Tsunade shouted up at the sky toward Kairen: "Kid, come down! I'll help you get your revenge!"
Kairen looked at Tsunade: "Tsunade, I don't care about anything else — today I have to kill Danzo that old mangy bastard!"
Kairen produced an AK, the muzzle pointed at Danzo.
Danzo glared at Kairen in a fury: "Moku Kairen, who are you calling an old mangy bastard?!"
"Bang bang bang…"
Kairen's bullets rained down; Danzo instantaneously moved two body-lengths.
Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted loudly: "Moku Kairen, that's enough — stop this madness!"
"Madness?!" Kairen turned to him in an instant, the muzzle aimed straight at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Bang bang bang…"
Kairen fired several shots right in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi; Hiruzen stepped back several paces, heart shocked by the incredible speed of Kairen's hidden weapon.
"Don't give me that bullshit — today I'm cutting Danzo down. Even if Uchiha Madara comes, it won't matter. That's final!"
A lurking glossy pitcher plant watched quietly from the shadows, while elsewhere the jutsu's other end waited.
"…"
Uchiha Madara cracked his parched lips and smiled: "Why would I go rescue some crawling lizard?!"
...
Kairen didn't waste words — five hundred shadow clones immediately circled Danzo in a 200-meter diameter ring, prepared to toy with him to death.
He slowly descended and stood quietly on the ground, eyes half-closed, nostrils slightly raised — the expression of someone sizing another person up with disdain.
An unnamed fury rose in Danzo's heart; he pointed at Kairen and cursed:
"Moku Kairen, you damned brat! I started cutting people down in the First Shinobi War — you think I've just muddled along to get here?!"
Danzo rolled up his sleeves and assumed a combat stance.
Kairen twisted his neck, feigning pity: "After all, you're an old man. I, Moku Kairen, wouldn't dare bully an elderly person, right?!"
"How about this — I'll leave you with only one hand!"
Kairen put one hand behind his back, his tone full of concern for lonely old people in society.
Danzo roared: "You little bastard!"
Kairen pointed a finger at Danzo: "Can't you be even a little civilized? So many curse words!"
"You—"
Danzo jabbed a finger at Kairen so hard he looked about to faint from rage.
Clone felt this was the moment he should step up and speak, so he volunteered to Kairen.
"Boss, I'm willing to go into battle!"
Kairen's eyes flicked to Clone's eager display and he waved his hand: "Go on, get up there, insult him!"
Clone nodded and strode forward.
"Ahem ahem…"
Clone cleared his throat twice, gathered his words, pointed at Danzo and spat: "Do you know what people hate most about you?"
Danzo's intelligence took a slight hit from the insult, anger flaring: "What is it?!"
Clone said: "Cowardice. You're a coward — that's why you crawl in the hole, waiting for the Hokage position to wobble so you can crawl out."
"What did you say?!" Danzo barked.
"Isn't it true? When the Second asked you disciples to make a choice, you shrank back. Even if it happened again you'd shrink back."
"The Second could judge people well — you are cowardly!"
Danzo bellowed: "No no no, I'm a true shinobi — I don't shrink back. If it happened again, I'd be faster than...."
"Clap clap clap…"
"Acting!"
Kairen clapped his hands; several shadow clones stepped out to perform a little skit.
One announcing clone called the scene: "Suppose back then Shimura Danzo had been one step faster to stand forward — what would have happened? Let's wait and see!"
The clones all shifted; in an instant six grotesque shapes surrounded a man in blue armor.
A Tobirama shadow clone stood and addressed the figures before him: "Now we need one person to hold the enemy so the rest of us can escape!"
Danzo watched the clones' play with wide eyes.
It was the past he had dreamt a thousand times — if only he'd reacted a moment faster, he'd be the Hokage now.
There was a dog wrapped in bandages — easy to identify: that was Danzo.
He stretched out a dog leg: "Woof! I'll be the bait!"
