Pot Hokage--Shimura Danzo

As Senju Nawaki's words fell, the identity of those who had framed them became glaringly obvious.

Recalling the dossier on this Anbu operative, the answer became clear in his mind: another descendant of the Sarutobi Clan.

The Sarutobi Clan ninja glared, demanding to be cleared of suspicion, inwardly gloating over how clever he had been.

Squelch!

The sound of a sharp blade tearing through flesh echoed out.

The scene fell into absolute silence.

Beneath the feet of the Konoha Anbu ninja, wooden spikes erupted from the earth, piercing his body and leaving several bowl-sized wounds.

Crimson blood sprayed onto the other Konoha ninjas.

A chilling aura swept through their entire bodies.

Senju Nawaki's words had not been empty threats; his actions were shockingly decisive.

A wave of commotion erupted from the onlookers.

"Has Wood Release truly reappeared in this world?"

Those who had previously harbored doubts were now certain, and a sense of wariness toward the Senju Clan took root in their hearts.

"These wounds? Aren't they exactly the same as the ones on that corpse?"

The sharp-witted ninjas fixed their gazes on the newly inflicted injuries.

"The Senju Clan and Konoha? Have they reached the point of life-and-death struggle? We must continue to observe."

The envoys from other hidden villages remained skeptical, suspecting this might be a ruse orchestrated by Konoha.

Shimura Danzo's eyes widened, as if struck by lightning; the situation had spiraled beyond his control.

He knew clearly that the members of the Senju Clan were not putting on a show for him—they were genuinely murderous, intent on a complete severance from Konoha.

His gaze landed on Senju Tojian, the ninja who had just unleashed the Wood Release.

This successor of the Senju Clan had never held a favorable view of Senju Tobirama, and by extension, he had never shown any kindness to them, his disciples.

He discovered, to his astonishment, that Senju Tojian's physical state had undergone a transformation.

The last time he had summoned him, the man had been withered and aged, as if his time were nearly up. Now, he was in his prime, his body possessing more vitality than his own. Could Wood Release truly hold such power?

A formidable pressure erupted from Senju Tojian's body.

I am going to die!

Shimura Danzo jolted awake.

He sensed a killing intent radiating from Senju Tojian, and a wave of regret surged into his heart.

He should never have come to the City of Wood; it was all Sarutobi Hiruzen's fault.

There must be some intelligence hidden that he was unaware of.

He tried to speak, but found that Senju Tojian's movements were faster.

Crackle...

The ground shook, and the fragments of the wall he had just shattered danced on the floor, emitting a grating sound.

Massive tree trunks burst through the earth, growing rapidly.

"This level of Wood Release?"

Shimura Danzo looked up, unable to believe the scene before him.

The sky-covering trees formed a cage, surrounding all the Konoha ninjas, yet leaving several distinct gaps that allowed the envoys from other villages to see everything clearly.

They were like a group of clowns.

Standing there, he recalled the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, who had founded Konoha and suppressed the Ninja World.

"Lord Danzo, the Senju Clan has murderous intent. I will carve out a path for you to escape."

Shimura Danzo's bodyguard, clad in a black cloak with only his eyes visible, appeared deeply loyal.

As he spoke, his body dissolved into specks of black, flying toward a gap in the Wood Release cage.

Looking closely, the black specks were insects the size of rice grains.

This bodyguard was a ninja from the Aburame Clan, capable of utilizing insects to perform his ninjutsu.

Even if there was the slightest gap, he could escape and buy time for him.

Shimura Danzo did not stop him, his eyes filled with a glimmer of hope, though his heart remained skeptical.

Would they really leave such an obvious flaw?

In an instant, his eyes dimmed, a look of "as expected" crossing his face.

Plop... plop...

The black insects fell to the ground, dissolving into green pus.

The Aburame Clan bodyguard also collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, and spoke in broken, ragged breaths.

"Lord Danzo... there is an obstruction in the gap... it can absorb chakra... and it is highly toxic."

As he finished speaking, his entire body dissolved into a puddle of green pus and a few white bones, a truly gruesome sight.

"Spider silk? No, it's like the fibers of a lotus root! It's a type of plant tissue!"

Shimura Danzo paid no heed to the dead guard, staring fixedly at the gap to observe it closely.

Only then did he notice, under the sunlight, a strand of nearly imperceptible, transparent thread.

"This development and application of Wood Release is different from the First Hokage; it has taken an entirely different path."

A look of decadence appeared on Shimura Danzo's face, and a sense of fear welled up from the bottom of his heart.

Senju Nawaki watched all of this, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

A ninja's body can be immune to most toxins; even the poisons of Chiyo of Sunagakure and Hanzo of the Salamander were not this terrifying.

For this reason, he had specifically researched it, discovering that it was because a ninja's body, having been modified by the God Tree, possessed some of the God Tree's characteristics.

The method Senju Tojian had just used was developed by imitating a type of giant Venus Flytrap within the City of Wood.

The ninja of the Aburame Clan had simply walked right into the trap.

This poison would not turn an ordinary ninja into a puddle of pus—at most, they would be briefly paralyzed—but the ninja of the Aburame Clan had turned their own bodies into hives, leaving their physical forms as nothing more than empty shells.

Shimura Danzo caught a glimpse of Senju Nawaki's smile, which sent a chill through his heart.

The Senju Clan and Senju Nawaki had broken free from the constraints of the First and Second Hokage, completely changing their former style of being soft and self-sacrificing for Konoha.

In this series of encounters, he saw the same unscrupulous methods his own teacher had used when dealing with the Uchiha Clan.

Swish...

Swish...

Before Shimura Danzo could think any further, the slaughter had already begun.

The surrounding members of the Konoha delegation fell to the ground one by one; the blood of the guards closest to him sprayed onto his face, yet he dared not move.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, what on earth did you do to Senju Nawaki to make him undergo such a terrifying transformation?"

Shimura Danzo's hands trembled, wanting to use ninjutsu to fight to the death, but he could not muster the chakra within his body.

The surrounding trees and vines formed something akin to a sealing technique, leaving him to watch the tragedy unfold helplessly.

A few minutes later.

Rumble...

The cage formed by Wood Release dissipated, leaving only Shimura Danzo standing alone in the field.

Senju Nawaki stepped through the pool of blood and arrived before Shimura Danzo, a faint smile on his lips.

"You should continue to live and bring this corpse to his son and daughter."

"Tell Sarutobi Hiruzen that the Senju Clan and the Sarutobi Family are mortal enemies."

"You are the one carrying the blame for him; my grand-uncle often praised you, saying you had the qualifications of a Hokage..."

He did not intend to kill Shimura Danzo; this agitator, by stirring things up, could cause the stench of Konoha to spread.

As long as he lived, he could check Sarutobi Hiruzen's control over Konoha.

He wasn't lying, either—the Pot Hokage is still a Hokage, after all!

With a wave of his hand, a vine dragged the corpse of Senju Sakuragi and dropped it between the two of them.

Shimura Danzo let out a sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing as his eyes swept over the surroundings, seemingly understanding the purpose behind Senju Nawaki's actions.

On one hand, it was to declare the Senju Clan's stance toward Konoha.

On the other, it was to sow discord between him and Sarutobi Hiruzen.

At the very least, all of this meant he was safe for now.

"Sakuragi? His son and daughter?"

His mind suddenly recalled the true identity of this corpse.