Chapter 4 The True Genius
Night of Konoha — Shimura Territory
Night descended upon Konohagakure.
A violent battle erupted deep within the Shimura clan's restricted territory, lasting nearly half an hour—yet not a single ripple spread beyond its borders.
The wind howled.
Explosions thundered.
The shrill clash of kunai and the shriek of torn air echoed repeatedly through the darkness.
And yet—
No one came.
The entire Shimura compound felt like a stage deliberately sealed off for only two figures:
Shiro
and
Shimura Danzō
As if guided by an unseen hand, no one in the village was permitted to interfere with this duel tonight.
Even when Shiro briefly repelled Danzo's shadow clone—
"Haah… haah…"
Danzō staggered back, breathing heavily, suspicion churning violently in his mind.
His single exposed eye swept the surroundings.
Cold sweat streamed down his face.
His black robe had been shredded by razor-sharp Wind Release, torn open by multiple Vacuum Blades, leaving him in a state of rare disarray.
And yet—
Aside from the lingering shockwaves of their battle, there was nothing.
No ANBU.
No Root.
No sensory response whatsoever.
That was wrong.
Normally, even the faintest disturbance within Shimura territory would draw shinobi like hunting dogs catching the scent of blood.
But tonight—
Dead silence.
"Damn that monkey…" Danzō cursed under his breath.
"He tricked me."
Within Konoha, only the Hokage possessed the authority and ability to completely seal off the Shimura compound.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen's intentions—
Danzō couldn't see them.
What enraged him most, however, wasn't Hiruzen.
It was the youth standing across from him.
At first, Danzō had utterly despised Shiro.
Even after witnessing his unorthodox techniques, he had still dismissed him as an overhyped prodigy.
But after this prolonged exchange—
Danzō could no longer deny reality.
This was a monster.
A monster equal to the legends.
Shiro—
a true Wind Release genius.
That was Danzō's cold, internal judgment.
At such a young age, Shiro could freely wield Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, a technique even elite jōnin struggled to control.
His chakra shape manipulation.
His nature transformation.
His reserves.
All of it allowed him to unleash Wind Release techniques that forced even Danzō himself into evasive maneuvers.
Watching him was like staring into a distorted mirror.
A boy casually executing Wind Release techniques Danzō had spent decades refining.
If this wasn't genius—
Then nothing was.
Given time, this child would become a calamity to Konoha.
He must not be allowed to leave the village.
Danzō clenched his teeth.
Yet what truly terrified him was this—
Shiro was not merely strong in Wind Release.
His taijutsu, ninjutsu, and even genjutsu resistance were all nearly on par with Danzō himself.
Thankfully—
Not superior.
Roughly equal.
But that alone was horrifying.
The boy was still young.
The future belonged to him.
Just as Minato Namikaze had once risen from obscurity—
This would be the next one.
"I can only stall," Danzō calculated rapidly.
"Break the stalemate. Wait for reinforcements."
"Even if that monkey intends to betray me… the elders won't let me die here."
His gaze flickered involuntarily beneath the white bandages covering his right eye.
If necessary—
He would use it.
To bend a genius rivaling Uchiha Itachi.
To enslave him forever.
The price would be worth it.
A sudden voice cut through his thoughts.
"Lord Danzō."
Shiro smiled sharply.
"Daydreaming in the middle of a fight is a bad habit."
He raised his kunai.
"I'm guessing you're planning to use Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan—
Kotoamatsukami."
Each word struck like a hammer.
Danzō's eye widened.
"What—?!"
How did he know?!
Had this boy witnessed Shisui's death?!
Before Danzō could think further—
Shiro lunged.
His kunai flashed like lightning, slashing at Danzō's throat from a vicious, impossible angle.
Clang—!
Sparks exploded.
Danzō barely blocked in time, his kunai coated in Wind Release: Vacuum Blade, the chakra edge screeching against steel.
Their weapons locked.
The stalemate returned.
"Hahaha!" Shiro laughed wildly.
"Go on, Lord Danzō! Use it on me!"
"Let me feel the power of the strongest genjutsu!"
"You—!" Danzō's thoughts spiraled.
For an instant, he saw something eerily familiar in the boy's madness—
The same obsession that haunted the Uchiha.
The battle raged on.
Elsewhere — Hokage Tower Rooftop
The night wind swept across the Hokage Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood at the guardrail, gazing toward the distant Shimura compound.
Behind him, Mito Koharu and Utatane Homura stood slightly back.
The atmosphere was heavy.
The Uchiha clan had been annihilated.
The village leadership had worked nonstop to suppress the fallout.
Now—
Another disturbance.
"Could Itachi have gone after Danzō?" Koharu asked quietly.
After all, though they had approved the plan—
It was Danzō who had driven it to completion.
And Uchiha Itachi was dangerously unstable.
Homura frowned.
"Unlikely. He wouldn't risk Sasuke."
Hiruzen shook his head slowly.
"It's not Itachi."
Koharu hesitated.
"Should we send someone?"
"No."
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly.
"Consider this… a lesson."
A reminder of who the Hokage is.
To brand Shiro as a critical traitor, Hiruzen had been forced to accept his plan—
Allowing him to strike Danzō.
Afterward, Root would be declared destroyed by Shiro's hand.
Konoha's power structure would fracture—
And Shiro would earn the title of S-Rank Missing-nin.
Shimura Territory — Final Act
The battle dragged on another fifteen minutes.
Nearly an hour in total.
"Hahaha!" Shiro threw his head back.
"Magnificent, Lord Danzō! This is a real fight!"
Sweat poured from his body.
Pain thrilled him.
For him—
Combat was joy.
For Danzō—
It was hell.
His chakra reserves were nearly gone.
His aging body screamed.
Finally—
Danzō stopped retreating.
"…If you insist."
He reached up.
Slowly—
He removed the bandages.
Moonlight revealed his right eye.
Scarlet.
The Mangekyō Sharingan spun, its shuriken-like pattern radiating cold malice.
"Kotoamatsukami."
All remaining chakra surged into the eye.
Their gazes locked.
Buzz—
Yin Release chakra surged outward, flooding toward Shiro's mind.
"Submit," Danzō whispered.
"I will grant you a new life."
He began rewriting Shiro's will.
Then—
His expression froze.
"What—?!"
Impossible.
"…It didn't work?!"
Kotoamatsukami—
had no effect.