Danzo: You Can't Go There!!!

"I'm digging in!"

In front of Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto snapped apart his chopsticks, unable to keep the drool from spilling out of his mouth.

Then came a burst of ravenous slurping, like a pig at a trough.

Broth splashed all over the table.

"Slow down. No one's going to take it from you."

Uchiha Mirai sat at the table opposite him, watching the scene with a smile.

The protagonist of an anime from his previous life was sitting alive and well right before him, giving him a slight sense of unreality.

Naruto's way of eating was more or less the same as what he had seen in the anime in his previous life.

It just seemed even more ferocious.

Before long, the bowl of ramen had already been emptied.

"Another bowl."

Uchiha Mirai waved to Teuchi, who was making noodles.

"Coming right up!"

Teuchi's smile was highly infectious.

It was as if the person sitting before him was not the infamous Calamity Uchiha, but merely an ordinary customer.

As the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, Uncle Teuchi and Ayame were among the very few people in Konoha who held no prejudice against Naruto or Uchiha Mirai.

Whether they were demon foxes or Calamity Uchiha.

To Teuchi, as long as you loved ramen, you were his most honored customer.

"Ramen's ready!"

Ayame, dressed in white, set the ramen down in front of Naruto.

"Thanks!"

Naruto swallowed, then resumed his ravenous slurping.

Uchiha Mirai calmly swept his gaze around the area.

This bowl of ramen was quite thrilling.

At least five ANBU were monitoring the surroundings within his perception, and that number was still steadily increasing.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had deployed at least an ANBU squad.

Not only that, Uchiha Mirai detected traces of Root a little farther away.

Though they were fewer in number than the ANBU, every one of them was jonin-level.

It could be said that, to prevent him from making a move on the Nine-Tails, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo had, in such a short time, mobilized nearly the most elite forces of the ANBU and Root.

That was more like it...

The corner of Uchiha Mirai's mouth curled up ever so slightly, leaving no trace.

After fishing for so many days, the fish had finally taken the bait.

Contacting Naruto had only been a smokescreen.

The purpose was to draw Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo's attention.

The Nine-Tails was simply too important.

He didn't believe Sarutobi Hiruzen would remain completely indifferent.

What if he ignored it once?

What about twice?

And if he ignored it twice, what about three times?

By continuously interacting with Naruto and toying with Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others' nerves, he would make them focus all their attention on himself.

That way...

Things could begin over there.

Meanwhile.

At the edge of Konoha.

A pair of scarlet eyes watched the Root base across from them through gaps in the leaves.

At the pitch-black entrance, two masked Root members stood guard, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

"Looks like Danzo moved Root's forces away, leaving this base's defenses much weaker."

Uchiha Mirai spoke calmly.

It was him, but not entirely him.

More precisely, it was a physical clone he had created by using Godzilla's power to infect a White Zetsu body.

Ordinary Clone Techniques burst with a single poke.

Even Multiple Shadow Clones merely required poking them n more times.

Unless they were special physical clones, capable of existing independently from the original body and wielding special powers.

And his current body belonged to that category.

Godzilla G Cells and nuclear energy had easily infected the White Zetsu cells, reshaping them into his likeness in an instant.

Uchiha Mirai called it...

The Nuclear Clone Technique!

Aside from possessing all of White Zetsu's abilities, the nuclear clone also had considerable control over nuclear energy.

Its strongest move...

Was similar to Deidara's "Art is Patrick Star!"

At the cost of completely destroying this clone, it would detonate all the nuclear energy within its body in an extremely short period of time.

The result was equivalent to unleashing an ultra-miniature nuclear bomb.

Uchiha Mirai's body suddenly sank, disappearing into the ground.

White Zetsu ability: Mayfly Technique!

A breeze passed by, and no trace of anyone remained in that spot.

The two Root guards stationed at the base entrance continued patrolling mechanically, noticing nothing unusual.

"Is this the inside of Root?"

Uchiha Mirai poked half his head out from the shadows and carefully surveyed his surroundings with mild surprise.

The unremarkable Root base from the outside contained an enormous space within. In the dim light, tangled stairways descended vertically into the darkness like giant pythons.

His location was merely one tiny corridor entrance among them. A few Root members could be seen patrolling mechanically nearby.

After roughly assessing the surrounding situation, Uchiha Mirai merged into the ground, leaving behind no trace whatsoever.

In the original story, White Zetsu had used the Mayfly Technique to obtain a great deal of classified intelligence.

The clone Uchiha Mirai had created had been enhanced with G Cells, so its Mayfly Technique was only stronger, not weaker!

Root's tight defenses surprised Mirai slightly.

Every short distance, several Root members patrolled the area, while sealing formulas and sensory formulas were densely arranged all around.

That was only because his original body had used the Nine-Tails to draw Danzo's attention away and pull Root's elite forces elsewhere.

Otherwise, the Root base's defenses would only have been even tighter.

Fortunately, Uchiha Mirai's nuclear radiation sensing technique contained no chakra, so he did not need to worry about being discovered even here.

Thus, without a sound, Uchiha Mirai treated half of Root's ninja to a feast of nuclear radiation.

After searching for a while, he found his target.

"There's a special room ahead. Something inside is rapidly absorbing nuclear radiation. Its nature is somewhat similar to White Zetsu's, but its life force is far greater..."

Uchiha Mirai's eyes flickered slightly. If nothing unexpected happened, that was his target.

Avoiding the Root guards ahead, Uchiha Mirai poked his head out again and had already appeared in a hidden space.

All sorts of items were neatly arranged around him—scrolls, experimental equipment, and various documents and reports...

Clearly, this was one of Root's secret storage rooms.

Uchiha Mirai swept his gaze around, his eyes burning as they settled on one item.

It could be said that the entire Uchiha Clan found that thing irresistibly alluring.

Inside a transparent glass cultivation tank as tall as a person, a fist-sized lump of white flesh bobbed up and down in green nutrient fluid.

Hashirama Cells!

Uchiha Mirai swallowed.

Even from this distance, the sensation this piece of Hashirama flesh gave him far surpassed that of White Zetsu cells.

Even after so many years, the lump of flesh continued to emit vigorous waves of life force.

One could only imagine how terrifying the First Hokage, who had pacified the chaotic era, must have been.

Having witnessed the vitality of Hashirama Cells firsthand, Uchiha Mirai gained a clearer understanding of the gap between himself and the God of Shinobi.

Though the name Calamity Uchiha carried immense notoriety, there was still an insurmountable gap between him and the God of Shinobi.

An existence of that level was the target he needed to surpass.

But how had such a powerful First Hokage died?

Uchiha Mirai could not help but feel curious.

Had he really, as the unofficial histories claimed, fought Madara in a fierce battle and been drained dry of his life force?

Clearly, now was not the time to dwell on such matters.

Uchiha Mirai took a deep breath and calmed his turbulent emotions.

Just as he was about to take the Hashirama Cells, his brows immediately furrowed.

"Danzo is far too cautious, isn't he? Root's defenses are already this tight, yet he even set up so many sensory techniques."

From a distance, Mirai had not noticed it, but now that he was closer, he discovered that several sensory ninjutsu had been inscribed onto the cultivation tank storing the Hashirama Cells.

Even the slightest vibration would be detected by the sensory techniques.

Uchiha Mirai looked troubled. If that was the case, it would be impossible for him to take the Hashirama Cells without anyone noticing.

"Wait!"

After pondering for a while, Uchiha Mirai's eyes gradually lit up.

The next second, the cells of this clone suddenly began dividing at an accelerated rate. They rapidly differentiated, spreading over and covering his clothes, while his face began changing at high speed as well.

Then, at a certain moment, he viciously punched the cultivation tank!

"An intruder!"

"The storage room has been breached! Go provide support immediately!"

"Quick! Report to Lord Danzo at once!"

Piercing alarms rang out, and the surrounding Root members fell into complete chaos.

This was the first time the Root base had ever been infiltrated!

At Ichiraku Ramen, some distance away, Danzo leaned on his cane and stared coldly at Uchiha Mirai.

Uchiha Mirai had been in such frequent contact with the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki.

That was definitely not a good sign.

"No matter what you intend to do, this old man will never let you succeed!"

Danzo sneered.

The coldness in his eyes seemed to freeze into ice.

Suddenly!

Whoosh!

A Root member appeared before him and dropped to one knee in a panic as he reported.

"Lord Danzo, this is bad! Root's storage room has been infiltrated!"

The chill in his eyes instantly froze, replaced by intense shock and disbelief!

The storage room???

Danzo felt a chill run through his lower body!

That place! Not that place!

Whoosh!

He vanished from the spot in an instant.