Escape From Konoha

Late July.

Jiraiya and others, who protected the safety of the Fire Country's Daming Mansion, rushed back to Konoha Village from the Daming Mansion. At this time, except for the severely damaged northwest section of the village area that was damaged by Uchiha Sasuke, the rest of the area was basically repaired in a hurry while the construction team stayed up all night.

As the Hokage, Tsunade no longer places her office in the ANBU building of a subordinate agency, but moves back to the restored Hokage building.

Although there are still some areas outside the Hokage Building that still need to be rested, but at least they can be used for normal work without any problems.

"How is the situation over there with the Daimyo?"

Seeing Jiraiya, Kai and Tenzo appearing in the office, Tsunade asked about the current situation of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

As a Hokage, her relationship with that daimyo could not be said to be unfamiliar. She had met that daimyo more than once since she was very young. He was an old man of the same generation as his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Strictly speaking, He is also her elder.

"Under our constant surveillance, nothing happened in Daming Mansion. We only rushed back after the envoys from the Kingdom of Ghosts left."

Jiraiya said so seriously.

Otherwise, their team would not dare to let the Fire Nation daimyo come into contact with such a dangerous person.

"However, this time the Demon Country caused such a big commotion in Konoha, does this leave the village alone?"

Although he has been responsible for protecting the Daimyo in the Daimyo Mansion for a while and has not participated in the battle to protect Konoha, he can still get a rough idea of ​​the situation in the village through the information transmitted by the Anbu.

Needless to say, the damaged buildings, but the hundreds of ninjas who died, really dealt Konoha a big blow.

"At this time, there is no other way but to exercise restraint. Are we going to start a war against them again?"

Tsunade's rhetorical question left Jiraiya speechless.

Tsunade gestured to Kai and Tenzo who were behind Jiraiya. The two nodded knowingly and left the office, leaving Tsunade and Jiraiya here.

Tsunade took a calm sip of tea to relieve the fatigue on her face, and then said: "As long as the power disputes within Konoha are not resolved for one day, it will be impossible to concentrate on dealing with the external environment. Next, I have to gather the forces within the village faster and gather them together. Otherwise, if the same thing happens next time, we still won't be able to act rashly."

At this time, no matter which country it is, it does not want to face the Kingdom of Ghosts on the battlefield.

Although the Kingdom of Wind and the Kingdom of Earth are located in the west of the continent and are extremely difficult to deal with the Kingdom of Ghosts, the two countries are also suffering under the oppression of the Kingdom of Ghosts. Even so, they do not want to start a war with the Kingdom of Ghosts here. Instead, they are stepping up their efforts to strengthen their country's military strength in order to be able to fight back quickly in the future.

At this time, Kumogakure from the Kingdom of Thunder, the only country that had ever fought against the military of the Kingdom of Demons, also used the small country as a stage and relied on the power of other countries to fight against the Kingdom of Demons between agents, suppressing the scale of the battle to a minimum. conduct. Judging from the intelligence collected by the Anbu, it seems that the political power of the small country controlled by Kumogakure has begun to tilt towards a disadvantage.

Stimulating the armed forces of civil society and using its huge population base to develop a self-defense and counterattack force of considerable scale locally is the specialty of the Kingdom of Ghosts.

Compared to the past, the Allied Forces of the Kingdom of Ghosts are getting stronger year by year.

The bad news is that the growth of the Kingdom of Ghosts cannot be contained.

The good news is that currently no other big country has joined its alliance and has a relatively bad relationship with the Kingdom of Ghosts. Otherwise, the situation of the other big countries will be even more precarious.

"Accelerate internal integration? I heard that those two consultants..."

Jiraiya remembered something and looked directly at Tsunade to confirm whether the news was true or false.

Tsunade nodded without hiding it.

"Koharu can find a charred and mutilated corpse when he goes to bed. As for Mito Gate Flame... we can only build a burial mound. The burial will be the day after tomorrow. At that time, I will lead the jounin to see him off in person. .”

This matter should have been dealt with long ago, but the recovery of the village is more important.

Therefore, funeral arrangements for the two consultants can only be postponed.

"I didn't expect that just one Uchiha Sasuke could do such a thing. Those two old guys, even though they are old, are still good hands among the Jonin, they actually..."

Jiraiya sighed.

It is useless to say anything at this time, after all, the living have passed away.

Moreover, his relationship with the two consultants was not, to be honest, harmonious. At most, there was a hint of respect in his heart because the other party was from the same sect as his teacher, Master Sarutobi Hiruzen. In addition, the passing of these two people made him sigh with emotion at most, and he had no other thoughts.