Then Danzo-dog slapped his dog leg onto the monkey's shoulder, consoling him:
"Self-sacrifice is a shinobi's duty — I have already decided to die on the battlefield!"
"Let me stay as the bait this time!"
Danzo sank completely into the play, ignoring how ridiculous the actors were; if he had stepped forward first back then, the Third Hokage surely would have been him.
He could have led the village ever higher, eventually ruling the whole shinobi world.
It was that lag in reaction that had cost him everything!
He became completely engrossed in the drama, murmuring: "Yes! That's it! One step faster than Hiruzen — teacher, acknowledge me, let me become Hokage!"
A Tobirama clone stood, rubbed Danzo-dog's head, and under Danzo's and Danzo-dog's expectant gazes slowly spoke: "Good dog. It's not wasted raising you all these years. Monkey, let's go!"
The monkey gave Danzo-dog a thumbs-up: "You're really a good dog. When I become Hokage I'll give you a title!"
"Woof woof woof…"
Danzo-dog barked frantically, dog-eyes filling with tears: "Sensei! Sensei! That's not how the script goes, you should say 'give the village to me'!"
The announcing clone struck a board: "Play over!"
"Ha ha ha…"
Kairen grabbed his stomach and laughed hard, even rolling on the ground laughing.
"Ha ha ha…"
The surrounding shadow clones also burst into laughter, mercilessly ridiculing Danzo-dog.
"Good dog! Good dog! What a good dog!"
Within the shinobi clans, the Inuzuka had two jōnin present — one female jōnin named Inuzuka Tsume, who would later become Inuzuka Kiba's mother.
Seeing Kairen's clones mock the dog, she immediately took offense: "Dogs are so cute — why mock them?!"
"Woof!"
...
Anger, boundless anger.
The most intense rage rose from Danzo's heart, flooding his head with adrenaline.
"Ahhh—"
He kept shouting; several wind blades exploded and obliterated the shadow clones performing the skit, along with Clone beside them.
"Kairen, you little bastard! How dare you mock me like this?"
"I'll make you die! I'll make you die!"
Kairen's laughter stopped; he climbed to his feet and sneered at Danzo. He could even feel the opponent's endless hatred, as if Kairen had personally disgraced Danzo's entire family.
Kairen froze — this clear emotional perception…
Then the system voice sounded:
"Ding!"
"Uzumaki clan malice perception awakened!"
Chakra is an energy field carrying streams of information; its joys, angers, sorrows, and delights all show up within chakra, so each shadow clone has its own characteristics.
Special members of the Uzumaki clan can perceive that emotional current.
The First's wife, Uzumaki Mito, possessed such an ability; likewise, the Nine-Tails had the power to sense malice.
Kairen's current constitution was the Ashura Sage Body — a more integrated physique than the Uzumaki's — and in a sudden surge he awakened malice perception.
Kairen even felt his malice perception was more refined; he seemed able to sense subtler emotions within chakra.
He looked toward the outside of the shadow-clone ring; the clones' mocking skit had attracted a large crowd, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the monkey, was of course deathly pale.
Although that was his nickname, for the respected Hokage to be treated so mockingly and still tolerate it showed the mettle of a true shinobi.
From Hiruzen Sarutobi Kairen could sense hidden killing intent.
"Ding!"
"Ability malice perception upgraded to emotion perception!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi has a mild killing intent toward you!"
Kairen pondered — with this ability, he could easily distinguish friend from foe in the future!
Kairen glanced around at the people nearby.
He saw Jiraiya struggling to hold back laughter — the man seemed just as amused by the clones' skit.
"Jiraiya has mild admiration for you!"
Of course Jiraiya admired him — Kairen had directly lampooned Konoha's four high-ups.
Danzo was reduced to a dog, his teacher made into a monkey, and the other two leaders were just two stodgy old wooden blocks.
Their audacity was unmatched.