---Third POV---
With a self-righteous resolve, Danzō's expression was stern as he swung his left hand and chopped off his entire right arm, grabbing it and hurling it into the air.
The suppressed Hashirama cells finally went out of control, wildly proliferating and transforming into towering trees that entangled Shiori's Susanoo.
"The one who will save Konoha... IS ME!!"
He roared as he tore open his outer robe, revealing the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing engraved on his chest.
"Pfft!"
Blood mixed with ink spewed out in a violent surge.
The pitch-black, gigantic barrier expanded outward, then violently contracted, silently devouring everything within its range.
"Caw... caw..."
Several crows flapped their wings and flew across the sky.
A shadow appeared out of nowhere on the ground, and Shiori slowly rose from her shadow space, calmly looking ahead.
There lay an almost perfectly smooth circular crater, and at its center was Danzō's corpse.
In the shinobi world, battles were battles of intelligence. Against Shiori, who had seemingly hacked into future information, Danzō ended his decades of scheming with nothing more than sealing off a patch of small woodland.
Recalling his final words before unleashing his self-destructive technique, Shiori's lips curled into a cold, scornful smile.
"Death is what you deserve."
---
Deep within an underground cave in the Land of Fire, a spiky White Zetsu used the Mayfly to emerge halfway from the ground, reporting Konoha's latest intelligence to Black Zetsu, who was busy tinkering with a complex machine.
"It's confirmed. Danzō's plan to steal Kotoamatsukami has failed. Shiori, somehow knowing about the plan beforehand, struck preemptively and killed him before he could act."
"Hmm? He failed?"
Black Zetsu was somewhat surprised. That shouldn't have happened, Danzō might have lacked in many areas, but when it came to plotting against his own people, he was supposed to be an expert. How could he be preempted by someone like Shiori, that brute?
It truly was strange.
Just like on the Land of Fire coastline last time, when Shiori, with no warning whatsoever, suddenly attacked the Root ninjas disguised by White Zetsu, causing Madara's abduction plan to fall apart.
And now again, it was her, without the slightest sign or warning, breaking the situation wide open as if she had opened her eyes to the truth.
"This inexplicable source of intelligence… could it be her Mangekyō Sharingan ability?"
In that moment, several visual jutsu used by Indra's descendants flashed through his mind.
Some could automatically calculate future outcomes based on existing conditions. Others could ask questions and receive answers at the cost of ocular power. And some were even more terrifying, able to foresee the future or glimpse fragments of it.
As someone who had lived since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, he might not boast physical strength, but when it came to insight, he considered himself second to none.
Assuming the worst-case scenario, if Shiori really could foresee the future, then her impact on the Eye of the Moon Plan could be even greater than Ryouma's.
Seeing Black Zetsu silent for so long, Spiky White Zetsu craned his neck and sighed.
"What do we do next?"
To that, Black Zetsu had only one answer:
"Wait."
"Wait? Wait for what?"
Spiky White Zetsu was puzzled.
Black Zetsu explained patiently, "Of course, wait for Ryouma to leave Rōran."
"You're that sure Sasori will fail?"
To be honest, Spiky White Zetsu had quite a bit of faith in that puppeteer.
"Absolutely."
From the moment Black Zetsu sent White Zetsu to leak the Rōran information to Suna, he had already written Sasori off as a disposable pawn, just bait to lure Ryouma out of the village.
His plan was simple: since Rōran technically fell under Suna's jurisdiction, all he had to do was wait outside the city and ambush the ninjas dispatched by Suna. Once they were wiped out, the village, unable to afford further losses, would have no choice but to request help from their ally, Konoha. And the only one Konoha could feasibly send at the moment was Ryouma.
Of course, if things went off track and Konoha sent someone else, he still wouldn't worry.
After all, Minato had already taken over as Hokage and definitely wouldn't leave the village. So aside from Ryouma, anyone else sent to Rōran would just be fodder for the Deva Path, and a nice bonus to weaken Konoha's strength.
With this strategy, sooner or later, Ryouma would have to leave the village, creating an opportunity for Danzō to seize Shisui's eye.
