OROCHIMARU OF THE SANNIN – POV
Orochimaru had never considered himself an overly complicated man. His goals had always been clear-cut—ambitious, yes, but simple. Learn every jutsu in the world. Ensure no one can kill you before achieving that goal. That was all.
But time spent dead, in captivity, and under genjutsu had forced him to reevaluate his methods. His goals had never been the issue—his approach had been. Why had he wasted so much time and effort on suboptimal pursuits?
He had sought to learn all jutsu, even Kekkei Genkai, yet he had built a village and invaded Konoha. For what? Hiruzen Sarutobi had been an obstacle, but an irrelevant one. The old man hadn't posed a real threat to his operations for over a decade. Given time, old age would have done the job for him—without Orochimaru needing to lift a single finger.
And the Sharingan? A diversion. One prodigy—Uchiha Itachi—had showcased its potential, but an entire clan of hundreds had still fallen to that same prodigy. If the Sharingan was so powerful, why hadn't it saved them?
Even if it was worth pursuing, he had gone about it the wrong way. Danzo had a collection of Uchiha eyes—stealing one would have been easier than corrupting and grooming Sasuke Uchiha. Even Kakashi Hatake's prized Sharingan would have sufficed. But the truth was far simpler. He had pursued Sasuke not out of necessity, but out of wounded pride.
His ambitions were beyond such petty emotions now.
That was why he entertained Jiraiya's schemes—for now. The cursed seal Jiraiya had branded onto both of them was an intricate piece of fūinjutsu, but nothing that couldn't be worked around.
Orochimaru strode into the underground chamber and released a pulse of killing intent. Instantly, the creatures within—the wretched results of his failed experiments—stopped their frenzied attacks on each other. Their grotesque, malformed faces turned toward him, their fear palpable.
He resisted the urge to shudder at what he had wrought. Abominations.
"Kneel."
They obeyed without hesitation, dropping to one knee. Perfect. This was how a true army should behave—without hesitation, without question, without a need for threats. They feared him more than death itself.
"Return to your cells. You will not move until I command it."
The creatures scrambled to obey, vanishing into the darkness. Orochimaru turned and swept out of the chamber, his mind already on his next move. He had promised Jiraiya an army for the battle to reclaim Konoha. He would provide it.
And then, when the time was right, he would betray them all.
The cursed seal on his forearm burned, warning him of his traitorous thoughts. He ignored it.
"Kabuto."
The shadows shifted, and Kabuto materialized from the wall itself, dropping to one knee.
"Master."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile. "You have done well in my absence."
The words were followed by a sudden eruption of lightning chakra. The cavern was flooded with blinding light, and Kabuto's agonized screams echoed through the space.
Orochimaru watched with satisfaction as Kabuto collapsed, his flesh charred. Even as his body began to regenerate, Orochimaru stepped closer, voice cold.
"It was bold of you to attempt to take the reins of Otogakure in my absence. But never forget—this village, this land, even you—are mine. Do not overstep again, Kabuto."
Through ragged breaths, Kabuto whispered, "Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
"Good." Orochimaru turned away. "Now, I have a mission for you."
XXXXXXX-SASORI OF THE RED SANDS – POV
"Red clouds over a still dawn."
The code phrase activated the sleeper agent within the Hidden Waterfall Village. Without hesitation, the nondescript chūnin turned, driving his kunai into his comrade's throat. He held the body still, ensuring the man was well and truly dead before turning to face Sasori.
"What are my orders, Sasori-sama?"
"Take us into the village."
The agent obeyed, leading Sasori and his ever-reckless partner through the entrance hidden behind the massive waterfall. As they passed through the tunnel, Sasori fought the urge to squirm. Growing up in the desert, he had never learned to swim. Water was foreign to him—dangerous. He disliked relying on another for something as simple as crossing a river.
Finally, they surfaced inside the village.
"So this is where Kakuzu and Hidan met their ends," Noel muttered, his tone unimpressed.
Sasori resisted a scoff. The so-called Zombie Duo had learned the hard way that nothing is truly eternal. They had been slaughtered by the reunited Legendary Sannin.
"Take us to the girl."
Their agent led them deeper into the village. The Jinchūriki had been moved closer to the village center after Kakuzu's failed attack. Their presence did not go unnoticed—within minutes, Waterfall shinobi surrounded them.
Sasori barely paid them any mind. Weaklings, all of them.
"So how do you want to play this?" Noel asked, cracking his knuckles. Their Akatsuki cloaks had already drawn too much attention—there was no turning back now.
