Dark figures swept out from the Hokage Building, merging seamlessly into the night.
Ten Anbu squads—thirty elite shinobi in total—surged toward Danzo Shimura's residence. Tsunade took the lead, her eyes ice-cold beneath the brim of her Hokage hat.
Outside the Shimura compound, a guard's face drained of color at the sudden appearance of the strike force. "Stop! This is—"
Several kunai slammed into the dirt at his feet, cutting him off.
"By order of the Fifth Hokage, we are searching Danzo Shimura's residence!" an Anbu captain barked. "Anyone who obstructs will be treated as a traitor!"
"How dare you—!" More Shimura guards melted out of the shadows, hands dropping to their weapons.
The Anbu moved in a blur. Steel flashed, followed by the dull thuds of rapid-fire taijutsu.
The skirmish ended in seconds...
The guards crumpled to the ground, effortlessly subdued, leaving the path clear for Tsunade to cross the threshold.
"Search."
At her command, the masked shinobi scattered, pouring into corridors and tearing through secret chambers. Muffled shouts and the brief clash of steel echoed from deep within the estate.
"Who are you?! This is Lord Danzo's—"
"By order of the Hokage! Surrender or die!"
Blades rang out in the dark. Men groaned and hit the floor as all remaining resistance was brutally suppressed.
Ten minutes later, a mountain of intelligence scrolls sat at Tsunade's feet. An Anbu captain dropped to one knee, offering up a worn, bound book with both hands...
"Lady Hokage. We found this diary in Danzo's study."
Tsunade took the journal, flipping it open to scan the pages. Almost instantly, the blood drained from her face. Her grip on the spine tightened until her knuckles turned stark white.
"Good..." she hissed through gritted teeth. "Very good..."
Every word, every sentence was a horrifying revelation. She snapped the book shut, her eyes blazing with raw, murderous intent.
"Move out!" she commanded, her voice ringing with absolute authority.
"Target... Danzo's laboratory outside the village. I want to see with my own eyes exactly how much filth that man has hidden!"
...
Meanwhile, on the village outskirts, the rush of wind signaled their arrival. Over a dozen Root operatives landed in near silence just outside the laboratory ruins, trailing closely behind Danzo.
The group froze. Under the pale moonlight, several massive trees had erupted violently from the earth.
Trapped within the thick timber were the facility's Root guards. The wood encased them entirely, leaving only their heads exposed—their eyes wide, faces locked in grimaces of horror and agony.
Wood Release.
Danzo's single eye widened, a rare crack in his stoic facade. In all of Konoha, only three people could use Wood Release.
He was one, utilizing the First Hokage's cells transplanted into his right arm.
Another was Yamato. But Yamato lacked the raw, overwhelming chakra required to instantly subdue a squad of elite Root shinobi.
That left only one person. The very asset he had once tried to control, only for the boy to slip his leash and turn completely against him... Tejima Shinichi.
A cold realization settled over Danzo. This wasn't a random intrusion. It was a premeditated strike aimed directly at him.
"Lord Danzo..." Fu Yamanaka grimaced, the implication clear to him as well.
The timing was too perfect. The moment the Fifth Hokage took office, Shinichi had assaulted this top-secret facility, deliberately leaving behind an undeniable display of power.
This wasn't a solo, rogue operation. Tsunade had to know. She might have even orchestrated it.
This was no longer a personal vendetta. It was a political purge.
Danzo's grip tightened around his cane until the wood groaned, veins bulging beneath his aged skin. He stood in heavy silence, his gaze shifting from the wooden prisons to the gaping maw of the underground entrance.
"We go in."
"Lord Danzo, it could be a trap—" Fu stepped forward, urgency bleeding into his voice.
"They are already waiting for us," Danzo cut him off, his tone flat and absolute. "Running is useless."
Danzo stepped forward, moving toward the blasted crater. Fu and Aburame Torune exchanged grim glances before trailing close behind.
Their footsteps echoed down the dark, oppressive tunnel. The path was an absolute massacre. Every few paces, another elite Root operative lay broken. Some were crushed into the stone walls, others impaled by jagged wooden spikes, and the rest sprawled motionless in the gloom.
At the end of the corridor, they halted before a heavy metal door that had been violently torn from its hinges.
The ruined laboratory beyond was bathed in pale, flickering light. Shattered medical instruments, overturned tables, and scattered research files littered the floor.
Amidst the wreckage, a solitary youth sat casually, resting his weight atop the unconscious body of Shigaraki Tanuki.
Amber eyes drifted up from the carnage to meet the new arrivals.
"Too slow," the youth said, his voice cutting through the quiet. "You kept me waiting... Danzo."
Shinichi pushed himself to his feet, his gaze cold as it swept over the Root commander and his guards.
"Tejima... Shinichi!" Danzo's face was ashen, the name forced out through gritted teeth. "Is there... truly no room for reconciliation between us?!"
A dead silence blanketed the ruined lab. Shinichi's expression went entirely blank—as if he couldn't even fathom the sheer audacity of Danzo's question.
"Heh... hehe... hahaha!"
Shinichi threw his head back, his shoulders shaking as dark, mocking laughter echoed through the ruined laboratory, bouncing off shattered instruments and battered walls. Behind Danzo, Fu and Torune tightened the grips on their weapons, their grim expressions hardening under the suffocating wave of chakra pressure rolling off the youth.
Slowly, the laughter subsided into a cold chuckle.
"Reconciliation? Danzo, have you finally gone senile? The moment you sent Root to hunt me down, the concept of reconciliation ceased to exist."
The atmosphere in the room plummeted, the air growing thick and freezing. But then, Shinichi paused. He tilted his head, studying the elder's pale face as a cruel smirk curved his lips.
"Then again..." he drawled, his tone shifting into feigned thoughtfulness. "I suppose it isn't entirely impossible."
Danzo's single visible eye flickered at the opening. Shinichi caught that fleeting glimmer of hope, and his smile widened into a predator's grin.
"That is, of course..." Shinichi slowly raised a hand, leveling his index finger squarely at the center of Danzo's forehead. "...if you're willing to receive the same treatment you prepared for me..."
"Let me brand you with a Cursed Seal... Let me lock a lovely, tight collar around your neck..."
"...How about it, Danzo?"
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