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  Danzo was riding high, his spirits s. He had do! The Raid on Kirigakure was a success!

  With a mix of fidend doubt, he had led a mere dozee Root operatives across the sea, deep into the heart of Kirigakure. Just as the Fourth Hokage and he had predicted, "Look to the distant Kirigakure," the vilge was in chaos. Internal strife had left it leaderless, practically defenseless. Had he anded a full Konoha force, he might have truly severely damage Kirigakure.

  Unfortunately, he only had his small Root team.

  Still… it was enough.

  Obsessed with forbidden teiques, Danzo’s first priority upon infiltrating Kirigakure wasn’t plundering cash or stealing legendary swords. He had a single, unwavering objective:

  Bloodline ninjas!

  Whether through force or deception, he would seize Kirigakure’s kekkei genkai, just as they had stolen the Byakugan from Konoha.

  “I scoff at Yagura's ck of wisdom and the Mizukage's ck of fht. They don’t uand the value of bloodline ninjas to a vilge.”

  Even he, Danzo, khat bloodline ninjas were a force to be united, except for the Uchiha, of course. Even if purging were necessary, one should at least preserve a few to prevent the bloodline from dying out. That’s what he, Danzo, would do!

  Suppressing his excitement, Danzo swiftly navigated the tree branches, rag back to Konoha with the agility of a seasoned shinobi. He gnced back occasionally at the two unscious children slung over the shoulders of his operatives, prizes of war.

  Forbidden thoughts swirled in his mind.

  Human experimentation. Bloodlira. Brainwashing. Personality impntation… Maniputing one-year-old children with kekkei genkai would be child’s py.

  The mere thought sent a thrill down Danzo’s spine.

  Of course, certain skills required specialization. Orochimaru was more profit in human experimentation and bloodlira. They had often colborated i.

  However…

  “That Orochimaru has been far too active tely. What is he pnning?”

  Soon, Danzo and his Root ninjas arrived at the gates of Konoha.

  While he had boratories outside the vilge, he had, after all, kidnapped bloodline ninjas. There might be pursuers. Danzo opted to return to his main base. Furthermore, the Root base within Konoha possessed the most prehensive equipment.

  But as he approached the gates, Danzo slowed his pace.

  “Why are there so many fners?”

  Due to their long history in the humid, overseas Land of Water, the people of Mizu no Kuni possessed subtle distins from those of Land of Fire.

  Danzo's keen eye quickly noticed that the crowd queuing at Konoha’s gates were all from Mizu no Kuni.

  Some emitted the chakra signature of Genin, some were portly merts, others appeared simple and were apanied by four or five women… A rough estimate put their numbers well over a thousand.

  Danzo frowned. While he knew of Gojo Kaigetsu's "Kirigakure Freedom Operation," hadn’t he brought baany people?

  In Danzo's mind, seleg a hundred or so elites from the refugees would have sufficed. A thousand at once? Wasn't this guy afraid of Kirigakure demanding an expnation?

  “Foolish child, he has no idea what kind of trouble his as will bring to the vilge. He treats Konoha as his personal pyground. I must report this to the Fourth Hokage and Sarutobi.”

  Danzo scoffed. "Let’s go. Ehe vilge."

  The vilge had a dedicated passage for ninjas returning from missions. A fsh of the scar on Danzo’s was usually enough to grant him passage, even from the most stubbuards, without any iion of his panions or cargo.

  However, the usually infallible scar met resistahis time.

  Two ordinary men, devoid of any chakra signature, stood guard, strange uniforms. Their left breast pockets bore the words “Vilge Gate Iion.”

  “Please present your ninja headbands.”

  “You don’t reize me?”

  “Please present your ninja headbands.” The iion officer maintained a professional demeanor, already profit in his new duties despite only starting a couple of days prior.

  Their job was simple: i everyoering the vilge. Konoha ninjas preseheir headbands. Fners required either a green card or a temporary residence permit, obtai a special ter.

  Aempting to force their way through would be reported to the Konoha Military Police Force, or the nearby arm with a special marking would be activated.

  The previously x entry procedures had, just days ago, bee signifitly stricter under Minato's new decree.

  Danzo, thwarted, gestured for his subordio dispy their headbands.

  Had a ninja stood before him, he would have asserted his authority as the darkness of the shinobi world. But these were mere civilians… fronting them would be beh him, and potentially dangerous.

  Just as Danzo thought the matter was settled and prepared to ehe vilge again, he was stopped once more.

  The gate ior poi the bloodline children carried by the Root ninjas. “These two… are clearly not ninja.”

  Danzo patiently expined, “This is cssified. I’m bringing them back to the vilge. This is none of your . Step aside.”

  “If they don't have ninja headbands or entry permits…” The ior’s tone hardened. “They o be taken to the holdier to await Advisojo’s personal handling.”

  “We are in special times. Please uand.”

  “Damn it! Watch your toh Danzo-dono!” A Root ninja behind Danz forward, pinning the ior’s neder his knee, ign his struggles.

  “Gah… I ’t breathe-!”

  “Floyd!” The brutal se terrified the other ior. He quickly turned and smmed the arm, sending a distress signal directly to the Military Police Force.

  However, the first to arrive wasn’t the Uchiha, but the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, his Hokage cloak!

  Danzo’s eyes widened. He finally noticed the peculiar markings behind the arm button – it was Minato’s Flying Thunder God seal.

  The Flying Thunder God…

  His teacher had used a pictorial seal, while Minato's was a runiscription, causing him to overlook it.

  Minato, having rushed to the se, took one look and uood what had transpired… He couldn't help but marvel at Gojo Kaigetsu’s grasp of the situation.

  Just yesterday, Kaigetsu-kun had sent a message via messenger hawk, urging Minato to intercept Danzo and the two children he was carrying.

