"Disappointment? What disappointment?"
From the start, Danzō likely never had any real expectations for Naruto. His talk of disappointment was just an excuse to justify his actions.
Shikamaru saw right through it but decided to keep his thoughts to himself.
After all, Danzō was just a relic from the past who had somehow ended up in the present. Sooner or later, they'd send him back, but for now, they needed to restrain him.
Just as Shikamaru was thinking this
Shink!
A kunai suddenly pressed against his throat from behind!
Shikamaru froze.
His head tilted slightly in disbelief as he glanced at Sai from the corner of his eye.
Had this guy really betrayed them and sided with Danzō? Impossible!
Even if Sai had once been under Danzō's command, there was no way he would do something like this now. Not with his own family, his own child. His bonds with Konoha ran deeper than words could describe.
Under these circumstances, how could Sai possibly side with Danzō?
Unless he'd lost his mind!
But when Shikamaru met Sai's gaze, the realization hit him.
"I see… As expected of Danzō. Even after all these years, the cursed seal he placed on Sai is still active!"
Danzō chuckled. "Shikamaru, you're as sharp as your father, Shikaku."
"Konoha needs talent like yours. I won't harm you, provided you're willing to assist me."
Shikamaru smirked. "And would you really trust me, Lord Danzō?"
Danzō's smile stiffened slightly.
Fair point. Even if Shikamaru claimed he would help, Danzō couldn't afford to take him at his word, not until all of Konoha's enemies were dealt with.
"You're right," Danzō conceded. "Now isn't the time to use you. Stay put for now. Once I've purged Konoha of its weaknesses, you can still serve as the new Hokage's advisor."
"That is… me."
Shikamaru almost laughed. Of course. Danzō's goal was still to become Hokage.
But was that even possible?
A relic from the past, dreaming of becoming the future Hokage? And with just himself and a brainwashed Sai? It was laughable.
"You seem unconvinced that I'll succeed," Danzō noted coldly.
"You underestimate me, Shikamaru."
"I've survived multiple Shinobi World Wars."
"Don't look down on this old man."
As he spoke, figures began emerging from behind him one after another.
They wore the old-style ANBU uniforms.
No
These weren't ANBU.
They were Root.
Shikamaru's pupils contracted.
Impossible.
How did Danzō have so many Root operatives with him?
It wasn't just Danzō who had traveled from the past to the present; his entire Root division had come with him.
Not all of them, but the core members. Roughly fifty in total.
And every single one of them was elite jōnin-level.
Compared to Konoha's current forces, these fifty alone could overpower most of the village's regular shinobi.
"To be honest, I'm disappointed," Danzō mused. "The shinobi of this era are pathetically weak."
"Just two of my men easily took down ten of Konoha's so-called 'jōnin'."
"It seems this so-called 'peace' has made you all soft."
His eyes glinted with disdain.
Too weak. Far too weak.
Some of these "jōnin" hadn't even mastered a second nature transformation. What use were they?
The Root operatives swiftly took control of the Hokage Tower.
Danzō strode into the archives, searching for something.
As for Shikamaru, he knew nothing of what followed; he was knocked unconscious and sealed away.
Konoha's Central Plaza
The heart of the village, bustling with life.
Now, the rooftops surrounding the square were lined with Root operatives.
Behind them, the bodies of Konoha's ANBU lay defeated.
It had been effortless.
The elite of Root against the current generation of ANBU? A one-sided slaughter.
The Root shinobi gazed down at the crowds below.
Konoha had indeed prospered. Its population had multiplied, and it stood as the undisputed center of the shinobi world.
Yet, despite such advantages, the village had done nothing to unify the nations under its rule.
The more Danzō saw, the more his fury grew.
Taking the Hokage Tower was a means to an end; he needed certain records.
Records he would use to awaken the people of Konoha.
To stir the hearts of those grown complacent in peace, to make them yearn for strength, and to support him, a veteran of war, as their new Hokage.
Facing Naruto head-on? Danzō had no confidence in victory.
But that didn't mean he had no options.
If all else failed, he would retreat and bide his time.
But for now, he would try.
The massive screen in the plaza flickered to life.
The villagers, including Sarada and her friends shopping nearby, looked up in curiosity.
"Huh? What's going on?" Chōchō gasped. "That screen's barely ever used! The fees are crazy!"
"Did some new fashion line or makeup brand drop?" Her eyes sparkled with shopping frenzy.
But then
An aged face appeared on the screen.
The backdrop? The Hokage's office.
"People of Konoha," the man began. "I am Shimura Danzō. To most of you, I am a stranger, but some may still remember me."
"I was a shinobi of this village. Though, by your time… I should have been dead for years."
"Yet fate has brought me from the past to now."
"A chance to change Konoha."
"The Konoha of today is a disgrace!" His voice sharpened. "The Konoha of old fought tooth and nail to become the strongest! Countless shinobi gave their lives for it!"
"And yet your Hokage has forgotten. Forgotten the sacrifices of those who came before!"
"Even you have forgotten! Forgotten the hatred your families once bore, choosing instead to embrace the very ones who abandoned you!"
As Danzō spoke, his right eye pulsed subtly.
A genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, began weaving into his words.
Uchiha District
Itachi shot to his feet, his face paling as he stared at the screen.
"Kotoamatsukami?!"
"So Danzō came from the past too… and he's using this method?!"
Of course. In the past, television didn't exist.
But now?
A genjutsu like Kotoamatsukami, broadcast to the entire village…
That was true terror.
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