"Uchiha Sasuke's strength is certainly a bit surprising, but... the Sharingan ninja ability of the ANBU that intercepted me that day is even more incredible. His Mangekyo Sharingan focuses on the time and space level, and according to Sunagakure According to the village's Maki Jonin, the other party used to wear the clothes of that mysterious organization and kidnapped Gaara who was on the front line of the battlefield at that time."

When Tsunade said this, her expression gradually became solemn.

He took out two photos, one of which was obviously not new and had some signs of damage. This photo was provided by Maki, a Jonin from Sunagakure Village.

The figure that appears above is wearing a black red cloud coat, exposing the Mangekyō Sharingan in the right eye. The mask is an orange spiral pattern, and the left eye is covered and not exposed.

The figure in the second photo is similar to him, but instead of a black red cloud coat, the outer clothing is mainly black, and there are not many other colors. The style of the mask is also different, and in addition to the Mangekyō Sharingan with the same pattern on the right eye, the left eye is also exposed, but it is not the Mangekyō Sharingan, but an ordinary three-magatama Sharingan.

It is basically certain that the person in the two photos is the same person.

"you mean……"

"At that time, Sunagakure mistakenly thought that the ninja who kidnapped Gaara were the same group as the organization that kidnapped Kumogakure and Iwagakure's Jinchūriki, but now that I think about it, that is not necessarily the case. The Oni Country knows the situation of this organization very well, at least. He knows more than we do, and besides..."

Tsunade pointed at the spiral patterned man in the first photo.

"If this kind of acting is not groundless, then there might be a character wearing a spiral mask in this mysterious organization. Moreover, it is very likely that he also has a Sharingan."

As he spoke, he pointed to the left eye of the figure in the second photo.

"The people in the two photos both have the Mangekyo Sharingan in their right eye. In the first photo, the condition of the left eye cannot be seen clearly because of the mask, but in the second photo, the left eye has three magatama, which is very clear. some problems."

"Is this a connection?"

After listening to Tsunade's hypothesis, Jiraiya also pondered the connection.

"It's just one of the assumptions made by the intelligence department, but everything must be considered based on the worst possibility. After all, our opponent is not simple."

Therefore, Tsunade believed that ninjas with spiral masks and Sharingan eyes existed in a mysterious organization that hunted jinchūriki.

"I know, I will investigate this aspect. Although Boss Fukasaku and the others have left Konoha and are looking for other places to recuperate, I still have some toads here that I can use."

Jiraiya said so.

After teaching Naruto the senjutsu of Mount Myoboku, the remaining members of Mount Myoboku, led by the two immortals, had left Konoha more than half a year ago to find a secluded place in the ninja world to thrive.

With hundreds of years of experience, the two immortals have no shortage of knowledge about the ninja world. Some ancient and remote places are difficult for humans to find today, but it is not difficult for the two immortals.

Therefore, it is not something to worry about on their side.

However, due to the heavy losses suffered after the battle at Myoboku Mountain, more than half of Toad Village's high-level combat power was lost at the hands of the Demon Country's military and the Ninja Clan. Today, there are only two immortals left in Toad Village, as well as three or two large toads such as Toad Bunta to support the scene.

His strength has dropped to the point where he may even be slightly inferior to the Ninja Clan.

Such a Toad Village naturally does not dare to call itself a holy place in the world of psychic beasts.

Having lost the powerful existence that competes with the founder of the Shigu Forest, the Slug Immortal, and the founder of the Longdi Cave, the White Snake Immortal, there is a long way to go to regain the title of Holy Land. But as long as the legacy of immortality endures, there is hope for a comeback.

"I hope so. In addition, this is some information compiled by the Intelligence Department about Uchiha Sasuke and the ability of the mysterious Sharingan ninja. Please read it carefully. Although it is not very useful, at least it can have an effect on them. Understand it so that you won’t be caught off guard next time.”

Tsunade took out a scroll and placed it in front of Jiraiya.

The level difference between Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan is too big.

If it's just the Sharingan, you can still win the battle with detailed information.

But facing the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan, if there is no ninja of the same level to suppress it, in a war, it will be an extremely terrifying meat grinding machine.

Jiraiya held the scroll recording the information and fell into a brief thought.

◎

"Lord Raikage, Konoha has suffered a lot this time, and we should be more attentive to the Kingdom of Demons."

The fact that Konoha was attacked by Sasuke Uchiha was not hidden from the villages outside Konoha.

After all, on the day Konoha was attacked, Kumogakure and several other existing ninjas were watching.

In the office, Secretary Mabui made a brief analysis after reading the information compiled by the Kumogakure Intelligence Department.

