Very well, Danzo. You'll cover our retreat.

Chapter 1: Fine, Danzo, You Stay Behind to Cover the Rear

Konoha Year 20, within the Land of Lightning, the Deep Forest stretched out endlessly.

In a forest clearing, seven figures stood in silent stillness, the air so oppressive it felt near stagnant.

Tobirama Senju wore deep blue battle armor, pressing a single palm lightly against the grass as delicate chakra seeped into the soil, sensing the presence of pursuers closing in from afar. A moment later, he raised his head, his expression solemn: "The pursuers are numerous. It's the elite force of Kinkaku and Ginkaku from Kumogakure."

"Yet our side, including Lord Hokage, numbers only seven. A direct fight offers zero chance of survival." Utatane Koharu's brows knitted tightly together, her tone heavy.

A young Mitokado Homura spoke in a deep voice: "The only option right now is for one person to remain as a decoy, drawing away all the pursuers and buying time for everyone to break through."

"A decoy..." Torifu Akimichi's voice turned raspy, his expression grim and fixed.

"The one who stays behind to cover the rear will surely die."

Such stark words plunged everyone present into silence.

A heavy shadow of death pressed upon every single heart; no one responded.

At the rear of the group, Kagami Uchiha stood quietly among the tree shadows, his posture straight and steady.

At only eighteen years old, as a member of the Second Hokage's direct Shadow Guard, he was already a recognized elite jonin of Konoha. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan quietly revolved within the depths of his eyes, clearly capturing every lingering ripple of chakra in the surroundings. His expression remained calm and waveless, yet a tempest already raged deep inside his heart.

As an outsider who had transmigrated here eighteen years ago, he knew better than anyone present that today was, by the original plot, a desperate dead end.

Just as the dead silence spread...

"I'll do it." Two voices rang out in unison.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō stepped forward half a pace together, vying to volunteer.

Tobirama Senju's gaze fell deeply upon the two men before him, carrying scrutiny and emotional stirring.

He understood Hiruzen Sarutobi; his sincerity and love for the village were things he always knew, so stepping up to face death was hardly surprising. As for Danzo, volunteering on his own initiative caught him slightly by surprise, causing him to inwardly raise his estimation of the boy by a few notches.

Shimura Danzō glanced sideways at Hiruzen Sarutobi beside him, then looked straight at Tobirama Senju, his tone resolute: "Teacher, you are the Hokage of the village, the foundation of Konoha. The village can lose anyone, but it must never lose you."

"Hey, Danzo, you..." Hiruzen Sarutobi was anxious and troubled, his heart full of reluctance.

"Shut up, Monkey! Self-sacrifice is the duty of a ninja, and this is my ninja way. Are you trying to humiliate me?" Danzo snapped fiercely, cutting him off.

Hearing this, Tobirama Senju's expression returned to plainness as he spoke in a deep voice: "Fine, Danzo, you shall act as the decoy. Konoha will never forget your sacrifice."

As soon as these words fell, everyone present was utterly stunned.

The most shocked of all was Danzo himself.

His pupils shrank, and he turned his head instinctively, his gaze darting quickly toward Kagami Uchiha at his side, his eyes filled with utter incomprehension, as if saying: Kagami, did you screw me over? This is completely different from the script we agreed on!

Kagami Uchiha took in all of Danzo's expression, unable to keep from silently complaining to himself: Holy shit, in the original work Danzo only hesitated for a single second and missed his chance, leading to lifelong regret and harboring jealousy toward Hiruzen Sarutobi for the rest of his life. But because I gave him a little hint, he went straight up and stubbornly stood his ground, only for Tobirama to lock him into the death slot instead?

He watched Danzo, who wore the look of someone riding a tiger and unable to get off, forced to brazenly push through, as a deep wave of remorse welled up in his heart.

He and Danzo had known each other since youth, sharing compatible philosophies and like minds; in Konoha, the two of them could be considered each other's only true confidants.

Seeing his close friend about to step into a mortal trial, Kagami Uchiha's emotions were complex.

In the clearing, Tobirama Senju had already gathered his composure and issued a deep command: "The rest of you, break through immediately and return to Konoha. Do not let Danzo's sacrifice be in vain!"

"Teacher!" Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to say more, but Tobirama Senju cut him off directly: "Monkey, no one has any reason to stop a ninja practicing his own ninja way, not even comrades. Remember Danzo's sacrifice and protect the future of Konoha."

The words fell, and the others were already prepared to move.

"Lord Hokage, I am going to support Danzo."

Kagami Uchiha stepped out of the formation with a resolute expression and an open, unflinching gaze: "I will never allow any comrade to walk into death alone."

