Of course, Danzō was just talking shit.
Inside Konoha, if he wanted someone dead, he didn't need proof or a reason.
The real reason he couldn't be bothered with Nara Suzaku's whining was simple: Nara Shikage's status was too sensitive.
Eldest legitimate son of the Nara clan head. Future clan leader, almost guaranteed.
The Ino-Shika-Chō alliance might look equal on paper, but everyone knew the Nara were the real core.
In practice, the Nara clan's opinion was the alliance's opinion.
And right now, that alliance was the single most influential force in Konoha outside the Hokage himself.
Danzō had zero interest in poking that hornet's nest.
That was exactly why he'd spent years trying to worm his way inside the three clans.
Whoever controlled Ino-Shika-Chō had the legitimate shot at the Hokage hat.
Which also meant that any Hokage worth the title had to control Ino-Shika-Chō.
So Danzō was almost certain Nara Kizashi's death had Hiruzen's fingerprints all over it.
A clean, traceless kill like that wasn't something a fresh Academy graduate could pull off.
That kind of silent, professional work? Only Anbu or Root could manage it.
Since it wasn't Root, it had to be Anbu.
Hiruzen's warning shot.
Thinking back to Kakashi's arrogant face a few days ago and that cold line—"I am still the Hokage"—Danzō's blood boiled.
—Hiruzen, you will regret this.
—All because of that worthless Orochimaru!
—I warned that snake so many times: leave Naruto alone!
—But he still went after the jinchūriki!
—If he'd actually succeeded, fine. Instead he picked a useless tool like Mizuki and got him slaughtered on the spot!
[Writing this far, dear readers, please remember our domain—101kks.com for the smoothest reading experience!]
—Mizuki, you failure. Orochimaru, you failure too!
Danzō still couldn't swallow the fact that he'd been forced to take the fall for Orochimaru's mess.
But what really pissed him off was Hiruzen's attitude.
He pushed the rage down and a pair of blood-red eyes flashed through his mind.
His tapping fingers stopped. Danzō's gaze turned steel-hard.
He couldn't keep playing defense.
He had to make Hiruzen understand once and for all: Danzō Shimura was Konoha's future.
With that decided, he looked at the trembling, red-eyed Nara Suzaku and spoke coldly.
"However…"
"You've done a lot for me, and the boy Kizashi really was a shame to lose."
"Do one more thing for me, and I'll help you get revenge."
Nara Suzaku, who had already given up hope, flushed crimson. His bloodshot eyes widened.
"Lord Danzō, give me your orders!"
Danzō nodded, satisfied.
If his plan worked, avenging some dead kid would be the easiest favor he'd ever grant.
Whether Shikage was actually the killer didn't matter.
The brat himself didn't matter.
...
Dusk painted the forest gold.
Shikage leaned against a tree, smiling faintly as he toyed with the shuttle-shaped jade stone in his hand.
Unknown runes on its surface glowed with a soft light, matching the pleased glint in his eyes.
"Finally, something actually useful dropped."
[Item: Rune Stone (Toughness)]
[Acquisition Difficulty: C-rank]
[Type: Consumable]
[Description: A skill stone containing mysterious power]
[Price: Cannot be sold]
Even though the difficulty was only C-rank, this was a genuine system skill stone.
Shikage was genuinely excited.
He opened his fingers, then clenched them hard.
Crack.
The Rune Stone shattered into glittering powder and vanished into the air.
At the same time, the word "Toughness" slowly appeared in his skill panel.
He focused on it and the full description popped up.
[Passive Skill: Toughness (Lv.0)]
[Effect: When HP falls below 30%, all attributes increase by 30%]
Simple. One glance and you got it.
But Shikage's reaction was anything but simple. His eyebrows shot up, eyes full of delight.
"This isn't 'Toughness'—this is straight-up berserk mode!"
"And it's passive! Zero side effects!"
"Fucking beautiful~"
He closed the skill window with a satisfied grin and pulled up his status panel.
Five days had passed since he returned to the Naka River forest.
He hadn't killed any shinobi in that time, but the local wildlife had not been so lucky.
Every beast in the area had become exp, pushing him straight to Level 8.
Between the level-ups and the daily quest attribute points, his stats now looked like this:
[Level: 8]
[Strength: 32.1]
[Stamina: 33.9]
[Agility: 40.6]
[Intelligence: 45.1]
[Perception: 35.2]
Feeling the raw power humming through his body, Shikage mentally compared himself to a typical Nara clan shinobi and came up with a rough estimate.
Pure combat strength: around special jōnin level.
Not quite elite jōnin yet, but he was more than satisfied.
This was only a little over a week!
Back during the teacher assessment he'd barely been mid-chūnin.
If Mizuki from that fight faced him now, one move would've turned the old him into red mist.
And in a real scrap? Your average jōnin probably couldn't handle him.
With the information advantage he had, he could even trade blows with an elite jōnin.
—Cheating really is the best…
After a moment of smug reflection, he flicked a thought.
A silent shadow instantly materialized beside him.
One glance at the soldier's stats made Shikage shake his head.
"Foundation's still trash. Even at Level 5, without the curse mark he can barely scrape mid-chūnin."
"But if he ambushes from the shadows using his talent? Even a mid-chūnin might not survive."
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Too bad for our dear cousin. Couldn't handle it."
"Still, his life wasn't wasted."
"At least now I understand the 'Shadow Body' talent a lot better."
"Super useful, but it does have limits."
"Slipping into a dead body's shadow? Smooth as silk."
"Trying to invade a living person's shadow? They feel it instantly. The bigger the gap in strength, the stronger the warning."
"Just hiding in nearby shadows, though? My soldiers are perfect assassins."
"Speaking of which… why isn't Sasuke here yet?"
Shikage glanced toward the horizon. The sun was almost gone; the distant forest was already drowning in shadow.
Sasuke wasn't the type to be late. Good upbringing meant he was always punctual.
—Did something happen?
Shikage didn't jump straight to "Sasuke got murdered." This was still Konoha, and Itachi was still alive.
Crazy as Itachi was, he did a decent job protecting his little brother.
But then Shikage remembered all the little family and Itachi-related details Sasuke had accidentally let slip these past few days.
His heart suddenly skipped a beat.
—No way…