In the center of the office, the Fourth Raikage, who could easily lift a barbell measured in 'tons' with one hand, snorted lightly without taking a breath, while continuing to lift a barbell heavy enough to lift a house with one hand. The smashed barbell and the bulging muscles of the arm looked like they were made of cast steel.

"We'll talk about the Kingdom of Ghosts later. Haven't we always fought against those small countries in their territories?"

The Fourth Raikage said.

Although this was a personal commission from the Daimyo of the Kingdom of Thunder, Kumogakure also gained a lot of benefits from manipulating the small country behind the scenes.

Nowadays, Kumogakure has also begun to imitate the Kingdom of Demons, and has begun to settle in the territories of some small countries in the name of military protection.

The difference is that unlike the soft policy of the Kingdom of Ghosts, Yunyin directly controls the country's Daming Mansion to gain huge benefits for the Kingdom of Thunder and Yunyin.

And use this small civil war to initiate war finance.

"Having said that, we have always been at a disadvantage. As expected, in terms of people's support, the Kingdom of Ghosts is better. I heard that the Kingdom of Water seems to have suffered from it, and I don't know who the former How effective is Dai Mizukage's suppression?"

Abuyi spoke objectively based on data, and then mentioned the Land of Water.

This is a large maritime country surrounded by sea and isolated from the mainland by its huge sea area.

After the fourth generation Mizukage Gotachibana Yagura abdicated the throne, he heard that he had handed over the management of Kirigakure Village to the fifth generation Mizukage Terumi Mei, while he cooperated with the Daimyofu of the Land of Water to suppress the affairs of the Kirigakure Village. The rebels within the Water Kingdom provoked by the Kingdom of Ghosts.

Although Mabuyi was not optimistic about the character of the previous generation Mizukage, he was still a generation Mizukage after all, and he was still within his own territory. In any case, the grassroots riots caused by the Demon Country would be affected by this person. The former Mizukage, who has his hands free, can deal with them all in one fell swoop.

Unless the Kingdom of Ghosts is willing to increase its power and expand the trouble.

But that would inevitably break the stability that had been briefly restored after the Fourth Ninja War, and then very likely trigger the Fifth Ninja War.

"Leave the affairs of the Water Kingdom to Kirigakure himself. As for the small countries under our control, we only need to get funding and scarce resources for military development. As for the so-called public opinion, that kind of thing will be left to Oni. The country is well."

The Fourth Raikage dismissed this.

In a war between a large country and a small country, his only purpose as Raikage is to raise more military expenditures as soon as possible. Therefore, the so-called long-term interests are not at all within his scope of consideration. In this troubled world where the strong act recklessly, allies and the like are not reliable and can only rely on their own force.

Too much trust in the abilities and character of allies will lead to deceiving the allies like Kirigakure did, causing the tragedy of losing the war to happen again.

Therefore, the Fourth Raikage is not worried at all about the defeats of small countries on the battlefield. All he wants is to snatch away all the benefits that can be taken away from a country before the Kingdom of Demons infiltrates it. Bring back Kumogakure.

Funds, food, special products, and even secret arts and forbidden arts are all being harvested.

As a large country, the Kingdom of Thunder has no shortage of population and land, but there is always a shortage of resources.

This is Kumogakure's current external development strategy, and only the small surrounding countries are spared such a disaster.

Putting down the heavy barbell in his hand, secretary Mabuyi walked up to him thoughtfully and handed him a wet towel.

Because the Fourth Raikage's physique is too strong, even a woman like Mabui, who is not petite, is an outlier among women, but she also looks extremely slender in front of the Fourth Raikage.

"The special operations team plan with Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure has been reached. Next, it is time to officially take action against that organization. As for the joint chunin exam that has not started, it will be postponed for one month and held in the village on its own. Let’s handle everything like this for the time being.”

The Fourth Raikage did not attach much importance to the interrupted Chunin Exam.

Driven by the Demon Kingdom, Uchiha Sasuke launched an attack on Konoha, but he also didn't care and chose to ignore it.

All he cares about is when he can recapture the second tail and make Kumogakure's military strength grow again.

◎

Konoha's torture room, underground.

Danzo was sitting on the chair in the treatment room. His bare arm was as pale as a dead tree, and his other arm was filled with red eyeballs. There were a large number of needles inserted and infusions were being carried out.

He lay quietly on the seat, his entire face looking numb, as if he had lost all consciousness, and he paid no attention to the pain caused by the powerful chakras colliding in his body.

On his numb face, there was only a pair of flashing eyes, proving that he was still alive and his brain still had the ability to think clearly and flexibly.

