Tonight, He Cuts Ties with Konoha
Leaving the Hokage Building, Kamizuki Gen let out a quiet sigh.
Since things had reached this point, once he completed his "identity transition" tonight, he would head straight for the Land of Rain.
After staying in Konoha for so long…
A change of scenery didn't sound bad at all.
As the thought settled, he focused his mind. A system panel appeared before him—showing the reward from an earlier task.
[Random Quest: Enjoy Yourself]
[Description: Everyone has their own way of enjoying life after work. Even the future god who drives out the Ōtsutsuki and saves the shinobi world is no exception.]
[Requirements:
Use Yuhi Kurenai's lap as a pillow for 30 minutes.Be fed 10 strawberries by Yuhi Kurenai.]
[Completed!]
[Reward: Achievement Trait — "True"]
"True":
Immunity to all genjutsu.
System Comment:
This is what real means!
…
…
Night fell. The moon shone bright, stars sparse beneath thin clouds.
Shimura Clan Compound.
An old courtyard. A wooden house.
Yellowed leaves drifted down from ancient branches.
Shimura Danzō sat cross-legged outside, silent and still. White bandages wrapped around his head, covering the right half of his face. His left eye remained closed, deep wrinkles etched into his features. His withered body, cloaked in black, resembled the roots of an ancient tree.
A night breeze passed.
His left eye opened.
Sharp as an eagle's, it fixed on a bright star in the sky.
"Teacher Tobirama… under my indirect intervention, the Uchiha clan has finally met its end. Even you could not resolve that problem."
"With the Uchiha gone, Konoha will stand united."
"Of course… had you entrusted me with the Hokage's seat, this might have been settled long ago."
"But it doesn't matter."
"Even if that monkey has stripped me of my authority and confined me within the clan grounds… I will remain in the shadows."
"I will become the darkness beneath the shadows, and in my own way… approach that position."
"Nothing will stand in my way."
"My pursuit of the Hokage title—"
Rustle—
The old tree trembled.
A figure appeared on the branch like a ghost.
Bathed in moonlight, he stood there, humming softly:
"Nothing can stop… your longing for freedom~"
"???"
Danzō froze.
"…What was that?"
His gaze shifted, locking onto the old tree. His aged eyes narrowed, cold and sharp.
Though stripped of his official duties, he had still stationed over a dozen Root loyalists around the compound.
For this strange individual to appear so easily—
spoke volumes.
"Who are you?" Danzō asked coldly.
In that instant, the oppressive presence of a Konoha elder surged outward, like a frozen abyss pressing down.
In Konoha, aside from the Hokage, no one faced him without fear.
The figure leapt down from the tree and walked calmly toward the wooden house, completely ignoring him.
He wore a Konoha forehead protector and a standard green flak jacket. His posture was straight, his presence steady.
Only—
his eyes were wrapped in white bandages.
At a glance, he looked like someone imitating Danzō.
Danzō studied him and spoke again.
"A Konoha shinobi. Who sent you?"
"Kamizuki Gen. I came on my own."
Gen smiled.
"..."
Danzō looked him over, recalling the name.
Recognition flickered in his gaze.
"So it's you. What do you want?"
No fear.
Of course.
The boy was blind—he couldn't see anything to fear.
And as a civilian prodigy of Konoha's new generation, someone spoken of in the same breath as Itachi, Danzō had taken note of him.
Just not enough to remember his face.
"I'm here for one thing."
Gen stepped forward.
Then, without hesitation, he sat cross-legged in front of Danzō.
He removed his forehead protector.
Placed it between them.
Then drew a kunai—
and slashed across the metal plate.
The Konoha symbol split cleanly in two.
Though blind, Gen used chakra sensory techniques he had learned from Kurenai. Through chakra, he perceived the world clearly enough.
In his vision—
everything was simply veiled in a muted gray.
Nothing more.
"..."
Danzō's gaze grew colder.
He watched in silence as Gen finished and tied the damaged forehead protector back onto his head.
"Do you understand what that means?" Danzō asked, voice icy.
Though his composure held, anger burned beneath it.
Since Konoha's founding—
no shinobi had ever staged a formal act of defection in front of a high-ranking official.
Let alone in front of him—Shimura Danzō.
Gen nodded.
"I do."
"But before I leave… I need to borrow something from you."
He smiled faintly.
"The kind I won't be returning."
Danzō's eyes narrowed sharply as he rose to his feet.
"No matter who sent you… with what you've done, no one in the shinobi world can save you."
"I could crush you with a single finger."
In an instant—
the wind roared.
Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.
And right now, freshly confined and provoked, Danzō needed an outlet.
"Wind Release: Shinkūha!"
In less than a second, his hand seals completed.
A torrent of compressed air burst from his mouth, shrieking like countless blades tearing through the night.
The invisible wind took form—
and under his control, lashed outward like a whip in all directions.
Tiles shattered.
Walls split.
Ancient trees were cleaved apart in an instant.
"Perfect."
Gen remained completely unshaken.
Inside, he murmured:
"Cut… Wind Release: Shinkūha."
[Notification: Cut successful!]
[Acquired: B-Rank Wind Release Ninjutsu — Wind Release: Shinkūha]
In the next instant—
the raging wind vanished.
Danzō's body trembled slightly, a chill running through him.
The ferocity in his eyes faded, replaced by a brief, unsettling clarity. His movements stiffened as he stared at his hands.
"…What just happened?"
He lowered his head, deep in thought.
His ninjutsu had been interrupted mid-cast.
In all his years of combat—
he had never experienced anything like this.
It felt as though… something had been taken from him.
After a brief silence, the battle-hardened Danzō reacted decisively.
His hands formed seals again.
"Wind Release: Shinkūha!"
Clearly, Kamizuki Gen possessed some method of interrupting his techniques.
But once?
Could he really do it every time?
"…Hm?"
This time, Danzō felt it clearly—
his chakra responded, but not completely.
More precisely, he could still mold chakra…
but he could no longer release Wind Release: Shinkūha through his hand seals.
"Oh… I see."
After a moment of surprise, understanding dawned.
"So I can't use Wind Release: Shinkūha anymore?"
Watching Danzō's stiff, almost constipated expression, Gen smiled.
"Danzō-sama… what are you waiting for?"
"Don't think a few strange tricks give you the right to act arrogantly before me!" Danzō snapped, eyes narrowing.
His hand seals changed.
The wind surged once more.
"Wind Release: Shinkūgyoku!"
This time, his chakra flowed smoothly.
In his mind, he could already see the boy being shredded by wind.
At the same time—
Gen remained perfectly calm, watching him.
Inside, he spoke:
"Equality for All… activate."
[Notification: Please select a target.]
"Shimura Danzō."
[Equality for All successful. The host's physique, mental strength, chakra, taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu have been enhanced to match Shimura Danzō.]
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