Faced with this sudden choice, everyone present shook with shock.

"Kagami, even you..."

"I never expected that besides Danzo, Kagami is also a man of true iron and blood," Torifu Akimichi murmured in awe, his face full of respect.

"Have you decided, Kagami?" Tobirama Senju asked in a deep voice.

Kagami Uchiha said no more, simply nodding resolutely toward him before turning and chasing after Danzo.

The rest of the group wore expressions of reluctance and compassionate sorrow, staring at Kagami Uchiha's retreating back with heavy hearts.

"Scatter! Break through!" Tobirama Senju said no more. With a single order, he led the group at full speed, breaking out toward the border of the Land of Lightning.

Deep within the dense forest, the wind howled.

Shimura Danzō fled alone, weaving through the tree branches with extreme speed, his heart filled with grievance and incomprehension, his expression cold and dark.

Why?

Why was he the one who volunteered, and why was he the one who had to die in the end? If it had been Hiruzen who spoke up earlier, the ending would have been entirely different!

Just what had Kagami foreseen? And what had he deliberately changed?

While a storm of swirling doubts filled his mind, a shout suddenly came from behind.

"Danzo!"

Danzō tensed all over, stopping instantly. His right hand whipped out a kunai while his left hand instantly formed hand seals as chakra surged: "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough—"

"Stop! It's me!"

Kagami Uchiha hurried after him and hastily called out to stop him.

Seeing the face of the newcomer, Danzo's tense posture suddenly relaxed, and his eyes filled with astonishment: "Kagami? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be following the teacher to break through and evacuate?"

Kagami Uchiha landed beside him with a firm gaze and a steady tone: "You and I share the same ideals and minds, and we are each other's only true friends. How could I let you go alone to face certain death?"

These few short words instantly smoothed out all the resentment and coldness in Danzo's heart, bringing a sudden warmth to his chest.

He looked at Kagami Uchiha standing unwaveringly by his side, a myriad of emotions swirling within him: truly, in the vast expanse of Konoha, only Kagami understood and trusted him. As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, hmph! He was merely a hypocritical and righteous person, not worth mentioning!

After calming his emotions for a moment, Danzo suppressed his distracting thoughts, turned to look at Kagami Uchiha, and asked with eyes full of doubt: "Kagami, before setting off for the peace talks, you hinted to me about today's events. It is as if you had foreseen everything long ago. Why on earth is this?"

Kagami Uchiha's gaze darkened slightly as the three tomoe in his eyes slowly spun before rapidly intertwining and fusing, outlining a pair of magnificent and eerie pupils.

Within the pitch-black eyes, the Mangekyō Sharingan pattern slowly formed, and his aura instantly became profound and unfathomable.

"You can view it as a foresight of destiny," Kagami Uchiha said indifferently. "My Mangekyō Sharingan possesses the ability to briefly foresee the future."

He chuckled softly to himself: So-called foresight of the future is merely me knowing the plot well and deliberately rewriting destiny.

Putting away the unusual phenomenon in his eyes, Kagami Uchiha wore a stern expression as he looked toward the depths of the dense forest where the pursuers were attacking: "Don't get distracted; the elite troops of Kinkaku and Ginkaku are already closing in. Since we are destined to fight, let's fight to our heart's content! Even if we are bait, we must let Kumogakure know that Konoha Ninja have never been cowards!"

A fierce fighting spirit ignited in Danzo's eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "Well said! Even if we die in battle today, I, Shimura Danzō, will leave a name in the Shinobi World!"

He looked at Kagami Uchiha beside him, his tone exceptionally solemn: "Kagami, with you by my side, even heading to the Pure Land, I have no fear."

Kagami, I will definitely not let you die! Danzo secretly swore to himself at the same time.

Kagami Uchiha looked at the passionate, loyal, and righteous Danzo before him, his heart full of mixed emotions.

Was this really the future sinister, paranoid, and unscrupulous Pot Kage of Konoha?

With such a sense of responsibility and grit, a Danzo willing to die for the village, why didn't he deserve to wield the Hokage Position?

Tobirama Senju boasted throughout his life of knowing people well, but this once, he ultimately misjudged his man; frankly speaking, the old man was still biased.

As the two of them harbored their own thoughts, figures suddenly stirred in the dense forest ahead.

Dozens of sharp chakra auras blocked the path ahead, murderous intent filled the sky, and a sense of oppression washed over them.

The dense elite forces of Kumogakure had completely surrounded them.

Danzo's figure tightened as he gave a low shout: "They're coming, Kagami!"

Cold light flashed chillingly in Kagami Uchiha's eyes, and his fighting spirit boiled over: "Just in time! I've been waiting for a long time!"