Shota lay on the soft guest bed in the Konoha quarters, staring up at the wooden ceiling. His ANBU gear was neatly folded and sealed away in a scroll beside the bed. His body ached a little from the fight with Root, but the pain was dull now. He had also done a good job to hide his wounds from the other elders or the Kazekage so that they did not suspect him for anything.
The adrenaline had faded. He felt satisfied. More than satisfied. He felt proud.
He had eliminated three Root jōnin. Elite agents who were from shinobi clans. Men who had likely cost Danzo years of training, money, and resources to create.
Shota would sleep happy after eliminating some of Root agents and even better to have threatened Danzo and walked out pretty much unscathed until now.
As for the letter that Shota gave to Danzo, signed and stamped by Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, that was of course all Shota's doing.
'It is surprisingly easy to take the Kazekage's stamp and forge his signature when you are part of his ANBU protection detail. Everyone is busy looking at outside threats and does not even think to look among themselves.'
Shota chuckled softly to himself in the dark. The stamp had been kept in a small box on Rasa's desk during the journey.
Shota had seen it every time Rasa signed orders or letters. The ANBU guards never thought that one of their own would just take the a stamp from their kage's backpack and use it. As for Rasa, the Kazekage had too many things on his mind. A missing stamp impression was the last thing he would check for.
Shota rolled onto his side and pulled the blanket higher. He had turned Danzo's own game against him. Danzo loved secrets. Danzo loved blackmail. Danzo loved threats. Now Danzo would feel what it was like to be on the receiving end.
As for why Shota decided to write in the Kazekage's name, he did not want Danzo to know that he knew of his operations.
It was better to let him think the Kazekage knew about him, a village leader who would have a spy network to find out about Danzo's secrets.
If Danzo believed the Kazekage was behind the letter, his attention would shift. He would focus on Rasa. He would try to find Suna's spies in Konoha and thus he would waste time and resources watching the Kazekage instead of the boy who had actually killed his agents.
Shota would become just a soldier, a messenger and tool of the Kazekage. Danzo would underestimate him again. That was exactly what Shota wanted.
'And this would mean Danzo's attention would be on the Kazekage and only a little attention on Shota who eliminated his agents and "delivered" the letter. Just a soldier of the Kazekage.'
Shota had mentioned that last part about being so informal in the letter because he was sure the Kazekage would not write something like this.
The letter had been rude, direct, and threatening. It sounded like a child who was tired of playing nice. That was the point. Danzo would read it and think the Kazekage was desperate or angry. He would not think a almost twelve-year-old had written it. He would not suspect the boy could be that bold. That was Shota's advantage.
'I should have paid more attention in school back in my old life. I am pretty sure that they taught formal and informal letter and email writing.'
Shota groaned quietly into his pillow. Back in his previous life, he had slept through most of language classes. He had thought they were boring. Now he wished he had listened.
Writing threats to a war criminal was not something they covered in middle school, but basic letter structure would have been nice. Still, the letter had worked. Danzo had received it. The message had been delivered. That was what mattered.
He also did not ask for anything except the name of the traitorous elder in Suna. Because Shota knew that blackmailing Danzo to harm in Konoha in anyway would not work. Even asking for a jutsu would backfire.
While the guy was too self-centered, there was no doubt in Shota's mind that the man would do anything for Konoha in his own twisted way. He had eradicated the Uchiha because he thought they were more harm than good for Konoha.
If Shota had asked for a forbidden jutsu from Konoha's archives, Danzo would rather surrender himself or die than give Suna something like that. He would not care for his own image if something would harm Konoha tremendously.
So Shota had thought it was better to ask for something that Danzo might be willing to give or at least consider giving. The name of the traitor in Suna. One name. One piece of information. It would not hurt Konoha.
Danzo could sacrifice the elder to save his own skin. Or he could refuse and risk everything. Either way, Shota would learn something. Either way, Danzo would feel pressure.
Shota had prepared for this letter since he knew that he would be going with the Kazekage to Konoha.
He had already done some research. He had found out about the disappearance and deaths of Uchiha during the past two decades. No other village had claimed responsibility. No bounty hunter had claimed their bounties.
Elite shinobi vanishing without explanation. Shota could see Danzo's name written all over it. The man collected Sharingan like others collected coins. He had probably killed them in secret.
As for him experimenting on Hashirama's cells, Shota had seen Danzo's arm wrapped in bandages during the meeting.
And that arm had been turned to dust by the Third Tsuchikage. There was no doubt that it was an arm made from Hashirama's cells. Others might think it as a normal new arm attached, Shota did not think Danzo' would settle for something ordinary after the humiliating defeat at the hands of the Tsuchikage.
And as for him experimenting on it with Hiruzen's permission, well, what about Tsunade's permission? What about the Senju clan's permission? What about their allies?
From these clues, Shota knew that Danzo was already collecting Sharingan even before the Uchiha massacre which was yet to take place. And since he had the arm already, he was sure that Orochimaru and him were already working on Hashirama cells.
Shota had Danzo in his grasp. But he knew that the old monster would somehow find his way out of it. That was why he had given him only half a day's timeline.
Pressure. Urgency. Fear. Danzo would have to decide fast. He would have to choose between giving up a valuable spy in Suna or risking exposure of his crimes.
'Now let's see if Danzo gives out the name of the traitor or not.'
Shota rolled onto his side. He pulled the blanket higher.
He had a lot of things planned for tomorrow as well.
--------Author Notes---------
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