Danzo Shimura sat in the Root underground headquarters that served as his private command center.
The door of his office opened with a low creak. Two Root agents entered. They carried a third agent between them.
The third man had no mask. Danzo noticed that the agent's face was pale and slick with sweat. His left arm ended in a clean stump at the shoulder. His right foot was missing below the ankle. The wounds had been closed with iryō ninjutsu. The skin was sealed tight. But the man's breathing was shallow. His body trembled from pain and blood loss.
The two agents placed him gently on the floor in front of Danzo. Even without a foot, the injured man tried to bow. He leaned forward on his remaining knee. His forehead almost touched the stone. His remaining hand pressed flat against the ground for support. He could not complete the full bow, but he tried.
Danzo did not have time for formalities. His voice was low and cold.
"Report."
The injured Root agent lifted his head slightly. His voice was hoarse from pain and exhaustion.
"Danzo-sama, the mission was a failure. The target managed to withstand the assault and was able to kill the rest of the squad."
He paused to catch his breath. The words came out slowly.
"Moreover, he seemed to have anticipated our attack. He let us lead him to an isolated area without any problem."
Danzo's visible eye narrowed. He leaned forward slightly.
"Continue."
The agent swallowed.
"And it seemed that we were given false information about his ability, or it has further developed. The dojutsu, or Erasure as it is called, can affect more than one person at a time. He does not need to change his focus from one person to another to stop them from using chakra. All people in his sight can have their chakra erased. Our plan A failed because of this."
Danzo's eye widened in surprise. His fingers tightened on the arm of his chair.
"All of you had their chakra erased at the same time?"
"Yes, Danzo-sama. We all tried to use jutsus at the same time but felt our chakra disappear. But after we surrounded him from different sides, only one of us had his chakra erased."
Danzo leaned back. His mind raced.He thought angrily.
'Minato let such a threat live. Unforgivable. Does he realize that if the boy could erase chakra of everyone in his sight, in times of war, he could erase chakra of an entire army that is in his sight? No army would be able to face Suna with that boy at its helm.'
At such a thought, he felt fear. Fear that he had only felt when he had seen Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha in battle when he was a boy. The Suna boy was not that powerful yet. He was far from it. He was far from even Hiruzen or even his students.
But his ability could be categorized in the same league as Hashirama Senju's Wood Release and Madara Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan. A single look could cripple thousands. A single look could turn a battlefield into a graveyard of helpless shinobi. Danzo's hands clenched. He had underestimated the boy. He would not make that mistake again.
The Root shinobi continued his report.
He described the fight in detail. The boy had used the binding cloth in ways they had not seen before and then described the entire fight.
Danzo listened without interrupting. His face remained blank. But inside, anger grew with every word.
The agent finished the report.
"Proficient in fire release and a master user of cloth binding jutsu. And somehow even knows Shadow Clone Jutsu. He seems to use the binding cloth in ways that we have not seen. And judging from how he could fight three jōnin-level shinobi at once, it's clearly a very strong fighting style."
Danzo nodded once.
Then the agent said something that gave Danzo the real shock.
"And he seemed to know that we are from Root and you, Lord Danzo, sent us after him. He even gave a threat to you to stop meddling with Suna's affairs or…"
The Root shinobi stuttered and stopped. He looked afraid to finish the sentence.
Danzo raised an eyebrow.
"Or?"
The agent swallowed hard.
"He said Kazekage sends his regards. And if you make a move against Suna and your schemes somehow use Suna, then Kazekage is going to cripple you further. The Third Tsuchikage just took one of your arms. He would take the other two and maybe your tongue too."
Danzo fumed. His chakra leaked out in a dark wave. The lanterns flickered. The air grew heavy.
"He dares…!!"
The words came out low and dangerous. His single eye burned with rage. His bandaged face twisted. The cane in his hand creaked as his grip tightened.
The threat was direct. It was personal. The Kazekage had sent a message through the boy.
Danzo felt the insult like a slap. He had spent decades building Root in the shadows. He had shaped Konoha from behind the scenes. And now a child and a desert kage dared threaten him?
The Root shinobi hesitated. Then he spoke again.
"He also sent a letter that he said would convince you."
Danzo's eye snapped to the agent.
"Give it to me."
The agent reached into his pouch with his good hand. He pulled out a small sealed scroll. He placed it on the floor in front of Danzo. He bowed his head again.
Danzo stared at the scroll. He broke the seal and unrolled the paper.
He read the words written in clean, careful handwriting.
Danzo's face darkened further.
The agent stayed bowed. He did not dare look up.
Danzo rolled the scroll closed. He placed it on the table. His voice was ice.
"Leave."
The two Root agents helped their injured comrade up. They bowed deeply and left the chamber. The door closed behind them with a soft thud.
--------Author Notes---------
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