Poor Sasori had no idea he had been a pawn from the beginning. He still thought the plan failed because Mukade had drawn too much attention and tipped off Suna.
Spiky White Zetsu asked, "Since you're so certain he will fail, why bother going back to Rōran?"
"The Ryūmyaku is a rare treasure, perfect for supplementing the Gedo Statue. Previously, its energy was too active for the statue to absorb, but now that Sasori has been draining it, the Ryūmyaku no longer has the strength to resist."
Spiky White Zetsu, being one of the smarter ones among the Zetsu, immediately understood what Black Zetsu meant.
"Ah, I see, you planned from the beginning to use the Ryūmyaku to replenish the chakra of the tailed beasts lingering inside the Gedo Statue. That way, there's no need to go after the four tailed beasts being protected by Ryouma."
During the battle in the Land of Grass, the Gedo Statue had already absorbed the chakra of four tailed beasts.
Given that it was the shell of the Ten-Tails, it still retained primal instincts. It could rely on absorbing the high-concentration natural energy in the Ryūmyaku to replenish itself.
"By the way, any news about the Rinnegan that Ryouma snatched away?"
Compared to the tailed beasts, Black Zetsu was far more concerned about the Rinnegan. After all, this was the single pair of eyes he had spent a thousand years scheming to create, the only hope of resurrecting his mother.
Spiky White Zetsu shook his head, "None. With his sensing abilities, the White Zetsu haven't been able to get within range. The intel on Konoha this time was only gathered after he left the village."
That answer didn't please Black Zetsu, but thinking about it, there was nothing more he could do. What worried him most was the possibility that Ryouma might one day transplant the Rinnegan into himself and then summon the Gedo Statue at will. If that happened, no matter how bold Black Zetsu was, even he wouldn't risk calling the statue back, what if Ryouma reverse-summoned himself to his location?
That would be catastrophic.
Not to mention the possibility of being marked with the Flying Thunder God Technique, he still couldn't understand how these "natives" had invented such absurd jutsu.
"Say, Isn't it possible that Ryouma has already destroyed the Rinnegan?"
"Absolutely impossible. That's the Rinnegan we're talking about, the eye that can reverse life and death. That guy has plenty of regrets and emotional bonds. There's no way he'd be willing to destroy it."
"Is that so?"
Spiky White Zetsu thought Black Zetsu was being overly optimistic. Judging by the way Ryouma acted during the war, he didn't seem like the kind of person who would hold on to such a dangerous object.
Still, without solid intel, he didn't press the topic further.
"Oh right," Black Zetsu suddenly remembered something. "Shiori killed Danzō, so is she now a missing-nin, or has she been captured by Konoha?"
If Shiori had defected, then maybe he would have a chance to guide this descendant of Indra.
"About that... the situation is a bit complicated."
---
At the gates of Konoha, a swirling ripple in space spread out as the peculiar group of four stepped out from it.
"What a convenient ability," Kakashi commented, arms crossed behind his head. "I think you might as well start a travel agency someday. I bet a bunch of nobles and officials would love to hire you."
"Hey! Don't think I'm stupid. You're just trying to kick me off the team, aren't you? I'm not falling for it."
Obito, convinced he'd guessed Kakashi's true motive, pressed on proudly.
"Haha! You're just jealous. Now that Ryouma's on missions, he could leave anyone behind, except for me, his personal doorman!"
Kakashi twitched at the corner of his mouth and shot a look at the idiot next to him.
"I seriously don't know what you're so proud of."
Seeing Kakashi fall silent, Obito pumped his fist in front of him in triumph.
Victory.
Ryouma and Rin ignored the two who seemed unable to stop bickering and stepped to the registration post near the village entrance. They recorded their return with the two chunin guards stationed there.
Once the return was logged, Ryouma turned to the others and asked, "Next we need to report the mission. You guys coming along?"
Obito was the first to jump in. "Of course! This time I'm definitely going to show Minato-sensei how much I've grown."
"You didn't do anything though. You almost walked into a trap…"
"Can we not talk about that?! How about you walk back from Rōran by yourself next time!"
Rin could tell if she didn't step in, Obito and Kakashi might start a fight, so she quickly raised her voice. "Okay! You two cut it out. Everyone did great, alright?"