Sasori smiled coldly. "Slaughter everything indiscriminately. Perhaps she will come to us."
His words barely left his lips before Noel vanished.
A flash of lightning—a single moment in time.
The Waterfall jōnin never even saw it coming. One second he stood at the front of the formation, the next his body split clean in half. Blood sprayed across the cobblestone street.
Sasori smirked. Noel had gotten faster.
More shinobi poured from the surrounding streets, forming a larger perimeter. Fools.
Then, at the center of it all, she appeared.
A girl with vibrant green hair and translucent wings of chakra unfolding from her back.
"Surrender, Akatsuki scum! You are surrounded!" a jōnin barked.
Sasori marked him for last. He would watch his comrades fall before meeting his own grisly fate.
Or so Sasori had planned.
In the space between heartbeats, Noel flickered forward and bisected the jōnin in an instant. Blood pooled beneath the twitching corpse.
Sasori sighed. Impatient as always.
The Waterfall forces rallied—more shinobi emerged from the village depths.
No matter.
Sasori reached into his cloak, fishing out a familiar scroll. The Hiruko puppet's armor shifted, allowing chakra to flow from his core.
"The privilege of death by my greatest technique." His monotone voice carried through the battlefield as he tossed the scroll into the air.
Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets.
The sky darkened as countless puppets materialized midair.
Several Waterfall shinobi stumbled back in terror.
Sasori only smiled. The fun was just beginning.
As his army of puppets blurred into motion, Noel flickered once more, appearing in the center of a cluster of Waterfall jōnin.
The slaughter began.
XXXXXXX- Fū – The Seven-Tails Jinchūriki's POV
"They're endless," she muttered, her voice laced with frustration as she grabbed hold of another puppet and ripped it in half. The jagged metal left a deep scratch along her arm, but Chōmei could handle the poison. The two most dangerous aspects of this puppet army were their sheer numbers and the insidious venom that coated their weapons.
Fū hovered in the air, briefly considering another approach. Every jutsu had a weakness. And with this one, it was obvious—the man at the center of the storm, orchestrating the chaos.
The problem? The second she moved toward him, dozens of puppets swarmed her. Even Chōmei struggled against that much poison. She had tried once and nearly succumbed, forcing her to retreat. Worse still, the puppets weren't the only threat. The man wreathed in lightning was cutting down loyal Takigakure shinobi like they were nothing.
"Chōmei," she said aloud.
"Yes?" The voice resonated in her mind.
"Ramp it up. We need to deal with Glowy McSparkpants over there."
"Gladly."
A surge of power flooded her body, and the world took on a crimson tint. She didn't need to look behind her to know that five luminous wings had spread from her back, each one glowing a deep red. Six tails were her true limit, but that would be overkill—she could only maintain it for about five minutes. Not enough time to take down both enemies. Five tails would have to do.
She turned toward the man cloaked in lightning and dove at him like a missile.
He sensed her approach and turned, but it was too late. Fū slammed into him with the force of a meteor, driving him into the ground and dragging his body through the dirt. They skidded to a stop when his feet finally planted against solid stone. He pried at her grip but couldn't break free, so instead, he lashed out with a punch aimed at her face.
She grinned savagely—and met his fist head-on with her forehead.
The impact didn't faze either of them, but the sheer audacity of it made him hesitate. That moment was all she needed. Fū pulled back a hand and buried her fist in his gut, driving him even deeper into the ground.
Before she could follow up, a wall of black iron sand erupted between them.
"I still have some use for him," came a cold voice.
Fū's eyes snapped to the red-haired puppeteer hovering above the battlefield. But it was what floated behind him that sent a chill down her spine.
A face she recognized.
From an old Bingo Book.
The Third Kazekage.
"No. She's mine,"
The lightning warrior—Noel, was it?—climbed to his feet, shedding his cloak. Beneath it, he wore a tight-fitting Kumo uniform. He flashed her a cocky smirk, as if he actually stood a chance.
She scoffed. He was lucky to be breathing. If he thought they were equals, she'd have to fix that real quick.
She blasted forward again, fists cloaked in red chakra. This time, he reacted fast enough to block, but she was already moving. Twisting midair, she brought her leg down in an axe kick aimed at his skull. He crossed his arms to block, but the sheer force shattered the ground beneath them.
She flipped back in the air, meeting his eyes for a split second before launching straight into his chest.
He barely managed to halt his momentum, but Fū had to break off her attack as a barrage of iron spikes speared toward her.
