Sarutobi Hiruzen froze on the spot with the teapot in his hands. Though as a shinobi he was no stranger to the horrors of battle, seeing corpses was nothing new. But when faced with the bodies of enemies or strangers versus those of close kin, the impact was entirely different—especially when it was someone he slept beside every night.
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen staggered back two steps and then collapsed heavily to the ground and the teapot shattered as it fell to the ground.
"Danzo, how did you escape prison?!" he demanded, voice fraught with disbelief.
"Danzo, why did you involve Biwako—"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura stood nearby, equally pale and visibly shaken, though not as dramatically as Sarutobi Hiruzen. Yet, none of them had noticed the figures seated atop another house in the Sarutobi compound, observing the emotional turmoil like spectators at a show.
"Oh, now this is entertainment," one of them remarked with amusement. "Aniki never disappoints; this is far more thrilling than any public trial."
Nawaki caught up in the moment, let out a high-pitched laugh like a cat in heat.
"What's the best way to solve some old fogies? Let them fight it out like cats and dogs," the older the friendship the deeper the jealousy!
"Hey, they have the same bad taste," Tsunade sneered, curling her lips. But the excitement in her eyes was unmistakable.
"How can I thank you? Can I buy you a drink?" she asked eagerly.
Tatsuya leaned in close to Tsunade, a strange smile playing on his lips.
"Let's open the back entrance—because sometimes, even ninja battles need a surprise attack strategy, right? Just like sneaking up on someone with a well-placed ninja move or a... strategic surprise," he whispered provocatively.
Blushing furiously, Tsunade cursed inwardly, "This guy is getting more and more shameless!"
Meanwhile, Nawaki was completely absorbed in observing the dynamic between Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen, unaware of Tatsuya's conversation with his older sister.
On the other side of Tatsuya, the girl trio overheard everything about tigers and wolves, but the concept of the back path perplexed them.
"Back door? Could it be... over there?" Kurenai Yuhi whispered, exchanging puzzled glances with Kato Shizune and Terumi Mei. "Goodness, have they already reached that level?" she added with a playful smirk.
Shizune giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Well, if they're resorting to such tactics, they must be truly in love!"
Mei chimed in, raising an eyebrow mischievously. "Seems like they're pulling out all the stops—literally!"
The three women shared a knowing look, understanding the innuendo while maintaining their composure amid the chaotic situation unfolding before them.
"Danzo, why did you do this?" Sarutobi Hiruzen demanded as he rose from the ground.
The initial panic on his face had transformed into anger, his face reddened as he shouted at Danzo.
He had two sons; one was dead, and the other's whereabouts were unknown. His wife, Sarutobi Biwako, had naturally become his last spiritual pillar. But now, she lay dead before him in a different location—and at the hands of his closest friend?
"Hiruzen, you claimed to know me better than you know yourself. Do you still dare to make such a claim again?" Danzo retorted coldly, tossing the head of Sarutobi Biwako. It rolled several times along the corridor before coming to a stop at Sarutobi Hiruzen's feet.
"You represent Konoha in the light, while I am the hidden root in the shadows. Are we to maintain this facade until one of us dies?" Danzo's face contorted, his right arm's secret no longer concealed, known well to the three individuals opposite him.
Moreover, he had come with a deadly intent.
"What the hell do you want to do, Danzo?" Sarutobi Hiruzen demanded, unsettled by Danzo's monstrous appearance.
He even forgot to pick up his wife's head from the ground. He enjoyed the support of the villagers and had ruled the strongest ninja village for thirty years. It was utterly inconceivable.
A man who had carried the burden for thirty years, swallowing his anger—what consequences would erupt once his internal grievances spilled over his limits?
"Hiruzen! Let us die together!" Danzo yelled, biting his finger and striking the ground.
"Summoning no Jutsu!"
Bang—
With a puff of smoke, the black ink-like marking spread out.
A summoning beast with a facial outline resembling a tapir but many times larger appeared.
"Is that a tapir? I heard they were big, but this is huge," Nawaki exclaimed in surprise.
Danzo stood atop the summoning beast and spoke coldly, "Koharu and Homura will join us as well. Over the past thirty years, everything I have done for Hiruzen you two as well shared the same responsibility. There's no reason for him to bear it alone while you go free. Enjoy the remainder of your life in peace, won't you?"
"Danzo! Snap out of it!"
Upon hearing that Danzo intended to drag them into his scheme, Utatane Koharu panicked and hastily tried to reason with him:
"We don't expect you to bear the guilt alone; we simply wish to minimize the sacrifices!"
"Yes, think about the Shimura clan relying on you. They need you to consider this," Mitokado Homura added urgently.
"This rhetoric might work on simpletons like the White Fang, but using it to deceive me who made the plan to kill White Fang—how arrogant," Danzo retorted the next moment, yelling. The tapir lifted its nose and aimed towards their position.
Boom—!
The roof of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mansion was instantly obliterated, but the three managed to evade Danzo's initial onslaught.
"You're unwilling to face death alone, so you seek to take us with you, is that it?" Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned Danzo, shocked yet not entirely surprised.
After all, their familiarity ran deep. But when Danzo continued to speak of "death," Hiruzen found himself unable to accept it.
The notion gnawed at him, and it held merit. But Sarutobi Hiruzen was still perplexed. Both Danzo and Hiruzen asked others to sacrifice for Konoha or comrades or family but alas when their chance came to die for their comrades they couldn't do it.
"How did you escape from the prison personally overseen by Minato? Tell me, Danzo!" Sarutobi Hiruzen demanded, finding a blind spot and shouting.
"Huh! I simply shared my plan with Hatake Tatsuya; he let me out without any objection," Danzo sneered.
"That boy would be pleased to witness the outcome of our clash. Though it irks me, I have no other recourse now. If joining me in the next world involves being used by that kid, so be it."
With these words, Danzo unleashed wind blades from atop the summoning beast beneath him.
"Wind Style: Multiple Vacuum Blades!"
However, Danzo's widespread wind technique wasn't aimed at Sarutobi Hiruzen or the other two elders. It targeted the gathering of Sarutobi clansmen instead. Danzo understood well that he couldn't match Sarutobi Hiruzen in a confrontation. To secure victory, chaos had to be sown.
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