War

"I am truly sorry for causing everyone so much trouble."

Watching the blond youth bow at a ninety-degree angle before them, Aburame Torune and Shisui Uchiha could only feel a sense of helplessness.

Between the three of them lay Kushina Uzumaki, who had already fallen into a deep, unconscious sleep.

For the high-and-mighty Root Four, the danger of battling the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was second only to facing that pair of Eyes of God in the Land of Rain. If not for Shisui, who had activated his Susanoo to take the brunt of the assault, the rest of the Anbu might have been wiped out in a single exchange.

Even with full preparations and the assistance of the Byakugan expert Hizashi Hyuga, who had activated the Four Symbols Seal, they had nearly been torn to shreds by the rampaging Nine-Tails.

In that critical moment, Shisui Uchiha had nearly defied Danzo's strict orders to unleash the ocular technique of his right eye.

Fortunately, Namikaze Minato had arrived in time to pacify the Jinchuriki. Then, to the utter disbelief of Aburame Torune and the other Konoha ninja, he had single-handedly performed the Four Symbols Seal to reinforce the Tailed Beast's containment.

"Minato, you should be on the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water right now, not here."

"I apologize, Senior. I heard the news that Kushina had left the village and was very worried. She is a person of gentle nature, but the Nine-Tails within her is quite different. I was afraid she might cause you harm, so I rushed over in a panic."

Knowing the true nature of Kushina Uzumaki, Aburame Torune's stiff face twitched at the word "gentle." Nearby, the Root members and the other Konoha ninja tasked with tracking the Jinchuriki glanced at the surrounding forest, which had been churned into a valley, but they dared not voice their anger.

"Forget it. Although you violated the rules, you saved our lives. I will report the situation to Lord Danzo exactly as it happened."

Though Aburame Torune held this junior in high regard, he knew his leader's character all too well. Danzo viewed the rules as iron law; even the legendary White Fang had been ostracized after making such a choice.

Let alone Minato, who belonged to the Hokage's faction—he feared that once they returned to the front lines, he would be ordered to apprehend him.

"I am very grateful to you for that, Senior. As for Lord Danzo, whatever punishment he deems fit is deserved. After all, as a Jonin of the village, abandoning my post and leaving my comrades to face the enemy alone is a grave sin."

After Namikaze Minato finished speaking, he gently scooped up the unconscious red-haired girl. Then, before everyone's eyes, the couple turned into phantoms and vanished from the spot, leaving behind only one incredibly arrogant remark.

"However, I did make some preparations. After finding Kushina, I can follow the mark and return to the base within ten minutes."

Shisui Uchiha's eyes turned scarlet in an instant as he tried to replicate the technique, only to find it was in vain.

"So, Lord Danzo's claim that I had the potential to master the Flying Thunder God Technique was no mere jest."

No matter how fast the Body Flicker Technique was, the Sharingan could still track its trail, but this technique was completely impenetrable to his sight.

At ten years old, Shisui already had no rivals within the Uchiha clan when it came to the Body Flicker Technique. To become faster, he had to seek a breakthrough in space-time. And in the entire village, the only person who could guide him in this field was Namikaze Minato.

"Torune, what do we do?"

Gui, the only woman among the Root Four present, asked.

Among the Ten Root Elites, only Aburame Torune and Orochimaru did not hide their identities. The former needed to handle external affairs on Danzo's behalf, while the latter was simply too famous to hide, merely keeping a name on the Root roster.

"Although the mission cannot be considered complete, it cannot be called a failure either. We will head to the front lines, report the sequence of events, and let Lord Danzo make the final decision."

"We have to go back... to the front lines again!"

Shisui Uchiha picked up his short sword, which had been knocked away by the Jinchuriki, and sheathed it at his waist, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He had once witnessed his father's death on the battlefield of the Land of Water—a sacrifice made to protect him.

"This time, I will use my Sharingan to protect the people of the village."

Aburame Torune and Hizashi Hyuga jointly wrote a scroll, which the latter took back to the village to deliver to the Third Hokage.

Land of Hot Water!

With a sound like a thunderclap, an unprecedented pressure descended upon the heads of the Konoha ninja.

"Oh, it seems the intelligence from Kumogakure was accurate. They seem to know that the sinner Minato is not here, and have actually gathered such a force."

On the cliffside, Guo Wang wore a black overcoat, a forehead protector he rarely donned, and a standard-issue Root short sword at his waist. He looked at the hulking giant opposite him—bare-chested, with gray-black skin and long yellow-white hair—his expression calm and composed.

"This is my dereliction of duty. After the battle, I will go to the interrogation room to accept my punishment."

Although his body had not yet fully recovered, Jiraiya had donned his Jonin vest and arrived on the battlefield to face the encroaching Kumogakure army. Upon seeing the Third Raikage and the AB Duo personally taking the field to drive the offensive, he knew that a traitor had emerged on their side, or that a spy had infiltrated their ranks.

"That goes without saying, but for now, the first thing to do is..."

Guo Wang closed his eyes, pretending to ponder for a moment, before looking at the Ino-Shika-Cho trio beside him.

"The kid from the Yamanaka clan, your secret techniques shouldn't have rusted after getting married, right?"

"Rest assured, Lord Danzo. I will find the Kumogakure spy before you return."

Though Inoichi Yamanaka was not one for flowery words, he spoke with a sense of masculine resolve at this moment.

"It could also be a rotting branch. In these special times, there is no need to hold back. Eradicate them on the spot."

After saying this, Danzo unbuttoned his collar, his black overcoat fluttering in the wind. His bandaged right hand gripped the sword at his waist, and he vanished from everyone's sight.

"Find a way to stall the brats from Kumogakure. Give me some time to strip the armor off that big guy."

The man was gone, but his words lingered in the ears of Jiraiya and the others. It had to be said that although Danzo's reputation in the ninja world was poor, his strength was recognized as the second greatest in Konoha, second only to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Moreover, although his past record against the Raikage was not in his favor, he had pushed his Wind Release nature transformation to the absolute limit, making him more than capable of stalling this Kage.

"I will deal with the brats. You all do your best to disrupt the formation of the Raikage's guard."

Jiraiya coughed twice, then performed the Summoning Jutsu. The battlefield terror Gamabunta appeared out of thin air, crushing a dozen caught-off-guard Kumogakure ninja into pulp.

"Try to finish off your respective opponents quickly. Although Wind Release counters Lightning Release, the opponent is, after all, that Raikage. We cannot let Lord Danzo pay with his other eye."

No sooner had Shikaku Nara finished speaking than a flash of emerald-green spiral light flickered and vanished. They saw the Third Raikage, who had been moving through the battlefield as if in an empty land, struck heavily by a wave of Danzo's hand and sent flying.