Her eyes locked onto the Third Kazekage. What the hell was he doing here? More importantly—how was he even alive?
She shot toward him, weaving through the storm of iron sand. A monolithic black wall formed in her path. Fū barely had time to react before crashing into it. The impact barely made a dent.
Fine.
She planted her feet against the wall, red chakra surging into her fists.
"Eraser Blow!"
A crack formed in the iron, but it still refused to break.
Fū snarled and banked right, taking the fight straight to the puppet master himself.
But as she closed in, she saw something deeply, fundamentally wrong.
His skin wasn't… skin. Not really. It had a strange sheen, too smooth—like lacquered wood covered in some kind of resin. Not a person.
A puppet.
A human puppet.
Her breath hitched.
What the actual fuck?
That single moment of hesitation cost her.
Twin iron sand cubes shot toward her from either side. Too fast. Too close. No way out.
She knew she wouldn't make it in time.
And then—
Someone grabbed her hand.
Shibuki.
In a single, desperate motion, he threw her out of the trap.
She barely cleared the crushing walls, spiraling upward, but—
Not him.
The cubes slammed shut. When they pulled apart—
Blood.
Nothing but red.
Shibuki was gone.
Fū hung in the air, staring at the pool of red where her best friend had just been.
Her first friend.
Her only friend.
Her everything.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
The guttural scream was her own.
XXXXXXXX-Sasori of the Red Sands POV
"Well. That's not ideal." Sasori mused, watching the monstrous transformation unfolding before him.
The Jinchūriki was no longer a shinobi.
She was a beast.
Seven burning wings spread from her back, her red chakra so thick it was nearly black. Her once-bright orange eyes were now brilliant white.
The creature breathed out a mist—and the battlefield exploded in a blinding flash of light. Sasori's optical sensors overloaded.
Tch.Annoying.
Switching to chakra sonar, he quickly recalibrated, just in time to see the devastation she left in her wake.
His Third Kazekage puppet barely dodged an attack that would've shattered it to pieces. Even at this distance, the wind force alone sent it skidding back.
This was a problem.
He wasted no time.
He signaled the remains of his puppet army to abandon the Taki shinobi and swarm the Jinchūriki.
They emptied their poison reserves into the air, forming a deadly, inescapable toxic cloud. She still had to breathe, even in this state, didn't she?
Except—she wasn't slowing down.
She tore through the army like a hurricane, leaving nothing but shattered wood and splintered limbs in her wake.
Sasori clicked his tongue. Problematic.
He commanded the Third Kazekage forward. Iron spikes rained down on her, piercing through the storm of chakra—only for them to stop.
Her cloak of chakra absorbed the attacks. Damn.
Then—a puppet lunged.
Point-blank. A full poison payload unleashed right in the face.
She ripped it apart—
—but staggered.
Got you.
The poison was starting to kick in.
She thrashed, movements growing erratic, as the Third Kazekage struck again, iron sand forming cruel, jagged spears.
Sasori almost smirked. This was his bread and butter. A Slow and Suffocating Descent towards Death.
And then his idiot partner got into the way.
Noel crashed into her from behind, tackling her midair. They plummeted, but her tails lashed out, wrapping around his throat.
His chakra surged—he broke free, raining blows on her weakened form. She swung, but he dodged, driving punches into her ribs, her stomach, her face.
It was a beatdown.
Strike. Dodge. Strike again.
Sasori narrowed his eyes.
This was unnecessary... He already had her handled but okay.
Noel powered up, entering the second stage of his Lightning Armor. Ripping her tails away, he struck.
A devastating punch to the face.
Another to the ribs.
She lashed out—he dodged, countering with two precise jabs to her midsection.
Her movements grew desperate.
She missed.
He didn't.
Punch.
Punch.
Punch.
Each blow landed with surgical precision, disassembling her piece by piece.
Even a Jinchūriki couldn't fight forever.
And Sasori already went straight to producing more puppets from the new "Resources" he acquired in Taki.
XXXXXX - HYUGA NEJI POV
He had never been so thoroughly outclassed in his life. He and Sasuke had thrown everything they had—all their taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu prowess pushed to the absolute limit—but the woman across from them had only chuckled and matched their efforts effortlessly. No matter how hard they fought, she simply ramped up her own power in response.
Now, they were on their last legs. Neji knew that the only thing keeping the Uchiha standing was his pride—that indomitable pride that refused to let him fall, refused to let him concede defeat. Foolish pride.
