Danzo Awakens

At Konoha Hospital, in the hallway on the top floor, Minato spotted a familiar figure by the stairwell. He had just left the ward moments earlier.

Minato raised a hand to stop the Anbu Ninja who were about to step forward and intercept the newcomer, then walked toward the stairwell himself.

"Shiraishi, why are you here again?" Minato stood in Shiraishi's way and asked quietly, curiosity in his voice.

Wearing a mask, Shiraishi flashed a foxlike grin beneath it and answered without lowering his voice, "I'm here on Elder Danzo's orders to keep an eye on the Third Hokage."

Minato's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Shiraishi. He hadn't expected the man to be so brazen as to say something so... so blunt.

The Anbu Ninja guarding the hallway all turned to look at Shiraishi. Anger showed in many of their eyes.

Lord Hokage was unconscious, and they, the Anbu Ninja, already bore undeniable responsibility for it. Now Shiraishi was provoking them like this—it was as if he had slapped them in the face.

"You..." Minato was at a loss for words. He hurriedly turned to the Anbu Ninja behind him and apologized on Shiraishi's behalf. "He doesn't know how to talk. Don't be angry. I'll teach him a lesson."

With that, Minato grabbed Shiraishi and led him upstairs to the rooftop.

Once they reached the rooftop, Minato shut the iron door and led Shiraishi to a spot near the edge.

"Shiraishi, don't be so blunt next time," Minato advised with a wry smile.

"If I hadn't spoken that way, would you have brought me up here?" Shiraishi took off his mask and smiled at Minato.

"You did that on purpose?" Minato stared at Shiraishi in surprise.

Shiraishi smiled and nodded, then said, "I came to see you today because I have some information to share. It may be connected to why the Third Hokage is unconscious."

"What?" Minato's face lit up with excitement.

Before Elder Danzo went to his appointment last night, he took a mysterious Soul Banner from a sealed chamber in Root. The Black Mist you mentioned may be connected to that Soul Banner," Shiraishi said.

"A Soul Banner? What did it look like?" Minato pressed.

Shiraishi shook his head. "I don't know much about the Soul Banner. All I know is that Root Ninja brought it back from the battlefield a year ago."

"Not long after Danzo obtained the Soul Banner, he set aside a special chamber to store it and declared the chamber off-limits. No one was allowed near it without his permission."

"Over the past year, Elder Danzo took some Ninja and prisoners into the chamber. None of them ever came out alive."

Minato's brow furrowed. "Every single one of them died?"

"They all died. When their bodies were brought out, they had no external injuries," Shiraishi replied.

"There's something wrong with that Soul Banner!" Minato said firmly.

Shiraishi nodded. "I think so too."

"Is the Soul Banner still in Root?" Minato pressed.

Shiraishi shook his head. "It disappeared after last night. Elder Danzo doesn't have it on him."

With that, Shiraishi looked at Minato.

Minato understood what Shiraishi was getting at. After thinking it over, he said with certainty, "Neither I nor Lord Hokage has it."

"Then it seems the Soul Banner was the cause of their collapse last night," Shiraishi suggested.

Minato nodded in agreement. "I'll go tell the two advisors right away."

"Don't," Shiraishi stopped him.

Minato looked at Shiraishi, puzzled. "Why not?"

"The Black Mist last night was bizarre. Even you and the Third Hokage couldn't resist it. If Elder Danzo still has the Soul Banner, and you report this to the two advisors, they'll definitely go to Root and demand answers.

"What if Elder Danzo decides to attack? If you and the two advisors end up unconscious too, the village will truly fall into chaos," Shiraishi warned.

After hearing Shiraishi's analysis, Minato looked horrified. "Elder Danzo wouldn't do that, would he?"

"Are you willing to bet on it, Minato? The war isn't over yet. The village can't afford a single mishap," Shiraishi said gravely, his tone growing more emphatic.

Minato nodded, then rubbed his head in frustration. "So what should we do now?"

Shiraishi explained his plan. "We'll prepare for both possibilities. I'll return to Root and secretly keep an eye on Elder Danzo. Maybe I can find something out about the Soul Banner."

"You should protect the Third Hokage over the next few days and see if the situation improves."

"If the Third Hokage hasn't woken up in three days and I haven't found anything, then notify Lord Jiraiya and call him back from the front lines."

"I understand," Minato replied.

"Don't tell anyone about this for the next three days," Shiraishi reminded him.

"I won't tell anyone," Minato promised.

Shiraishi nodded and prepared to leave.

"Shiraishi." Minato called after him as he watched him walk away.

Shiraishi stopped and turned to look at Minato.

"Shiraishi, be careful. If you run into danger, come to me at any time. I'll make sure you're safe," Minato urged with concern. He knew how dangerous it would be for Shiraishi to return to Root and secretly gather information under Danzo's command.

"Everything is for Konoha." Shiraishi smiled, his figure gleaming in the morning sunlight.

"Yeah! Everything is for Konoha!" Minato watched Shiraishi intently, then smiled warmly. To him, Shiraishi was a true hero!

Shiraishi took one last look at Minato, turned, and walked away, leaving the sunlight as he gradually disappeared into the shadows.

Minato stood where he was, watching Shiraishi leave. The sunlight made his golden hair shine even more brightly.

At two in the morning on the third day, "Hiruzen Sarutobi," who had been unconscious for nearly three days, opened his eyes in the hospital ward. His eyes glinted with restrained joy as he gazed up at the pure white ceiling.

Danzo had awakened!

"You're finally awake!" Shiraishi's voice sounded beside Danzo.

After nearly three days of sleep, Danzo had completely adjusted to his new body. He was in far better shape than Hiruzen Sarutobi had been when he first woke up. He felt no discomfort at all—in fact, he was exceptionally alert.

"This is a hospital ward. The entire floor has been cleared out, and fifteen Anbu Ninja are guarding the outside," Shiraishi explained.

Danzo braced himself with both hands and sat upright, then looked to his left at Shiraishi, who was leaning against the windowsill.

"How did you get in?" Danzo asked.

Shiraishi raised an arm and pointed behind him at the open window. The answer was obvious.

Danzo frowned slightly. As the head of Root, he knew the Anbu Ninja's capabilities very well. This man had managed to infiltrate the ward under the guard of fifteen Anbu Ninja without anyone noticing. His strength and stealth were far beyond the ordinary.

Shiraishi walked over to Danzo and stopped beside the bed. He bent down and looked him in the eye. "How does the new body feel?"

Danzo was quite satisfied, but still complained, "It's too ugly!"

"Hahaha!" Shiraishi laughed and straightened up, then clapped Danzo on the shoulder. "While you were unconscious these past three days, I did a lot for you. No need to thank me."

Danzo's expression changed at that. He hurriedly asked, "What did you do?"

Shiraishi gave him a meaningful look from the corner of his eye. "That's a long story."

Danzo stared at Shiraishi, his tone firm. "Tell me everything you did!"

Shiraishi smiled again, then rested one hand on Danzo's shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I'll tell you every last detail."