~ Support & Read 24 Advanced Chapters on My Patreon!
❁❁❁❁
“Uzumaki Kai, are you sure Senju Nawaki is dead?”
Danzō looked at Kai and asked.
“I pushed him into the trap myself. There’s no way he could have survived,” Kai replied.
“Then where’s his body? I told you I wanted his body,” Danzō pressed.
“I couldn’t find it. The explosive tags must have blown him to bits.”
“Even if there were no bones left, there should be something remaining. Are you playing me for a fool, Kai?”
Danzō’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
“I-I’m not! There was nothing left. The ground was blown into a crater!”
Kai quickly explained.
Danzō stared at him, then said, “Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. You know the consequences.”
He didn’t want this information leaking out. Tsunade would be furious if she learned of Nawaki’s death, and if she found out he was involved, she would come after him with a vengeance.
He wasn’t afraid of Tsunade, but there was also Uzumaki Shin.
He looked at Kai thoughtfully. Kai shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.
Kai was already regretting joining Root. But it was too late to back out now.
“Danzō-sama, I hope you haven’t forgotten our agreement,” Kai said.
“I haven’t. Even if you didn’t remind me, I wouldn’t forget.”
Danzō had agreed to help Kai win over Akiko and eliminate Shin and Minato.
Kai had a grudge against Shin and saw Minato as a rival.
Danzō dismissed Kai.
After Kai left, a Root agent—one of Danzō’s trusted subordinates—emerged.
“Danzō-sama, why not eliminate him? If he leaks this information, it could be troublesome.”
“No, he’s still useful. I need him to help me control the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.”
Danzō wasn’t going to kill Kai yet. He was still valuable.
And there was another reason. Shin had both Uzumaki and Uchiha blood. He was incredibly strong. What if he implanted the Sharingan in Kai?
…
Shin and his team had returned to the battlefield.
“That Jutsu is so convenient, Shin,” Kushina said enviously.
“Kushina, do you want it too?” Shin asked.
Kushina’s eyes lit up. “Can you give it to me?”
“No, I was just asking.”
Kushina’s excitement vanished, and she glared at Shin. Why get her hopes up for nothing?
They had just returned when they received news that the Sandaime Hokage was gathering forces for a surprise attack on Iwa that night.
Hiruzen had sent Shinobi to investigate and confirmed that Shin had indeed destroyed Iwa’s supplies. And Ōnoki was injured.
Hiruzen wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip. Konoha was currently fighting Iwa, Kumo, Suna, and Amegakure. The pressure was immense. He had to gain an advantage somewhere.
He had initially planned to target Suna, but his plans had changed.
He had tried to sabotage Shin, but it hadn’t worked. But there was a silver lining: with their supplies destroyed and Ōnoki injured, this was a good time to attack Iwa.
“Report to the Sandaime Hokage that I was injured on my last mission and can’t participate in tonight’s attack,” Shin said to the messenger.
He then sent the messenger away.
“We’re really not going?” Kushina and Mikoto asked.
“Of course not. I’d rather research Wood Release.” Shin nodded.
He was still annoyed at Hiruzen for trying to sabotage him.
“What about you, Tsunade?” Kushina asked.
“Kushina, call me ‘neechan.’ Show some respect.” Tsunade glared at her.
“Tch, who are you trying to intimidate with that stern face? So what if you’re a little older than me? I’m not calling you ‘neechan!'” Kushina refused.
She used to call Tsunade “neechan” because she was weaker, but now she felt she could challenge Tsunade.
“Hmph, I don’t have time to deal with you now, but I will later. You’ll be begging me to be your ‘neechan’.”
…
Night fell. At one in the morning, the Konoha forces were ready. Under Hiruzen’s command, they charged towards the Iwa camp.
Almost all of Konoha’s forces were mobilized. Hiruzen led the charge, followed by Danzō, Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
Hiruzen was determined to force Iwa to surrender.
Tsunade didn’t go. She had initially planned to participate, but Hiruzen had ordered her to stay and guard the camp.
They couldn’t leave the camp undefended.
Hiruzen led the assault on the Iwa camp. They didn’t bother with stealth.
With over three thousand elite Konoha Shinobi, they didn’t need to. They could crush Iwa in a head-on attack.
But as they easily broke through Iwa’s defenses, Hiruzen felt a sense of unease. There was barely any resistance.
“Hokage-sama, something’s wrong,” Sakumo Hatake said.
He also felt it was too easy. Iwa’s defenses couldn’t be this weak.
“This is a trap! We’ve been tricked!” Hiruzen yelled.
Just then, an explosion sounded in the distance. Explosive tags.
Many Konoha Shinobi were caught in the blast.
Don’t underestimate explosive tags. Even Jōnin could be killed by them.
More explosions followed. Hiruzen’s face darkened.
❁❁❁❁
~ 24 Advanced Chapters Now Available on /dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)