Yōsuke followed Aburame Ryōma's lead and arrived at an underground base.
From the moment he stepped inside, his brows had not relaxed even once.
Everyone inside wore the same numb expression, as if stripped of their emotions.
Even the children looked that way.
Yōsuke couldn't understand it.
Wasn't Konoha praised everywhere as a village that longed for peace?
Why did a place like this even exist?
As they went deeper, the corridors grew darker.
There wasn't a trace of natural light—only dim, flickering yellow lamps that barely held back the gloom.
Eventually, they reached a room where a man sat at the head seat, observing Yōsuke with interest.
Yōsuke assumed this must be the Danzō Ryōma had mentioned.
After Ryōma respectfully positioned himself behind the man, Danzō spoke:
"Who exactly are you?"
Yōsuke repeated his fabricated story about coming from the Land of Iron.
Danzō stood and snorted coldly:
"Hmph. There is no samurai in the Land of Iron named Ubuyashiki Yōsuke who wields a demon blade. With your strength, you should have long been famous throughout the shinobi world. Yet you appear out of nowhere, like a ghost suddenly manifesting."
Yōsuke had long been prepared for the day someone would expose his identity, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.
"Since you already know I'm hiding something, yet didn't attempt to capture me—choosing instead to test my strength before inviting me here—what is your real goal?"
"My goal? My goal is the same as yours."
Yōsuke frowned. My goal?
His only goal was capturing the Priest Master. There was no way Danzō shared that purpose.
Which meant Danzō had misunderstood something.
"I don't know what you mean."
Danzō fixed him with a dark, oppressive gaze:
"Don't play dumb. You've stayed hidden all this time. Then you suddenly appear in Konoha now, of all times. Isn't your purpose obvious?"
Yōsuke's impression of Danzō was extremely poor. The malice pouring off this man was almost nauseating.
How could someone like this exist in Konoha—and even be one of its leaders?
Yōsuke tried to figure out what Danzō had assumed.
He came to Konoha only because of the Child of Prophecy, Uzumaki Naruto—hoping he might encounter the Priest Master.
…Naruto.
Danzō said "appearing at this particular time."
The "time" must refer to the period surrounding Naruto's impending birth.
Yōsuke's muddled thoughts cleared immediately.
Naruto would soon be born.
If that was the "goal" Danzō meant, then in a twisted way their objectives indeed aligned.
To confirm, Yōsuke probed:
"The birth… of a certain life?"
Danzō looked as though everything had now fallen into place.
He had been testing Yōsuke as well, unsure if Yōsuke was after Uzumaki Kushina. Now he felt certain.
Danzō sneered:
"Hmph, dropping the act already? A foreigner like you actually dares covet someone from our village. If I killed you right now, no one would ever know."
Yōsuke remained completely unfazed.
This was just Danzō trying to seize the upper hand in their negotiation.
"You uncovered my identity, yet didn't capture me. You brought me here instead. Just say it—what do you want?"
Root was currently severely understaffed.
Ryōma possessed the strength of an elite jōnin.
If Ryōma had killed Yōsuke, that meant Yōsuke wasn't worth recruiting.
But since Yōsuke defeated him—and emerged completely unharmed—it meant he was far stronger.
Anyone who could surpass an elite jōnin so overwhelmingly was at kage level.
Danzō had originally dismissed Yōsuke as a swordsman incapable of ninjutsu.
He never expected this seemingly young samurai to possess kage-level power.
"Young people these days truly are impatient," Yōsuke said with disdain.
In terms of age, he could be Danzō's ancestor.
The reason Danzō was willing to patiently converse with this "intruder" was simple—
he needed a scapegoat.
Ever since learning Uzumaki Kushina was pregnant, Danzō had already begun calculating how to release the Nine-Tails from within her.
If the Hokage's wife lost control of the Nine-Tails and it ravaged Konoha, even if Minato managed to reseal it, public opinion would destroy his reputation.
He would likely lose his position as Hokage.
At that moment, Danzō could not only force Minato down, but also justify taking possession of the Nine-Tails.
Which meant the one chosen to release the Nine-Tails needed to be selected very carefully.
Root shinobi were loyal, but their association with Danzō was far too obvious.
If Minato or Hiruzen discovered his involvement, Danzō would lose everything—his position, his organization, his influence.
Thus the ideal candidate needed to be:
• extremely powerful,
• unaffiliated with Danzō,
• and even if exposed, someone Danzō could easily disavow.
Someone like Yōsuke, who appeared to covet the Nine-Tails, had kage-level strength, and possessed a fabricated identity, was the perfect pawn.
"I can help conceal your identity. In exchange, you must do something for me."
Yōsuke asked directly:
"What do you need me to do?"
"You'll know when the time comes. Don't worry—you'll be very willing. After all… isn't that beast your goal as well?"
Yōsuke's mind—just cleared—fell into confusion again.
Beast? What beast?
He couldn't reveal his true identity yet.
He still needed the samurai identity to remain in Konoha for a while.
For now, he could only agree.
Whether he fulfilled the promise later would depend on him.
"I accept."
Danzō felt a surge of joy but kept his face still.
"Good. Continue as you have been. When the time is right, I'll come for you."
With the negotiations complete, Yōsuke left the underground base.
Danzō ordered:
"Ryōma, there is no need to monitor Ubuyashiki Yōsuke for now.
Focus on Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato.
I want to know about their every movement immediately."
"Understood."
Ryōma's figure melted into the darkness.
Danzō's unrestrained laughter echoed through the chamber.
It had been a long time since he felt so exhilarated.
After venting for a moment, he muttered to himself:
"With Ubuyashiki Yōsuke as the scapegoat, we won't need Orochimaru…
But I should still notify him.
The more chaos when the time comes, the better it is for me."
"Konoha will be reborn in fire!
Root will break through the soil and rise as a towering tree!"
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL