Tearing Away the Fig Leaf, Danzō Sacrifices an Arm to Survive

Tsunade slapped the secret letter onto the desk.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, explain this to me."

She did not call him "Third Hokage" or "Lord Hokage." She did not even use his surname, addressing him directly by name.

The Third Hokage picked up the secret letter.

His hand was steady when he finished the first line. But when he saw the words "follow-up cultivation data for the First Hokage's cells," the fingers gripping his pipe tightened by half an inch.

He said nothing. He remained silent for a full five seconds.

Danzō moved.

"Fake."

Each word was harder than the last. Leaning on his cane, Danzō took a step forward, his single eye fixed on the paper on the desk.

"This is a counterintelligence scheme. Hidden Stone obtained the corpses of Konoha defectors and forged Root markings to frame us—such methods are laughably crude." He turned to the Third Hokage, speaking rapidly. "Hiruzen, you can't possibly fail to see that. Something a twelve-year-old child found on an enemy—are you really going to take it seriously?"

The Third Hokage did not respond.

Nawaki had been leaning against the wall from beginning to end, both hands in his pockets, like a passerby who had come to observe.

"Lord Danzō has a point." Nawaki spoke, his tone absurdly sincere. "Paper can be forged, and markings can be copied. I'm just a twelve-year-old kid. I really don't understand anything."

A flicker of relief appeared in Danzō's single eye.

"So—" Nawaki straightened from the wall, brought his hands together in front of him, and clapped softly.

Bang.

Two cracks split open in the office floor, and two thick tree roots burst out of the ground, each holding up a tightly bound man.

Their standard Root masks had been shattered halfway, exposing bruised and battered faces beneath.

Their mouths were plugged with wooden branches, leaving them able to make only muffled whimpers.

They were the two Root ninja who had gone to the canyon to "retrieve the corpse" three hours earlier.

"I only brought back two who could still talk." Nawaki smiled and tilted his head at Danzō. "Lord Danzō, do you know these two?"

The office was so quiet that the creaking sound of growing wood could be heard.

Danzō's cane struck the floor once, but he did not answer.

Fugaku sat at the foot of the wall, clutching his broken ribs as his pupils constricted violently. He recognized one of them—the mask fragment on the man to the left bore the coded pattern exclusive to Root Anbu.

Root Anbu had come to retrieve Nawaki Senju's "corpse."

He suddenly understood something.

Danzō had not merely wanted to kill with a borrowed blade. What Danzō wanted was Nawaki's corpse.

And he, Fugaku Uchiha, had been nothing more than the deliveryman from beginning to end.

Nawaki walked over to the two men, bent down, and pulled the branches from their mouths. He did not give them a chance to speak—he turned slightly and looked at Mikoto.

"Please."

Mikoto stepped forward. Her Three-Tomoe Sharingan lit up.

The crimson light in her eyes enveloped the Root ninja on the left. He struggled for two seconds before his pupils lost focus and his body went limp.

Genjutsu: Forced Confession.

There was no need for an interrogation room or specialists from the Torture and Interrogation Force. A pair of Sharingan was enough.

The Root ninja's mouth began to move. His voice was mechanical and emotionless, as though he were reading from an archived report.

"...Received Lord Danzō's secret order, code name 'First Hokage Recovery.' Mission objective: after Nawaki Senju dies during the joint mission, retrieve his remains at the earliest opportunity, with priority given to preserving the head and spine..."

Danzō slammed his cane against the floor. "He's talking nonsense! Under genjutsu—"

"...The remains will be transported to Cultivation Base No. 7 in the southeastern hills of the Land of Fire for Phase Four live extraction of the First Hokage's cells... Phase Three data has already been delivered through Hidden Stone channels, with a payment of forty million ryō..."

No one in the office spoke.

Even Danzō fell silent.

Because the second Root ninja spoke without needing genjutsu. Looking at Danzō, his voice trembled. "Lord Danzō... you said you'd protect us once this was over..."

The Third Hokage set his pipe on the desk. The movement was light, yet the sound of the pipe touching the tabletop was deafening in the room.

"Danzō."

The Third Hokage's voice had aged ten years.

"You sold the First Hokage's cells to Hidden Stone?"

Danzō was silent for three seconds. His single eye swept across the room—Tsunade's killing intent, the Third Hokage's disappointment, Nawaki's smile, Mikoto's crimson eyes, Fugaku's shock.

Every route of retreat had been blocked.

"Hiruzen," Danzō took a deep breath and changed his approach, "the research into Wood Release is for Konoha's future. You know better than anyone that if we do not master this technology, the other nations will sooner or later—"

Tsunade moved.

