Amegakure.
The Root ninja left and sent for Orochimaru. He was the strongest and most knowledgeable genius they knew, and also the most accessible, so he was the first person they thought of.
"Orochimaru-sama, it's just ahead."
"Mm."
Orochimaru nodded slightly and followed them to the site.
But the rain had completely washed the scene away. Orochimaru summoned snakes, but beneath the pile of explosive tags, they couldn't find a trace, not even bone ash, let alone flesh and blood.
'Even the "Darkness of Konoha," a powerhouse not weaker than a Kage, had met such an end,' Orochimaru mused. 'Life truly is fragile.'
'But it's good he's dead. Whoever did it, I really ought to thank them properly.'
While he regretted that Danzo's body was completely annihilated, leaving no tissue behind, Orochimaru felt a flicker of joy. With Danzo gone, no one in Konoha could directly threaten him anymore.
"Let's go back. There's nothing left to find. Prepare for the war."
--**--**
'27,000 points. Danzo died too fast, he shouldn't have given that many points. So, the rest must've come from Hanzo?' Takeshi dissected his point gain.
'This system is still too basic,' he thought, 'no detailed breakdown, just forcing me to guess my earnings.'
Thinking about it, though, the reason wasn't hard to figure out.
Hanzo would take the blame.
With his small size in Sage Mode and the speed boost from the Gate of Opening, Danzo had practically zero chance to resist that brief burst. It also helped that Danzo's particular skills were a terrible match for Takeshi's. Wind Release, speed, Kenjutsu, none of those were things Takeshi worried about.
If it had been Onoki, specializing in Earth Release with its defensive jutsu, even Takeshi's speed wouldn't have killed him so fast. He'd have had to rely on getting bigger or just raw power, but neither of those could finish a Tsuchikage off in that timeframe.
In that scenario, he'd have had to rely on growing larger or using brute strength, but neither of those attacks could finish off a Tsuchikage in such a short time.
Of course, if Danzo had specialized in jutsu like Onoki's, Takeshi wouldn't have bothered trying to trap him then. He would've waited until he was much stronger. Once he was strong enough to pose a serious threat to Konoha as a whole, what was stopping him from openly eliminating a mere Danzo anyway?
'To put it bluntly, Danzo's reputation in the village wasn't exactly stellar anyway. To some, he was the Darkness of Konoha, to others, the 'Scapegoat Kage' who took the fall for the Sandaime.'
Sasuke Uchiha killed Danzo, and he still ended up serving the village later, didn't he?
But no point dwelling on it. After that pile of explosive tags, there wouldn't even be bone ash left. If Konoha could find clues from that, well, he'd just have to be impressed and make a run for it.
Yahiko was his biggest vulnerability, so Takeshi had sent him to the Land of Snow. Once things calmed down, he'd send some ninja cats there too. Partly to help, partly to keep an eye on the Land of Snow, and partly as a failsafe. The Ninja Cat Fortress Village was too tied to the Uchiha clan, having a backup plan was essential.
'A cunning rabbit needs three burrows. The rome wasn't built in a day. I just need to take thing step by step.'
Takeshi checked the store, exchanging his points for all the discounted Water Release: Water Formation Wall Jutsu and Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu. The cost totaled just over 4,000 points, a pittance for jutsu of that caliber.
After spending over 4,000, he still had over 23,000 left. 10,000 of that was reserved for the Rasenshuriken. Since he'd already mastered Sage Mode, once he got the jutsu, evolving it into Sage Art: Rasenshuriken would be simple: just channel Sage Chakra instead of regular chakra.
He just wondered how Minato's research was coming along. Takeshi felt a flicker of anticipation. If Minato successfully developed the Rasenshuriken, he might get another juicy discount from the system. That would be perfect.
The ship was painfully slow. Most people didn't mind, but Guy was predictably struck down by severe seasickness. Everyone was used to it, he'd been just as bad on the way out. The moment his feet hit solid ground, though, the guy would bounce right back.
Takeshi lay on the side sleeping, while Kakashi did his usual research for Chidori.
Just a few days later, they returned to Konoha.
Entering the village, Takeshi immediately saw a scene of solemnity. Gray cloth draped buildings, and people on the streets, mostly wearing black robes, gave the village an unusually somber air.
"Meow?" Takeshi was the first to show his 'confusion'.
"Something's happened in the village." Kakashi said, waving a hand.
The group immediately broke into a run, heading quickly from the village gates towards the Memorial Stone. There, they indeed saw a large group of ninja paying their respects.