Neji resisted the urge to smirk. He was no different.
Too blinded by his own stubbornness to give up, Sasuke weaved a set of five seals—far slower than Neji had ever seen him perform. The fireball he launched was pitiful, barely the size of a beach ball, a far cry from the house-sized infernos he was capable of at his peak.
The woman merely tilted her head, letting the attack pass harmlessly by.
And then—before Neji could even perceive her movement—she was standing right in front of Sasuke.
A single tap on the forehead.
Sasuke crumpled.
"Your turn, Hyuga."
Those were the last words he heard before darkness claimed him.
Neji woke up in a tent. A familiar one.
It was the same makeshift medical tent that had been set up weeks ago to treat the wounded. Across from him, Sasuke lay motionless in a cot—still unconscious, dead to the world.
Neji tried to move. Pain. His entire body protested, exhaustion weighing down every fiber of his being.
A medical-nin entered the tent, rushing to his side. She offered him a glass of water, which he gulped down eagerly. It barely made a dent in his thirst, though the cool liquid was heavenly against his raw throat. It took three full glasses before he felt capable of speaking.
"Wh-what happened?" He cursed himself for the stutter.
"Captain Fu found you and your partner unconscious before he engaged the Kusagakure head shinobi. He killed her, of course. And now, here you are. We've taken the village and are moving even further inland."
Her hands glowed softly as she placed them on his chest, continuing her diagnostic.
Neji's mind stalled.
"Further inland?"
Surely, that couldn't mean what he thought it did. If it did, then… that was against orders.
"Can I speak to him?" Neji asked. He needed answers. Now.
The medic nodded. "Captain Fu instructed me to notify him the moment one of you woke up." She stood, finished with her assessment. "I'll go get him now."
Neji watched her leave, his thoughts racing.
Further inland?
It had to be a mistake. Maybe she had misinterpreted the marching orders. They were supposed to take over Kusa and return home. That was the mission. Those were the orders he and Sasuke had received.
Danzo's students wouldn't be the ones getting false orders. Would they?
"Captain."
The blond-haired Yamanaka stepped into the tent, and Neji made a token attempt at a bow despite his condition. The man was still his superior officer, after all.
And considering he had single-handedly killed the woman that neither Neji nor Sasuke had been able to even scratch, he deserved that respect.
"Hyuga Neji," Fu greeted. "You failed your mission."
Neji's jaw clenched.
"Kusagakure's head jōnin was far more powerful than we were led to believe," he countered, his words carefully chosen to place blame where it belonged—on their intelligence.
Fu nodded. "Agreed. She was one of the stronger Jonin I had the pleasure fighting in my life. I dare say she would have killed me if my own partner hadn't been present to assist."
He chuckled, as if the battle had been nothing but an amusing challenge. Neji did not return the smile.
"The medic mentioned something about moving further inland." His tone remained neutral, but the question was pointed.
"Yes," Fu confirmed. "After taking over Kusa, we received new orders."
"New orders that directly contradict the old ones?"
"Precisely. That is the way of things."
Neji's mind reeled as Fu continued.
"Some personnel were reshuffled across the army. Some were reassigned, others sent back to the village. I am now in full command of this battalion. And our orders are clear—we will take the Land of Rain or die trying."
A sharp, sinking feeling settled in Neji's gut.
"The Land of Rain?"
"We will secure another avenue into Sunagakure," Fu explained.
Neji's brows furrowed. "Didn't we already have a way into Suna? The Land of Rivers?"
Fu sighed. "After the Kazekage's assault on Iwa, the Land of Rivers formalized a treaty with the Land of Wind. Suna now operates freely throughout the entire country. Our agents report multiple outposts have already been constructed.
"If we were to attack Suna from the Land of Rivers, we'd first have to dismantle their entire presence there—an impossible task. We'd get bogged down in a drawn-out conflict and give Mist or Cloud the perfect opportunity to strike while we're vulnerable.
"The Land of Rain, on the other hand…"
Neji exhaled slowly.
"But that means we'd have to contend with Hanzo the Salamander. Last I checked, we don't have three Kage-level shinobi to hold him off this time."
Fu smiled. "Hanzo is dead. Danzo-sama is certain of it. The only obstacle now is Amegakure's forces."
His expression hardened.
"Prepare yourself, Hyuga Neji. Amegakure will be ours by the end of the month."
The march was brutal.
