"What did you just say? Danzo led the Konoha forces in a retreat?"
Ōnoki's face was filled with disbelief as he listened to his subordinate's report.
That old fox traveled all this way to reinforce the battlefield, and his only purpose was to cover Jiraiya's retreat?
"Lord Tsuchikage, the sensory ninja has confirmed it—the entire Konoha camp is completely empty."
This statement immediately sent Ōnoki into deep thought.
That damned Danzo… what kind of scheme is he plotting now?
After a brief moment of contemplation, a realization flashed across his face.
"It seems Kumogakure has achieved some significant victories."
"How decisive… that cunning old bastard."
Ōnoki sighed.
He had been the Tsuchikage for many years, but the opponent he remained most wary of was always Danzo.
Against other enemies, you only needed to focus on the battlefield itself.
But against the "Darkness of the Shinobi", you had to think ten steps ahead.
Because Danzo…
Would do absolutely anything to crush his opponents.
There was nothing he wouldn't resort to.
—
"Since that's the case, send troops into the town."
Ōnoki immediately gave the order.
But just as the messenger ninja was about to leave, he suddenly stopped him.
"Wait. First, send a few scouts to investigate. Make sure Danzo didn't set any traps."
After all—this was Danzo.
Ōnoki couldn't afford to be careless.
"Yes, sir!"
His subordinates swiftly acknowledged the order.
—
Shortly after, a ten-man scout team from Iwagakure entered the town.
Surprisingly, they found no immediate threats.
Most of the supplies had already been either removed or destroyed.
However, they did discover a few letters in the basement of the abandoned Konoha camp.
Each letter bore a single kanji on its cover—秘 (Secret).
"Konoha's secret letters?"
Ōnoki squinted in suspicion as he took one of the letters.
After a moment's thought, he decided to use an Earth Clone to open it instead.
—
And it turned out his caution was absolutely justified.
Because the contents of the letter read—
"Art… is an explosion!"
The moment Ōnoki's eyes landed on those words—
The letter instantly transformed into a detonation tag and exploded with a deafening roar!
The sheer force of the explosion shattered his Earth Clone into rubble.
Ōnoki sighed and stroked his beard.
"Hmph. That Danzo… what a devious old fox."
Even though he despised these underhanded tactics, he had to admit—Danzo wasn't easy to deal with.
Good thing he was prepared.
Otherwise, while the explosion wouldn't have killed him, he would have been left in a very humiliating state.
And that…
Would have been far worse than taking a hit.
But then, something didn't sit right with Ōnoki.
Would Danzo really set up such an obvious trap?
A strange feeling of unease crept into his mind.
He immediately looked toward the scattered, burning paper fragments from the explosion.
Some of them were still floating in the air, carried by the chaotic wind.
Some were consumed by flames.
And then, he finally saw it.
Through his aged eyes, he could just barely make out the words on the paper scraps—
"The Sword of Shinobi Love!"
—
Damn it!
Ōnoki's mind went on high alert.
Just as he was about to react—
Someone moved even faster.
A flash of golden hair appeared in an instant.
Minato Namikaze—
The Yellow Flash.
And the moment he arrived—
He immediately hurled a barrage of kunai in all directions.
Each kunai was wrapped with a burning explosive tag.
He looked at Ōnoki and said calmly,
"Lord Danzo asked me to tell you—enjoy the art of explosions."
As soon as his words fell, the explosive tags that had scattered across the Iwagakure camp detonated simultaneously!
They lit up the night sky like the most dazzling fireworks.
And as the mastermind behind this attack, Minato had already vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique before anyone could react.
Ōnoki, consumed by rage, activated his Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, but all he hit was empty air.
"Namikaze Minato! Shimura Danzo! I, Ōnoki, will never forgive you!"
His furious roar echoed through the Iwagakure camp.
—
Meanwhile, having completed his mission, Minato successfully returned to his forces, regrouping for their retreat.
"Was Lord Danzo's move intended to weaken their morale?" Minato asked curiously on the way back.
To be fair, the actual damage caused by this strategy wasn't all that severe.
But the psychological impact—the humiliation of being unable to stop an enemy from coming and going as they pleased—was undoubtedly a major blow to Iwagakure's pride.
This kind of psychological warfare could shake even the most disciplined soldiers.
Danzo smiled.
"Beyond crushing their morale, the real purpose was to slow them down."
He didn't keep Minato guessing and explained directly:
"Think about it. Knowing Ōnoki's personality, after suffering such a loss at the first stronghold, what do you think he'll do next?"
