"Even if he's a god, I'll make sure he dies on the road back to the village today!" Danzo's chilling voice, as grating as a night owl's cry, echoed through Root's underground base deep within Konoha, where daylight never reached. Before him, dozens of Root operatives wearing pale animal masks dropped to one knee in unison like soulless puppets, then turned into black afterimages and vanished into the darkness.
Meanwhile, on the border of the Land of Fire, outside the famed Forest of Death.
The trees towered into the clouds, their dense foliage forming an enormous black curtain that blocked out every ray of sunlight. The air reeked of rotting leaves that had gone years without sunlight, and thick white miasma drifted between the trunks, making even breathing feel unbearably oppressive.
"Pick up the pace, everyone. Once we cross this Forest of Death, we'll be back in Konoha in another half day." Kakashi led the way, his right eye-the one not covered by his forehead protector-warily scanning the thick mist around them. Although their rescue mission in Sunagakure had ended successfully, Gaara's death and revival after his tailed beast had been extracted were simply too bizarre. He had to return to the village as soon as possible and report everything to Tsunade in detail.
Carrying an enormous pack, Naruto bounded excitedly between the branches. "Great! We're finally going back! I've had nothing but sand in my mouth these past few days in the desert. When we get back, I'm eating ten bowls of Ichiraku Ramen in a row! Big Brother Shengu, it's my treat. You have to come!"
Following behind Naruto, Sakura rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. "Can't you fit anything besides ramen in that head of yours? Captain Shengu is the great hero who saved the Kazekage.