After Danzo took Tsunade and retreated, Sunagakure soon sent out a signal, and their ninja forces began to withdraw as well.
Konoha had suffered heavy losses in this battle. Out of the 2,000 shinobi deployed, a third had been lost. The remaining forces, though alive, were mostly wounded to some degree.
Even Tsunade, due to the prolonged use of her Yin Seal, appeared exhausted.
Upon returning to the main camp, she proposed a strategic withdrawal from the Land of Rivers to fortify their defenses along the Land of Fire's border.
It was clear to everyone—Sunagakure's forces held the advantage. Their reinforcements were steady, whereas Konoha's were lacking. No one objected to the proposal.
Danzo, who attended the meeting, agreed without hesitation. There was no need for a head-on clash. Even if they expended all their resources, they might still be unable to hold back Sunagakure's army. Retreating would force Konoha's higher-ups to acknowledge their losses and hopefully allocate more support to the front lines.
Once a consensus was reached, the withdrawal proceeded smoothly. Sunagakure only sent small teams to harass them but failed to cause any significant trouble. The Land of Rivers was entirely abandoned.
Upon retreating to the Land of Fire's border outpost, Tsunade, surprisingly, did not send Danzo away. Perhaps it was because of his role in saving her life during the last battle.
However, Root members were not as fortunate. Under the pretense of a manpower shortage, Tsunade dispersed them into the main forces.
Whenever Danzo encountered other shinobi within the camp, they would often greet him with respectful bows.
"Lord Danzo."
This respect largely stemmed from the faith and reputation of the Root members.
As their contributions were acknowledged by others, so too was Danzo, the leader of Root, given sincere recognition.
War was like a furnace, and the shinobi of Root were its kindling, spreading Danzo's ideology across the battlefield.
Yet, his heart felt heavy. He had achieved his original goal—he should have been pleased.
But when the lists of the fallen Root members were placed before him, he felt their weight.
If it were others, he could have dismissed their deaths as the inevitable tragedy of the shinobi world.
But these soldiers… they had inherited his vision.
They had thrown themselves into death without hesitation, all for the so-called "Will of Fire."
Yet, his original intent had never been for something as laughable as that.
...
Midnight.
The moon was partially hidden by clouds, casting a faint light over the land.
Not far from Konoha's main camp, over two hundred figures stood motionless under the night sky. In front of them, ninety-three wooden boxes lay in neat rows.
Inside each box were either ashes, shattered masks, discarded kunai, or remnants of clothing…
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld."
The ground softened like a swamp, slowly swallowing the lined-up boxes.
Once the jutsu ended, the earth hardened once more, leaving no trace of what had occurred.
This was the ritual Danzo had decreed long ago.
Root members had no past and no future. They did not need grand funerals, nor did they require tombstones.
Each and every shinobi present removed their masks, revealing faces mostly in their mid-teens—boys and girls, all with solemn expressions.
They placed their hands over their chests, silently bidding farewell to their fallen comrades.
They lived by the "Will of Fire" that Danzo had set forth, viewing him as their leader, their pioneer…
Once the ceremony concluded and the others dispersed, Danzo remained in place, lost in thought.
Soft footsteps approached from behind, but he did not acknowledge them.
"Lord Danzo… From orphans to warriors, you gave them the best ending they could have hoped for," whispered Nonō Yakushi, sensing the turmoil in his heart.
"Is that so?" Danzo murmured, eyes closed, his tone uncertain, as if seeking confirmation.
"Yes. In this cruel world, knowing why one fights is enough," she replied softly, her gaze unwavering as she looked upon his back.
Danzo exhaled quietly. But what if that purpose was nothing more than an illusion?
...
The Battlefield Shifts
War was ever-changing.
Before Konoha's reinforcements even arrived, the Fourth Kazekage personally led an all-out assault on the Land of Fire's border. It had been just half a month since the last battle.
As soon as Danzo appeared on the battlefield, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, charged straight at him, ignoring even the battle between Tsunade and Chiyo.
Clearly, he still harbored resentment over Tsunade's rescue.
"Magnet Release: Sand Drizzle!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Danzo unleashed a Vacuum Wave to counterattack while using the recoil to leap backward, narrowly evading Rasa's large-scale sand attack.
The moment he landed, the ground beneath him turned to sand, quickly rising to entrap his legs.
"Tch. What an annoying ability," Danzo muttered before vanishing with the Body Flicker Technique.
Boom!
A wooden log, left in his place, was instantly crushed into powder.
Rasa abandoned ranged attacks and rushed in, engaging in close-quarters combat.
Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!
Danzo infused his kunai with wind chakra, creating a razor-sharp edge that could counter Magnet Release's interference.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two clashed fiercely, exchanging multiple blows in mere moments before leaping apart to create distance.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spears!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Two A-rank jutsu clashed, causing an explosion that cleared a sizable portion of the battlefield.
After a brief exchange, Rasa's expression darkened as he observed Danzo's unwavering stance.
This old man was beyond expectation—his ninjutsu, taijutsu, and chakra reserves showed no major weaknesses.
Danzo took the initiative, charging forward while unleashing a barrage of wind techniques to disrupt Rasa's vision.
At the same time, he created shadow clones that attacked from multiple angles.
Rasa wasted no time and struck at the real one, dispersing the clones upon contact.
As soon as Danzo got close, he launched a relentless taijutsu assault. His speed and strength were astonishing—far beyond what one would expect from a shinobi past his prime.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Rasa blocked desperately. At first, they were evenly matched, but as Danzo's strikes grew more unpredictable, Rasa fell into a disadvantage.
This old man… his taijutsu is actually suppressing me?
He attempted to create distance, but Danzo anticipated his move, refusing to give him the opportunity.
Rasa finally took a direct hit—a powerful kick from Danzo sent him soaring. Using the force of the impact, Rasa leaped high into the air, escaping the close-combat assault.
His hands moved rapidly through hand seals.
"Hmph. Too slow."
Danzo's shuriken, enhanced with wind chakra, whirled toward him, forcing Rasa to abort his jutsu and defend.
Realizing he had become a stationary target, Rasa cursed internally.
"Magnet Release: Sand Shield!"
A floating shield of sand formed in front of him.
Shing!
Danzo's wind-enhanced shuriken sliced through it like paper.
Reacting swiftly, Rasa dodged one and deflected another with a kunai.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Danzo's follow-up jutsu forced Rasa to manipulate his sand to alter his descent.
But as soon as he landed, Danzo was already upon him, launching another relentless taijutsu barrage.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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