Tsunade dragged Nawaki away by the collar before he could even say goodbye. In the blink of an eye, only Namikaze Yoru remained at the Training Ground.
Daring not to dwell on it too much, for fear Tsunade might come back for another round, he didn't even bother brushing the dust off himself. He merely forced himself to get up and leave.
But as a side effect of using the Eight Gates for the first time and opening the Fourth Gate, his muscles now ached as if they were being pricked by needles.
He could only slow down and shuffle home, one step at a time. At any rate, he'd more than completed today's "training."
Having Princess Tsunade as his sparring partner had given him a much clearer understanding of his own strength.
His chakra went without saying. Though he hadn't yet reached the peak of his growth, he estimated he had around seven or eight cards' worth.
His Taijutsu, bolstered by the Eight Gates, should just about reach the threshold of a Special Jōnin.
As for genjutsu... he could only say that he was evenly matched with his opponents. It was good enough.
Of course, if he used all his trump cards and went all out, that would be another matter.
As soon as he got home, Namikaze Yoru collapsed onto his bed, utterly exhausted.
He'd been struggling to survive in this world for so long. And, influenced by the values of his previous life, he'd never given much thought to relationships between men and women, believing he shouldn't until he was eighteen.
But what had happened today seemed to break through a barrier, stirring emotions in him that he'd never felt before.
His chaotic thoughts gradually settled. His breathing grew steady, and at last he fell into a deep sleep.
Inside the Hokage's Office.
The Hokage's Office was unusually lively today, filled with old acquaintances of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Danzō? Why are you back?!"
Looking at the man before him, Hiruzen felt none of the relief he'd felt upon seeing Tsunade. Instead, he felt his temper rising. After all, Danzō's sudden return to the village could be considered an act of disobedience on the battlefield.
"Orochimaru and I have already taken control of the front lines. I heard Tsunade had returned to the village, so I came back to have her treat my eye."
Only then did Hiruzen notice that Shimura Danzō's right eye was covered with bandages. He'd assumed it was just a minor injury, but he hadn't realized the eye itself had been hurt.
"What happened to you?" Since there was a reason for his return, Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to berate him. Instead, he asked after his old friend's injury.
"The fighting on the front lines was fierce. I just happened to get caught in the crossfire," Shimura Danzō replied. A master at this sort of thing, he played down the incident while subtly taking credit for his accomplishments.
"I'll arrange for Tsunade to treat you right away."
"There's no need. Official business comes first. I'll return to Root and deal with the backlog. We can take care of it in a couple of days." Shimura Danzō spoke with noble conviction, looking every bit like a man prepared to give his last drop of blood for Konoha.
In truth, he'd returned mainly because he'd received an urgent report from Root: the base had been robbed, and a large number of items had gone missing. Shimura Danzō was furious and had to come back to assess the damage.
Many of the secrets in Root's office were known only to him. He couldn't even have his trusted subordinates tally the losses.
He'd already worked out his plan on the way back. He could use his injured eye as an excuse to replace it with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan of Kagami Uchiha, which he'd kept in reserve. It would raise his strength, and he could still hide it under bandages. Two birds with one stone.
After their conversation, Shimura Danzō returned to his loyal Root Base. But the moment he stepped into his office, his expression changed.
His subordinates had already informed him about the theft, but Shimura Danzō had been confident in his arrangements. He'd believed that even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself might not discover the hidden precautions he'd put in place.
At a glance, he saw that the bookshelf had been completely emptied. Worse, the hidden room in the corner, one he rarely opened himself, had been exposed. The special-metal door, which had been seamlessly blended into the wall, was gone without a trace.
To put it bluntly, if the contents were ever exposed, even as Hokage Assistant, he'd be in serious trouble.
In an instant, cold sweat ran down Shimura Danzō's back. His simmering rage was replaced by shock.
He hurried to check the secret compartment in the bookshelf. The Sealing Jutsu that served as its safeguard was intact, yet everything inside was gone without exception.
His last shred of hope vanished. He could only feel that some enormous conspiracy was about to swallow him whole.
He even wondered if Hiruzen Sarutobi had finally secured his position as Hokage and was preparing to target him, the Hokage Assistant.
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He'd only just been sent to the front lines, and Root Base had already been ransacked with pinpoint precision.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't used the theft as a pretext to move against him. Was he planning to give him another chance? Danzō's mind churned through countless possibilities, and the more he considered them, the more confused he became.
Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice one of his subordinates approaching.
"Lord Danzō."
Inside Root Base, the gravely injured Shimura Shinsei came to accept punishment. After all, he was deeply implicated in what had happened.
As it happened, he'd been lucky. He'd been pierced by Bone Spikes, and with blood pouring from his wounds, he'd been all but certain to die. By chance, Namikaze Yoru's Lightning Release had caught him in its wake, cauterizing the wound and stopping the bleeding. Against all odds, he'd survived.
"You useless fool! You let an outsider break into Root Base!"
Already furious, Danzō flew into an even greater rage at the sight of Shimura Shinsei. When he heard that the enemy had first taken down Shimura Shinsei before opening a breach, he was so angry he wanted to strangle his own clansman.
Seeing Danzō so enraged, Shimura Shinsei was about to quietly withdraw when Shimura Danzō suddenly called out to him.
Then, to Shimura Shinsei's horrified gaze, Shimura Danzō grabbed him and ripped off his clothes.
"L-Lord Danzō...?"
"Quiet!"
Shimura Shinsei's mind was in turmoil, but he thought that if it was Lord Danzō...
Danzō knew that his actions were rather abrupt, but in his unsettled state, he had no patience to explain himself.
He then cut away the bandages covering Shimura Shinsei's wound. Seeing the wound, already beginning to scab over, exposed to the air, he narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.
"This wound... it looks like..." Shimura Danzō almost blurted it out, but swallowed the words at the last moment. He knew he couldn't let this get out.
Even in Root Base, which he controlled completely, the recent silent intrusion had left him feeling unsafe.
He murmured to himself, Bone Spikes? The same Bone Spikes used to assassinate Nawaki? Is it a spy hiding in the village, or a Bloodline Limit ninja secretly trained by Hiruzen Sarutobi as a 'black glove'?
Others might not recognize it, but Shimura Danzō certainly could. As a top-tier ninja without a Bloodline Limit, he'd long since committed the characteristics of every major Bloodline Limit to memory.
Seeing that Danzō made no further move, Shimura Shinsei didn't dare move either. He could only remain stiff and let Danzō examine his bare upper body.
Perhaps he sensed the strange atmosphere at last. Danzō finally waved his hand.
"Go. Get some rest and recover."
Before you continue