Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 172 A Mission Long Overdue

The dimly lit room was illuminated by only three candlelights, revealing two figures.

The figures of the two, one sitting and one standing, were deeply imprinted on the mottled stone wall by the orange-red firelight.

Just as before, just as today.

"That's just the way it is."

The dark sunglasses were stained orange, and the oil-woman dragon horse's purple eyes shimmered as she quietly gazed at the one-eyed old man sitting in front of her.

The old man sat alone on a wooden chair, leaning on his cane, his frail body deeply embedded in the darkness, becoming one with it.

His narrow, gloomy eyes swept over the mission report he presented, his gaze filled with astonishment at the powerful Akatsuki organization, a chilling killing intent toward the masked man who had once controlled the Nine-Tails to attack the village, and a greedy desire for the invincible Mangekyou Sharingan ability.

There was not a trace of the tenderness that once existed!
How pathetic!

Danzo!

Unable to bear seeing the once gentle sun fall to this state, Ryoma Aburame lowered his head deeply, counting the fine lines on the floor like tree roots, as if searching for traces of his friend's existence.

Unaware of what his most trusted subordinate was thinking, Danzo twirled a corner of the intelligence report with his aged fingers, his heart churning with turmoil.

He had already read through the information that Itachi Uchiha had sent back, and he could recognize the origins of many of the people as soon as their names appeared.

For example, the ninja named Kakuzu is a well-known bounty hunter in the black market.

With an extremely high mission success rate and customer satisfaction, he has become a top-ranked ninja in the black market. Countless clients wave large sums of money to hire him for missions, making him a true pillar of the black market.

His subordinates had clashed with him before, and after that, they recruited many new members, but they couldn't even find out any information about him. They only got the name Kakuzu and the information that he was good at large-scale compound ninjutsu.

Take, for example, Sasori of the Red Sand.

Chiyo's grandson is rumored to be the most talented puppeteer in Sunagakure, and this title is undisputed.

Although they had never fought him in Konoha and did not know his specific background, they knew from his reputation alone that he was definitely a formidable character no less than Kakuzu or Orochimaru!

There's also Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, the mysterious masked man who attacked Konoha... The Akatsuki organization's strength is already terrifying enough, but the most terrifying thing is far more than that!
"You mean that Hairi first defeated Kisame Hoshigaki without taking any damage, and then fought to a draw with that masked man who had fought the Fourth Hokage before?"

Danzo's wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were incredibly deep.

Looking at Aburame Ryoma, who was bowing his head deeply, showing utmost loyalty, he could hardly believe it.

It wasn't that he didn't trust this capable assistant who had been with him for many years; no one could question Longma's loyalty, which was the trust accumulated through countless tests over nearly forty years.

This trust is unshakeable.

Even if the whole world betrayed him, he believed that Ryoma would be the only one standing by his side, but he really couldn't believe that Hui Li actually had such strength.

Kisame Hoshigaki, known as the "Tailless Tailed Beast," was famous for his terrifying mastery of water-style techniques. Even Orochimaru was overwhelmed by him, yet Kairi managed to kill him instantly without taking any damage!

Doesn't that mean that Hairi has far surpassed Orochimaru, and that even he and Hiruzen Sarutobi might not be his match?

He found it hard to believe that the girl who had to ask her ninja academy teacher for leave before being dispatched on a mission could have such power.

If Ryoma told him ten years later that Hairi had such strength, he wouldn't have the slightest doubt. As the strongest genius in Konoha's history, she naturally possessed such fighting power.

But at this point in time, this is not only illogical, but it is also trampling on the objective laws of the world.

Sensing the doubt in Danzo's tone, Aburame Ryoma shook his head decisively:

"It wasn't a draw. It was that person who relied on Izanagi's invincible ability to alter reality and the flexibility of space-time ninjutsu to flee in disarray, no longer daring to fight Haili."

The information became increasingly outrageous, and Danzo felt as if Ryoma was under a spell.

"These are all my and the other two's personal experiences. If you really don't believe it, you can ask Haili to verify it herself. Her strength is absolutely genuine." Aburame Ryoma's voice remained cold and emotionless, like a glacier frozen for countless years.

Could all of this be true?
Looking at Aburame Ryoma's confident assertions, Danzo was truly bewildered.

It's one thing if one person is under an illusion, but it's impossible for everyone to be under one. Besides, Hui Li herself is at the Root base; her strength is easily tested. Even if it really is an illusion, there's no need to tell such an easily debunked lie.

In other words, the other party really did achieve it, stepping into the highest threshold of the ninja world at a young age!
What a monster!

