Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The sound of air being sliced apart rang out repeatedly.
Dark figures leaped swiftly between the branches like agile black cats.
"Yoshino Town is ahead. We'll rest there for the night, and we should reach the border tomorrow." After handing over with the Root Ninja stationed nearby, Danzo announced that they were approaching the end of this leg of the journey.
Compared to the leisurely ease he had shown back in Konoha, he now looked somewhat bedraggled.
However, his movements were clearly much smoother than before.
During the long journey, Danzo had worked hard to adapt to a ninja's method of travel and familiarize himself with control of this body, with excellent results.
Clang—
The sound of metal striking metal rang out, followed by something heavy hitting the ground.
"Lord Danzo, we've discovered people from Kumogakure ahead." Hizashi Hyuga reported from Danzo's side. He had already used his Byakugan to examine the situation ahead.
"There are only three of them. They appear to be an advance squad, led by one jonin and two chunin."
"However, it seems the Uchiha have no intention of reporting this to you."
The Hyuga Clan's Imperial Family did not go to war, so Hizashi, the branch family's acting leader, had led the Hyuga Clan this time.
Danzo frowned and glanced at him before raising a hand to signal the team to halt for the moment.
He had not expected Kumogakure's people to have already begun probing deep into the Land of Fire, even dispatching a jonin. It seemed the information he had Root forge in the delegation's name had still made them suspicious.
Chakra clung to Danzo's feet as he leaped steadily from the branch and moved toward the front of the group.
"Are you people from the Land of Fire planning to start a war?"
Before he even saw anyone, the arrogant voice of a Kumogakure ninja reached his ears.
As he neared the source of the voice—
Uchiha Fugaku and several Uchiha jonin had tightly surrounded the three Kumogakure scouts. The two chunin wore vacant expressions, clearly caught in a genjutsu.
"Lord Danzo, all three have been subdued. These two chunin don't know anything, while this jonin has strong resistance to genjutsu." Fugaku was the first to speak when he saw Danzo arrive, reporting the results of his brief interrogation.
"Danzo?"
The title clearly caught the Kumogakure jonin's attention. He looked at Danzo's young face in confusion, but then seemed to recognize him, and a trace of panic appeared in his eyes.
Danzo grinned and asked the Kumogakure jonin, "You know me?"
The Kumogakure jonin did not answer. With a dark expression, he asked, "Is Konoha really planning to start a war?"
After recognizing Danzo, he had lost all of his earlier arrogance.
The fact that this old man had been sent to the front lines already revealed Konoha's stance.
He had to send this news back and inform the Raikage.
The instant that thought surfaced, the jonin only felt a chill at his neck. His eyes widened as he stared at Danzo in disbelief.
He had not expected Danzo to strike to kill immediately, not even allowing him to finish two sentences.
"Kill them all. There's no need to waste time prying information out of them. We need to reach the front lines as soon as possible." Looking indifferently at the bodies already on the ground, Danzo wiped the blood from his kunai and gave the order.
"Yes."
A complicated look filled Fugaku's eyes as he waved for the Uchiha to act.
As the Uchiha Clan Head, he understood Danzo's recent changes better than anyone.
There had always been considerable friction between the Uchiha and Danzo. In the past, Danzo often hid in the shadows. Although the Uchiha held authority over the Konoha Military Police Force, they still had no way of fully grasping his movements.
But now, Danzo walked openly beneath the sunlight, every action of his exposed for all to see.
Yet this only made Fugaku feel even more conflicted and fearful.
If the former Danzo had been a genuine villain who made no effort to conceal his aims, then the current Danzo was an old fox with a sunny smile.
As for whether he was a hypocrite, Fugaku could not say, because he truly could not tell whether Danzo was putting on an act or had genuinely changed.
Sensing the feeling of being watched, Danzo suddenly turned around and met Uchiha Fugaku's complicated gaze.
Danzo's calm, indifferent eyes made Fugaku panic inwardly.
"Keep moving. With a powerful enemy before us, you must put aside your prejudices and cooperate with the Hyuga Clan. Try to avoid exposing our objective too early." Danzo smiled gently as he gave the order.
"Yes."
Fugaku felt genuine fear toward that smile and lowered his head unconsciously as he replied.
The Uchiha clansmen beside him did not move. They all frowned at their Clan Head, then looked toward Danzo with undisguised dissatisfaction in their eyes.
Danzo looked around, sweeping his gaze across the proud Uchiha clansmen.
He rolled his eyes inwardly, but maintained his smile as he told them, "We are all part of Konoha. Please put the greater good first."
His attitude was modest, yet as soothing as a spring breeze. It did not make the Uchiha feel as though they had been ordered around, but rather as though they were engaged in an equal exchange.
Danzo's attitude made them nod unconsciously. They dispersed and began keeping watch in earnest.
Nodding in satisfaction, Danzo returned to hiding amid the group as they continued toward the border.
This guy.
Fugaku raised his head and stared deeply at Danzo's back.
This old man Danzo was becoming more and more unfathomable. When had the old Danzo ever put such thought into dealing with the Uchiha?
Every meeting had ended with him wearing a sour expression, let alone showing such a gentle attitude as he did now.
Hizashi Hyuga said to Danzo, "There's no telling how long this war will last. My brother acted impulsively back then."
Danzo smiled and responded, "Even if Hiashi hadn't killed them, they would have used another excuse to provoke all of this. That brainless Raikage enjoys using such open schemes."
"He was certain Sarutobi would not agree to go to war, but he never expected me to be the one directing all of this."
Hizashi nodded, his eyes full of gratitude as he looked at Danzo. "Lord Danzo, you've changed a great deal."
He had gone to war alongside Danzo before.
But Danzo had been cold-faced and somewhat gloomy at the time. Apart from those equally icy Root Ninja, no one trusted him, which created an inexplicable sense of distance.
"It seems someone says that to me every day ever since I became younger." Danzo replied with a smile, his gentle tone giving away no emotion.
In this team, Danzo served as the overall commander and the brain.
As the Hyuga Clan's leader, Hizashi served as the main eye, responsible for reconnaissance, observation, and directing the other eyes.
Uchiha Fugaku personally led the team, serving as its arms, responsible for sweeping away and eliminating most enemies.
Although the Uchiha were arrogant, it could not be denied that their individual combat ability far surpassed that of most other clans.
The strong deserved the respect of others.
But what the Uchiha possessed more of was self-satisfaction and pride, rather than the recognition and respect of others.
Recalling Fugaku's earlier gaze and that faint feeling of being watched, Danzo's smile grew ever brighter and gentler.
qwq Today I'm getting one of those flop-exclusive text recommendations. Please give me a recommendation vote so I can at least die knowing why. This salted fish wants to turn things around.
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