Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

Meanwhile, outside Konoha—

The Third Hokage personally led his squad forward while subtly glancing toward Hiashi Hyūga among the group.

A small signal passed between them.

Hiashi immediately understood.

His Byakugan activated silently.

Then he deliberately slowed his pace slightly before quietly moving toward the rear of the group, carefully observing the Root "observer" who had been tailing them ever since they left the village.

The spy remained completely unaware.

He cautiously focused entirely on monitoring the Third Hokage ahead.

Then—

As the group passed the next bend—

Every single person suddenly stopped simultaneously.

"Ugh!"

The Root operative hadn't even reacted yet.

Before suspicion could fully form, an explosive pain suddenly erupted across his back, forcing a muffled cry from his mouth.

The impact shattered his balance completely.

Stars filled his vision.

Byakugan blazing brightly, Hiashi instantly appeared behind him without hesitation.

His Gentle Fist unfolded immediately.

A simplified Eight Trigrams strike sequence accurately struck the operative's chakra points, disrupting his chakra flow entirely.

Losing control of his chakra, the operative helplessly fell from the tree branch.

And at the exact moment he hit the ground—

Another Jōnin had already completed hand seals.

"Mind Body Switch Technique!"

Simultaneously—

Nara Shikaku's shadow shot outward.

"Shadow Possession Technique."

The instant Inoichi Yamanaka seized control of the operative's consciousness, Shikaku's shadow immediately restrained the body completely.

A nearly flawless coordinated capture.

Even Root's most elite scout had no chance whatsoever to resist.

He hadn't even fully realized what happened before his body, chakra, and mind had all been completely subdued.

"Keep him restrained."

The Third Hokage looked toward the captured Root operative.

After confirming his identity, the final trace of hesitation inside Hiruzen's eyes disappeared.

"Root likely possesses methods to verify their operatives' survival."

"They may even monitor their physical conditions remotely."

"So no matter what, do not allow him any chance to transmit information."

Then the Third Hokage turned toward the gathered elite Jōnin around him.

"Shikaku."

"According to Hiashi's observations, there are at least five additional Root watchers hidden along our route."

"There are likely even more ahead."

"I'll leave them to you and Inoichi."

"As for everyone else…"

Hiruzen's expression hardened.

"Return to the village with me."

"And do not allow a single Root operative any opportunity to transmit information."

"Yes!"

The gathered Jōnin immediately acknowledged the order.

Watching the Third Hokage depart with the others, Shikaku and Inoichi exchanged smiles.

As longtime battlefield partners, operations like this were already second nature to them.

More importantly—

Both genuinely felt relieved seeing the Third Hokage finally stop endlessly compromising for once.

"Don't look so pleased."

Hiashi dropped down from the trees while preparing to follow after Hiruzen.

"Even if we're eliminating hidden dangers, they're still Konoha shinobi."

"Not exactly something worth celebrating."

"You're one to talk."

Shikaku casually teased him.

"Just make sure you stay close to the Hokage-sama."

"I know."

Although nobody said it aloud, everyone understood perfectly.

The true danger now—

Was Danzō's possession of Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan.

A dōjutsu capable of rewriting another person's will was simply too dangerous.

They absolutely needed to prevent Danzō from desperately using it as a final trump card.

And among everyone present, the best suited to counter such an ability was naturally a Byakugan user.

Thus, Hiashi Hyūga absolutely needed to remain beside the Third Hokage at all times.

No matter how disappointed they once felt toward Hiruzen—

The people standing here remained Konoha's true pillars.

As long as Konoha moved toward a better future, they would naturally dedicate everything they could toward it.

After all—

They were the heroic generation who once spread Konoha's name throughout the ninja world beneath the leadership of the "Professor," Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.

Meanwhile, the captured Root operative trembled painfully beneath the Shadow Possession.

Yet despite hearing and seeing everything, he could no longer do anything at all.

Shikaku casually glanced toward him.

Then manipulated the shadow to forcefully twist the operative's head toward a nearby tree trunk.