Takeshi surveyed the scene. 'Well, that plan went off without a hitch,' he thought, a calculated strike against an unsuspecting target. By killing Danzo, he wouldn't have to worry about someone constantly plotting against him. Otherwise, as his abilities grew, that despicable man would forever be trying to capture and dissect him.
The Sandaime, hearing the commotion, appeared before the five of them using the Body Flicker Jutsu.
"Takeshi, Kakashi..." he began, looking tired. "Kakashi, the rest of you, go back and change first. As for Takeshi... even though you never met him, you should still attend the memorial service. Danzo contributed a great deal to Konoha."
Takeshi, being a black cat, naturally blended well with black funeral clothes. He nodded slightly, then padded over to join the back of the line.
'Offering incense to Danzo?' he mused internally. 'What a perfect insult.'
'But Danzo-sama,' he thought with mock piety, 'it's not that I wanted to do this. It's your old friend who insisted I pay my respects...'
It wasn't long before it was his turn. The shinobi handing out memorial flowers paused, startled to see a cat, but quickly recognized Takeshi, the village's newest Jonin. Recovering, he presented a white flower to the black cat.
Takeshi extended his tail, carefully wrapped it around the flower stem, and padded up to the tombstone. He gently placed it among the others already there, stood silently for a beat or two, then turned to follow the rest of the mourners as they dispersed.
A moment later, the Sandaime created a Shadow Clone, presumably to handle other matters, before turning back to Takeshi.
"Let's go," the Sandaime said, looking visibly drained. Danzo's death had clearly taken a toll on him. Takeshi, however, felt no remorse. 'The old man had done plenty of terrible things,' he thought. 'And his claws were starting to reach me. If I didn't strike first, I'd always be looking over my shoulder.' Takeshi but usually cats weren't exactly the forgiving type.
Following him to the office, the Sandaime motioned for Takeshi to explain the situation. Konoha had lost Danzo, a significant force. The other Four Great Ninja Villages were likely to unite or at least implicitly cooperate. Konoha was facing an imminent crisis, so the Hokage needed to assess the Land of Snow's potential strength.
Takeshi jumped onto the desk. "Meow," he began, settling down. "I had to search for a bit before I tracked them down. It's a group of rogue ninja who only arrived in the Land of Snow recently. An avalanche destroyed their original village, so their current location is pretty far from where you thought they'd be."
The Sandaime leaned forward. "Do they have any strategic value?" That was clearly his main concern.
Takeshi shook his head. "Their Ice Release is only truly viable within the Land of Snow's environment," he reported. "Outside of it, it's just basic Water Release, that relies too much on environment's temperature. Their overall strength is... insufficient. Using the Land of Snow as a springboard? Possible, I suppose, but not ideal."
"A springboard..." The Sandaime sighed, shaking his head. "That's not possible." He'd half expected this answer, but hearing it confirmed was still a genuine disappointment, especially with war looming.
Takeshi thought for a moment. "However," he added, with a soft 'mrow,' "I stayed with them for a day and overheard something else. It seems the leader of Yukigakure is subservient to a member of the royal family in the Land of Snow. I think his name was Doto Kazahana."
"Doto Kazahana? I seem to recall the name..." The Sandaime mused, then waved a hand dismissively. "But the Land of Snow holds little value for us right now. No need to focus on it." He shifted topics abruptly. "Did you happen to see any fleets of ships while you were returning?"
Takeshi tilted his head, looking at him 'confused'.
The Sandaime paused, then immediately spoke of the Akatsuki's rebellion in Amegakure.
After listening, Takeshi shook his head. "'I was in the ship's cabin the whole time. Kakashi went out occasionally. You could ask him if he saw anything.'"
"You've worked hard," the Sandaime said. "Go get some rest. In a few days, you might need to lead a team to the front lines."
Takeshi blinked. "Lead a team?"
The Hokage nodded heavily. "The wars are breaking out. Guy and his team... there's no other choice. They have to go." The Sandaime sighed deeply, the weight of responsibility clear. He wouldn't send children to the front lines if he had any other choice, but with war potentially breaking out on three fronts, Konoha simply wouldn't have enough fighting power without deploying some of its stronger young shinobi. Takeshi's own team was among Konoha's most capable.
He simply nodded, offering no further objection. 'Provoking the Sandaime right now would be stupid,' he thought. 'Better to just play along for a bit.'
===============
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