Once cleared by the medics, Neji was expected to rejoin the battalion. Ninja armies moved differently from samurai or traditional forces—they moved fast, in quick, silent bursts. Speed and stealth were paramount, and one could not suffer at the expense of the other.
Neji scouted ahead in intervals, his Byakugan scanning the terrain kilometers at a time. They were still in Grass Country, meaning the likelihood of enemy patrols was low, but carelessness got shinobi killed. The real test would begin once they crossed the border.
When he returned to the main group, he relayed his findings to Fu using quick, practiced sign language. Sasuke stood beside him, silent and seething.
Neji understood his frustration.
Unlike Sasuke, he had already come to terms with his limits. He had seen firsthand what true power looked like—the battle between Gaara and the Tsuchikage during the invasion of the Leaf had shattered any illusions he had of his own strength.
He had no misconceptions.
Kage-level shinobi were gods among men.
The Kusa head jōnin had been only a few steps below that. Losing to her was an inevitability.
Sasuke, however, refused to accept it. Because Sasuke was chasing a ghost.
Uchiha Itachi had been ranked S-Class at thirteen. At fifteen, Sasuke was barely mid-jōnin level.
It was harsh. But it was the truth.
Neji wouldn't say it out loud. But he would let reality teach Sasuke the lesson.
They reached the border of the Land of Rain.
There were no physical markers, but the shift was immediate. One step, and they were suddenly beneath an unrelenting downpour. The rain began precisely at the border, as if nature itself had drawn a hard line between the two countries.
Neji extended a hand past the invisible threshold. Cold, pounding raindrops met his skin.
Fu stepped forward.
"I'll take point from here," he said. "You and your partner will fall back to reserves. You're not at 100%, and I don't expect you to fight the first wave."
His smile was fake.
Neji didn't argue.
He simply walked away, leading a brooding Uchiha deeper into the storm.
Amegakure was only a few dozen kilometers away.
By the end of the day, they would be standing in its shadow.
XXXXXXXXXXX
In hindsight, it should have been obvious that they were walking into a disastrous trap. No border patrols. No traps. No mines. Nothing. A village that had lost its greatest deterrent wouldn't have been so lax with its security.
So when one of his cousins called their attention to a figure floating in the sky, Neji felt his heart plummet. A bad feeling gnawed at him.
That feeling worsened as the figure descended, revealing a hauntingly beautiful woman. White paper wings spread from her back, their sharp edges reflecting the dim light. A moment of eerie silence passed before Fu barked orders, and a fireball shot towards her.
The flames washed over her wings, yet she remained untouched. Unbothered. The look in her eyes—disdain. Neji didn't need his Byakugan to recognize it. That should have been the second warning.
It wasn't until her wings fully extended, unleashing a barrage of paper shuriken, that the army realized just how dire their situation was.
Not a single shuriken hit its mark—yet it didn't matter. Explosions erupted across the battlefield, screams echoing in their wake. The air filled with fire, smoke, and chaos.
Sasuke weaved seals, as did the rest of the army. Long-range ninjutsu soared toward the woman, yet she danced around them effortlessly, gliding as if time itself bent to her will. Meanwhile, her own attacks landed with devastating accuracy.
Neji couldn't believe it. One person was fighting an army… and winning.
And then—things got worse.
A second figure materialized in their midst.
Neji was one of the first to spot him, the red-and-black cloak standing out starkly against the battlefield. But he was too slow to react. The man slammed a single hand onto the ground, and with a thunderous puff of smoke, hell itself was unleashed.
First, a pair of monstrous dogs, each as large as any boss summon Neji had ever seen. Then, a massive caterpillar that reared up before slamming down, crushing shinobi beneath its bulk. A chameleon followed, vanishing into thin air—only Neji's Byakugan allowed him to see the invisible menace moving through their ranks, sowing destruction. A bird-like creature took to the skies, adding to the chaos.
The summoned beasts tore through their forces while the paper bombs continued to rain from above.
A shuriken hurtled toward Neji, but he deflected it with a swift Gentle Fist strike. It exploded a safe distance away. By his side, Sasuke stood frozen, Sharingan spinning wildly as he watched the massacre unfold.
They had no chance.
Neji wasn't a coward, but he wasn't a fool either. This was a lost battle. A death sentence.
He grabbed Sasuke's arm and made a single gesture.
Sasuke hesitated.
Perhaps, in another world, that hesitation would have cost him his life. Here, Neji didn't wait for permission—he turned, dragging Sasuke along as they fled.
Behind them, another cloaked figure appeared, lifting his hands and sending half the army flying.