The man could only stare endlessly at the bark before him.

Night fell.

Danzō arrived before the Memorial Stone together with several trusted subordinates.

Completely ignoring the monument commemorating Konoha's fallen heroes, he walked directly toward the location where Shisui Uchiha had recently been buried.

"Dig it up."

"Yes."

A subordinate skilled in Earth Release immediately formed hand seals without hesitation.

Completely disregarding the sacred significance of the burial grounds, he used Earth Release to directly raise the buried coffin upward from beneath the soil.

Still—

While using the technique, he couldn't help feeling slightly confused.

The soil moved too easily.

But considering the burial happened only recently, he ultimately dismissed the suspicion.

Watching the coffin rise from the earth before him, countless thoughts surged through Danzō's mind.

Truthfully—

When news of Shisui's death first reached Konoha, the person most shocked—and simultaneously most delighted—had probably been Danzō himself.

Shocked because Shisui had truly escaped Konoha and secretly operated all these years without Danzō ever noticing.

Yet—

The man still died.

And before dying, he actually accomplished something beneficial to Konoha without directly harming Danzō himself.

That was precisely what pleased Danzō most.

However—

Afterward, Hiruzen completely blocked Danzō from approaching the body.

The Third Hokage even ordered the decryption and sealing teams not to allow Danzō or Root to participate in any investigations involving Shisui whatsoever.

Combined with recent events…

How could Danzō fail to realize Hiruzen intended to completely push him out of Konoha's core decision-making circle?

Ridiculous.

Without me, could Hiruzen truly have ruled Konoha so peacefully all these years?

Could Konoha have prospered so smoothly?

Danzō's heart filled with mockery.

"Take it away."

At Danzō's signal, a masked youth carrying a scroll case silently stepped forward.

He unrolled a blank sealing scroll and quickly formed hand seals.

"Sealing Technique: Enter the Painting."

The coffin immediately began trembling violently.

Even the sealing specialist himself looked strained, sweat already forming across his forehead.

Still—

Before long, the coffin transformed into a stream of light and disappeared directly into the scroll.

After sealing the coffin completely, the young man rolled up the scroll and respectfully handed it toward Danzō.

Danzō accepted it and slipped it into his sleeve.

Then he immediately turned and departed.

He could no longer suppress his eagerness to uncover exactly what information remained hidden inside Uchiha Shisui's corpse.

And more importantly—

His eyes.

"Earth Release…"

After Danzō left, the sealing specialist and the others began carefully restoring the disturbed burial site.

Soon afterward, they vanished as well.

Everything returned to normal—

As though nothing had ever happened there.

Yet every single thing Danzō did…

Was already perfectly reflected inside the crystal ball within the Hokage's office.

The Telescope Technique.

As long as one knew the target's chakra signature, observing them became possible.

At this moment, the crystal ball displayed every movement Danzō made up until he disappeared behind the barrier surrounding his secret Root headquarters.

A long, heavy sigh escaped the Third Hokage.

Then he slowly looked up toward the two advisors he had temporarily summoned.

Ignoring their dark expressions completely, Hiruzen stood.

"Come."

"Let's personally see exactly what Danzō intends to do."

This time—

The Third Hokage did not wear ceremonial robes.

Instead—

He wore battle armor.

Meanwhile, inside his secret underground facility, Danzō walked forward confidently.

This place existed entirely separate from Root itself.

It represented his deepest hidden secret.

Ever since the Uchiha massacre night—

Because of Hiashi Hyūga's earlier accusations, Root had already fallen under continuous ANBU surveillance assigned directly by the Third Hokage.

And Danzō himself had gradually been pushed outside Konoha's core decision-making authority.

Although Hiruzen never formally removed his title of "Hokage Advisor," the actual power attached to that position had nearly become zero.

That reality infuriated Danzō even more than direct dismissal would have.

A title without authority?

How could someone as power-hungry as him tolerate such humiliation?

After ordering his most trusted bodyguards to secure the entrance, Danzō walked deeper inside.

