Reflected in the Rinnegan, the ANBU operative's eyes slowly grew vacant, while unfamiliar memories flashed through Otsutsuki Toneri's mind.
One of the figures in the operative's memories made the vicious grin on his lips deepen.
(Third update! Please support!)
Chapter 29: Don't Blame Toneri If He Breaks Them? Fourth update
"Perhaps I could go meet him?" Without so much as glancing at the vacant-eyed operative, Otsutsuki Toneri stroked his chin in thought.
As expected, this operative was indeed one of Danzo's subordinates. After all, Danzo paid very close attention to Hiruzen Sarutobi's movements.
Having learned that he had spent all of last night at Kurenai Yuhi's house, he would certainly investigate why.
Danzo dreamed of taking the Hokage position, bringing glory to Konoha, and unifying the Shinobi World, but his thinking perfectly inherited the radical ideology of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. It was far too extreme.
That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi never let his guard down around him.
Burning the already-dead operative to ashes with a burst of fire, Otsutsuki Toneri turned and left the alley.
From the operative's memories, he had already learned where Root's headquarters was located. Danzo was there at that moment, too.
He was going to meet this Shimura Danzō. The man had tremendous ambition, but neither the mettle nor the strength to match it.
Relying solely on transplanted Sharingan and Hashirama cells, he was still a nobody in the end.
But that had nothing to do with Otsutsuki Toneri. He had other things in mind; quite a few things in Konoha interested him.
Arriving at a house in a corner of Konoha, Otsutsuki Toneri walked straight inside. A secret passage here led directly to the underground space below.
Lifting a floorboard revealed a staircase, and Otsutsuki Toneri descended without hesitation.
The space was dim all around, and the corridor was quiet-so quiet it sent a chill through the heart.
Otsutsuki Toneri walked slowly forward with light footsteps. Before he had gone far, a smile curled his lips.
He spread his two small hands, and two slender black rods appeared in them before abruptly stabbing in two directions.
Squelch!
The sound of black rods piercing flesh rang out, and Otsutsuki Toneri continued forward.
Meanwhile, seated quietly deep inside, Shimura Danzō listened to a report from an ANBU operative kneeling on one knee below him.
"You're saying Hiruzen went to the Hyuga Clan first thing this morning?" Danzo asked expressionlessly. His right hand and left eye were already wrapped in bandages.
A sharp glint flickered in his cold left eye. He looked far younger than the aged Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Because he had transplanted the First's cells, his vitality was much stronger than an ordinary person's.
"Yes, Lord Danzo. Lord Hokage went to the Hyuga very early today and has yet to come out," the operative replied respectfully, his calm tone utterly unchanging.
They were all Danzo's death-sworn retainers, men he had trained to be loyal to him alone.
"Is that so? Just what is Hiruzen trying to do?" Danzo pondered upon hearing this. Last night, he had visited the two children who had just arrived in Konoha, then hurried to the Hyuga this morning.
Danzo knew Hiruzen Sarutobi's character very well. He would never do anything pointless. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi had a gentle disposition,
the importance he placed on Konoha and his love for it were beyond anyone else's imagination.
"It's actually quite simple. Hiruzen Sarutobi did it because of me." Just then, a young voice suddenly chuckled nearby, making Danzo narrow his eyes slightly.
The kneeling operative immediately rose, guarding Danzo with his sword drawn. That voice was completely unfamiliar!
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Clear footsteps sounded from the darkness, and Danzo's eyes narrowed further and further.
This was Root's headquarters, guarded outside by Root elites, yet this person had actually walked in safely as though no one were there?
Did that mean his subordinates outside were already all... dead?
"Who are you?" After getting a clear look at the figure emerging, surprise flashed through Danzo's eyes, and he asked calmly.
Although greatly surprised, the deeply calculating man would not readily show it.
It was actually a child. Danzo carefully examined the white-haired boy dressed in white, paying particular attention to the blood-dripping black rods in his hands.
It seemed he could not be underestimated.
"Toneri, Otsutsuki Toneri. Konoha's Root certainly lives up to its reputation. It took quite some effort to get inside. Meeting the renowned Shimura Danzō is even harder than meeting the Third Hokage."
Otsutsuki Toneri flicked the blood off the black rods, then looked at Shimura Danzō with leisurely composure as he slowly teased him.
Although he said it had taken some effort, his relaxed expression suggested otherwise.
Along the way, he had faced attacks from at least a dozen ANBU operatives, all of whom had struck to kill without saying a word.
But with his outstanding sensory abilities, he had always anticipated his opponents and dealt with them easily.
