Menma's performance during the Chunin Exams was not something Danzo Shimura was unaware of.
However, in his judgment, that level of strength represented Menma's upper limit at the time.
Eliminating Shiranui Genma did not carry much weight in Danzo's eyes. Genma was merely a Special Jōnin, skilled, certainly, but far from comparable to the elite Root strike force Danzo had personally assembled.
For that very reason, Danzo found the reported outcome difficult to accept.
To him, the most logical result should have been the successful capture of both Uzumaki Menma and Sasuke Uchiha.
"The intelligence has been verified, Danzo-sama."
The Root operative's tone remained utterly calm, devoid of hesitation or embellishment.
This second confirmation caused the atmosphere in the underground chamber to grow even heavier.
One of the things Danzo detested most was the occurrence of events beyond his control.
Because such developments challenged his belief in absolute strategic oversight.
The only individual he had ever truly tolerated being restrained by was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Even then, dissatisfaction and resentment had long taken root within him.
In Danzo's mind, it had been the preferential decision of Tobirama Senju that allowed Hiruzen to inherit the title of Hokage.
All of Danzo's efforts since then had been driven by a single purpose
To prove that his teacher's choice had been mistaken.
Failure, therefore, was something he could never tolerate.
"Very well…"
Danzo's voice dropped into a chilling register.
"Uzumaki Menma. Uchiha Sasuke."
"Transmit my orders. Mobilize all Rootpersonnel to concentrate on locating these two."
"Also send a message to Orochimaru."
"My patience is not limitless. He would do well not to test it."
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
Root operatives did not question commands.
They did not resist.
Even the most unreasonable orders would be executed without hesitation.
Their conditioning ran so deep that they would carry out assassination directives against the Hokage himself if ordered.
Such was Danzo's control over Root.
Just as one operative was preparing to withdraw and disseminate the orders
Whoosh.
Another shadow appeared silently within the dim chamber.
"Danzo-sama."
Kneeling on one knee, the newcomer presented a scroll.
"This is a directive from Hokage-sama."
"In addition, four Anbu squads have taken positions outside the Root facility."
"…What?"
Danzo's expression shifted immediately.
He unfurled the scroll.
The deliberately emphasized instructions within caused the surrounding air to grow frigid.
"You insolent brat!"
With a violent motion, he struck the stone table before him.
The scroll crumpled into fragments within his grip.
This was clearly a warning from Tsunade.
A warning directed at him
A veteran who had devoted decades to protecting Konohagakure from the shadows.
The humiliation ignited both anger and unwillingness within him.
Yet under the shinobi village system, the Hokage's authority remained absolute.
Even though the two village elders and Danzo himself could impose political constraints, the Hokage still possessed the power to overturn the entire structure if pushed too far.
Tsunade had only recently assumed office.
Danzo had not interacted with her closely for over a decade.
He could not accurately predict how far she was willing to go.
If she chose to act recklessly and strip him of command authority outright
There would be no path left for him to recover.
"Haa… haa…"
Danzo inhaled deeply, forcing his turbulent emotions back under control.
"…Suspend all external operations for now."
In the end, he had no choice but to comply.
"Yes."
The two Root operatives bowed in unison.
Moments later
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Their figures vanished into the darkness.
Tsunade…
Just wait.
Give me an opportunity… and you will regret this.
Danzo slowly rose from his seat.
A terrifying killing intent flickered within his exposed eye.
Conflict among the village's upper leadership was inevitable.
Just as ideological differences had long existed between Hiruzen and Danzo, friction between Tsunade and Danzo was unavoidable.
However, Hiruzen had always possessed enough personal authority and strength to restrain Danzo while maintaining overall control.
In Danzo's eyes, Tsunade was still a comparatively "junior" Hokage.
She had yet to earn his recognition.
Their collision
Was only beginning.
And as tensions escalated, the internal situation within Konoha would inevitably grow more unstable.
Such instability was precisely the kind of development other shinobi villages preferred to see.
It was also a scenario that Menma himself would benefit from.
A divided Konoha forced to expend energy on internal struggles was far less capable of concentrating its forces against external threats.
Under such conditions, the pressure placed upon Menma would naturally decrease.
Although Root's overall combat strength was not extraordinary, it still consisted of hundreds of trained elite shinobi, including more than a dozen jōnin-level operatives.
If mobilized fully, they could pose a tangible threat.
Without their interference, Menma's future plans would proceed far more smoothly.
Naturally, Menma himself was still unaware of these developments within Konoha.
After returning from the Valley of the End, he had once again immersed himself in experimentation.
His recent research into physical enhancement had reached a provisional breakthrough.
This time, he intended to extract his own cells and transplant them into the body of an ordinary subject in order to observe the resulting biological changes.
Through this, he hoped to determine the next stage of his evolution.
However
The experiment did not proceed entirely as expected.
"Bang!"
Just as the cells of Hashirama Senju were notoriously incompatible with most hosts, Menma's own chakra-enhanced cells proved far too aggressive for an average human body.
Although the vitality of the Uzumaki Clan was inferior to Hashirama's legendary regenerative power, it still far exceeded normal biological limits.
Moreover, Menma had not carefully regulated the dosage or fusion rate during the initial trial.
The result was immediate.
His transplanted cells began devouring and assimilating the host's tissue without any stabilizing reaction.
There was no equilibrium.
Internal organs ruptured violently.
Foul-smelling blood plasma splattered across Menma's face and clothing.
Unfazed, he reached for a nearby towel and wiped himself clean.
"…Such a severe reaction."
He gazed at the ruined experimental subject with a faint frown.
Then shook his head slightly, as if noting an expected but inconvenient data point.
The path toward surpassing human limitations
Was never meant to be gentle.