Click—
Not long after Danzo's shadow clone disappeared, the tightly shut office doors swung open.
Four Root shinobi stood at attention, saluting him in unison.
Dressed in a black combat uniform with a ninjato strapped to his back, Danzo stepped into the office.
The Genjutsu barrier had receded inward from the walls. The four Root members, positioned in the corners of the room and caught in the illusion, had experienced a momentary disruption in their chakra flow, allowing them to snap out of it. That was hardly surprising.
Danzo's gaze fell on Yamanaka Shinno, who lay slumped on the sofa, still under the effects of the illusion.
He walked back to his seat and sat down.
"You're too arrogant," he stated calmly. "Strength isn't everything for a shinobi. Blind confidence will only make you lose the most important trait of all."
He resumed brewing tea, his movements unhurried and composed, his face betraying no emotion. But beneath that calm exterior lurked an unmistakable sense of superiority.
So what if you're stronger than Jiraiya?
Everyone has weaknesses. As long as you gather the right intelligence and make the necessary preparations, even the strongest can be brought to their knees.
In this world, there is no shortage of methods to restrain the powerful.
"You've finally shown your real body?"
Shinno, still bound to the sofa, glanced at Danzo's trait interface, immediately confirming that this was his true form.
Danzo didn't even pause in his actions.
"If my real body is bound here," he said indifferently, rinsing the teacup that had been tainted with a special agent, "then why wouldn't I dare appear before you in person?"
A flicker of crimson light swirled in his eyes as the three tomoe of his Sharingan emerged.
Even as his Genjutsu subtly disturbed Shinno's consciousness, Danzo's hands moved swiftly, forming seals.
The dark walls of the room lit up with intricate, unfamiliar sealing patterns, their chakra signatures resonating with Danzo's own.
"Become part of Root," Danzo murmured, his voice steady and unyielding. "Become the sharpest blade in my arsenal. Together, we will—"
"Ahhh—every time I go to such lengths to prepare, my opponents never play along."
Shinno sighed softly.
Clap clap—
A crisp round of applause echoed from the corners of the room.
The four Root shinobi, who had remained hidden in the shadows, suddenly stepped forward.
In eerie synchrony, they all clapped their hands once.
A powerful surge of Yin Release energy instantly shattered Danzo's three-tomoe Sharingan Genjutsu defenses.
He sank into an illusion without resistance.
Whoosh—
A shadow clone of Shinno appeared beside the teacup he had just touched.
He grabbed his real body, and vanished from the office using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
...
Moments later, Shinno returned to the dimly lit office, this time with Kushina by his side.
Danzo lay curled up on the floor, his Sharingan spinning wildly, his expression twisted in agony as he convulsed, completely unable to break free from the illusion.
Kushina, still in her magical girl transformation mode, cracked her knuckles, her fury palpable.
He dared to scheme against my boyfriend?!
If this old bastard had so much as a single unbroken bone left when she was done, she'd write her name backward!
"Don't touch him. He's filthy."
Shinno patted her head lightly, then gave a small nod to his shadow clones.
Two of them moved to the doorway, standing guard to prevent any Root members from stumbling in unexpectedly.
The other two quickly scanned the office, checking for any remaining traps.
"Hmph! Shinno, you actually let your real body take that Tsuchigumo Clan sealing jutsu head-on. That was reckless!"
Kushina crossed her arms, her displeasure evident.
"Wasn't I counting on you?"
Shinno ruffled her hair, tossing her an easy compliment.
"Ehehe~"
Kushina's face lit up, clearly pleased by the praise.
After basking in his affection for a moment, she finally asked, "But Danzo is always so cautious. How come he didn't notice you forming hand seals?"
"Maybe… applause is an art?"
Shinno chuckled.
Who said that clapping had to mean bringing your fingers together?
Even Hashirama could activate jutsu just by bumping his fists together.
With his Zero-Frame Startup trait, all it took was a clap for his Genjutsu to activate. Nothing strange about that, right?
Danzo's preparations had been thorough.
When Shinno first entered the underground training facility, he had noticed the concealed perception-blocking barrier, which contained a specialized sealing technique meant to disrupt shadow clones.
Under normal circumstances, any shadow clone passing through the barrier would immediately be dispelled.
Clearly, this was a test to confirm if the individual reporting to Root was actually his real body.
Once Danzo was certain, he used a shadow clone to divert Shinno's attention while lacing the tea with a colorless, odorless drug.
Without sufficient medical knowledge, he would've been done for the moment he took a sip.
Even if he avoided the drugged tea, there was still the specialized sealing barrier that the four Root members could activate together—along with the all-encompassing Genjutsu over the entire office.
Anyone else in his position would've been completely trapped.
Unfortunately, Danzo had picked the wrong opponent.
Shinno had known from the very start that the old fox had ulterior motives.
Before reporting to Root, he had left thirty shadow clones behind at home.
Throughout his descent into the underground base, he had secretly placed Flying Thunder God markers in the elevator, in hidden corners on various floors, and even on Squad Captain Omega's body.
The moment he stepped into the office, his system's abilities allowed him to immediately see through the fact that the Danzo behind the desk was merely a shadow clone.
So, as he praised Danzo's tea-brewing skills and clapped his hands, he had instantly ensnared everyone in the room under Genjutsu.
While feigning captivity, he had discreetly placed a Flying Thunder God seal on the teacup.
He then linked to the sensory barrier enveloping all of Konoha, signaling his clones and Kushina to get ready.
To lure out Danzo's real body and prevent him from using an infinite series of clones, Shinno had allowed himself to be genuinely restrained by Genjutsu.
Only after Danzo's shadow clone disappeared did his own clones swap out the four Root members and take their place.
...
"What now?"
Kushina glanced around the office, picking up a long ruler and repeatedly poking Danzo, who was still writhing in agony on the floor.
"First, we deal with the most important thing."
Shinno clapped his hands together and delivered a sharp slap to the back of Danzo's head.
All Root members bore the Curse of the Tongue Eradication Seal, a complex jutsu designed to ensure absolute loyalty. If Danzo died, the seal would vanish, throwing Root into chaos.
To fully seize control of Root, he first had to neutralize this hidden threat.
His technique infiltrated Danzo's mind.
Shinno swiftly searched for information on how to control, cast, release, and transfer the Curse of the Tongue Eradication Seal.
Within moments, he had completely mastered the intricate sealing jutsu that served as the foundation of Root.
Now that business was handled, he began rapidly skimming through Danzo's memories.
A series of recent, shockingly vivid images made Shinno grimace.
My eyes… my poor eyes…
Root subordinates like Aburame Tatsuma and the researcher Shingurui—both highly skilled in offense and defense?
This old bastard…
Wait!
He was actually planning to assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi?!
Shinno shuddered.
Holy hell…
Ignoring the disturbing memories, he finally reached the parts concerning Root itself.
Personnel structure, research bases, financial sources, departmental leadership, ongoing missions, spies embedded in different villages…
A flood of complex, tangled information poured into his mind, instantly stored in his mental archive.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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