Breathe~
Danzo's breathing became noticeably heavier, and his pupils, illuminated by the firelight, contracted, but the light within them gradually became brighter.

Fearful yet greedy.

Hui Li's strength made him uneasy, yet he couldn't help but fantasize.

By imagining the brainwashing and hypnosis of Kotoamatsukami, coupled with long-term, subtle influence, one can firmly bind the other party to one's own chariot.

He imagined that with her assistance, he would kill Hiruzen Sarutobi, become Hokage, and lead Konoha to glory, a dream that would no longer be out of reach.

If Hai Li becomes the second God of Shinobi in the future, he might even have the opportunity to lead Konoha to unify the Shinobi world.

What a sight that would be!

After decades of living in darkness, Danzo finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and he found it increasingly difficult to maintain his rationality.

He believed it.

Pushing up his sunglasses with his index finger, Ryoma Aburame pursed his lips, smoothing out the half-curved corners of his mouth.

While Zhu Ri Hui Li's combat prowess is indeed strong, it's not as exaggerated as he described.

Kisame was defeated because he lost his sword Samehada, which greatly weakened him. He was able to drive away the masked man because of two factors: firstly, his ninjutsu was effective against him, and secondly, he had the help of the large amount of chakra stored in Samehada.

These chakra are now used up.

Without someone like Kisame Hoshigaki to absorb chakra from, Hairi is still just an elite Jonin with slightly above-average strength under normal circumstances, far from the absurd combat power he described.

Danzo is basically beyond saving.

This was a conclusion he reached after his memories were awakened and after much thought on his way back to the village.

The gentle Danzo has finally turned into a filthy maggot, and he will fulfill his promise to completely end his descent into darkness.

Killing him won't be easy.

At his peak, Danzo was only slightly weaker than the Third Hokage. Although he has become somewhat complacent due to his pampered lifestyle in recent years, he still maintains his status as one of the top tiers of ninja combat power.

Even as an elite Jonin specializing in infiltration, he couldn't kill his opponent and had to seek outside help.

Itachi Uchiha was the first outside helper he found. The two hit it off and formed an alliance. As long as Danzo appeared outside the village, he would provide the location and Itachi Uchiha would be responsible for killing him.

But now there is a second problem.

What if Danzo never leaves the village? Are we just supposed to keep waiting like this?
Not wanting to passively wait for Danzo to give him an opportunity, he had no choice but to find a second outside helper, and the most ideal candidate was Ash Blossom!

There's no other reason than that the opponent is strong enough!

If they can win over Ashikaga, Danzo will lose a major ally, while their side will gain an extremely powerful ally. It's a win-win situation, greatly increasing their chances of winning.

Furthermore, it would be difficult for Itachi Uchiha to infiltrate Konoha to carry out his attack, but Ash Blossom was already in Konoha, inside the Root base, making it much easier for her to attack than Itachi Uchiha.

He is arguably the best candidate.

All possibilities have been considered well; the biggest problem is how to persuade the other side.

The first step is to create conflict between the two.

The first step was to deliberately exaggerate Hairi's fighting power. Danzo allowed Hairi to remain unchecked for two reasons: first, he had the support of Kotoamatsukami, and second, his opponent's strength was not yet enough to make him feel threatened.

To incite conflict, the most important thing is to make each party feel a sense of crisis. A sense of crisis that threatens life is more likely to ignite conflict than a simple conflict of interests, and once it occurs, it becomes an irreversible life-or-death struggle.

Knowing Hai Ri's power, Danzo would definitely try every means to test her loyalty, and would become wary if he found anything amiss.

Based on this, one can use Kotoamatsukami more often, or use anything that can control the other party.

Through this encounter during the Leigushan mission, he also gained insight into Hui Li's personality.

Neither evil nor good.

Greedy and domineering.

She's easy to talk to as long as you don't touch her core interests, but if you try to get anything out of her, you'll instantly face her strong counterattack.

Given their equally strong and greedy natures, seemingly cut from the same mold, if he could find a way to provoke and break through the hypnosis of the other god, the rift between them would expand infinitely until they completely collapsed.

That would be the best opportunity to kill Danzo.

The dimly lit room fell silent.

The firelight flickered unpredictably.

Danzo and Ryoma Aburame, once close friends, remained alone in a room, but their thoughts had already drifted far away.

"Okay, I understand. You did a great job on this mission." Danzo's mind was preoccupied with Hairi's affairs, and he casually brushed off Ryoma, who was bowing his head and waiting for instructions, as usual.

Just as I was about to ask him to leave, I inexplicably remembered the conversation we had before the mission began.

Do you remember who that person is?

"Ok?"