The room beyond resembled an enormous laboratory.

Strange devices filled every corner.

Danzō stepped toward a raised platform before removing the sealing scroll from his sleeve and unfolding it.

"What a shame…"

"If I could still contact Orochimaru, perhaps we'd uncover even more secrets regarding the Sharingan."

"Ever since he realized Hiruzen started monitoring me more heavily, he became impossible to utilize…"

"And that damn Hiashi Hyūga…"

"If not for him interfering, how could I possibly have recovered so few Uchiha eyes?"

Danzō muttered bitterly while glaring toward the scroll.

"Sai possesses decent sealing talent…"

"But he still needs more training."

"Just now, even sealing a dead object exhausted him so badly…"

"Release."

With a simple hand seal, Danzō undid the scroll's sealing technique.

The intact coffin floated out from the scroll before crashing heavily onto the platform.

Boom.

The impact shook the lid slightly open.

Danzō immediately rushed forward.

His desire for Shisui's remaining Mangekyō Sharingan had nearly driven him mad all this time.

Then—

He violently pushed the coffin lid aside.

Only to freeze instantly.

"Empty…?"

"Empty?!"

"How is it empty?!"

Staring toward the completely empty coffin, Danzō's face turned terrifyingly dark.

Refusing to believe it, he thoroughly examined every inch of the coffin.

No hidden compartments.

No secret mechanisms.

So where did the corpse go?

Then suddenly—

Danzō's expression twisted violently as he sharply looked upward.

Someone had forcefully breached the barriers protecting this secret base from outside.

"Was this all a trap from Hiruzen…?!"

"No—I need to leave immediately!"

Realizing something had gone horribly wrong, Danzō immediately turned toward a hidden escape tunnel within the room.

Then suddenly—

A terrifying killing intent erupted directly behind him.

Inside the room.

Before Danzō could even react—

The attacker moved like lightning and directly plunged a hand into Danzō's right eye socket.

"GAAAAH!"

Danzō screamed in agony as his eye was ripped free.

Yet despite the unbearable pain, his hands instantly formed seals without hesitation.

He responded perfectly.

Ignoring all suffering, Danzō unleashed his attack at point-blank range.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"

Razor-sharp wind blades erupted from Danzō's mouth instantly.

Meanwhile, the attacker remained standing there—

As though calmly inserting the stolen eye into their own socket.

Thus, they completely failed to evade Danzō's attack.

The vacuum blades sliced directly through the attacker's waist, splitting the body in half.

The wind blades continued onward afterward, destroying countless nearby instruments and equipment.

"Haa… haa… haa…"

Danzō clutched his bleeding eye socket desperately.

"Who…"

"Who are you?!"

After seemingly killing the attacker, Danzō collapsed onto the floor while gasping violently.

Ignoring the blood flowing endlessly from his eye socket, he stared toward the severed body lying nearby—

Trying to identify the attacker.

However—

The "corpse" suddenly dissolved like an illusion.

Then—

An icy voice echoed directly behind him.

"Now…"

"You can experience these eyes yourself, Danzō."

A Mangekyō Sharingan shaped like a four-pointed blade suddenly filled Danzō's remaining vision.

Instantly—

His expression became blank and lifeless.

The only person still standing within the room finally revealed his true appearance.

Uchiha Shisui.

His other Sharingan had now completely turned white and blind.

"This…"

Shisui's cold voice carried no emotion whatsoever.

"Is simply your own punishment returned to you."

Then he immediately disappeared through the hidden tunnel behind Danzō.

Meanwhile, Danzō shakily forced himself back onto his feet.

Instead of covering his wounds, he rapidly formed hand seals.

Then aimed toward the laboratory itself—

"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

"What the hell—?!"

"Third Hokage-sama?!"

At the exact same moment, the Root elites stationed outside finally sensed the disturbance and rushed inside.

Only to freeze completely upon seeing the figures leading the invasion.

The Third Hokage himself.

Behind him—

The two advisors.

Hiashi Hyūga.

Chōza Akimichi.

