"Is that so…? I understand. You may leave."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
After the Anbu in front of him left, the Third Hokage rubbed his temples in frustration, his mind filled with the image of Danzo's pale, unnatural arm.
Just days ago, after Danzo became the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, the Third had assumed that even with the Uzumaki sealing techniques reinforcing him, Danzo would struggle to suppress the beast's power.
Extracting the Nine-Tails' chakra, in the Third's calculations, was something that should have taken years of effort.
But what happened next completely shattered his expectations—Danzo had demonstrated the power of Wood Release, effortlessly subjugating the Nine-Tails within him.
Not only that, he had even extracted a portion of the beast's chakra, donning a ferocious Tailed Beast Cloak right before the Third's eyes.
All of this stemmed from that mysterious arm.
It was clear that, given the connection to Wood Release, it must have been a product of Hashirama's cells. In the shinobi world, Wood Release and Hashirama were directly linked.
That raised a critical question: How did Danzo manage to implant Hashirama's cells into his own body?
Over the past few days, the Third had burned through the last few bags of his best tobacco, yet no answer had come to him.
'Was it Orochimaru?'
'No… Danzo already fell out with him. Besides, I have copies of all of Orochimaru's research records, and none of them indicate he had any success in mastering Hashirama's cells.'
'Could it be that Danzo has discovered some secret technique I don't know about?'
'Or… is it possible that Danzo's body is naturally compatible with Hashirama's cells—the perfect match that researchers have been searching for all this time?'
The Third tapped his fingers against his desk. Danzo's rapid acquisition of the Nine-Tails' power had disrupted his careful plans for the village's balance.
'The Uchiha, the Aburame, the Root…'
'None of them are people who let their guard down.'
The Third sighed. In recent years, he had increasingly felt himself falling behind.
Konoha's new generation of shinobi continued to produce prodigies, while the young saplings of the past had grown into towering trees. Yet he himself had remained stagnant—perhaps even regressed.
Once hailed as the Ninjutsu Professor, Hiruzen now found himself becoming the weakest link in the upper echelons of power.
Fuma aside, his three students had each found their own path, and all of them had begun to grasp the secrets of Sage Jutsu—a realm of power that placed them beyond an ordinary shinobi like himself.
Even Sakumo, in the Third's calculations, was a formidable force. With his ferocious kenjutsu and instant movement techniques, if the two of them ever fought, the Third knew he wouldn't be able to take Sakumo down in a short battle.
And Danzo—whom the Third had suppressed for decades—had now acquired Wood Release and the Nine-Tails' power, combined with his already formidable Wind Release. His future was boundless.
As for the new generation, Minato and Kushina… in the Third's eyes, they were practically younger versions of Mito and Tobirama.
Surveying the village, the Third realized that among all the elite shinobi, he—the Hokage—was no longer the strongest.
'This won't do… I am the Hokage, not some bureaucrat who only signs paperwork!'
With a determined motion, he shoved the documents off his desk, as if shaking off a great weight that had been pressing down on him. The uncharacteristic action lightened his mood, and he gave a quiet order:
"Summon Nara Shikama to handle these documents. If he needs additional manpower, he may recruit at will, including Anbu operatives. I expect weekly reports in summary form."
Then, with newfound vigor, the Third strode out of the Hokage's office, heading toward the Sarutobi clan's training grounds. His steps were brisk, his heart lighter.
'It's been too long since I trained for my own growth… this feeling… it's not bad at all.'
....
Root Headquarters~
Danzo stared at his newly grafted arm, his eyes filled with fascination.
"Only a man of my courage can harness the overwhelming power of Lord Hashirama. This gamble… has paid off."
"It seems that even the Sage of Six Paths is watching over me, guiding me toward the power to lead Konoha."
As he spoke, his right arm transformed into gnarled roots, its tendrils writhing in the air—an undeniable display of power.
But as Danzo continued unleashing Wood Release freely, a sudden change occurred—his right arm started to mutate uncontrollably, its growth spreading toward his chest.
"Hngh…! You wretched thing!"
Sensing the abnormality, Danzo swiftly performed a series of hand seals, activating multiple Four Symbols Seals across his body to contain the Nine-Tails' chakra before it could spiral out of control.
"Hmph… still not perfect, huh? That damn Hiruko… if he had just stayed loyal, what's one pair of Sharingan eyes compared to his expertise?"
A moment later, Danzo steadied his breathing, returning to his normal state.
One of his Root operatives—clad in a white research coat—knelt before him, reporting, "Lord Danzo, your theory of using Hashirama's cells to counter the Nine-Tails' chakra is proving effective.
However, both of these forces are incredibly volatile. As the vessel containing them, you must maintain absolute balance."
Danzo scoffed. "Of course it's working. This is merely a matter of fine-tuning."
During his previous collaboration with Hiruko, Danzo had supplied him with vast amounts of Hashirama's cells, allowing him to mass-produce compatible arms using Chimera Technique.
Through multiple iterations, Hiruko had weakened the original Hashirama cells, incorporating genetic material from the Yamanaka, Nara, and Kurama clans—each rich in Yin Chakra—to temper its effects.
He had barely succeeded in creating an arm that wouldn't immediately overtake its host.
Yet even after several generations of modifications, even after being subjected to Chimera Technique and various counteracting bloodlines, the Hashirama cells remained monstrously powerful.
Ultimately, every attempt to suppress them had pointed toward a single, inevitable solution—the Sharingan.
It was for this reason that Hiruko had infiltrated the Uchiha compound, hoping to claim their genetic power for his experiments.
But before he could succeed, Minato had utterly crushed him.
Danzo had rescued Hiruko from the aftermath, keeping him under tight control—until the man managed to escape.
With his back against the wall, Danzo had made a desperate gamble: he would become the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, using its chakra to counteract the Hashirama cells, forcing both titanic forces into a deadlock that he alone would control.
'Even without that fool Hiruko, my method works. I will master the power of both Lord Hashirama and the Nine-Tails.'
'However… I still require the Uchiha's Sharingan. Both of these forces are too volatile. Even the mere shockwaves from their conflict strain my body.'
Danzo's expression twisted into a sinister grin as he turned his gaze toward the Uchiha clan's district.