Ryoma, who was racking his brains trying to figure out how to use Hairi to kill Danzo, was taken aback when he heard his question.

However, his absent-mindedness made Danzo, who had only asked the question casually, frown.

Having spent so many years together, he believed he knew everything about Longma.

Calm, serious, and extremely reliable.

In Danzo's mind, Ryoma Aburame was the benchmark for all ninjas, the most perfect tool, and it was absolutely impossible for him to be distracted when reporting to him.

Is that person really that influential?

As his most perfect tool, he would never allow anyone to influence Ryoma to this extent, no matter who they were!

An old man's face wore a fake smile, and the wrinkles around his eyes deepened. But there was no trace of kindness or compassion on Danzo's face, only a chilling ferocity.

"It's the person with the gentle smile you told me about before. You said you couldn't remember their name. Do you remember it now?"

Ryoma Aburame, who had been observing the other's expression, deepened the intensity of his venomous, deep purple pupils.

"I do remember."

"Oh? Who is that person?"

Danzo's lips curled up even more, but his eyes held no hint of a smile. His hypocritical mask did not inspire any warmth; rather, it was chilling.

"he died."

The stone chamber fell silent, the firelight reflecting on their profiles, just like the scene when they founded Root together. Danzo's eyelids trembled as he gazed into Ryoma Aburame's deep eyes behind his sunglasses, unable to meet his gaze.

Shame, fear, or some other feeling.

He didn't know, and he didn't want to know.

As the absolute leader of Konoha's Root, any unusual emotions he displays would indicate weakness.

To lead Konoha to power, one must possess absolute rationality and an iron fist; this has always been the truth he has upheld.

All weakness should be ruthlessly discarded!
We must sever all ties with all our might!
Danzo's weakness, which had been absent for many years, seemed to be awakening. Looking at Ryoma Aburame, who had stirred up his weakness that had been hidden for so many years, the killing intent in Danzo's eyes almost solidified.

He would never allow anyone to influence Ryoma Aburame, and even less could anyone influence him.

Hiruzen is like that, and so is Ryoma!
Sensing the chilling killing intent, Ryoma Aburame narrowed his eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, as parasitic insects silently crawled up his sleeves to his fingertips.

Call ~
A gentle breeze swirled in the enclosed room, causing the candlelight to flicker restlessly.

The two faces flickered in the trembling firelight, their reflections on the wall constantly distorting into strange shapes.

The atmosphere inside grew increasingly oppressive, and a killing was imminent.

stomping on...

A series of heavy footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside the door, which were especially clear in the quiet and tense environment.

Clang!

Someone knocked on the door of the quiet room.

"Who?"

"it's me."

A clear, childlike voice echoed in the corridor, accompanied by extremely heavy footsteps outside the door. Of all the people in the entire root group who fit these descriptions, only one person remained.

The gentle breeze that had been swirling in the space quietly dissipated, and the flickering candlelight instantly returned to stillness.

The distorted shadows on the wall returned to their original positions, one sitting and one standing, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Danzo eased the gradually accelerating flow of chakra within his body, and the killing intent in his eyes slowly subsided. Haili's strength was growing stronger, and the coldness she exuded during experiments was even more extreme than his own, making her extremely difficult to control.

His Kotoamatsukami is still in a dormant period and cannot be hypnotized again for the time being.

Aside from him, the only one in Root who can somewhat fight against Hairi is Aburame Ryoma. If he kills him, he will probably be left with no one to rely on.

Let him go for now, and deal with him when Hui Li can replace Long Ma.

"come in."

Danzo's voice echoed in the room. Ryoma, who had escaped death, retracted the insects crawling all over his body and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Click!

The door opened, and Hui Li, carrying a giant sword, walked straight in.

Danzo glanced at Samehada, the large sword on Kairi's shoulder, and immediately recognized it as the ninja tool that Ryuma had mentioned in his report, capable of absorbing chakra.

"If you want the Sharingan, just go find Chihaya."

"It's not about the Sharingan."

Sensing the peculiar atmosphere in the room, and with his white eyes able to see through the unusual heartbeats and breathing rates of the two, Hui Li couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Why do you see how nervous I am?
Are they plotting some evil scheme against me?
Hui Li glanced at the emotional dots above the heads of the two. Danzo's head showed fear, affection, and greed, but not much malice. Ryoma's head, on the other hand, was obscure and difficult to understand, but it was definitely not malice or murderous intent. Rather, it was deception and... goodwill?
Unable to understand the situation, Hui Li could only keep it to herself.

"We have a new research project that requires the use of... that tree in the basement of the experimental department."

(End of this chapter)