Whoosh! A flash of yellow light, and Minato Namikaze appeared in a study.
It was the Third's private study—a simple and unadorned space. One wall was lined with shelves filled with many scrolls: on military strategy, ninjutsu, village administration, civil matters, and countless other topics.
"Oh, it's you, Minato?" The Third sat behind his desk, clearly surprised by Minato's sudden arrival.
He nervously clasped his hands together while shifting a crystal ball aside on the table as he spoke.
"Yes, Lord Third. I came because I need to discuss something important with you."
Minato shot a quick glance at the crystal ball on the desk—his expression remained calm and serious as he approached.
"Oh? What kind of matter?" Sensing something unusual, the Third rose from his seat and walked with Minato toward the sofa.
Years of retirement had softened the man who once fiercely protected Konoha, giving him the demeanor typical of someone his age.
With a weathered face, he gestured for Minato to continue.
"It's like this..."
Minato recounted everything he knew in detail, closely observing the old man's changing expressions. As the Third listened, his voice finally trembled slightly. He rested both hands on his thighs, unconsciously clenching them into fists.
"Has it really come to this?"
"Yes. Right now, Shikaku has already gone to mobilize the team for investigation..."
"I'm going too!" Without hesitation, the Third immediately stood up and strode toward the inner room.
He needed to change into mission gear—leaving the village might mean encountering enemies.
As the elder walked away, Minato caught a glimpse of subtle signs of weariness and loneliness in that slumping back.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Minato remained silent and motionless, not interfering.
He understood the deep bond between the Third and Danzo—lifelong comrades who had faced death side by side, forging a connection nothing could break.
Without exaggeration, half the credit for Konoha's current prosperity goes to the Third and Danzo.
Although the foundation was laid by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, and further shaped by the Second into what Konoha would become, it was ultimately figures like the Third, Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado who brought Konoha to its present state.
Because of their deep bond, the Third always looked after people like Danzo with great care.
In his youth, Danzo had always wanted to become Konoha's leader—the Hokage—but when the Second chose Hiruzen over him, that dream vanished.
Though he never openly expressed bitterness, the Third always felt somewhat guilty about how things turned out, tolerating Danzo's actions in many ways.
As long as Danzo did nothing directly harmful to the village, the Third would turn a blind eye to everything else.
But now, Danzo was dead!
A bond suddenly severed by another's hand—Minato could feel the deep anger and grief surging within the Third.
"Shikaku is still at the Hokage Building, right?"
Once again, he appeared, but this time wearing a black ninja battle armor.
The shoulder guards, chest plate, and bracers were all complete. Moreover, Sarutobi also wore a black hat on his head.
Underneath the armor was a tight-fitting black body suit clinging to his skin.
"Hmmmph!"
Minato Namikaze nodded approvingly, just about to speak further, when Sarutobi glanced at him and vanished with a 'shunshin' sound.
"Ahhh, I was going to say I could escort you there!"
Minato let out a slight sigh and raised his hand. He had already sensed that Sarutobi's mind was somewhat in disarray.
Previously, Sarutobi would never have been so hasty!
Creak! Another figure walked over—it was Sarutobi Biwako.
"Minato, has something happened?"
Deeply concerned for Sarutobi, she worried about him venturing out like this despite his advanced age and the weight of leadership—his attire clearly indicated preparation for leaving the village.
"Dear Lady Biwako, there's nothing serious going on. Please don't worry. I need to return now to handle some official matters. Excuse me."
Minato showed an apologetic smile, bowed his head slightly, then disappeared from the spot.
Leaving behind a deeply anxious Biwako, who paced back and forth nervously in the room.
...
Akatsuki Secret Base.
Shortly after Saitama and Zetsu returned to Amegakure Village, Konan approached them.
"Go to the underground chamber; we're starting the sealing process immediately!"
Konan issued a brief order before turning sharply and walking away, clearly unwilling to continue conversing with Saitama.
"Tch, this woman..." Shrugging his head lightly, Saitama didn't really care about her attitude.
It made sense that Konan stayed wary of anyone getting close to Nagato for the wrong reasons.
"Alright, let's get this done before resting up!"
Walking ahead, Saitama led the way, while Zetsu, wrapped in plant tendrils, followed closely behind.
Bringing up the rear was a humanoid figure trapped in thick white mucus trailing from Zetsu.
Moving through darkness, Saitama soon spotted Pain and Konan waiting ahead.
However, he noticed that other Akatsuki members weren't present.
As he wondered, Pain suddenly slammed both hands onto the ground, causing something very familiar to Saitama to erupt upward.
It was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—the Physical Shell of the Ten-Tails—which Saitama had seen before.
Whoosh! Pain leapt onto the thumb of the statue's right hand while signaling Konan, Saitama, and Zetsu to board as well.
Shun! Shun! Shun!
Konan landed upon the middle finger, Saitama stood atop the ring finger, and Zetsu settled on the pinky finger.
