Meeting Danzo? Call for Backup First!

The wind in the alley had stopped.

The air carried a damp, moldy smell.

Qian Ye took his hand off the Ninja Tool Pouch.

He studied the two men before him, both wearing pure white masks.

Gray bulletproof vests.

No clan crests or identification numbers that could prove their identities.

Even their breathing rhythms seemed to have been carved from the same mold.

"Lord Danzo?"

Qian Ye tilted his head.

An exceptionally brilliant smile appeared on his face.

"I've heard so much about you."

That was not mere politeness.

As a transmigrator, he might have understood this Hidden Leaf pot-stirring king better than even the Third Hokage.

The score for that ambush had yet to be settled.

Yet the old bastard had come looking for him first.

The Root ninja on the left ignored Qian Ye's smile.

His voice remained dry and raspy.

"Come with us."

Qian Ye put both hands back into his pockets.

"Sure."

He agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"I heard my teacher Orochimaru speak of Lord Danzo's wisdom."

"My teacher often says that Hidden Leaf's great tree can flourish in the sunlight only because Lord Danzo nourishes its roots in the darkness."

Qian Ye spun nonsense without blushing or skipping a beat.

What had Orochimaru actually said again?

Oh, Orochimaru had said that no dog would want to be Hokage, and that Danzo was just an old fool obsessed with power.

But that did not stop Qian Ye from using Orochimaru's name as a banner.

"Since Lord Danzo has summoned me, lead the way."

When the Root ninja heard Qian Ye agree so readily, his eyes beneath the mask did not ripple in the slightest.

They did not care whether Qian Ye was waving Orochimaru's banner around.

Root recognized only Danzo's orders.

"Then let's go." The