Seeing this, Danzo became uncertain and immediately returned to his office.
He began rummaging through his files, searching frantically for something.
Finally, he pulled out a dusty scroll.
Opening it eagerly, Danzo scanned through its contents, searching for something specific.
After about a minute, he found what he was looking for.
"Yes, this is it. A was indeed killed by Wood Style: The Art of Cutting. I didn't expect someone to beat me to recreating Wood Style."
Danzo's expression darkened. Until now, he had considered Wood Style his own exclusive pursuit. But now, reality had shown him that someone else had already made progress before him.
However, after a moment of frustration, Danzo calmed down.
On second thought, the appearance of a Wood Style user was actually good news.
After all, if he could capture this person, wouldn't he finally obtain Wood Style for himself?
With this realization, Danzo returned to the infirmary. He needed more details about this mysterious user.
"B, describe the person you encountered who used Wood Style. What did he look like? Did he have any distinctive features?"
The room fell silent. Everyone in the infirmary held their breath. Did Danzo-sama just say that A was killed by Wood Style?!
B hesitated momentarily, but then he recalled what had happened.
"Yesterday, A and I were in the Land of Hot Water, carrying out the mission you assigned us. Just as we completed our task and were returning to the Land of Fire, a man wearing a white spiral mask suddenly appeared in front of us."
"He attacked without warning. Before we could react, he killed A. However, for some reason, he left after that, allowing me to escape and bring A's body back."
Danzo frowned, trying to figure out who this masked man could be.
After a long moment of contemplation, he still had no clue.
But one thing was certain—this mysterious individual wore a white spiral mask and possessed Wood Style.
Danzo wasted no time. He raised his hand and commanded, "Guards!"
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
"You heard what B said. I want all available Root members to track this man down. The moment you find him, capture him immediately—dead or alive!"
"Understood!"
"Oh, and send Hiruko to my office. I need to speak with him."
"As you command, Lord Danzo!"
Hiruko's Arrival
Hiruko sighed as he entered Danzo's office. He had been conducting an important experiment related to his Chimera Technique, but Danzo's summons meant he had no choice but to put his work on hold.
"Lord Danzo, you requested me?"
As soon as he entered, Hiruko noticed the corpse on the ground.
He had never seen Wood Style before, so he was unsure why Danzo had placed a dead body in his office.
"Look at the body," Danzo ordered, pointing at it with his finger.
Hiruko was confused but obeyed. He crouched beside the corpse and examined it carefully.
"Do you see anything unusual?" Danzo asked.
"I'm sorry, Lord Danzo," Hiruko shook his head. "I don't recognize anything significant."
"This man was killed by Wood Style," Danzo stated.
Hiruko's eyes widened in shock.
"Wood Style?! Are you certain, Lord Danzo?"
"Yes," Danzo confirmed. "Although it's a weaker technique within Wood Style, there's no doubt."
With that, Danzo tossed a scroll toward Hiruko.
Hearing something flying toward him, Hiruko instinctively caught it. He looked at Danzo with confusion before unrolling the scroll.
His eyes scanned the contents—then paused.
The technique written on the scroll matched the wounds on the corpse.
It was Wood Style: The Art of Cutting.
Realizing this, Hiruko quickly closed the scroll and returned it to Danzo.
Although there was more information in the scroll that he hadn't read, now wasn't the time to satisfy his curiosity.
"Lord Danzo, what exactly is going on?" Hiruko finally asked.
Danzo explained everything—how B and A were attacked, how A was killed, and how a Wood Style user had appeared in the ninja world.
"A Wood Style user?" Hiruko muttered in astonishment.
"Yes," Danzo affirmed. "I have already sent teams to track him down. Once we capture him, I will hand him over to you for experimentation."
Hiruko's breathing grew heavy with excitement. He never expected Danzo to be so generous. As for whether the Wood Style user would be brought back dead or alive, he didn't care.
Knowing Danzo, he would do everything in his power to capture the target alive. A living Wood Style user was far more valuable than a corpse.
"For now, pause your research on the Chimera Technique," Danzo instructed. "I want you to focus entirely on Wood Style."
"I understand, Lord Danzo," Hiruko nodded.
Even if Danzo hadn't said it, Hiruko would have made the same decision. His Chimera Technique had already shown progress, but this was a rare opportunity.
He was eager to study Wood Style.
Satisfied with his response, Danzo nodded.
"Good. Take this corpse with you and begin your research immediately. Once we capture the target, I'll notify you."
Hiruko bowed slightly, then dragged the body out of the office.
Two Days Later – Fire Country Border
A three-man Root team was on the move, searching the area.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH!
Three wooden spikes, as thick as branches, shot toward them.
"Who's there?!" one of the Root members shouted.
Reacting quickly, the other two dodged the incoming attack.
A voice echoed from behind the trees—
"Heh, that old man Danzo really wants you guys dead."
From the shadows, a masked figure stepped forward.
He wore a white spiral mask.
The three Root members immediately realized—
This was their target.