The interrogation room fell silent.
Danzo: ? ? ?
He swore he had never encountered a scoundrel like Shun in his entire life.
This guy was meticulous!
"So, what do you want?"
After all, he had conditions to sway the other party. Danzo said nothing, but he felt relieved inside.
"The Scroll of Seals!"
Shun spoke without hesitation.
"The Scroll of Seals is guarded by ANBU. For you, Danzo-sama, obtaining the Scroll of Seals should be easy, right?"
"As long as you let me study the forbidden techniques in the Scroll of Seals to my heart's content, I'll join Root."
Danzo couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth. Indeed, like teacher, like student.
Orochimaru was obsessed with learning Kekkei Genkai, but his student was obsessed with forbidden techniques?
"What if I say no?"
Danzo, always comfortable only when things were in his control, asked doubtfully.
"I brought eight hundred explosive tags with me."
Shun opened his coat, and sure enough, explosive tags were attached inside his clothes.
Danzo's eyes widened as he watched in disbelief as the boy pulled out a pile of explosive tags from his waist like a fourth-dimensional pocket.
"Danzo-sama, there's no need to do this yourself. Worst case, we all go down in the explosion together!"
Shun had a personal space equipped with a roulette wheel. Although he didn't use it often, the explosive tags he produced from his body at this crucial moment were extremely helpful.
Seeing this scene, Danzo, who had not yet obtained the Sharingan, fell silent.
Wasn't he the one threatening Shun earlier?
Now, how did it feel to be the one being threatened!
Finally, Danzo called for his Root operatives and ordered them to fetch the Scroll of Seals.
"By the way, there might be some sealing techniques from the Uzumaki Clan. There should be some in the ninjutsu room where the Scroll of Seals is kept."
"Takema Shun, don't push your luck!"
Danzo's face darkened. This boy wasn't taking him seriously!
"Danzo-sama, this is a misunderstanding!"
Shun quickly faced the old man.
"Think about it, after you plant the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, won't I be your most loyal subordinate, Danzo-sama?"
"You're giving a few more sealing techniques to a capable subordinate. When the time comes, I'll grow up and punch the Uchiha Clan, kick the Hyuga Clan, and help you ascend to the position of Hokage."
"As a boss, if you're not even willing to invest this much, how can you expect a subordinate with perfect potential like me to bring you great benefits?"
"So… I don't want the Scroll of Seals and sealing techniques for myself but for you!"
Danzo: "😐"
Honestly, at that moment, he even felt that the boy's words made sense.
But after realizing it, he was about to refute when he heard the other party add again.
"I can first be implanted with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. Will that reassure you, Danzo-sama?"
"Fine, as long as you accept this seal first, I'll have someone fetch them for you!"
With the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal completed, Danzo didn't believe the boy could slip from his grasp.
Danzo, confident as ever, chose to make this deal with Shun.
With the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal completed, Danzo, in a good mood, tossed the Scroll of Seals, the Adamantine Chain Seal, and the Four Symbol Seal to Shun.
Danzo returned to his stern demeanor, speaking to Shun in a deep tone:
"Takema Shun, from now on, you will obey my orders, understand?"
"I understand!"
"However, you'd better brace yourself first and then talk about it."
Before Danzo could become confused, Shun suddenly threw all the explosive tags away while thinking to himself:
'Return!'
Eight hundred explosive tags exploded one after another, turning the entire interrogation room into a sea of fiery blasts.
The flames swept through half the base, and the collapse and deafening explosions couldn't be hidden.
Root ninjas kept using ninjutsu to clear the ground. Suddenly, a figure burst through the earth and rushed out.
No doubt, it was Danzo himself, filled with pride.
Danzo appeared fleeing from the scene, his whole body scorched. At this moment, he howled like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell.
"Damn brat, get him out of here."
❀❀❀
In an instant, word spread throughout Konoha that Danzo had taken Shun away at night disguised as Orochimaru.
Similarly, the explosion at the Root base also spread among all the major powers.
"Danzo! Come out here!"
Tsunade was now like an enraged lioness. Bursts of chakra kept shattering the floor, and ninjas throughout the Hokage Building kept their distance.
Hiruzen, who heard Tsunade's roar from afar, almost felt his heart pound and fainted.
Following the sound of his two broken doors, Tsunade burst in.
"Is Konoha no longer able to shelter the Senju Clan?"
"Must the last heir of the Senju Clan die?"
Tsunade's voice seemed to echo through the entire Hokage Building. Whether it was the Nara Clan or other clans' ninjas, they quickly fled, while Koharu and Homura pretended to be dead on the spot.
No one dared to intervene.
Even Hiruzen cursed the fool Danzo in his heart at that moment.
But regardless, he still had to clean up Danzo's mess.
"Tsunade, please calm down first. Right now, it's highly likely that Shun is not dead."
Hiruzen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said quickly: "Right after the explosion, the Uchiha Clan rushed to the Root base, but aside from Danzo suffering burns and injured Root ninjas, Takema Shun's body was nowhere to be found."
"The Hyuga Clan also looked with their Byakugan. The boy seems to have simply disappeared. In other words, he might have escaped and is hiding."
Hiruzen's words made Tsunade suppress the chakra she emitted. Coming back to her senses, she took a deep breath, turned, and ran toward the explosion site.
❀❀❀
Hearing the explosion from afar, Kurenai suddenly woke up.
She suddenly remembered Shun's words, got up from bed, hurried to Shun's house, and pulled out two sheets of stationery.
One was written for Kurenai, and the other for Anko.
Kurenai stared at them for a long time under the moonlight before carefully storing the letter.
Her eyes gazed at the distant moon, and she spoke softly yet firmly:
"I'll become stronger before Shun returns!"
That night, Anko, who received Kurenai's letter, stayed up all night.
The next morning, when she saw Orochimaru, she spoke with determined eyes:
"Sensei, I will work hard to become stronger and catch up with Shun."
"Mm."
Orochimaru didn't even lift his head, his eyes focused on a test tube.
"Shun asked me to tell you: If nothing unexpected happens, within a few years of peace, the Third Ninja World War will break out."
"Shun-kun has always been smart and sharp, and I agree with him."
Orochimaru's voice remained calm.
"He also said that he will help you ascend to the position of Hokage when the time comes. Thank you for taking care of him before."
A crack appeared on the glass wall of the test tube.
Orochimaru set down the reagent in his hand, rinsed his hands, and looked at Anko.
"Well then, it's up to you to relay my gratitude to me."
"Hey, why? Won't sensei go himself?"
Orochimaru turned and didn't answer.