By the time Fu finally sounded the retreat, Neji and Sasuke were already far from the battlefield. Not that it mattered.
One by one, every single fleeing shinobi was cut down.
Some died in groups. Some made it farther than others. Some perished beneath falling paper shuriken, others to the monstrous summons. Some were thrown into the air by invisible force. Others were torn apart by strange canisters fired from a third man's arm.
Some died quickly. Some died slowly.
They all died.
Neji and Sasuke ran like the hounds of hell were at their heels.
Even when they crossed into the Land of Grass, they didn't stop. Neji deactivated his Byakugan to conserve chakra, but they still didn't stop.
They ran until their legs felt like they would give out.
They ran until darkness clouded Neji's vision.
The last thing he saw before collapsing was a man with a scar across his nose catching him.
Sasuke had fallen long before.
XXXXXXXXX-Danzo Shimura POV
Danzo stared at the letter in his hands.
A missive, delivered by a chunin who had nearly run himself to death crossing the Land of Fire in mere hours.
Part of him wanted to dismiss it as a forgery, a lie. But the code—the very one he himself had devised—stared back at him from the page. The handwriting was unmistakable. Neji's usual flowery script was absent, replaced by cold, precise strokes.
An entire battalion.
Two thousand loyal Konoha shinobi.
Dead.
The Land of Rain was a gift that never stopped taking.
Danzo's jaw clenched as he reread the descriptions of the massacre. He ground his teeth—a habit he had picked up far too often since taking the hat.
Hiruzen must have been laughing at him from beyond the grave.
Years of planning. Decades of careful maneuvering. The first domino had finally fallen… and instead of toppling his enemies, his house of cards had gone up in flames.
First, the failure to kill the Kazekage. That brat had proven himself deserving of the hat, especially after the daring first strike on Iwa. Bold. Decisive. Effective. A shame he hadn't been born in Konoha.
A bigger shame that their own blonde Jinchūriki had been utterly useless.
Useless under Hiruzen. Missing under his rule.
Not missing—taken.
By Hiruzen's accursed students.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade.
Danzo sneered. Nothing would have delighted the old monkey more than seeing his students work together again. That it was against him would have been the cherry on top.
But those were mere annoyances. His plan had still been progressing… until now.
The Akatsuki.
If only he could go back and slap his past self for his foolishness. Those brats should have been assassinated on sight.
Instead, he had chosen to use their lives as leverage, seeking favor with Hanzō. He had thought to eliminate two enemies of Konoha at once.
A perfect plan back then.
A foolish plan now.
The brats had lived. And in their survival, they had become monsters.
A woman who killed by the hundreds with paper techniques.
Multiple shinobi with the accursed purple-ringed Rinnegan.
His fingers twitched at the memory. The cold, sickening dread of that day. The abomination that the Rinnegan had summoned.
The Gedō Mazō
If such a thing was to be turned against Konoha… drastic measures had to be taken.
He reached for a scroll and wrote swiftly, decisively.
Think twice, act once.
The first order: Neji and Sasuke were to be transported back to Konoha once they were stable. A medical squad would be sent immediately.
Neji had been well enough to write the report himself, but Sasuke's unconscious state was troubling.
The second order: Prepare for war.
Danzo sealed the scrolls with a flick of chakra and gestured to the silent figure in the shadows. The Root operative vanished.
He stood.
Time to set things in motion.
"How is it coming along?" he asked, stepping into the dimly lit tunnel of the Root's most secret chamber.
Across from him stood a boy—pale, sickly, yet focused.
"Very well, Hokage-sama. The jutsu should be operational in a few weeks."
Danzo scowled. "Unacceptable. This is vital to Konoha's security."
The boy hesitated. "I… I cannot learn the seals any faster. Forgive me, Hokage-sama."
Danzo sighed.
He had no choice but to break his own Rules.
Forming a single hand seal, he focused on the mark hidden beneath the boy's scalp. "Fūin: Kai."
The boy slumped as Danzo freed him from EVERY SEAL he has ever placed on him. Moments later, he stirred.
"Hokage-sama? What happened?"
"Nothing. Now… look at the seal again and tell me how long it will take."
Sai's gaze sharpened. "Oh. This is easy. I'll have it mastered by the end of the week."
Danzo smirked, though a sliver of unease crept into his chest.
He had just solved one problem.
He had likely created another.
But that was the burden of the hat.
And Edo Tensei would solve all his problems at the end of the day.
(End of Chapter)