At the same time.
Konoha, Year 63 — Root Headquarters.
Seventy-one years old, yet still sporting a full head of black hair, Shimura Danzō listened calmly as Sai delivered his report.
"You're saying… three people from the past have entered the village?"
"And among them is that useless brat, Senju Nawaki?"
To be honest, Danzō remembered Nawaki quite clearly.
The last heir of the Senju bloodline—
who stepped on an explosive tag, became an experimental subject…
and still yielded nothing.
In short: trash among trash.
"…Yes, Lord Danzō," Sai replied evenly.
A subordinate didn't refute when a superior mocked someone.
But—
"Lord Danzō, there's something else."
"Speak."
Sai raised his head.
"Nawaki-senpai has awakened Sage Mode and Wood Release. In terms of strength, I believe he is not inferior to the Third Hokage in his prime."
"...?"
Danzō's eyes widened abruptly.
"What did you just say?"
Sai repeated himself.
This time, Danzō heard it clearly—
and felt dizzy.
That trash turned into a treasure just by changing worlds?!
"Is the intelligence reliable?"
"Yes."
"And the other two?"
"One is a Konoha genin, but his strength—"
"Genin is irrelevant. Next."
"…Understood."
Sai skipped over Kaito—clearly sensing Danzō's impatience—and moved on.
"The other is a Yūhi Clan jōnin."
"Ah… Shinku's niece," Danzō muttered.
"If I recall correctly, by the Fourth Hokage's era, the Yūhi Clan was down to Shinku and Kurenai."
Sai remained silent. He didn't know.
"This is troublesome," Danzō said slowly.
"It seems I'll have to personally claim this power."
Hearing this, Sai spoke up cautiously.
"Lord Danzō… Nawaki-senpai alone is a Wood Release user with Sage Mode. And there's also Kaito-senpai. I don't believe we're a match."
"Kaito?" Danzō frowned. "Didn't you say he's a genin?"
"He is… but only on the surface."
"In the past, his strength rivaled the First Hokage. He was called a god—"
"…?"
"—the All-Powerful God."
"..."
"God of the shinobi?!" Danzō's body trembled.
He had nearly overlooked the biggest prize.
"What feats does he have?"
"In one instant, he annihilated a thousand Iwagakure shinobi."
"Hiss—"
One person.
Instantly killing a thousand shinobi.
Even slaughtering a thousand chakra-enhanced pigs would take days.
"And he did it… in a single thought?"
"Confirmed. Witnesses saw him strike a radius of over five kilometers."
Danzō inhaled sharply.
Power like that—
irresistible.
"Are they all in the village now?"
"Yes."
"Excellent."
"You'll remain embedded in Team Seven. You're no longer required to monitor those three."
"Yes, sir."
Just as Kaito predicted, Danzō was excessively confident.
With Shisui's Mangekyō, he would only act when the profit was absolute.
That same night—
Using Chakra Vision, Kaito located Tsunade and Nawaki with Ryuun.
"You're eating well," Kaito said casually, pulling Ryuun along and sitting down without invitation.
"Mind if we join?"
He grabbed a piece of meat with shared chopsticks.
"Delicious."
Tsunade's forehead vein twitched.
"…You bastard."
Then, more softly:
"Thank you."
"If not for you… my brother would never have survived in another world."
Kaito waved to the waiter for extra chopsticks.
"No need to thank me," he said lightly.
"I'm just walking my own path."
"So cool~" Ryuun's eyes sparkled.
Nawaki stared blankly.
Looks. Strength. A whole country backing him financially…
He almost wanted to cry.
At some point, Tsunade asked:
"How did you do it?"
Kaito paused.
"How did you help Nawaki awaken Wood Release… and Sage Mode?"
She wanted it.
Badly.
Wood Release meant silence from Danzō, the elders, even the daimyō.
Kaito leaned back, resting his chin on his hand.
"Do you want power?"
Tsunade gritted her teeth.
"What do you want?"
Kaito's gaze swept over her lazily.
Ryuun immediately felt danger.
"…You already have girlfriends," Tsunade snorted.
"You're not eyeing this old woman's body, are you?"
"What nonsense," Kaito replied.
"I want Strength of a Hundred and the Yin Seal."
"…That's it?"
"You give me yours. I give you mine. Fair trade."
"…Fine."
Compared to Wood Release and Sage Mode, her techniques were merely endurance enhancers.
That night, Tsunade handed over the secret scrolls.
Late night.
Senju compound.
Moonlight spilled across the wooden corridor.
Nawaki drank quietly.
"The future Konoha… isn't bad."
"Too bad there's no 'me' in it."
Then—
Movement.
Black shadows slipped into the compound.
Nawaki didn't even turn.
"…Danzō."
"Senju Nawaki. Long time no see."
Two Root elites stood beside him: Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune.
"You're here for me?" Nawaki asked calmly.
Or… someone else?
"Where is Kaito?"
"I have business with that traitor."
"He's upstairs. Reading."
A Root operative moved—
"I didn't say you could enter my house."
"This isn't your house," Danzō sneered.
"You betrayed the past Konoha."
"My sister is the current Hokage."
Silence.
The air grew heavy.
Danzō clenched his fists—then relaxed them.
Not yet. Endure.
"I only want to discuss cooperation."
Before Nawaki could respond—
The second-floor window slid open.
"Danzō," Kaito said casually.
"You've got something to say to me, right?"
"Let's talk somewhere quiet."
Danzō was stunned.
Unarmed. Calm. Cooperative.
Even Shisui hadn't trusted him this much.
They left together.
Ryuun tried to follow—
"Don't," Nawaki warned. "Kaito told us not to."
Moments later—
"Why chase?" a voice said lazily.
Kaito leaned from the window.
"Slime clone?" Nawaki asked.
"Yes."
"Whatever happens tonight," Kaito said calmly,
"we never met Danzō."
"…You're killing him?"
"Cleaning trash for your sister."
"And—he owns Kotoamatsukami."
"Kotoamatsukami?!" Nawaki and Ryuun froze.
"A Mangekyō technique that rewrites memory itself."
Elsewhere.
"This is the power of Kotoamatsukami!" Danzō roared.
"Become my loyal servant, Kaito!"
The clone bowed.
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
Victory.
Then—
"ROOM."
A pale-blue domain exploded outward.
Three kilometers.
"What power!" Fū and Torune gasped.
Danzō smiled.
"Kill the hidden ANBU," he ordered.
"Yes."
The clone moved.
"ROOM·Slaughterhouse."
Twenty-eight slashes.
In an instant—
"ROOM·Transfer!"
Screams.
Danzō's right eye was torn free.
His body aged rapidly, hair whitening, skin collapsing.
"Remove it—now—!"
Too late.
He turned—
His subordinates were already dead.
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