Chapter 903 : Horror

When Hiruzen defanged Root after Danzo's confrontation with Fujin, Danzo was left with merely 10 subordinates. He had a few outside the Root that escaped Hiruzen's notice, but those could be counted on one hand. Among those 10 subordinates, 2 were in the northern parts of the Land of Fire, 1 was on a different secret mission and the remaining 7 had assembled around Danzo in the Root headquarters.

Danzo commanded, “Nezumi, disguise a Shadow Clone and take my place in the headquarters. If Hiruzen or Tsunade send anyone to check on me, fool them for as long as you can. However, don't enter into any sort of conflict. I don't want to give them any more excuses to make a move against me. It's fine if they figure out I am not present here, just don't inform them about my whereabouts or the purpose of my departure.”

Nezumi and Yoru nodded. Every Root ninja present had experienced the pressure and restrictions applied on them. They understood very well how they should act.

Danzo, along with Fu, Torune and three remaining Root ninjas left the headquarters. They left through one of the many tunnels connected to the Root headquarters. As they moved, Fu said, “Danzo-sama, since this tunnel is so long, Lord Third typically positions a Hyuga Special Jounin to watch over its exit. It'll be difficult to leave without being noticed from here.”

Despite Fu's concern, Danzo said, “I'm aware. Continue moving.”

——

It was just another day for Hyuga Ishi. A yawn escaped his lips as he kept an eye at the exit of the tunnel and thought, ‘It's been 6 months and there hasn't been any movement here. Sigh, why did Lady Fifth assign me such a boring task?’

He complained inside his head for a while as usual before thinking, ‘If the pay wasn't so good, I would have quit a long time ago! Hmm?’

The Anbu didn't generally induct Hyuga ninjas due to their curse seal. However, since they were so effective at surveillance, Tsunade and Hiruzen recruited a few Hyuga Special Jounins to keep an eye on some of the tunnels extending from Root's headquarters.

Hyuga Ishi was one such Special Jounin. Despite his boredom, he didn't lax and did his job dutifully. However, on this particular day, he got a strange feeling. His will of doing his mission waned rapidly and he felt an urge to relax.

He announced, “We'll take a short lunch break. Follow me!”

Ishi's words surprised his two teammates. Unlike Ishi, they were experienced Anbu ninjas. Their discipline was far greater than a normal ninja.
The Anbu wearing a cat mask immediately said, “We can't leave until another squad comes to replace us. You know that very well.”
The other Anbu added, “Yes, what if something happens when we are away?”

However, Ishi snorted, “Nothing has happened in the last six months! What will happen now? Besides, don't forget who is the squad leader here. Do you want to oppose my commands?”

The cat-masked Anbu frowned and said, “If you want to leave, go. We'll stay here and keep an eye!”

Ishi snorted again, “Hmph, I'm the team leader! What I say goes! If you two don't follow, I'll report you two for insubordination!”

His insistence caught the two Anbu ninjas off guard. Left with no other option, they had to follow Ishi. The cat-masked Anbu thought, ‘That's weird… He hasn't behaved like this in the last 6 months. Did something happen for him to snap like this? Hmm, wait a minute!’

He suddenly recalled, ‘Lady Fifth had told us to report if one of our teammates suddenly began acting weirdly! However, how could she have known? And, what's the reason behind Ishi acting this way?’

He analyzed for a bit but couldn't guess the answer. In the end, he decided, ‘I'll send a Shadow Clone to report to Lady Fifth about this matter. Hmm, I should keep it a secret from Ishi, or he might try to get in my way.’

He followed Ishi to a restaurant, went to a washroom to get out of his sight and created a Shadow Clone which quickly transformed into a random person and walked out of the restaurant. The clone flickered continuously and quickly sought a meeting with Tsunade and reported this matter.

