Danzo's speed was erratic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
At times, he would inexplicably stop and stand still, staring blankly into space as if lost in thought.
Other times, he would run like mad, so fast that Yōkō and the Aburame ninja were left struggling to keep up.
Just thinking about it made one feel sorry for Danzo.
He had spent the entire journey planning how to deal with Kato Dan, even devising a combat strategy, only for a dying old Uchiha man to suddenly appear and beat him to a pulp.
His newly transplanted trump card, Kagami's Mangekyō Sharingan, had been completely crippled by Uchiha Madara.
Who was Uchiha Madara? He was the ancestral master of the Sharingan. Even if Uchiha Kagami were still alive, he would have died facing Madara today.
While secretly rejoicing in his heart, Yōkō was also fearful. Would Danzo really kill them?
Couldn't he kill the Aburame clansman first? He was Danzo's bodyguard. Shouldn't the bodyguard bear greater responsibility for the loss of Danzo's eye?
It was like the six Hokage guards who went to protect the Second Hokage; when the Second Hokage died, all six returned unscathed. Shouldn't the guards be held accountable?
Danzo walked ahead, his face livid, blood continuously flowing from the socket of his right eye.
The eye had completely turned into a grayish-white, useless orb.
Danzo recalled the overwhelming sight of the Wood Release from earlier.
At the Valley of the End, Uchiha Madara's Mangekyō had lost to Senju Hashirama's Wood Release.
Now, Uchiha Madara had somehow obtained Wood Release, and Danzo's Mangekyō was again no match for Madara's Wood Release.
This meant it wasn't that he was weak, but that the Mangekyō was weak, inferior to Wood Release.
Uchiha Madara had been alive all this time but had never attacked Konoha again. Could it be because he knew Konoha had been researching Hashirama's cells?
Was he afraid of Hashirama's cells?
Wood Release was Konoha's most powerful force, capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails and also defeating the Mangekyō.
The sustained use of the Mangekyō earlier had placed a heavy burden on his body; the Sharingan hadn't fully acclimated to him yet.
He wondered if Orochimaru could find a perfect transplantation method.
Danzo secretly resolved that after returning, he must have Orochimaru begin research on Wood Release as soon as possible.
Having witnessed true, overwhelming power, Danzo decided to continue seeking ways to become stronger.
Danzo suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The Aburame ninja and Yōkō quickly halted, cautiously observing Danzo.
Danzo looked at their timid demeanor with his remaining eye and criticized,
"Look at the two of you, so cautious and timid. It's merely the setback of a single battle.
For the sake of Konoha, what do a few setbacks matter?
Even the First Hokage didn't have a smooth journey; he also faced setbacks.
This mission has yielded extremely important intelligence. The Uchiha clan's treacherous ambitions persist; Uchiha Madara is actually still alive.
He has lived for so long, even longer than Uzumaki Mito. He must be plotting something.
After returning to the village, we must strengthen surveillance on the Uchiha clan, purge its dangerous elements, and absolutely cannot allow Uchiha Madara's schemes to succeed."
Yōkō breathed a sigh of relief. Danzo was seriously lecturing his subordinates, which proved he hadn't developed killing intent.
"Fox, you did well. You discovered extremely important intelligence."
Suddenly being named, Yōkō was startled, then hurriedly said, "Lord Danzo, it was my failure in investigation that led to not clarifying the enemy's information."
Danzo was surprisingly magnanimous, saying:
"An enemy like Uchiha Madara... how could an ordinary Anbu possibly uncover his intelligence? This isn't your fault.
Find a tree hollow. I need to tend to my right eye."
The Aburame ninja found a tree hollow that could provide shelter from the rain for Danzo.
Danzo walked in alone.
The Aburame ninja guarded the entrance, while Yōkō stood watch further away.
The pouring rain made people feel exceptionally uneasy.
Yōkō wondered if Danzo's original eye was still there after he transplanted the Sharingan.
The Aburame ninja remained motionless, as if the heavy rain didn't exist, his posture unchanged.
After half an hour, Danzo slowly walked out.
Yōkō was shocked to see that Danzo's right eye was once again covered with a bandaged eyepatch!
At the same time, Danzo's aura had drastically changed, filled with confidence once more, as if everything was under his control.
The rain around Danzo even seemed to lessen slightly.
Had Danzo implanted another Mangekyō Sharingan? Kagami's other eye?
After Orochimaru's human experiments, Danzo had become the biggest beneficiary, once again obtaining formidable power.
The three of them set off again, heading north.
After walking for over ten minutes, Danzo suddenly said, "Wait!"
Yōkō and the Aburame ninja quickly stopped, unsure what Danzo intended to do.
"Something's wrong," Danzo said. "Fox, repeat the circumstances your squad encountered during the mission."
Yōkō reported everything again, including the three controlled Konoha ninja and the sacrifice of his own team members.
Danzo said:
"Uchiha Madara's appearance interfered with my judgment. The three controlled Konoha ninja were indeed Madara's doing.
But the members of the Fox squad killing each other... that is definitely not Madara's style.
If it were Uchiha Madara, he would have charged directly into your midst and slaughtered everyone.
He may be wicked, but at least he is direct and straightforward in his actions.
The real culprit is someone else. There's only one person who could kill in such a manner: Kato Dan.
He is nearby. We cannot let him escape."
Danzo thought to himself, the Senju Sealing Book was such a precious item, still in the hands of the Senju clan. If he could obtain the Senju Sealing Book, he could gain more information about the Spirit Transformation Technique.
The Aburame ninja took out a waterproof map and opened it in the rain, saying, "Fox, mark the location where you were ambushed."
Yōkō marked the location where his squad was ambushed on the map.
The Aburame ninja connected the ambush sites of the Fox squad with a smooth arc, roughly indicating the direction of the center point.
Yōkō was startled; it was precisely the direction White Ram had pointed out in the end.
White Ram's final words were whispered into Yōkō's ear. The other team members didn't know; it was the most crucial piece of intelligence Yōkō had concealed.
He hadn't expected the Aburame ninja to get so close to the truth so easily.
Danzo said:
"This place is far from Uchiha Madara. There's no need to worry about him anymore.
Head towards this area. Kato Dan is also a serious threat and must not be left alive.
'Otsu', 'Fox', the two of you agree on a set of coded signals to constantly confirm whether the other has been controlled by Kato Dan."
The Aburame ninja's codename in Root was 'Otsu', indicating a very high status.
Once they had the direction, Otsu released his insect swarm.
From time to time, a few insects would fly back and return to Otsu's body.
After searching for over ten kilometers, Otsu suddenly said, "Found a suspicious cave!"
Yōkō was again the first to enter the cave to investigate, cautiously using a Shadow Clone. However, the cave was empty.
Otsu followed him in and placed insects on the ground.
The insects slowly formed a human shape. Otsu said:
"Someone was lying here hours ago. It's highly likely it was Kato Dan. There's also the smell of medicinal herbs nearby; he was probably treating his wounds here.
The insects have captured Kato Dan's scent. He can't escape!"
After leaving the cave, Danzo and the other two picked up their pace, following the insects as they pursued in a certain direction.
(End of Chapter)