Shibi Aburame.

Asuma Sarutobi…

We're finished.

The instant they saw that lineup, both Root operatives instantly understood everything.

"Torune."

Shibi Aburame glanced toward the Root operative wearing a full protective suit.

"Lead the way."

Shibi's brief chakra fluctuation instantly suppressed the poisonous insects living inside Torune's body.

Even his final attempt at mutual destruction had been denied.

"... Yes."

As the group advanced deeper inside, they increasingly discovered forbidden experimental equipment that should never have existed inside Konoha.

Some devices even matched projects explicitly banned by Konoha itself.

Everyone remained silent.

The Third Hokage led the group directly toward the sealed laboratory door.

The moment he saw the intricate sealing formula covering it, Hiruzen simply raised his hand.

Then—

His fingers erupted with chakra.

The instant he pushed the door—

Crack!

The layered sealing techniques instantly activated.

Lightning chakra exploded violently from the door, attempting to incinerate the Third Hokage's arm completely.

"Release!"

Yet the "Professor" Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally anticipated everything beforehand.

With a furious shout, he precisely unraveled the seal first.

The door burst open violently.

Hiashi Hyūga instantly stepped beside Hiruzen, Byakugan activated while locking directly onto Danzō.

Then—

Everyone froze.

The entire room had become complete ruins.

As though a hurricane tore through it.

Shattered walls and broken equipment littered everything.

Meanwhile—

Danzō stood directly in the center of the destruction.

A kunai remained stabbed deep into his own right eye socket.

Blood poured endlessly down his face.

Yet despite his horrific appearance—

He laughed manically toward everyone.

"You're too late!"

"Hahahahaha!"

"I won't leave any evidence!"

"Any evidence at all!"

"Danzō!"

"What are you doing?!"

"What am I doing?"

Danzō looked toward Hiruzen with pure mockery.

"No, no, no…"

"It's YOU who planned this perfectly, Hiruzen!"

"You laid a trap and waited for me to walk right into it!"

"What?"

"You wanted to frame me just like Orochimaru?"

"You wanted me to become another missing-nin traitor?"

"Hahaha!"

"You won't find anything!"

"You have no evidence!"

"What exactly did I do?"

"Why are you all here?!"

"What can you possibly find?!"

Danzō laughed madly despite blood covering his face and his body trembling uncontrollably.

Unable to tolerate the scene any longer, Hiashi instantly forced him down to the ground.

Yet Danzō continued screaming upward toward Hiruzen and the others.

"Hiruzen!"

"You didn't want me involved in any Konoha decisions anymore!"

"You cared so much about maintaining friendly relations with Kirigakure that you wanted Shisui Uchiha buried peacefully!"

"Pathetic compassion!"

"Pathetic compassion!"

"The information and secrets hidden inside his body were far more valuable than you imagined!"

"If this old man personally handled it, I might've uncovered the true reason behind the Fourth Mizukage's disappearance!"

"You call yourself Hokage, yet you didn't even want to learn Kirigakure's weaknesses?!"

"You cowardly fool!"

"Hahaha!"

"You're afraid this old man is more capable than you!"

"You're afraid I'll take your position as Hokage!"

"So you framed me!"

"That's all you've ever thought about!"

"Trash!"

"Trash!"

"TRASH!"

"You were never worthy of becoming Hokage!"

Danzō's body convulsed violently beneath Hiashi's restraint.

Yet he still continued laughing hysterically toward everyone present.

Meanwhile—

Inside the Uchiha clan's Nakano Shrine—

Uchiha Shisui, who had just retreated there, clutched his eyes painfully.

Although Izanagi had rewritten reality itself and restored the eye he reclaimed earlier together with his bisected body—

Forcibly activating Kotoamatsukami still strained him immensely.

The plan…

Succeeded halfway, at least.

From now on…

The only remaining target…

Is the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.

However—

Even though the current Shisui no longer acted according to his true will—

The pleasure of successful revenge still inevitably contaminated his thoughts.

Danzō…

You deserved this…

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