Chapter 3 Undercover agent.
Leaving the Hokage Building, Shiro let out a silent sigh.
Things had reached this stage already.
Tonight, he would complete the final step of his identity transition and leave Fire Country altogether—straight toward the Land of Rain. Before that, however, there was no harm in taking one last walk through Konoha.
He had stayed in this village for far too long.
As the thought crossed his mind, his consciousness shifted—and a familiar translucent panel unfolded before his eyes.
[Random Task: Enjoy Yourself]
Mission Description: Even after work, everyone has their own way of relaxing. The god who will one day drive out the Ōtsutsuki and save the shinobi world is no exception.
Task Requirements:
Use Yūhi Kurenai's thigh as a pillow for thirty minutes.
Be fed ten strawberries by Yūhi Kurenai.
Mission Complete!
Reward Obtained: Achievement Item — "Authentic"
Effect: Complete immunity to all genjutsu.
System Comment: Reality matters.
Shiro ignored the commentary.
Night soon fell.
The moon hung high, brilliant and cold. Thin clouds drifted lazily across the sky.
Shimura Clan Territory
An old courtyard stood silent beneath the moonlight. A massive ancient tree loomed at its center, its leaves yellowed with age. Dry foliage fell one by one, rustling softly against the wooden floor.
Shimura Danzō sat beneath the tree.
White bandages wrapped tightly around his head, covering his right eye and arm. His left eye remained closed, his expression rigid and unmoving. Dressed in dark robes, his hunched figure resembled the gnarled roots of the tree behind him—ancient, stubborn, and buried deep in the earth.
A night breeze passed.
Danzō slowly opened his left eye.
His gaze fixed on a solitary star.
"Tobirama-sensei…" His voice was low, hoarse. "The Uchiha are gone at last. Even you could not fully resolve that threat."
There is no Uchiha clan anymore.
Konoha will finally become one.
If the Hokage's seat had been his back then, this would never have dragged on so long.
But it no longer mattered.
Even stripped of his authority, confined to clan lands by that soft-hearted Hiruzen, he would remain in the shadows. Root still existed. His will still endured.
The Hokage's seat was inevitable.
Just as his thoughts reached that point—
Swish.
The ancient tree trembled.
A presence appeared soundlessly atop one of its branches, as though it had always been there.
Moonlight illuminated the tall figure.
A strange, rhythmic hum followed.
"Nothing can stop the yearning for freedom."
"…?"
Danzō's expression stiffened.
His eye snapped upward, cold killing intent spilling forth.
Root operatives still guarded this territory—inside and out. For someone to bypass them so cleanly…
"Who are you?" Danzō demanded.
The pressure of a long-standing Konoha hawk descended instantly. Even without overt chakra release, his presence alone carried suffocating authority.
The figure did not answer.
Instead, he leapt down lightly and walked forward, utterly ignoring Danzō's question.
Only then did Danzō see him clearly.
A Konoha forehead protector. Standard green flak vest. Upright posture.
His eyes, however, were wrapped in white bandages—eerily reminiscent of Danzō himself.
"…A Leaf shinobi?" Danzō said coldly. "Who sent you?"
The man stopped.
"Shiro," he said with a faint smile. "I came on my own."
Danzō examined him carefully.
The name surfaced from memory.
A civilian-born prodigy. Blind. Skilled. Once rumored to rival Uchiha Itachi among the younger generation.
Not worth special attention—until now.
"What do you want?" Danzō asked.
"I'm here for one thing."
Shiro sat down cross-legged before him without invitation.
He reached up, untied his forehead protector, and placed it between them. Then he drew a kunai and slashed downward.
Clang.
The Leaf symbol split cleanly in two.
Though blind, Shiro's chakra perception—refined through Yūhi Kurenai's sensory techniques—outlined the world in pale gray. Danzō's presence stood before him like a jagged shadow.
Silence stretched.
Danzō's killing intent deepened.
"Do you understand what you've just done?" he asked.
"No Leaf shinobi has ever dared perform a severance ceremony before me."
Shiro fastened the broken headband back onto his forehead.
"I know," he replied calmly. "Before I defect… I need to borrow something from you."
He smiled faintly.
"I don't plan on returning it."
Danzō stood.
"You court death." His voice turned glacial. "No one in this world can protect you."
A violent gust erupted.
Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!
The seals were completed instantly.
Compressed air screamed forth like a blade, tearing across the courtyard. Walls shattered. Trees split. Stone disintegrated.
"Perfect," Shiro murmured.
Cut.
Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.
[Acquisition Successful — B-rank Ninjutsu: Wind Release: Vacuum Wave]
The wind collapsed mid-eruption.
The technique vanished as if erased.
Danzō's body jerked.
His hands froze in mid-seal.
"…What?"
For the first time in decades, confusion crossed his face.
The technique hadn't failed.
It had been taken.
He attempted again.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Nothing.
Chakra flowed—but refused to manifest.
"…I see," Danzō muttered, realization dawning. "You've interfered with the technique itself."
Shiro tilted his head slightly.
"Lord Danzō," he said softly, "what are you waiting for?"
Danzō snorted and switched seals.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!"
The chakra gathered—
And Shiro activated his skill.
All Beings Are Equal — Activate
[Target Selected: Shimura Danzō]
[Synchronization Complete]
Physical strength, chakra capacity, mental resilience, taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu — Equalized
The wind died.
Danzō's pupils contracted.
For the first time, the old man felt it clearly.
His advantage was gone.