  That’s why Minato had specifically pced his Flying Thunder God seal at the gate iion.

  He hadn't expected it to be triggered so soon.

  “What’s going on here? Stop immediately!” The usually amiable Minato adopted a rare stern tone.

  The stricter gate iions and the green card system were also suggestions from Gojo Kaigetsu, implemented shortly after his departure.

  As the Fourth Hokage, these were his decrees… The Root ninja’s as weren’t just choking an ior, they were a direct challeo his authority!

  And look at the Root ninja’s rea!

  Even after Minato’s order, he didn't move, instead looking to Danzuida was as if, in his eyes, Danzo’s authority superseded even the Hokage’s.

  ‘A subordinate's subordinate isn't your subordinate.’

  The se reminded Minato of Gojo Kaigetsu’s advice.

  He was the Hokage, the leader of the vilge, but iy? Looking at Danzo and his Root ninjas, how many truly answered to him?

  “Danzo, order your Root ninja to stop immediately!” Minato’s voied, a final ultimatum.

  Danzo nretted bringing these children back to the vilge.

  Nothing but ued trouble.

  The Fourth Hokage was slipping further from his grasp, no lohe powerless, reliant-on-his-jinchuriki-wife figure he once was.

  The vilge… was no lohe vilge he knew. And he no longer had Sarutobi, his old friend, to support him unditionally.

  Frustration g him.

  It was all Gojo Kaigetsu’s fault.

  Danzo snorted. “Didn’t you hear?! The Fourth Hokage ordered you to release him! Return to Root a for punishment!”

  “Yes, Danzo-dono!” The Root ninja responded without a flicker of emotion, casually releasing his hold on the ior.

  “Fourth Hokage… I would like to know when this policy was implemented.” Danzo went on the offensive. “A few days ago, when I left Konoha, there was no such decree.”

  “I uand the gate iions, but surely not everyone and every department o be checked~” Danzo emphasized. “We are Root, the anization that protects Konoha’s development from the shadows.”

  “Our as should not be interfered with by these civilians.”

  “We walk in the darkness, serving Konoha. Nothing is true, everything is permitted! That is Root’s creed! A creed aowledged by the Sed and Third Hokage!”

  There was something Danzo left unsaid.

  The items Roht into the vilge often included traband, materials for his forbidden experiments. They also sold traband to supplement Root’s funding.

  If everything were ied, who knew what they might find?

  “You are right, Danzo, but I am the Hokage now!”

  “The current Konoha, represented by me, embodies the purest Will of Fire ied from Lord Hashirama!”

  Had Gojo Kaigetsu bee, he would have been impressed by Minato’s newfound ability to invoke such rhetoric.

  Uncharacteristically, Minato didn’t take the olive branch Danzo offered. He stood firm, establishing his authority, word by word:

  “Currently, due to the turbulent times and to prevent infiltration by fn spies, Konoha implemented ry regutions three days ago! These regutions apply to everyone, including the two children yht back, Danzo.”

  “Do you have any further questions, Danzo?”

  Danzo’s face darkened, resembling someone who had just ed Uchiha chakra. This eerily familiar “Will of Fire” versation… hadn’t he experiehis retly?

  And… he couldn't argue back.

  The Hokage's will was equivalent to the Will of Fire, an unshakeable principle for everyone in Konoha.

  “…Two one-year-old children? Does the Fourth Hokage truly believe they could be fn spies?”

  “Whether or not they are spies will be determined after their identities are verified and a thh examination is ducted.”

  Minato suppressed the shame of this btant charade. Did he really o check if two one-year-olds were spies? But since Kaigetsu-kun had specifically requested their interception, he had to py along.

  He offered Danzo a way out. “Of course, ohe iion is plete, the children will be returo you, Danzo.”

  “Is… is that true?”

  “A Hokage’s word is his bond.”

  Of course, the final decisiarding the iioed with Gojo Kaigetsu. After all… Kaigetsu-kun had his owhods for dealing with spies. He had even mao make the Cloud spy talk.

  Danzo felt he had been pyed, even without crete evidence.

  His instincts as the darkness of the shinobi world whispered of something amiss.

  This… This was all Gojo Kaigetsu’s scheme!

  After all the effort he had put into the Ten Riders’ Raid, finally capturing two bloodline ninjas from Kirigakure, before he could even draw their blood or extract their cells, he had to hand them over to the vilge?

  He wasn't in love with the vilge.

  This sudden ry policy… wasn't it clearly targeted at him?

  Regret flooded Danzo’s heart. He should have taken the risk and bypassed the vilge entirely. He could have taken the children directly to his outside boratory.

  Now, caught red-handed by the Fourth Hokage, what could he do?

  “…I will… await the Fourth Hokage’s iion.” Despite his reluce, Danzo gestured for his subordio hand over the children.

  Minato was the Hokage. His orders were absolute, at least on the surface. Danzo couldn't openly defy him.

  But both he and Minato khis was only temporary.

  Such was the way of politics. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. But when it came to tangible bes, mere lip service to the Will of Fire wasn’t enough.

  These two bloodline children would be handled acc to protocol. Whether or not they were spies, Gojo Kaigetsu khe truth. If he dared to break the rules and seize the children…

  Danzo’s eyes glinted. He hadn’t earned his title as the darkness of the shinobi world by eating soldier pills.

  Don't start a fight you 't finish. He knew how to py dirty too…

  Danzo spoke.

  “Fourth Hokage, I wish to file a pint regarding the ‘Kirigakure Freedom Operation.’”

  “Gojo Kaigetsu is too self-absorbed. He doesn't sider the potential sequences his aight bring upon the vilge.”

  “Upon his return, vene a meeting immediately. I will reprimand him personally!”

  ...

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