office flickered to life, displaying the Land of Waves' security station.
"Ah, you're finally awake, my old friend…"
Danzo groggily came to, only to be greeted by Hanzo's grinning face. Instantly, he was wide awake.
"I'm… not dead?"
"Tsk, that hurts, Danzo!" Hanzo sighed theatrically. "After all we've been through, do you really think I'd kill a dear comrade like you?"
Danzo stayed silent for a moment before cautiously asking, "So… you're letting me go?"
"Oh, absolutely—after Konoha pays the compensation, of course," Hanzo said breezily.
"Compensation?" Danzo blinked in confusion.
"As a Konoha elder, you illegally trespassed on our company's territory and attempted to steal trade secrets…" Hanzo slid a document toward him. "Surely you understand that a little reparations are only fair?"
Danzo scanned the paper—and nearly choked.
"One… one hundred million?! You call that a little?!"
"Friends and family discount, my dear friend." Hanzo placed a hand over his heart, oozing sincerity. "If not for our bond, I'd have asked for ten billion."
"Just rob me at knifepoint, you bastard!" Danzo's veins bulged in fury.
An S-rank mission payout barely broke two million—and this old coot had the gall to demand a billion?!
"So, you're refusing to sign?" Hanzo's eyebrow arched. "Think carefully, my friend."
"Hmph! Kill me if you dare!" Danzo snarled, standing his ground.
Signing this would mean never showing his face in Konoha again. Might as well die with dignity!
"What a shame. I gave you a chance." Hanzo sighed, hauling the shackled Danzo toward a side door.
The room darkened, lit only by a few flickering bulbs overhead.
Danzo's bravado wavered. "My subordinates—what happened to them?"
"Alive, for now. Their fate depends on you." Hanzo smirked, leading him deeper inside.
"Is this the new test subject?" A cool female voice echoed.
"Indeed, Lady Chōmei," Hanzo replied respectfully.
'Test subject?!'
Danzo's blood ran cold. This bastard was planning to turn him into a lab rat?!
Even stripped of his ROOT position, he was still a Konoha elder! How dare this man—
"Seems you've figured it out, old friend." Hanzo's smile widened. "Don't worry. Lady Chōmei will be very gentle."
*Tap. Tap.*
The figure Hanzo called "Lady Chōmei" stepped into the light—and Danzo's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
'This thing isn't human.'
Dressed in a maid outfit, yes—but beneath it was a monstrous insect, its chitinous body towering at human height. A grotesque head, armored plating, spiked limbs—utterly inhuman, yet it spoke.
Danzo's breath hitched, his scalp prickling with primal terror.
He didn't connect this abomination to the Seven-Tails—Chōmei's current form bore no resemblance to its past self.
Gone was the towering beast; now, it stood compact, its six wings and tail replaced by two thick insectoid legs. The maid uniform only made the sight more unsettling—an uncanny fusion of human and monster.
Pure nightmare fuel.
"Come along, new recruit," Chōmei extended a barbed limb.
Danzo stared at the glistening spikes, then turned to Hanzo.
"One hundred million you say. Let's… discuss this."
He was scared.
Death was one thing—but being turned into this? That was a fate worse than hell.
"No rush, old friend." Hanzo gestured forward. "Take a tour first. I guarantee you'll be enlightened."
Chōmei's claw hooked into Danzo's collar, dragging him deeper.
Around the corner, he saw:
—Black-clad Raiga Kurosuki, chest unnaturally swollen, grinning like a demon.
—Zabuza Momochi, Land of Waves' "hero," twirling a frilly dress for a pale-faced boy.
—And then—
"I'M IN LABOR! SOMEONE HELP!"
A very familiar voice bellowed.
Danzo turned—and nearly vomited.
There, writhing on a straw mat, was Maruboshi, the former "Star of Iwa." The mountain of a man now had a distended belly, screaming like a woman in childbirth.
"TWO HUNDRED MILLION!" Danzo shrieked, grabbing Hanzo's sleeve. "I'LL SIGN FOR TWO HUNDRED MILLION!"
Hanzo patted his shoulder. "Wise choice, my friend."
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