"Where are the others?" White Zetsu asked curiously; was only the four of them involved in this sealing?
"They'll be here shortly!"
Closing his eyes, Pain focused until the rings on his fingers began emitting chakra pulses.
Soon afterward, three colorful glowing figures materialized successively on the pinky, middle, and index fingers of the left hand.
They were Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan respectively.
"Tch, made me wait damn long enough. This is such a hassle!"
Hidan started ranting the moment he arrived, his face showing arrogance.
"Shut up, idiot!" Kakuzu, coincidentally working with Hidan on an outside mission, turned his head sideways to snap at him, murder flashing in his eyes.
"Tch!"
Hidan knew his limits. Out of everyone present, he felt he could only act this arrogantly toward Zetsu. But with his immortal body, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"People are all here. Let's begin!"
Pain swept his gaze across the room, nodding after seeing the six individuals standing on his fingertips.
He formed the ninja seals, and the statue's mouth slowly creaked open. A blue, dragon-shaped chakra resembling a soul extended from its mouth, wrapping around Roshi, who lay on the ground helpless, lifting him upward.
"Ugh..." The dragon-like chakra surrounded Roshi, pulling him into the air while simultaneously burrowing into his body, as if extracting something from within.
Roshi struggled several times at first, then grew still.
"This sealing technique will require four days and three nights. Everyone, maintain your defenses. We're beginning now!"
After giving this final reminder, Pain closed his eyes and remained motionless at his fingertip.
The others exchanged glances before following suit with the ninja seals, entering the sealing phase. Even Hidan, typically impulsive, quieted down.
Silence and darkness enveloped the place. A historic step toward reshaping the entire power structure of the Shinobi World had just begun, but no one outside this place would ever know.
Amegakure still experienced continuous rain. No one could predict what the next day would hold!
Would it be better? Who could say?
...
"Third..."
Shikaku looked at the elderly man standing before him, trembling constantly; for the first time, he sensed... fragility?
"Hmm. You all go check around. Leave me alone for a moment."
The Third glanced around, speaking out these words.
His eyes seemed somewhat bloodshot. It had been a long time since he'd felt like this; last time was when he learned that his son and daughter-in-law had died together in battle.
His gaze fell upon the large tree in front of him, specifically at the skull lodged in its trunk.
It was none other than his dear lifelong friend and comrade-in-arms of decades—Danzo Shimura.
"Old man, rest in peace. Though I don't yet know who did this to you, I swear I'll avenge you!"
The aged hands of the Third reached toward Danzo's face, gently closing the eyelids over his eyes.
Perhaps due to Hashirama's cells, Danzo's head remained perfectly intact without decay or odor, though his body had fully transformed into part of the tree.
"Third, we've found something ahead!"
Soon enough, Shikaku returned with news.
"Ten kilometers from here lies a village. Outside it, there's an enormous battlefield relic that might be connected to this site!"
"Clean up here. We'll go take a look."
"Yes!"
The accompanying ninjas quickly packed the Root Ninja bodies into storage scrolls.
As for Danzo's remains, considering his appearance, the Third cremated him directly using [Fire Release], placing the ashes carefully into a small box.
Transporting Danzo's corpse back to the village would create unnecessary complications, so the Third chose to burn him.
Besides, Danzo had no family left in the world; only the Third truly cared for him.
"Let's go!"
The Third instructed the Anbu who discovered the nearby situation to lead the way. His expression had already regained calmness, though deep within his eyes burned an intense flame.
Konoha's "Legendary Ninja Hero"—how many had already forgotten what it truly meant?
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a sudden surge of emotion, as if blood cooled for years was beginning to warm up.
Minato stared at the report on the table, his fingers tapping rhythmically against its surface with a surprisingly strong beat.
Swish! Minato flipped another page, but careful observation would reveal his mind wasn't focused here—his vacant eyes betrayed deep contemplation.
Who exactly had orchestrated Danzo's death? This had become Minato's biggest question over these past few days.
Although he and Danzo often disagreed politically, Minato still clearly understood the gravity of right and wrong. After all, Danzo was one of Konoha's elders.
Assassinating Danzo is an open provocation against Konoha! And to kill him under the protection of so many elite Root members shows just how powerful this individual—or this entire organization—is!
A spark of insight flickered in Minato's blue eyes.
"We should wait until the Third and Shikaku return before thinking further. Right now, there's still insufficient evidence to support my suspicions!"
Minato pushed against the table, spinning halfway around in his chair to face the window behind him.
Looking outside at the thriving village, determination flashed in his eyes while a gentle smile formed on his lips, as familiar faces passed through his mind.
"No matter who it is, they won't be allowed to threaten those I've sworn to protect. If anyone dares try, I'll drag them into death with me—no matter the cost!"
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Minato leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply.
"I'll bring them two bowls of ramen after work. Ichiraku Ramen tastes really great, and the owner's quite nice too!"
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