"Sigh…"
Ryouma let out a tired breath. Leading a team really wasn't easy. He honestly didn't know how Minato used to manage it.
---
In the end, all three followed Ryouma to the Hokage Building.
Nodding at the two ANBU guards at the door, he pushed open the Hokage's office. Inside, Minato was the only one present.
"Yo, Ryouma. That was quick. Good job on the mission."
"Not a hard job, just a hard life."
"Haha. Don't worry. I approved that vacation you mentioned last time."
That was exactly what Ryouma had been waiting to hear. His face immediately switched to a smile as he began reporting the mission details.
"We arrived in Rōran and discovered… then we actually found… and after that, this and that happened…"
Normally, a squad captain was supposed to prepare a written report before briefing the Hokage. But given the relationship between Ryouma and Minato, those formalities were naturally skipped.
"I see. Sounds like this mission was more complex than expected. Good thing it was you handling it. If I'd sent anyone else from Konoha, they might've ended up like the ninjas from Suna."
Minato silently congratulated himself for not assigning such a dangerous task to Shibi and Chōza. Otherwise... With that thought, he pointed to the sand sphere behind Ryouma and asked, "Is the missing-nin you encountered during the mission, Sasori of the Red Sand, sealed in there?"
"That's right."
After confirming Minato's question, Ryouma raised both hands above his head and lifted the sleepy Shukaku down.
"What's going on? Are we home already?" Shukaku rubbed its eyes in a daze.
"Not yet. Can you retract all this sand? We don't want to get dust all over the office."
So it was work again… Sigh. The tanuki patted its belly and opened its mouth, sucking the sand sphere, which held Sasori, back into its body.
Thud.
Covered in sealing marks, Sasori fell face-first onto the floor.
"He's converted his whole body into a puppet. A fall like that won't hurt him," Ryouma quickly explained, stepping forward to flip Sasori over, just to avoid looking like he enjoyed mistreating prisoners.
From Sasori's wide, spinning eyes, it seemed he was quite grateful.
Knock knock.
Minato tapped his index finger on the desk, summoning two ANBU members.
"Go, please take him away."
"Yes."
Once the two ANBU agents quickly and efficiently carried Sasori off, Obito finally asked the question he'd been holding back ever since Ryouma started his mission report.
"Minato-sensei, aren't you curious about Naruto?"
"Haha, Obito, being overly concerned with the future can actually backfire. Since Ryouma said Naruto grew up to be a kind child, then I don't have anything to worry about, do I?"
Being able to teach his students again after so long made Minato a little nostalgic for the old days, back on the Suna battlefield, when he and Ryouma led Kakashi's team on missions.
Seeing that everything was wrapped up, Ryouma clapped his hands and said, "Alright, the mission squad is hereby disbanded. I'm off to talk to Orochimaru about something."
Back in Rōran, he had used the "White Zetsu Experimental Type-1 Reagent" that Orochimaru gave him on Naruto, and it had worked remarkably well. He planned to discuss with Orochimaru whether the serum could be mass-produced, even if the effects were a bit weaker, it'd still be useful.
Hearing this, Minato's smile faded. "Ryouma, about Orochimaru… there's something I need to talk to you about, privately."
He then turned to the trio and said, "Kakashi, Obito, Rin, you three can go now. You all did great on this mission. Especially you, Obito."
Receiving special praise, Obito immediately looked smugly at Kakashi.
Kakashi, not wanting to bother with the idiot who wore every emotion on his face, gave Minato a slight bow and walked out of the office first.
Once the three had left, Minato cleared his throat and said, "What I'm about to say… please, don't overreact."
"Don't worry, I'm a trained ninja. I won't overreact."
"Danzō has been killed."
"Oh?" Ryouma's eyes lit up. "Whose brave subordinate did that… I mean, who would be so bold as to commit murder in the middle of Konoha?"
Seeing Minato's expression, he'd thought something serious had happened. Turned out Danzō got himself killed.
That guy was always messing with people left and right, it was only a matter of time before someone came to settle the score.
He wondered if Danzō managed to say "thank you" before he died.
---
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