Minato's eyes lit up as he immediately answered:
"He'll be much more cautious when inspecting our next base… or he may even refuse to occupy it and instead set up his own encampment."
Danzo nodded approvingly.
"Exactly. And either way, it will cost them time."
Still, Minato had one lingering doubt.
"But I can't always be there to ambush them."
For a ninja of his caliber, being reduced to a mere hit-and-run operative seemed like an incredible waste of potential.
Danzo shook his head.
"Whether or not you actually attack doesn't matter. What matters… is what Ōnoki thinks."
"With his overly cautious nature, even just the possibility of you showing up will force him to march like he's walking on thin ice."
Minato suddenly understood.
By leveraging fear and uncertainty, they could trade space for time—buying the precious moments needed to prepare for the real battle ahead.
This… was the true cunning of the "Darkness of the Shinobi."
Meanwhile, on the northeastern battlefield…
Due to the relentless assault from the Raikage and his son, Orochimaru's border defense force had completely collapsed.
But no one could really blame them.
After all, those two were monsters in human form—their speed, strength, and durability were utterly absurd.
They didn't need elaborate strategies.
With their sheer brute force, they simply charged into the Konoha ranks and started massacring everyone in sight.
To make things worse, Kumogakure had also deployed a perfect jinchūriki.
Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails' host, was an even greater threat.
His Tailed Beast Bomb was an annihilation-class weapon against ordinary shinobi.
With just one blast, he could effortlessly obliterate Konoha's entire defensive line.
Deep in the forest behind the battle lines…
Under the cover of night, a small white snake slithered out from the darkness.
After confirming that no enemies were around, it finally opened its mouth in an unimaginable manner.
Immediately afterward, a fair-skinned arm reached out from within.
The arm pressed firmly against the ground and pushed with force, pulling out an entire person who had been hiding inside the white snake.
Under the faint moonlight, the figure had long, wet black hair, extremely pale skin, striking purple eyeshadow, and golden slit pupils that made him look especially unique.
He was none other than Orochimaru, one of the Three Legendary Sannin of Konoha, who had narrowly escaped the relentless assault of the Hidden Cloud forces.
However, calling it a "narrow escape" wasn't entirely accurate.
Before the war even began, this master of human experimentation had already prepared numerous contingency plans to ensure his survival in case of danger.
As for the subordinates under his command?
They were simply out of luck.
"But I didn't expect the Raikage and his son to advance this quickly… and that Jinchūriki as well…"
Orochimaru leaned against a tree.
Although he had temporarily escaped danger, the cost had been significant.
Yet, when he recalled the muscular physiques of the Raikage and his son, he couldn't help but lick his lips and reveal a twisted smile.
"If I could obtain a body like that…"
Fantasy was one thing, but Orochimaru's immediate priority was finding his way back home.
"Danzo's reinforcements should be arriving soon, right?"
Wiping the corner of his mouth, he slowly started moving toward Konoha's direction.
At dawn the next day, he successfully located the Konoha reinforcement camp by following the markings left by nearby Konoha shinobi.
Seeing Orochimaru arrive, the guards at the camp were visibly excited.
"Lord Orochimaru, it's such a relief that you're safe!"
Orochimaru glanced at the ninja with his slit-like pupils and coldly asked,
"Who is currently in command of the camp?"
The ninja was momentarily stunned before quickly responding,
"It's the Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku.
But he's only the acting commander. The true commander is Lord Danzo—he left to assist Lord Jiraiya's forces."
"That little brat, Uchiha Fugaku?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Then, without hesitation, he headed toward the command room.
"Orochimaru-senpai! It's truly a relief that you're safe!"
Uchiha Fugaku and Shisui, who was beside him, both showed surprised and delighted expressions.
Unlike Danzo, they weren't reincarnated travelers who knew just how terrifying Orochimaru's survival abilities were.
From their perspective, the odds of Orochimaru surviving an assault from the Raikage and his son were incredibly slim.
If Orochimaru, one of the Three Sannin, had fallen, it would have been a massive blow to the entire Konoha army.
Fortunately, that disaster had not come to pass.
However, Orochimaru paid no attention to Fugaku. Instead, his gaze fixated on Shisui with great interest.
"You must be Danzo's disciple, correct?"
Shisui was slightly surprised but nodded nonetheless.
"Yes, Orochimaru-senpai."
"Heh, not bad."
Orochimaru chuckled softly and sat down on his own.
At the same time, in the conference room with them sat the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio—Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Chōza.
Before long, a commotion erupted outside the camp.
"Lord Danzo has arrived!"
__
This Danzo Is Weird 410 advanced chapters: (5-10 ch updates everyday)
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