"Children these days truly are remarkable. So, you're one of the two children who arrived in the village yesterday?" Shimura Danzō fell silent briefly, then stood and tilted his head as he looked at Otsutsuki Toneri.
Otsutsuki Toneri-the ANBU had submitted that name to him yesterday, so he did recognize it.
Still, whatever the case, he could not be allowed to act so brazenly here!
A cold gleam flashed through Danzo's eyes, and another dozen or so ANBU operatives appeared around them.
"Oh? Are you going to attack me, Lord Danzo?" Otsutsuki Toneri grinned, sensing the dozen or so additional presences around him as he teased Danzo.
"Toneri doesn't know how to hold back when he fights. If I break your beloved subordinates while playing with them, please don't blame Toneri."
Hearing those vicious words, Danzo's gaze flickered, his calm face revealing nothing of his thoughts.
This child did not seem to be bluffing, and the fact that he had made it this far said a great deal.
Still, a monstrous prodigy like this, whom Hiruzen Sarutobi had very likely already won over, was better off dying young!
Without an order from Danzo to stop, the dozen or so Root members immediately swarmed Otsutsuki Toneri.
At this, Otsutsuki Toneri's smile deepened. He mobilized the chakra within his body, and a powerful vortex of energy spiraled upward.
Sensing the dozen or so ninja, Otsutsuki Toneri spoke calmly.
"Flame Bird!"
A blazing red light instantly flared!
(Flame Bird is one of Momoshiki's ninjutsu moves! Fourth update! Please support in every way! There is a group; it's at the end of the previous two chapters. Everyone is welcome to join!)
Chapter 30: You Want Eyes? Fifth update
"Flame Bird!"
"Screee!"
As Otsutsuki Toneri's voice fell, an enormous firebird rose from the ground, spreading its wings and soaring high into the air.
Blazing flames wreathed the Flame Bird, bathing the entire underground space in red light and scorching heat.
The firebird gave a silent, piercing cry and charged toward the dozen or so ANBU ninja, its two flame-formed eyes filled with fierce menace.
Instead, this spacious underground area became its perfect battlefield, because its opponents had nowhere to hide!
"This is bad!"
The ANBU operatives' hearts lurched, and without hesitation, their hands rapidly formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
They rapidly unleashed various water release ninjutsu. With its wings spread, this firebird measured a full seven or eight meters across, terrifyingly huge.
And judging by the heat they could sense even from a short distance away, if it struck them, they would probably be vaporized on the spot!
Hearing those voices, Otsutsuki Toneri could not help lowering his head slightly with a contemptuous smile. If the Flame Bird could be stopped merely by water release cast by these ANBU elites, who were elite jonin at best,
then it would not have deserved to be passed down to him by Kaguya Otsutsuki.
This was a move Momoshiki Otsutsuki had used against Naruto Uzumaki in his tailed beast transformation, though Naruto Uzumaki had torn it apart in the end...
Otsutsuki Toneri had not poured much chakra into it, which was why it measured only seven or eight meters. At its largest, the Flame Bird could rival the Nine-Tails in size.
Sure enough, as the water release ninjutsu came at it, the Flame Bird flew onward unstoppably, its intense heat directly evaporating the water release.
A great mass of white vapor rose, completely shrouding the Flame Bird, leaving only a faint hint of red light visible.
"Dodge!"
The dozen or so Root members' pupils contracted at the sight. One of them immediately shouted and was the first to leap away.
If a monster like that so much as touched them, it would be hard not to burn to death!
But how could it be that easy?
The Flame Bird moved at tremendous speed, smashing through the defensive water formation walls. Two operatives failed to dodge quickly enough, and merely being grazed by its flaming wings instantly annihilated them!
At this sight, Shimura Danzō narrowed his eyes deeply. These were his most elite death-sworn retainers; even he felt the pain of wasting them like this!
His opponent's strength far exceeded his expectations. A casually unleashed ninjutsu possessed such power and might.
"All of you, stand down." Shimura Danzō considered briefly before speaking flatly. There was no need to continue.
Having these Root members keep fighting would only increase his losses.
The Root members immediately retreated at his words, but three of them were still burned to ashes by flames spewed by the relentlessly pursuing Flame Bird.
Seeing that the Flame Bird had no intention of stopping, Shimura Danzō's face darkened, his expression turning extremely ugly.
"Young friend, isn't this going too far?" Shimura Danzō looked at the calm, relaxed Otsutsuki Toneri, his tone somewhat grim.
These were all subordinates he had spent over a decade training. Every death meant one fewer, and he had invested no small amount of energy and painstaking effort in them.
Otsutsuki Toneri smiled at his words, then snapped his fingers. The Flame Bird slowly dissipated, finally turning into a spark and vanishing without a trace.
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