"…Danzo-sama."
Inside Danzo's tent, Yakushi Nono hesitated before speaking.
"What is it? Just say it." Danzo's rare display of curiosity was evident.
"There's a young one who wishes to see you." A hint of sorrow flickered beneath her calm expression.
Danzo set down the intelligence report in his hand. The atmosphere grew heavy as he followed Nono to the medical tent.
In a bed separated from the others lay a girl, her upper body wrapped in bandages. Her mask had been placed beside her, revealing a pale, youthful face drained of all color.
On the way there, Danzo had already learned of her condition.
The prolonged exposure to Lightning Release chakra had cooked her insides. Even though she was a Lightning Release user herself, her organs were almost beyond saving.
The only reason she was still alive was due to medication and Nono's medical ninjutsu keeping her going.
"…Danzo-sama?" Her voice was uncertain, trembling with emotion.
"I'm here." Danzo sat beside her, feeling an unfamiliar weight settle in his chest.
He had always known this world was far from peaceful or filled with the idealistic heroism some imagined. He thought he had accepted that reality. And yet…
"I… I'm so scared… Am I… useless…?" Her voice was weak, shaking, filled with helplessness. Gone was the brave warrior who had fought on the battlefield—now, she was just a child.
"It's alright. We're all here. I'm here… You've done well… I'm proud of you…"
Feeling the slight tremor of her body, Danzo moved closer, his voice softer than ever as he repeated his reassurance.
"…"
His usual cold and composed tone had vanished. In its place was something rare—gentle, pained.
Her body slowly relaxed. A small, peaceful smile formed on her lips before she drifted into an eternal sleep.
Danzo remained still for a long time.
"…Danzo-sama?"
"Leave me. I'll stay with this one a little longer."
No matter how much Danzo despised war, it continued regardless.
With Sunagakure reinforcing their forces, the intensity of battle had only increased.
Even Danzo, stationed on the eastern front, had no choice but to tighten his defensive lines.
For Tsunade, who was facing Sunagakure's main forces, things were even worse. The casualties were devastating.
Yet Konoha's reinforcements were far from adequate.
The first batch of reinforcements consisted mostly of civilian-born shinobi, with a majority being inexperienced genin who had never set foot on a battlefield.
"…Danzo-sama, Tsunade has sent a request. She wants to rotate out some of her forces." Nono reported.
With the rapid loss of experienced shinobi, the fresh reinforcements simply couldn't handle missions on their own.
Even though Danzo was reluctant, this was the reality of war.
"…Fine. Send a hundred men."
After a brief pause, he added, "And tell her—Root shinobi follow the rules of Root. If she can't accept that, she shouldn't use them."
"Yes, Danzo-sama." Nono bowed before leaving.
Tsunade didn't care about conditions anymore. The fact that Danzo was willing to send men was already a relief.
The two had never seen eye to eye. When Danzo first arrived, she had kicked him out of the main camp.
If she wasn't completely overwhelmed, she would never have lowered her pride to make this request.
The new reinforcements from Konoha were suffering staggering losses—out of ten squads sent out, only three would return at night. Sometimes, none returned at all.
Letting them operate alone any further would only worsen the situation.
But there weren't enough experienced shinobi to lead them.
With no other choice, she turned to Danzo.
As for the Root protocol manual that Danzo's ever-efficient assistant delivered, Tsunade didn't even bother reading it.
It was just another set of ruthless shinobi regulations.
With Konoha tightening its defensive perimeter, Sunagakure saw an opportunity.
Their attacks became more relentless, pushing the battlefront within thirty kilometers of Konoha's main camp.
Any shinobi venturing beyond that range risked immediate ambush. Even elite jōnin were clashing frequently now.
Despite another shipment of supplies and reinforcements arriving that month, the majority were still civilian-born shinobi.
"Deliver this letter to the Third Hokage personally," Tsunade ordered, her frustration clear. "Tell him that if this continues, he might as well wait for Sunagakure to invade the Land of Fire."
"The Third Hokage has his reasons. Iwagakure is also—" The jōnin escorting the supplies attempted to explain.
"I don't want to hear it. Just deliver the message." Tsunade waved him off impatiently.
After the escort left, her second-in-command approached with a report.
"The supplies have been distributed to all outposts, and the new reinforcements have been reassigned into squads… However…" He hesitated.
"Just say it." Tsunade rubbed her temples.
"The majority of the newly assigned shinobi are requesting to be placed in squads led by Root members. It's causing an imbalance in team distribution."
"…What?"
Tsunade almost thought she misheard.
Root shinobi were infamous for their cruelty and lack of emotion. Why would anyone willingly work with them?
Seeing her confusion, her second-in-command continued, "Based on this past month's mission records, the survival rate of squads led by Root is the highest."
"…Are they abandoning missions to preserve their own numbers?" she asked sharply.
"No, Lady Tsunade. Their mission success rate is also the highest."
That made her pause.
The highest success rate. The highest survival rate.
"Bring me any Root-led squad that just completed a mission."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Not long after, a masked Root operative entered her tent, accompanied by three young shinobi, no older than fifteen.
"…Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade studied the four of them.
The Root shinobi stood straight, disciplined and unshaken. Judging by his build, he was no older than eighteen.
The three behind him were clearly fresh out of the Academy—nervous, fidgeting under her gaze.
"Report on your last mission."
"Yes."
As she listened to his detailed breakdown, she couldn't help but nod.
The strategy was solid. Tactical execution, precise. His experience was undeniable.
More than that, he had ensured the safety of his weaker teammates.
The three younger shinobi looked at their leader with admiration, their trust in him obvious.
"If completing your mission required you to sacrifice a comrade, what would you do?"
Silence filled the tent.
All eyes turned to the masked Root shinobi.
"…I would abandon the mission."
Though his expression was hidden, the firm displeasure in his voice was unmistakable.
Tsunade stared at him, finding it hard to believe.
This was a shinobi trained by Danzo?
His unwavering answer reminded her of Konoha's White Fang.
For the first time, the prejudice she held against Root wavered. Her voice softened.
"When the war is over, would you consider joining Konoha's official ranks? I could personally recommend you."
The words left her mouth before she even realized it. She immediately regretted saying them.
"There's no need, Lady Tsunade," he replied calmly. "I have sworn my allegiance."
Glancing at the three young shinobi behind him, he added, "My comrades who have yet to grow strong must also be protected."
As the four of them left, Tsunade sat in silence.
A nostalgic look filled her eyes as she murmured,
'…What a reckless idiot. If he were still here… he'd probably say the same thing…'
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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