Danzo's Arrival

Everyone turned toward the sound.

Shimura Danzō stood at the doorway, leaning on a cane, his face expressionless.

Half his body was wrapped in bandages. Leaning on his cane, he slowly walked inside.

Shimura Danzō's appearance instantly froze the already grave atmosphere!

The three Root Ninja lowered their heads even further.

Danzo did not even speak to Sarutobi Hiruzen first. His single eye locked directly onto Tejima Shinichi.

"Tejima Shinichi? So you're the one who injured Root members and caused trouble in the village?"

Faced with that condescending interrogation, Tejima Shinichi narrowed his eyes slightly.

Ah~~~ so the person in charge had finally arrived!

"Sir... unknown disabled person, aren't you being rather biased? First of all, these three ninjas claiming to be from 'Root' openly intercepted and threatened me, a Konoha Genin who had just graduated. Second, they attacked me after I clearly refused their unreasonable demands."

Tejima Shinichi paused briefly, then turned his gaze toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Most importantly, I, Tejima Shinichi, am a registered ninja under the Hokage. If my strength and loyalty are to be reviewed, that decision should be made by the Hokage or my direct Jonin Instructor, Teacher Yamato. May I ask, on what grounds are you, an unknown disabled senior, overstepping the Hokage and meddling in the fate of an official Konoha ninja?"

The instant he finished speaking, the air in the office seemed to have been completely sucked away.

"Hiss—"

Someone drew in a sharp breath, the sound exceptionally clear amid the deathly silence.

Everyone's expressions froze.

The three Root Ninja abruptly raised their heads. Their eyes widened beneath their masks as they stared at Tejima Shinichi in disbelief, as though they had heard something utterly absurd.

The surrounding Anbu and Police Force members were even more like they had been hit by a paralysis technique, frozen where they stood.

Their gazes toward Tejima Shinichi were filled with extreme shock—and even a trace of... horror.

"An... unknown disabled person?"

"A... disabled senior?"

"H-he... how could he dare..."

Yamato's expression changed drastically, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly beaded across his forehead.

Even though he had now left Root and stood on the Hokage's side, he still retained an instinctive fear of Danzo, whose authority had long been ingrained in him.

And now, his disciple's provocation was practically pointing at Danzo's nose and cursing him out. It was simply... wonderful!

The pupil in Danzo's lone eye contracted slightly.

He had initially entertained the thought of bringing this brat under his command—

But now, Tejima Shinichi's provocative words, especially that "unknown" and his repeated emphasis on "the Hokage," were like poisonous thorns piercing Danzo's most sensitive wounds!

Hokage! Hokage! Always the Hokage!

Why did everyone only see Sarutobi Hiruzen?!

Why was it that he, Shimura Danzō, had given so much for Konoha, yet could only ever stand in the shadows, forever burdened with the title of "unknown"?!

He was clearly the one willing to pay any price for the village and commit the necessary evils!

This brat... this Tejima Shinichi, with that deliberately ignorant yet subtly sharp manner, that blatant contempt and attitude of drawing a line between them...

Danzo tightened his grip on his cane.

That unruliness, that blind reverence for the title of "Hokage," that arrogance in daring to publicly challenge his authority...

He was just like those damned Uchiha!

Equally arrogant, equally self-righteous, equally... difficult to control!

What an evil—Senju descendant!

As that thought arose in Danzo's mind, his faint intent to recruit him instantly vanished, replaced by a familiar disgust and... killing intent.

"Sharp-tongued brat." Danzo snorted coldly and slammed his cane against the floor. "Root has its reasons for acting as it does. It is all for Konoha's absolute security. You possess strength and Chakra that no Genin should have. Your origins and potential are both questionable. Root has the right to conduct the necessary review and guidance to prevent you from becoming a hidden danger to the village."

"Danzo!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had remained silent for a long time, shouted in a deep voice, his tone carrying a warning.

But at that moment, Tejima Shinichi stepped forward another half-step!

"Oh~~~ so you're the Danzo-sama they were talking about!"

Tejima Shinichi met Danzo's gaze without the slightest fear—a gaze enough to make Jonin tremble—and even curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"Review? Guidance?" Tejima Shinichi scoffed and shook his head. "How... utterly ridiculous."

"I, Tejima Shinichi, am the son of Tejima Kazuto, a Medical Chunin at Konoha Hospital who worked diligently for twenty years and treated countless Konoha ninja! My mother, Mori Chie, was formerly a Konoha Special Jonin. She suffered grave injuries while carrying out village missions, her chakra pathways ruined beyond repair, forcing her to retire early!"

"My grandfather, Tejima Masao, died in battle during the Second Shinobi World War while holding off enemies so his comrades could retreat! My grandmother, Teshima Miyako, died beneath a collapsed house while evacuating villagers on the night of the Nine-Tails Rebellion! My maternal grandfather, Mori Shinsuke, and my maternal grandmother, Senju Momoka, both shed their last drops of blood on the battlefields of the Second Shinobi World War defending the borders of the Land of Fire!"

Tejima Shinichi recited the sacrifices of three generations of his family in one breath. Every name and every deed left all the Konoha ninja present awestruck.

This was a record of absolute loyalty to Konoha, forged in blood and lives!

Tejima Shinichi's eyes blazed as he stared straight at Danzo.

"My Teshima Clan, three generations of grandparents and grandchildren, has bled for Konoha and given our lives for the Land of Fire! I myself graduated first in my class from the Ninja Academy in Konoha Year 64, apprenticed under Jonin Instructor Yamato, and today completed four D-rank missions for the village. The rewards are right here!"

With a slap, he slammed the small pouch containing the mission rewards onto the table beside him, producing a crisp sound.

"My family background, upbringing, academic records, mission history—even the sacrifices and glory of my forebears—every single detail is clearly recorded in the village's archives and can withstand any investigation!"

He suddenly took a step forward, his presence imposing.

"Elder Danzo! Where exactly is your basis for claiming that my 'origins are unknown' and my 'potential is questionable,' that I need Root, hidden in the shadows, to 'review and guide' me?!"

His questioning exploded through the office.

"Could it be that Root's intelligence network has become so incompetent and muddleheaded that it cannot even see or verify the names of fallen heroes carved upon the village's memorial, or the openly accessible records in the archives?!"

"Or is it—"

Tejima Shinichi's voice turned ice-cold.

"That in your eyes, a family like my Teshima Clan, which has given everything for Konoha over three generations, can still not produce descendants whose loyalty and background deserve trust? That we must still be openly intercepted, threatened, and even subjected to attempted kidnapping in broad daylight within Konoha, like suspicious individuals?!"

"Are you questioning me, or are you questioning every martyr who died for Konoha?! Are you questioning the village archives under the Hokage's rule, which record countless heroic spirits?!"

"Danzo, answer me—!!!"