I, Danzo, Must Also Strategize!

Danzo had no idea that his three "old friends" had already prepared a huge, round pot for him, ready to pin it on him someday in the future.

In a hidden temporary camp, a Root ninja entered through a disguised entrance: the trunk of a large tree. Once inside, he found himself in the camp's interior. The camp was protected not only by genjutsu traps, but also by Sealing Techniques.

If the enemy ever discovered this place, it would become their grave. The Sealing Technique would take both the people and the camp with it.

"My lord, we've spotted Mist Ninja!" As soon as he entered, the ninja dropped to one knee and reported, "Three of them, near the coast."

"Mist Ninja?" Danzo frowned. The Mist had stayed out of the war until now. Why had they suddenly appeared? The thought passed through his mind, and he immediately thought of Uchiha Kin... If that guy were here, he'd probably know why.

Soon, information about the three Mist Ninja spread from headquarters. It turned out that they were three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist:

Juzō Biwa, Suikazan Fuguki, and Raiga Kurosuki.

The ones who brought back the news were Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu.

For some unknown reason, the Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen had appeared on this battlefield, where they happened upon a team of Genin—Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu—out on a mission. The Seven Swordsmen surrounded the three and toyed with them like cats playing with mice, intending to torture them to death.

The Mist's methods of training ninjas were excessively brutal and bloody, so the ninjas they produced were often cruel, bloodthirsty, and deeply twisted.

So when faced with three Hidden Leaf Genin, they chose not to kill them outright and leave. Instead, they wanted to torture them to death. That was precisely what gave the three a chance to survive. Might Duy, the father of Might Guy, who was also a Genin, had sensed through his beastlike instincts that his son was in danger. He left his own combat squad and followed his instincts straight to him.

When he arrived, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were still arguing among themselves, unable to reach an agreement. Might Duy told the three to hurry and get away, then activated the Eight Inner Gates Formation.

The Eight Inner Gates Formation was a technique that unlocked the body's potential by gradually removing the restraints of its eight gates, granting tremendous power—

The eight gates were the Gate of Opening, Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Wonder, and Gate of Death.

Each gate unlocked granted power beyond the limits of the human body.

Might Duy had always been a Genin. His usual missions involved nothing more than weeding, finding cats, and taking out the trash, so he had little combat experience. He didn't know how powerful the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were, and therefore had no idea how much strength he needed to use.

But for Might Duy's own safety, he couldn't test the waters by gradually increasing his power. He had to unleash his full strength all at once.

So he opened all eight gates at once, reaching the Gate of Death. Then Might Duy vanished. A red pillar of light shot through the dense forest, darting, twisting, and turning. In an instant, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been reduced to three.

The other four, including their swords, were left without so much as a corpse, consumed by the blood-red light.

The remaining three were terrified out of their wits. Shaken by such overwhelming violence, they fled in a panic and disappeared in no time.

Might Duy emerged from the red pillar of light. His bones seemed reduced to dust, his muscles turned to mush, and he collapsed limply onto the ground. He looked at Might Guy, unable to say a word. He simply gazed at his son—and died.

He hadn't wanted to leave behind any regrets... But after opening the Gate of Death with the Eight Inner Gates Formation, his body had only allowed him to attack four times.

By the time he completed his fourth attack, all the bones and muscles in his body had been pulverized. He had the will to kill the remaining three, but not the strength.

His potential had run dry, too. At least he could look at Might Guy one last time without regrets.

The news shocked Danzo as well. "The Eight Inner Gates Formation is that powerful?" He considered whether to have his subordinates learn it too. To wield such incredible combat power with the body of a Genin was truly astonishing.

However, the urgent matter at hand was the Mist joining the war. Danzo paced and pondered in the camp until he came up with a plan.

He took two subordinates straight to headquarters. The clan heads of the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans were there, along with the heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.

The Uchiha were the most powerful clan in the Hidden Leaf, so Fugaku had become the commander of the eastern front. A group of people were discussing the Mist's involvement.

"The Mist joining the war has suddenly made the situation much more complicated... We have to face both the Cloud and the Mist at once. We especially can't let these Mist Ninja through. Even if we win, the Land of Fire will suffer heavy losses." The speaker was Shikaku Nara.

His concern was well founded: the Cloud killed people for at least some reason. The Mist, on the other hand, killed to satisfy their own twisted cruelty.

Hyuga Hiashi said, "We must stop the Mist along the coast and keep every one of them from entering the mainland. Leave this battlefield to the Hyuga!"

Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "Then we'll leave it to the Hyuga. Does anyone else have any objections?" He looked around. His naturally fierce-looking face gave him an imposing air. Then his gaze landed on Danzo. "Elder Danzo!"

Danzo had been listening silently in the shadows ever since he entered. Only now had anyone noticed him, so he stepped forward.

"I have a plan to resolve our current predicament. The problem we're facing is that the Mist have joined the war, putting pressure on the eastern front.

"And the solution is actually quite simple. We just need to analyze the situation and make the Cloud, Mist, and Sand understand the consequences. Once they're wary of each other, our current crisis will naturally be resolved!"

As he spoke, Danzo thought of the haughty way Uchiha Kin had analyzed the international situation that day. Without realizing it, he began mimicking Kin's words and mannerisms...

"The Cloud don't know that the Mist have joined the war. If they did, they certainly wouldn't let the Mist come and take advantage. The Cloud have fought for so long, and their gains are almost within reach. They won't stand for the Mist swooping in to snatch them away.

"The Sand will react the same way, so... Once all three nations receive this information, what do you think they'll choose to do?"

Danzo spoke with great confidence, while everyone in the command center stared at him, dumbfounded, unsure what to say.

Shikaku Nara opened his mouth. "Lord Danzo—" He was about to say something when Inoichi Yamanaka elbowed him, making him fall silent.

Inoichi Yamanaka said, "When it comes to matters of intelligence, Elder Danzo is the expert." And with that, the matter was settled!