Danzo felt a sense of crisis, which prompted him to act.
He knew that Tsukasa Kaede had ventured to the front line without authorization, seemingly because he had detected the leak caused by Ryoma, indicating a sensory connection between Tsukasa Kaede and the infected bodies.
He also knew about Tsukasa Kaede's astonishing performance on the battlefield, and that Orochimaru was constantly trying to recruit Tsukasa Kaede, not intending to let him interfere too much. He further knew that Tsukasa Kaede had chosen the Reaper Death Seal jutsu from the Third Hokage, and the Third Hokage had even visited Mito Uzumaki for this.
The Reaper Death Seal jutsu itself wasn't important. For a Corpse Release ninja who manipulated bodies, choosing the Reaper Death Seal carried a certain degree of rationality.
But what happened between Jiraiya and Tsukasa Kaede in the Land of Rain had always struck Danzo as illogical. He must have missed crucial information, and it was best that Hanzo didn't get his hands on this information first.
"This old man sent Tsukasa Kaede to the Land of Rain to find Jiraiya, valuing his Corpse Release secret technique for its suitability in complex, unfamiliar environments for search missions, without worrying about manpower loss, while also verifying the results of his five months of cultivation. Without Tsukasa Kaede, neither Hiruzen nor I would necessarily have sent anyone to look for Jiraiya."
Danzo removed the bandages from his head, revealing a Three-Tomoe Sharingan that emitted an ominous red glow in the darkness: "But things went wrong after that. The three subordinates this old man sent to accompany Tsukasa Kaede all went missing. Jiraiya refused to return and reported in code to Hiruzen that Tsukasa Kaede had fought an unknown enemy..."
Who was the enemy? Danzo initially suspected Hanzo, but based on recent communications with Hanzo, Hanzo denied it, claiming he had never laid a hand on a genius ninja like Tsukasa Kaede, and he wouldn't do something that would reignite the war.
Danzo found this somewhat believable. Although Hanzo was incredibly powerful, deep down he showed a fear of the Great Shinobi Village and would not stir up conflict again, unless there was an interest so compelling that even someone like Hanzo would take such a desperate risk.
Could Tsukasa Kaede and Jiraiya have fought an unknown battle?
Kaedence it couldn't be confirmed, he would go and see for himself. He was quite familiar with the Land of Rain.
"Tsukasa Kaede, only you are worth this old man's trouble... I will not sit idly by and watch you defect to that poisonous snake, Orochimaru."
A fierce glint flashed in Danzo's eyes. With Tsukasa Kaede's rising strength and reputation, many tactics were no longer applicable, and moral blackmail was useless against someone like Tsukasa Kaede, who had an extremely flexible moral bottom line—what highly moral person would spend their days playing with other people's bodies? Therefore, before Orochimaru officially launched his human experimentation project to fuse Senju and Uchiha powers, Danzo decided to act personally and uncover the mysteries surrounding Tsukasa Kaede.
The more problematic Tsukasa Kaede was, the more likely it was that once clarified, it could become leverage for Danzo to control Tsukasa Kaede, or even to exchange for benefits with Tsukasa Kaede.
"Do you need me to accompany you?" Ryoma asked.
"No need. You stay and manage the Root's operations. This old man will go with Terai and two squads of Root ninja. During the time this old man is secretly away from the village, you must ensure that no one notices anything amiss."
Danzo's Sharingan revealed a fierce glint. He had more than just this one Three-Tomoe. To be safe, he had killed Uchiha Yuto and extracted two more Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
With three Three-Tomoe Sharingan in hand, plus the Izanagi, which he was not yet skilled at but could barely activate...
Danzo refused to believe it. In the small Land of Rain, a mere speck of land, who could possibly harm him? Even if Hanzo attacked him, he wouldn't be able to scratch him!
Under Ryoma's respectful farewell, Danzo and his men quickly departed.
After a long while, Ryoma finally looked up, watching the figures disappear into the night, his expression unchanged, and began to handle the Root's various affairs.
With Danzo's departure, nearly half of Root's manpower was taken, meaning Ryoma's responsibilities became heavier.
"Land of Rain, Tsukasa Kaede... Both Orochimaru and Lord Danzo hope to obtain a jutsu from Tsukasa Kaede, yet I don't even know the name of this jutsu. This is a lapse in my intelligence, and I must work harder to compensate for it."
Ryoma faithfully carried out his duties. His loyalty to Danzo was unwavering and would not change until Danzo's death, so he would not have any additional thoughts over such minor matters.
"Nonō Yakushi has applied to end her undercover mission in Iwagakure and return to the village... She promptly sent back high-level intel on the Four-Tails Jinchuriki. Her contributions are significant, and the war has ended, so it can be approved..."
Ryoma quickly processed various administrative tasks, making rational decisions.
No one noticed the departure of Danzo's group. Even the Barrier Squad's daily surveillance couldn't track Danzo's movements, because he knew their methods for maintaining the Sensory Barrier very well. He knew exactly when and where to leave the village without being detected by the Barrier.
Only in an old house, Mito Uzumaki, who had just seen off the Third Hokage, raised her eyelids and looked outside, clearly sensing something.
"Grandma, what's wrong? Did Lord Hokage come back again?" Kushina looked up at her.
"Nothing, I just feel that tomorrow I should increase the intensity of your cultivation. I will teach you a forbidden jutsu of the Uzumaki clan called Reaper Death Seal. The Third Hokage came to see me just now because he gave this forbidden jutsu to an outsider. Even an outsider can learn the Uzumaki clan's forbidden jutsu, so you should learn it too."
Mito Uzumaki stroked Kushina's beautiful long hair, her heart full of tenderness.
She could feel that her time was limited, probably only a year of lifespan left, and she could only shield Kushina for one more year.
She had so much to say, so many things she wanted to instruct, as if no amount of time would be enough...
But it could only go this far. The road ahead was even more difficult, and Kushina had to walk it herself.
"Outsider? Who is he, and why can he learn our clan's forbidden jutsu?" Kushina, however, didn't realize the main point.
"It's the person I mentioned to you before, the one whose spirit and body are both extremely complex and chaotic," Mito Uzumaki said with a smile. Although her face was covered in wrinkles, her youthful elegance could still be faintly traced in her contours.
"I know, Tsukasa Kaede, that strange ninja who manipulates other people's bodies. Many people also call him a war hero."
Kushina immediately recalled her encounter with Tsukasa Kaede, brushing past him outside the BBQ restaurant.
If it was someone like that, no wonder Lord Third Hokage would give him the Uzumaki clan's forbidden jutsu. However, Corpse Release ninja and Reaper Death Seal, at least by name, seemed to have a peculiar sense of compatibility?
Thinking of this, Kushina laughed lightheartedly, "Reaper Death Seal, Tsukasa Kaede can learn it, and I want to learn it too. And I'll master it more skillfully than him, and its power must be stronger than his! I am a descendant of the Uzumaki clan; he is not!"