"I have long heard of the reputation of Princess Tsunade in gambling. Since we rarely have such an opportunity today, why not go play a few rounds? What do you all say?"
"Although I haven't played much, since everyone is interested, I will accompany you."
...
A short time earlier
"Tch, this is troublesome."
Watching from the shadows as Uchiha Hikari fought against a group of Root members ahead, along with Shion and Fū, Kakashi could not help but let out a deep sigh in his heart.
Ever since he had come to know through their interactions that Uchiha Hikari possessed considerable strength, Kakashi had occasionally sought her out to train together. However, due to the mysterious nature of her identity, he still carried a certain degree of wariness.
That wariness, though, was merely the natural caution any shinobi should have toward a mysterious powerhouse. He trusted Furina and believed she would not misjudge someone, nor would she bring back to Konoha a person who might endanger the village.
Thus, as time passed, his interactions with Uchiha Hikari increasingly focused on training matters, while he also kept an eye on the esteemed priestess from the Land of Demons and the jinchuriki from Takigakure.
Combined with the occasional chats with Naruto and Furina, these ordinary experiences had become Kakashi's routine in recent times. But today, it seemed something had gone wrong with that routine.
As his final gaze fell on Danzo—this pot-stirring king—further away, along with his two core subordinates Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune, Kakashi formed a rough guess about the current situation in his mind.
Although he was worried about the safety of the group, since Danzo had not yet made a move himself, Kakashi simply continued to observe from the shadows.
After all, although the scene appeared to be Uchiha Hikari and the others under siege, it was actually Uchiha Hikari and her group who held the upper hand. The several Root members already lying on the ground served as the best proof.
In this battle, Shion had not trained for long, and Fū's combat power was not particularly strong when only using the tailed beast cloak. Her greatest role was actually to protect Shion.
With the two of them in such positions, the remaining Uchiha Hikari naturally became the main force in this fight. The Root members who had fallen to the ground had all been taken down by her hand.
Even though she had to be wary of Kotoamatsukami and thus refrained from using her Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Hikari could already handle the besieging Root members with ease using only the combination of taijutsu and ninjutsu, and from time to time, a few more Root members would continue to fall.
Seeing the unfavorable situation ahead, Danzo could not help but feel a surge of impatience in his heart. Although he had known in advance that the one called Hikari should possess some strength, he never imagined she would be this powerful.
"All of you, join the fight as well."
But at this point, he could not give up. Unless he could gain control over the Seven-Tails and that Hikari right here, once Tsunade reacted later, his position would surely become very difficult.
Seeing Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune also make their move, Kakashi—who understood their abilities—no longer hid himself. He swiftly intervened and blocked their sudden assault.
After Kakashi's figure appeared, although the fighting on the field did not stop, everyone unconsciously slowed down. Everyone present clearly knew Kakashi's identity, and his appearance here already signified certain things.
"Elder Danzo, the Hokage has already stated that Miss Fū is a friend temporarily residing in Konoha. Please consider the bigger picture and refrain from doing anything that would harm the friendship between the various villages."
While staying vigilant against the surrounding Root members, Kakashi kept speaking without pause, persuading Danzo to abandon his actions. Although he personally held a very poor opinion of Danzo's current behavior.
Because of certain matters, he did not particularly like Danzo himself. But in the current tense state of the ninja world, he did not wish for incidents where Konoha shinobi acted out of personal motives against jinchuriki from other villages.
Such actions would only make the already not-very-united alliance even more unstable.