Shimura Danzo Attacks

Naruto said, "Not bad, not bad," but secretly corrected his technique, throwing the shuriken the way Sasuke had taught him.

After correcting his form, his ninja tool throwing had clearly improved. He hit the bull's-eye several times.

Sasuke: "..."

Denji smiled with satisfaction. He understood that Naruto would probably practice more once he got home. With the experience Sasuke had passed on, Naruto shouldn't do too badly tomorrow.

Even if he didn't manage it tomorrow, sooner or later he'd take first place in throwing.

After all, ninja tool throwing was relatively simple.

The event was scored over ten throws and included stationary and moving targets. Since they were still in their first year, they only practiced with stationary targets.

It was still possible to hit all ten.

With the difficulty so low, if several people hit all ten, they could share first place.

There was still hope.

When class ended, everyone scattered like birds and beasts.

After all, no one wanted to stay in the classroom any longer.

This time, though, things were different. Sasuke and Denji walked ahead, Sakura and Ino walked together, and Naruto drifted alongside them, seeming to want to join in but unable to find a good place to stand.

Hinata walked all alone.

She glanced at the children gathered together, and a thought popped into her mind: I wish I could join them, and laugh and talk with Denji-kun like they do.

Denji noticed Hinata walking by herself and beckoned to her. "Hinata, over here."

Hinata froze, watching the group head toward her. She didn't dare move.

"Come on. Let's walk home together!"

Denji casually took Hinata's hand and led her along.

"Ding! Hinata's wish [The Loneliness of Being Alone] has been fulfilled!"

Denji glanced at the system notification, surprised. Had he already fulfilled her wish?

Hinata, you're a real treasure!

These Wish Points were so easy to farm!

Seeing Denji take Hinata's other hand, Ino refused to be outdone and grabbed his other hand, quietly squeezing Sasuke out of his spot.

"Ding! Ino's wish [A Place by His Side] has been fulfilled!"

Denji glanced at Ino in surprise. When he saw the Wish Points she'd provided, he nodded and let her keep holding his hand.

When Sakura saw Ino take Denji's hand and Denji not refuse, she started thinking.

She remembered what Ino had said: "When a girl pursues a guy, it's like there's only a thin veil between them.

Girls need to be proactive, too."

Ino had pushed Sasuke behind them, so he ended up walking alongside Sakura.

A stroke of luck!

Sakura gave herself a pep talk. As they walked, she slowly leaned closer to Sasuke.

Sasuke frowned and tried to move away to the other side, but Naruto was there, and he didn't want to get too close to that dead-last either.

So he ignored her and kept walking.

Sakura felt triumphant. There's hope.

She edged her hand closer to Sasuke, but he brushed it away.

Sasuke said coolly, "What are you doing?"

Sakura: That's not how the script is supposed to go.

When she saw Ino turn around and smile at her, she couldn't help stomping her foot.

Seeing the broad-foreheaded girl get angry, Naruto stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong, Sakura? Does your foot itch?"

Seeing Naruto only made Sakura angrier. "Mind your own business!"

Denji, who had watched the whole thing unfold, shook his head helplessly.

If he could teach Naruto one thing, it would be: stop chasing after her. It won't end well.

They walked along the road home until only Sasuke and Denji were left.

The Uchiha Clan lived on the outskirts of Konoha, so Sasuke was always the last to get home.

Denji had walked Ino and Hinata home to farm more Wish Points.

The two chatted casually. Sasuke had barely spoken until Denji asked him about his older brother, Uchiha Itachi.

After that, Sasuke couldn't seem to stop talking. Every other sentence started with "My brother" or "My brother."

Denji: "..."

A black figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

"I never thought you'd end up hanging around with an Uchiha brat."

The voice was hoarse, the expression grim, and bandages covered half the man's head.

It was Shimura Danzō.

Sasuke was startled by his appearance.

Danzō glanced at Sasuke, seeming to hold him in utter contempt.

"An Uchiha brat, evil by nature..."

Sasuke asked warily, "Who are you?"

Danzō said coldly, "You're not worthy of knowing my name."

He looked at Denji. "Kid, you'll come with me."

A chill rose in Denji's heart.

Shimura Danzō, the man known as the "Shinobi World's Darkness." Of course Denji knew who he was.

Not only did other villages acknowledge him as the "Shinobi World's Darkness," but even people within Konoha recognized the title.

As a student of the Second, Tobirama Senju, this "Shinobi World's Darkness" had inherited Tobirama's ruthless nature to perfection.

As the leader of Root, he not only struck hard against outside forces, but also followed the principle of "drawing all the heroes of the world into my net" when it came to talent within Konoha.

Civilian-born shinobi from the orphanage, a prodigy from the Aburame Clan, even a prodigy from the Yamanaka Clan—all had been threatened and coerced into joining Root, where they were made to serve him.

And what kind of life could a shinobi in Root expect?

If shinobi in this world were merely tools of the powerful,

then shinobi in Root were nothing but toilet implements.

They were branded with the Cursed Seal of the Individual Curse Tongue beneath their tongues, and their lives and deaths rested entirely in Danzō's hands.

Danzō could act so brazenly within the village because of Sarutobi Hiruzen's softheartedness.

The bond between the two fellow students was truly deep, though it had left Root with a pile of innocent souls to mourn.

Denji took out his ninja tool pouch, fixed his gaze on Danzō, and assumed a fighting stance.

He knew Danzō had his eye on him. It might have been because he'd returned from the Land of Rain, or because he'd experimented with Scorch Release within the clan.

But there was no going back now. He could only fight.

There was no question that he couldn't beat Shimura Danzō.

Danzō had spent many years making his name in the Shinobi World. Like Sarutobi Hiruzen, he had been a student of the Second, and his strength couldn't be far behind Hiruzen's. He was a Kage Level powerhouse.

Denji had only been in the Shinobi World for a few days.

But he didn't have to win. He only had to hold out until someone else arrived...

Danzō's gaze turned cold, and he snorted. "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

Then he threw out four shuriken, all aimed at places that would incapacitate Denji without killing him.

"Watch out!" Sasuke called.

He threw two shuriken.

They spun through the air. Bang! Bang!

He knocked two of them aside.

There were still two left!

Their trajectories were straight. He could knock them down.

Denji narrowed his eyes, his hands moving without hesitation as he threw two shuriken.

Bang! Bang!

He knocked the two shuriken aside just before they reached him.

"Stubborn fool!"

Danzō spoke coldly, but he was pleased by Denji's talent as a shinobi.

The greater Denji's talent, the more he could contribute to Root.

He had casually thrown two shuriken, intending to test Denji.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have used shuriken alone.

"It's not over!"

Danzō flicked a finger. The hidden threads attached to the shuriken pulled taut, changing their trajectories.

The four shuriken no longer flew straight. They curved toward Denji.

"Manipulated Shuriken Technique!"

Sasuke recognized it as the Uchiha Clan's Manipulated Shuriken Technique. He had no time to wonder why the man before him knew their clan's secret technique.

He tried throwing two shuriken again, but the unpredictable trajectories caused both to miss.

Four shuriken! Curving trajectories!