Black Rose

Sarutobi Hiruzen was more composed than Guo Wang had imagined. Three days had passed since the Raikage had set out, yet the order to recruit Root still hadn't come.

Since that was the case, Guo Wang used his free time to leisurely explore the strongest village in the world, disguised as Danzo.

"D-Danzo-sama..."

When the owner of a ninja tool shop looked up and saw who had come to pay, he stumbled back two steps, his face turning deathly pale as if he'd seen some terrifying monster.

"Seal these in a scroll."

Root, the training ground for Konoha Anbu, had the finest blades and hidden weapons in all of Konoha. But Guo Wang wanted to learn more about the customs of this world, so he picked out several oddly shaped tools, along with a sealing scroll.

As it happened, while Chakra was relatively easy to cultivate, it was no ordinary energy. It could not only be transformed into the natural energies of wind, earth, water, fire, and lightning, but could also influence Space-Time.

This sealing scroll was much like the priceless storage caves of the Dao Realm. Though one still had to carry objects of a certain size, the scrolls were available to the general public—a far cry from the Three Great Sects, who hoarded their treasures. Whoever had spread this technique had surely accumulated immeasurable merit.

"Y-Yes, yes, it's ready, Danzo-sama."

The shopkeeper hurriedly sealed the tools in the scroll and respectfully handed it to Guo Wang.

"How much?"

"N-No, how could I possibly take your money, sir? You're a hero of Konoha. To have you come here..."

Seeing the shopkeeper's fearful expression, Guo Wang couldn't help sighing at Danzo's reputation. Just how unpopular was he? Even more so than Orochimaru, whom Guo Wang had mocked.

"I asked how much!"

At the coldly repeated question, the shopkeeper trembled and blurted out a number without thinking.

"Six thousand eight hundred ryo."

After paying, Guo Wang left the ninja tool shop with the sealing scroll. The nearby eateries and restaurants were mostly empty. It was wartime, after all. The shinobi were either fighting on the front lines or improving their strength on the training grounds. Ordinary people, lacking any sense of security, mostly stayed holed up at home.

The village was already unusually lively by comparison.

Two years earlier, when the war had been at its fiercest, the streets of the entire village had been deserted.

In the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched through a crystal ball as his best friend calmly entered a roadside ramen shop, then emerged looking thoroughly satisfied. The pipe in Hiruzen's hand nearly fell from sheer shock.

"What's wrong?"

Just then, the two advisors came in to report on the situation at the front and saw what was happening.

"Have either of you ever seen Danzo go shopping?"

"Huh?"

Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Since the Land of Wind had surrendered and renewed its alliance with Konoha, most of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans' main forces, staunch supporters of the Hokage's faction, had withdrawn from the front lines.

Today, the young, newly appointed Clan Leader of the Yamanaka Clan had just received a new shipment of seedlings. He was happily watering and pruning them alongside his new wife. When he heard the doorbell, he greeted the customer with a bright smile.

"Hello, welcome. What can I... you... Danzo-sama...!"

The identical reaction made Guo Wang frown. Inoichi Yamanaka broke out in a cold sweat.

"One Black Rose. Ryoma placed the order yesterday."

The young Yamanaka Clan Leader had never expected Elder Danzo, who usually sent an underling to run errands, to come in person today. He wouldn't have batted an eye at facing thousands of enemies on the battlefield, but somehow he couldn't help feeling afraid when confronted with the old man's icy gaze.

"Inoichi, you're as clumsy as ever. You've spent so long with that Nara clan ghost, and still haven't improved at all."

As vassals of the Sarutobi Clan since the Warring States Period, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans had always been staunch supporters of the Hokage in Konoha. Danzo, who had been a fellow student of Sarutobi Hiruzen's, could practically say he'd watched this generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho grow up. The three troublemakers had received their fair share of scoldings as children.

"Sorry for the trouble, Danzo-sama."

In the end, Madam Yamanaka came over to smooth things over. With a gentle smile, she deftly handed Guo Wang a Black Rose that had already been arranged on the flower stand.

"As it happens, another child ordered a Black Rose. He picked it up just before you arrived, sir."

"A child? I know who you mean."

After searching through Danzo's memories, Guo Wang understood who she was referring to.

After all, there was only one person in all of Konoha who liked Black Roses, with their ominous aura of death.

"Hiruzen, it seems Danzo is ready to go to the battlefield."

In the Hokage Building, Mitokado Homura watched Guo Wang take the Black Rose from the flower shop and adjusted his glasses, speaking with a hint of emotion.

"Yes. For Konoha, he'll make any sacrifice. That's the Will of Fire we inherited from our teacher."

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe and took a deep drag.

"I'm the one who's failed Danzo as Hokage. Every time, I leave him to face the most dangerous situations."

Of Senju Tobirama's students, only Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo were at Kage Level. Since their strongest fighters couldn't be easily deployed, Danzo was always the one who went in the Hokage's place to face the toughest battles.

That was precisely why their bond was so deep.

The Memorial Stone!

Looking at the child of about ten standing before him, Danzo recalled his companion from their youth, a cheerful yet perceptive boy.

"Is that Shisui?"

Not long ago, on the battlefield in the Land of Water, Kagami Uchiha's son—the father of Shisui Uchiha—had been killed by the Third Mizukage. When the news reached Danzo, he'd been stirring up trouble in the Land of Rain. He had been deeply saddened for a time.

"Greetings, Danzo-sama."

Shisui was a sensible child. A few years earlier, when he'd wanted to look after his old friend's grandson, Danzo had even set aside his prejudices and made an exception, hoping to bring him into Root.

Unfortunately, Shisui's father had been a conservative man. To spare his son the pain of being caught between the village and the clan, he had rejected Danzo's "kind offer."

"The flower is lovely. If Kagami knew, he'd be proud of you, his grandson."

"It was my father's wish. He told me not to forget to bring a flower to my grandfather before I went to the battlefield. And compared to my father, I'm just an insignificant Genin from the village."

Guo Wang placed the Black Rose in his hand beside Shisui's bouquet. With his back to the boy, a hint of scarlet suddenly flashed in his eyes.

"Do you know why Kagami liked this ominous flower?"

"Please enlighten me, Danzo-sama."

As Shisui waited for an answer, Guo Wang turned around. The boy clearly saw the scarlet eyes of his elder—and within them, a Four-Diamond Prism pattern, divided into six equal petals arranged in a circle around a black center.

"Because the Black Rose represents the power of your grandfather's Mangekyo."