There was no warning. One second, she had been standing beside the desk. The next, she was right in front of Danzō.

The strength of the Five Kage surged into her right fist.

Danzō rapidly formed hand seals with his left hand—"Wind Release—"

Too late.

Her fist smashed into Danzō's right arm.

It was not broken. It was pulverized.

From shoulder to elbow, bone, muscle, and meridians were compressed into an irregular lump of flesh beneath Tsunade's monstrous strength. Danzō's right arm was completely ruined below the elbow, and his cane flew away with it, embedding itself in the wall.

Danzō's scream tore through the silence of the entire building.

He staggered back, crashed into the wall, and slid down. His left hand clutched the mangled stump of his arm as blood sprayed through the gaps between his fingers.

"This is the interest I'm collecting for my grandfather." Tsunade clenched her fist and stepped forward. "I haven't even calculated the principal yet—"

"Enough!"

The Third Hokage's chakra erupted.

It was not his full strength, but it was enough to freeze the air throughout the office. Tsunade's footsteps paused. Not because she was being suppressed—with Tsunade's strength, the Third Hokage could not suppress her. She was simply giving the old man one last shred of respect.

"Tsunade, calm down." The Third Hokage's voice was heavy, as though he carried a mountain on his back. "I will handle this."

"How will you handle it?" Tsunade turned her head toward him. "The same way as last time? Make a big problem small, close the doors, say a few words, and pretend nothing ever happened?"

The Third Hokage closed his eyes for a moment.

"Effective immediately—"

He spoke one word at a time.

"Shimura Danzo is stripped of his position as Hokage Advisor. All Root operational authority is frozen. Danzō himself is confined pending investigation."

Danzō's single eye snapped upward, staring fixedly at the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen... you—"

"You crossed the line." The Third Hokage did not look at him. "The First Hokage's legacy is not a bargaining chip for your transactions."

Danzō's lips moved twice, but he said nothing more. He leaned against the wall, his left hand covering his mangled arm as his chest rose and fell violently.

Nawaki looked at Tsunade, then at Danzō by the wall.

The timing was perfect.

"Grandpa Hokage."

He used that obedient form of address again. The Third Hokage looked at him, his expression tangled with complicated emotions.

"Since you're going to clean up Root, someone has to help keep watch, right?" Nawaki spoke as though discussing what to eat for lunch. "The Senju Clan is willing to share that responsibility for the village. We can take over part of the Anbu's review authority."

The Third Hokage pressed a finger against the desk.

"One more thing." Nawaki turned slightly and pulled Mikoto in front of him. "Mikoto has left the Uchiha Clan and joined the Senju Clan. This was her own decision and does not involve any clan disputes. I hope the leadership will formally recognize her change in status."

Fugaku's body jerked. He tried to stand, but his broken ribs forced him back down.

"Nawaki Senju—the Uchiha marriage agreement is not something you can simply declare void—"

"Lord Fugaku." Mikoto turned and looked at him.

Fugaku's words caught in his throat.

Mikoto did not say much. That look was answer enough.

The Third Hokage sat there for a long time. His pipe had gone out, but he paid it no mind.

"...Approved."

The corner of Nawaki's mouth curved upward. It was a small smile, but everyone in the office saw it.

"Thank you, Grandpa Hokage."

He took Mikoto's hand, turned around, and walked over to Tsunade. Tsunade's clenched fist was covered in blood—not hers, but Danzō's.

"Big sis, let's go home. I'll help you wipe your hands."

Tsunade snorted and said nothing, following him out.

The sound of their footsteps gradually faded away.

Only the Third Hokage and Danzō by the wall remained in the office, along with the two limp Root ninja on the floor.

Danzō's breathing slowly steadied. His screaming had ended, and he forcibly suppressed the pain.

His single eye moved away from his ruined right arm and toward the doorway.

"Hiruzen."

The Third Hokage did not turn around.

"You spared my life today. It will be the last time." Danzō's voice was hoarse beyond recognition. "But Nawaki Senju will not let me go. And I will not sit here and wait to die."

The Third Hokage went to pick up the pipe that had fallen onto the desk. When his fingers touched it, they paused for a second before withdrawing.

Danzō pushed himself upright against the wall. Supporting himself with his left hand, he slowly made his way toward the door step by step. Blood ran from his severed arm, dragging a long, narrow red trail across the floor.

At the doorway, he stopped.

"There's something in Base No. 7." Danzō's voice was so low that only he could hear it. "I had planned to nurture it for another three years before releasing it."

He held the doorframe with his left hand without looking back.

"Since Nawaki wants so badly to witness true Wood Release—"

Pain and madness churned together in Danzō's single eye.

"Then I'll let him see it."