The root ninja who was treating him next to him, wearing a white coat and a white mask on his face, was preparing potions on the workbench, trying his best to keep Danzo alive as long as possible.

"Ji, how long do I have left?"

Danzo was still staring ahead with a numb expression, but his attention was focused on the medical ninja who was preparing medicine for him.

Although the other party was wearing a mask, the wrinkles between his eyebrows and his slightly white hair meant that he was already quite old, at least fifty years old.

As one of the first members to join the Roots along with Ryoma Aburame, the medical ninja named 'Tachi' has always been the most skilled medical ninja in the Roots and is one of the few trusted confidants of Danzo.

"Judging from the results recently shown, Danzo-sama, you still have less than half a year to live at most. No matter how you prepare the medicine, the power of Sharingan and Wood Release is not so easy to reconcile. Perhaps in the beginning, these two were completely different. It is a wrong idea for different forces to achieve balance and symbiosis in the body."

The medical ninja paused in his tricky movements, glanced at Danzo with his muddy but shrewd eyes, and sighed softly.

In fact, whether it is the Sharingan or the Wood Release, it will bring unparalleled repulsion to the body that does not match it.

Tenzo, who is now highly regarded in the Anbu of Konoha, is the only experimental subject suitable for Wood Release.

But Danzo is not like that. His body is not very adaptable to Sharingan and Wood Release.

He just used his own powerful chakra to temporarily suppress this hidden danger. But this is also based on the mutual consumption and resistance of the Sharingan and the Wood Release. Otherwise, even a ninja like Danzo would be difficult to suppress the two blood inheritance limits with his own chakra.

Not to mention the various precious secret medicines that are spent on Danzo every year.

But even so, this body has almost reached its limit.

Danzo did not answer, nor did he evaluate this possibility or whether there was an error.

He will never regret what he has done.

Ever since he missed out on becoming the Sandaime Hokage, there was no need for words like regret and hesitation in his life.

To accomplish something, no matter what the cost, you must complete it unswervingly.

Moreover, there was no resentment in his heart.

The moment he went from darkness to light, and then from light to the bottom of darkness, he already understood that he would never be able to obtain the throne of Hokage.

That position, from the beginning, did not belong to me.

The rats in the darkness can only continue to live in this twisted posture that cannot see the light, until they usher in the end of life in the darkness.

Tears, compassion, weakness, those are not things that you need to consider.

Now, I just need to use all means to crush all the obstacles in front of Konoha's road before my life comes to an end.

"It seems that my relationship with this village is coming to an end..."

In Danzo's muttering to himself, Tsutomu didn't hear anything about worrying about gains and losses, or being discouraged and afraid.

For this old man who has lived in darkness for decades, death is a cowardice that has long been forgotten.

"That's right." Ji nodded, acknowledging the fact that the other party's life was not long, and continued: "So, regarding the matter of the successor, Danzo-sama should really pay attention to it. As long as you die, the roots can still be controlled, But those fighting factions that have attached themselves may lose control completely and cause huge trouble to the village."

"Heir? For a ninja like me, this is quite an ironic word."

The corners of Danzo's mouth curled up slightly, and he forced out a smile of unknown meaning.

Tsuya smiled and replied: "Yes, after all, you can no longer become Hokage, and the matter of heir is also urgent. We in the darkness are far from the values ​​​​of those who are Hokage. From the beginning, we You shouldn’t luxury the so-called light, but die as a nameless person in the darkness.”

The name Thorn is more like a code name than a name.

As for the original name, he could still remember it when he first added the roots.

But as the years passed, and then the decades passed, the only name he could remember was the codename 'Thorn'.

He only remembered that he had a wife, children, and a warm family of his own. But the faces and names of these people gradually became blurred in my memory.

The root is a supernumerary organization that gathers people who have forgotten their names and past.

"Where the light is stronger, the roots of the trees underneath become stronger and deeper into the ground. A tree cannot survive without its roots. But the roots we established... will really be what Konoha relies on. Roots for survival?”

When Danzo said these words, the reagent tube in Tsubasa's hand fell to the ground in shock, shattering with a snap, and the liquid inside spilled out.

"Lord Danzo..."

"Don't worry, Ji. I have never questioned the correctness of the path. But Gen's future may turn out to be different. It's just that I can never see such a future again. This time the treatment is here. Here it is."

Danzo removed the cannula from his arm and stood up from his seat.

At this moment, the door to the healing room was pushed open, and Aburame Takegen walked in from the outside.

"Lord Danzo, it's time for the funerals of the two advisors."