Tsunade frowned and analyzed, ‘Sensei informed me that Danzo possessed one of Shisui's eyes, which can cast a Genjutsu even when the person isn't looking in his sharingan and it is extremely difficult to sense that the person is under a Genjutsu. Did Danzo finally make a move? However, why would he do it now? What is he scheming?’

Tsunade thought for a bit before ordering, “Shizune, inform Sensei that Danzo is interfering with the surveillance team. I'll go ahead and investigate first.”

Shizune became serious and quickly carried out her teacher's orders while Tsunade and her Anbu Guards flickered towards the Root Headquarters. Unfortunately, it had taken a long time for the Cat-masked Anbu ninja to send a clone to report the matter. Danzo and his subordinates had escaped not only the tunnel, but also the village even before they reached the restaurant!

Tsunade's boots softly echoed through the dimly lit corridor as she walked into the Root command chamber, flanked by her four Anbu Guards. Her eyes immediately locked onto Danzo, seated as always, posture rigid and expression impassive. The two Root ninjas in the chamber immediately stood next to him as Tsunade and ‘Danzo’ stared at each other!

“Danzo,” Tsunade said curtly.

The supposed Danzo inclined his head, “Tsunade...”

“I received a report that one of my surveillance squads was compromised near the western tunnel exit. The squad leader, Hyuga Ishi, displayed signs of subtle Genjutsu manipulation. An unusual event, wouldn’t you say?” Tsunade's tone was level, but there was steel underneath. Despite not directly saying it, everyone in the room could see she was blaming him.

Her words put Nezumi's clone under great pressure. Yet, he steeled himself and prepared to confront the Legendary Sannin standing against him. In perfect mimicry of Danzo’s voice, Nezumi's clone replied smoothly, “An unfortunate coincidence. But Root no longer has the resources to interfere with your operations, Tsunade. Do I need to remind you how many of my subordinates Hiruzen stole from me?”

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, “Yet you're still here. With what little forces you have left, I’d imagine you’d be careful not to stir trouble. That makes Ishi’s behavior… inconvenient to explain, doesn't it?”

‘Danzo’ gave a slight shrug, “Perhaps one of your own has gone rogue. Or perhaps the stress of long-term surveillance has affected his judgment.”

“You’re denying any involvement?” Tsunade stepped closer and continued, “Because if I find out that you or your subordinates tampered with a Hyuga under my command, I will act.”

Tsunade studied him closely. Everything seemed in place, his tone, posture, even the way his chakra felt dull and repressed. Still, something was off. She couldn’t place it, not yet, but the feeling grew intense every second!

Nezumi's clone held on to his nerves and replied, “I understand. Root obeys the laws of Konoha, however diminished we may be. We are not your enemy.”

Tsunade narrowed her eyes once more, focusing her entire attention on ‘Danzo’ while her subordinates observed Nezumi and Yoru. After a long silence, Tsunade finally said, “I’ll be watching you closely.”

Yoru, Nezumi and his clone were relieved to hear those words. They had successfully bought time for their leader! Unfortunately, their relief was short-lived. None of them saw Tsunade's fist coming at ‘Danzo’. Before anyone could react, the clone, along with a few walls behind him, were blown into smithereens! The entire Root headquarters shook due to her punch!

Tsunade turned her eyes towards Nezumi and said, “To lie and fool the Hokage, you sure have guts! If you don't want to be tried for treason, tell me where Danzo is! Why did he leave the Root?”

To say Nezumi and Yoru were horrified was putting it lightly. Despite knowing Tsunade's strength, her little display shocked them to their core! What worried them more was the question stuck in their heads, ‘Did she figure out it was a clone and not Danzo-sama and hence punched? Or, did she punch without knowing?’

If it was the former, they would understand. However, Tsunade was famous for losing her temper too quickly. They worried for the future of the Root if it was the latter. Despite their confidence in Danzo, they doubted whether his old body could survive such a blow. At the same time, they were relieved that the real Danzo wasn't sitting in that chair! Of course, the relief lasted for a fleeting moment as they felt Tsunade's wrath bearing down on them!