Activating Skills

In the dense forest, the whistling of kunai slicing through the air and the sounds of ninjutsu being unleashed rang out continuously.

Yet Danzo's side seemed isolated from everywhere else, untouched by the fighting and chaos of the war.

"Do you think your strength compares favorably to those Kumogakure shinobi who practice Nintaijutsu?" Danzo asked, looking at the unwilling Might Guy.

Might Guy replied confidently, "Since Lord Danzo believes in my strength, I naturally will not disappoint Lord Danzo."

Seeing that he still did not understand, Danzo spelled it out. "Is the Eight Gates your reliance? How long do you think you can maintain the Eight Gates?"

Might Guy froze.

"You are a pure taijutsu shinobi. You can use the Eight Gates to temporarily gain strength beyond that of other shinobi, but how long can you sustain it?"

"Your strength was rated as that of a special jonin not only because your achievements were insufficient, but also because although you can use the Eight Gates to temporarily possess the strength of a jonin, or even a Kage..."

"You cannot maintain the Eight Gates state for long. That is your weakness."

"To wound the enemy by a thousand while injuring yourself by eight hundred—only the right moment is the time for you to strike."

"Conserving your stamina is what you should be doing now."

Danzo mercilessly pointed out Might Guy's shortcomings, warning him not to become too complacent.

The current Might Guy had not yet begun leading a team of Genin as in the original story. He had only one disciple, Xiao Li, and his temperament was not yet steady enough.

Though unwilling, Might Guy still gritted his teeth and nodded.

He also knew that Danzo was right.

"Ryoma."

Danzo suddenly spoke to Yume Ryoma beside him. "You will temporarily command the upcoming battle. I need some time to handle other matters."

Provided he had enough Skill Points, even at such a crucial moment, he had to temporarily leave the team and improve his strength as quickly as possible.

Though he knew that something unexpected might happen while he was away, he had to leave.

It was not only for his own safety. He also needed sufficient strength as a foundation so that he could gain more recognition and respect for himself in the war to come.

At present, the only person in this team capable of replacing him was Yume Ryoma.

Although Uchiha Fugaku and Hizashi Hyuga were also capable of commanding, he did not dare hand such great authority to them.

The relationship between those two clans was like fire and water. If he gave them authority, they might start fighting each other before Kumogakure's people even arrived.

"What?" Yume Ryoma looked utterly confused. He had not heard what Danzo had just said clearly.

Was he planning to replace the commander in the middle of the battle?

"Proceed step by step. Do not act too hastily. Kumogakure has yet to figure out our exact combat strength, so they will not rashly deploy their main force. You only need to lead the team in clearing out Kumogakure forces around Si Ming Mountain and keep them surrounded within the area."

"Pay attention to the relationship between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. Fugaku is steady enough by nature and should understand the bigger picture. He should be able to keep his own men under control."

"Keep a close eye mainly on Hizashi Hyuga's people. After all, he is only from the Hyuga branch family and does not have enough authority to properly command those Hyuga clansmen."

Danzo gave his instructions.

By all reason, activating these skills should take a day as it had before, but since he had never experienced this before, he could not be certain.

Beneath his animal mask, beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down Yume Ryoma's forehead. He scratched his head and said with some difficulty, "Shouldn't we report this to the Hokage first?"

"No need. This matter is settled." Danzo reached out and removed Ryoma's mask, revealing an utterly ordinary face.

"This is Yume Ryoma. I am temporarily handing my command authority to him. You are to obey his orders and not act on your own. If I return and learn that any of you dared violate orders, Root's punishments are not something you can endure."

He shouted his orders to the others around him.

Without hesitation, Danzo turned to Might Guy. "A Kai, come with me."

With that, Danzo turned and headed directly in the opposite direction from the team.

Might Guy's eyes lit up, and he quickly followed Danzo, leaving Yume Ryoma standing there in a daze.

What had been going on with Lord Danzo lately?

As soon as Danzo left, the Anbu Ninja who had been secretly following him wore a strange expression and followed after him.

His mission was to protect Danzo, so even if Danzo left the team, he still had to follow.

Danzo did not go very far from the team.

After finding an old tree nearby, he cleared out a relatively clean spot for himself.

"Lord Danzo, are we going to carry out some special mission?" Might Guy asked curiously. Having left the team to act alone, that was the only possibility he could think of.

"Stay a hundred meters away from this area. Do not let anyone approach, not even Anbu personnel." Danzo ignored him, inspected the tree hollow filled with dry grass with satisfaction, then gave orders to the empty surroundings.

Figures in black emerged from the shadows all around, surrounding the entire hundred-meter area with Danzo at the center.

"A Kai, stand guard here. Do not let anyone approach the tree hollow."

"Huh?"

Might Guy looked utterly confused. This seemed rather different from what he had imagined.

The Anbu Ninja who had received the Hokage's orders to protect Danzo was likewise stopped.

"Lord Danzo has ordered that no one is to approach."

A cold, seemingly emotionless voice rang out.

Kakashi frowned at the Root Ninja before him. He did not speak. Trying to communicate with Root Ninjas was meaningless.

Having once joined Root, he knew very well that these Root Ninjas only obeyed Danzo's orders and would not be swayed by anyone else's words.

Kakashi tried to break through the Root Ninjas' encirclement from every direction.

But unfortunately, he failed every time and could only wait silently on the perimeter for Danzo to reappear.

Meanwhile, Danzo had already activated all four skills.

Unlike the first time he activated a body-enhancement skill, that intoxicating warm current did not appear. Instead, a scorching stream of air appeared from nowhere within his body and slowly traveled through it.

As the current flowed, piercing pain made Danzo clench his teeth.

Hot vapor surged out through Danzo's pores, and the temperature within his body nearly reached the limit a human body could endure.

At this moment, both Danzo's body and mind were under immense pressure.

The scorching current slowly filled his entire body. Accompanied by a heartbeat like the roar of an engine, Danzo's vision went black, and he finally passed out from the pain.

"Lord Raikage, news has arrived from the front lines."

Mabui, the Fourth Raikage's secretary, hurried into the Raikage Office with a scroll in hand.

"What is it? I've told you before—be steady in your work. Don't rush about so frantically." The Fourth Raikage sat calmly in his seat and took a sip from his teacup.

Because he was often criticized for being impulsive and hot-tempered, he had recently decided to cultivate his temperament.