The most important thing was that Shiki himself was in a very good mood.
"Hokage-sama, this is my mission report."
Shiki placed the scroll on Hiruzen's desk with a bright smile.
"…"
Hiruzen took it silently..
Something wasn't right.
Danzo should have confronted Shiki by now.
So why was Shiki standing here, clothes immaculate, not a scratch on him, smiling like he'd just come back from a pleasant stroll?
Hiruzen cleared his throat.
"Ahem. You've worked hard, Shiki. Take a good rest for the next few days."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Shiki gave a polite bow, then left the office without lingering.
When the door clicked shut… Hiruzen's expression collapsed.
His brows furrowed. His jaw tightened.
He didn't even bother unsealing the report — because whatever was inside wasn't going to tell him the truth.
"ANBU."
An agent instantly appeared.
"Hokage-sama."
"Go. Investigate the mission site Shiki was assigned to. Look at everything."
"Yes!"
The ANBU vanished.
Hiruzen waited.
Minutes dragged until—
crash.
An ANBU reappeared, stumbling to one knee.
The mask couldn't hide the panic in his voice.
"H-Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen's stomach dropped.
"What happened?"
"All dead, Hokage-sama. Danzo-sama… and every ROOT operative with him. Not a single survivor!"
"WHAT?!"
Hiruzen shot to his feet, slamming both hands on his desk.
His breath came heavy.
For a moment he genuinely felt his heart stop.
"Explain. Everything you saw."
The ANBU swallowed hard and reported everything.
Hiruzen listened silently.
When the report ended, the office was so quiet the ticking of a distant clock felt deafening.
The ANBU remained kneeling, terrified to breathe wrong.
Finally—
"…I see."
Hiruzen exhaled, aged by several years in a second.
Danzo… dead.
ROOT… annihilated.
The one man who handled the darkness Hiruzen didn't want to dirty his own hands with — gone.
His tool.
His friend.
The only person who balanced his so-called "benevolent" image.
All wiped out by a single boy.
"Shiki… is truly this strong now?"
But Hiruzen didn't know the truth.
He didn't know Shiki could restore the land at will.
He didn't know the battlefield had been reshaped.
All he saw in the ANBU report was this:
The ground was untouched. Perfectly smooth.
That meant one thing to him:
Shiki killed Danzo outright… without even scarring the terrain.
That level of precision… that level of dominance…
Not even he could do that.
"Leave me."
The ANBU vanished with visible relief.
Hiruzen slumped into his chair, the room dim and heavy around him.
ROOT was gone.
Danzo was gone.
Shiki had smiled at him earlier — not as a subordinate, not as a hero…
But as someone who knew exactly what he'd done, and dared Hiruzen to react.
"…Minitoe."
A sharp flash of golden chakra lit the office.
A tall figure with blond hair and a black mask knelt before him.
"Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen looked at him and for once, felt a tiny sliver of comfort.
"Your Flying Thunder God has improved again, Minato."
Minato Namikaze — Jiraiya's student, and Hiruzen's own protégé in his later years.
Someone brilliant.
Someone obedient.
Someone he could control.
"That's all thanks to the guidance Hokage-sama provided," Minato said honestly.
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
Perfect.
A genius who didn't question orders.
A prodigy who could counter a monster like Shiki with space-time ninjutsu.
"Minato," Hiruzen said, voice firm but fatherly. "I have a mission for you."
"Please give your instruction, Hokage-sama!"
"Monitor Shiki. Every movement. Every unusual action. Report directly to me."
Minato froze.
"…Surveil Lord Shiki?"
Hiruzen nodded gravely.
"Everything I do is for Konoha."
That was all it took.
Minato bowed deeply.
"I understand. I'll begin at once."
The office flashed gold as he vanished.
Hiruzen watched the empty room, eyes filled with calculation.
Shiki… you might be powerful, but even you cannot outrun space-time.
And Konoha has not lost its fangs yet. (PS: What in the mentally retarded Sh..)
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