Land Of Fire:
Unknown Wilderness Plains :
The wilderness plains were silent, save for the wind whistling over the lip of the perfect, spherical crater where Danzo Shimura had erased himself from existence.
Jiraiya stood at the edge, his long white hair whipping in the breeze. He looked down into the void with eyes full of complex sadness. No matter the methods, no matter the darkness, Danzo was a man who had lived and died for the village in his own twisted way.
( If only we could have communicated ) Jiraiya thought, the weight of his failures pressing on his shoulders. If trust hadn't been replaced by suspicion, maybe it wouldn't have ended in a civil execution in the middle of nowhere.
Jiraiya turned away from the crater, his gaze falling upon Senju Hattori. The Senju elite was breathing heavily, clutching a horrific trophy:
The severed right arm of the Root leader.
Jiraiya stared at the limb. The pale, unnatural skin of the First Hokage was embedded with eyes.
( Just how many... ) Jiraiya's stomach churned. ( Five? Ten? Every single one of those represents a life. A Konoha shinobi. A comrade )
He counted the closed eyelids on the dead muscle. To wield that power, Danzo hadn't just studied history; he had butchered it.
"Make camp!"
The command cut through Jiraiya's mournful reverie. Nara Shikaku, holding a temporary bandage to the stump where his left arm used to be, was barking orders despite his pallor.
"We hold this position for twenty-four hours," Shikaku announced, his voice raspy but brooking no argument. "Surround the perimeter. Maximum guard. Since the Elder did not wish to return to the village alive, let's make absolutely sure he doesn't come back from the dead."
Shikaku slumped slightly as a medical-nin rushed to check his dressing. He looked around the battlefield, his tactical mind assessing the cost of victory.
It was steep.
Tsunade was already on her knees, her hands glowing with the green aura of the Mystical Palm Technique, stabilizing Yamanaka Inoichi's crushed leg.
Nearby, Akimichi Choza and Torifu lay propped against a rock, their chests heaving, their bodies laced with deep lacerations and burns. They had taken the brunt of the assault, using their massive bodies to shield the squishier targets.
( It seems salvagable ) Shikaku thought, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding ( We have Tsunade-sama here. Limbs can be reattached ... well, except mine )
He glanced at Hiashi. The Hyuga Head was staring at his own hands—mangled, purple, and bent at sickening angles. The Rotation had saved his life, but the kinetic force of Danzo's vacuum blasts had shattered the small bones in his hands.
( We played it right ) Shikaku analyzed, the pain in his arm dulling under the adrenaline. The squad looks like hell, but that was the price of the strategy.
They had deliberately forced a chaotic, close-quarters melee. The goal wasn't just to kill Danzo; it was to prevent him from focusing.
If Danzo had been given a split second to unbandage the eye in his skull—no doubt Sharingan eye—he could have ended the fight with a glance. The moment he made eye contact, one of them would have fallen in Genjutsu without even knowing it.
Fighting A Sharingan in close quarters , every Konoha Shinobi knows the cons .
( We forced him to use Izanagi ) Shikaku concluded.
( We made him trade eyes for injuries. He was trading a Sharingan for a crippled limb of our squad. A brutal exchange rate, but preferable to fighting Genjutsu and Dynamic Vision that would have came with Root Leader )
Shikaku pushed himself up, waving off the medic. He walked unsteadily toward the Sannin.
Jiraiya was standing near Tsunade, looking like a man whose soul was tired. Shikaku approached and bowed as best he could with his injuries.
"Jiraiya-sama," Shikaku said softly. "I have a request. Please ensure no information about this fight leaves this area for twenty-four hours. No toads, no monkeys"
Jiraiya looked at the Nara Clan Head. The request was obviously targeting him. The Toad Sage sighed, a long, weary sound.
"Was it necessary, Shikaku?" Jiraiya asked, his voice low. "Was fighting really the only answer you could come up with? To butcher a village elder like this?"
Hearing the naivety in the legendary Sannin's voice—even after seeing the arm, even after the battle—Shikaku felt a spike of irritation. He decided to drag the truth into the light.
"Jiraiya-sama," Shikaku said, his tone hardening. "I may not be a scientist, but I know that arm. That isn't just a collection of stolen parts. It requires advanced genetic engineering. Sharingan plus Wood Release requires a stabilization agent."
Jiraiya blinked, surprised. "What are you saying?"
"Connect the dots," Shikaku urged. "Who is the only person in the last twenty years capable of grafting Hashirama cells successfully?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You mean..."
"Danzo wasn't just turning a blind eye to Orochimaru," Shikaku said coldly. "He was connected to him. Despite Orochimaru's rogue status, the channel remained open. The experiments... the missing Root children who vanished without a trace... that wasn't just Orochimaru acting alone. There was a push from inside Konoha. A supplier."
Jiraiya clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
( Orochimaru... you.again...... And Danzo... you fed him? )
"If we had waited," Shikaku continued, "Danzo would have returned to the village, consolidated his power, and likely welcomed your old teammate back through the side door. This war was necessary to cut the rot before it spread to the heart."
Jiraiya felt a chill settle in his chest. The Will of Fire he preached felt suddenly cold against the reality of politics and human experimentation. He looked at Shikaku, then at the crater.
( The cycle of hatred...) Jiraiya thought, turning away from the Nara commander. Jiraiya thought of his own philosophies ( Breaking it through empathy... persistence... peace is achieved by trusting others to find their own path. Understanding true pain fosters generosity...)
Jiraiya walked away, retreating to a solitary corner of the clearing, sitting down heavily on a fallen log.
( When will things change? Maybe only when the Child of Destiny appears. Come on, Jiraiya... don't give up on the dream yet. )
Shikaku watched the Sannin's retreating back with a look of profound disappointment.
( He runs away again ) Shikaku thought bitterly ( Always looking for a miracle in the future while refusing to shovel the dirt in the present )
Shikaku sighed and turned toward the Medical Saint. Tsunade was currently examining Hiashi's ruined hands.
"Without surgery," Tsunade was saying, her voice professional and clinical, "you can forget about using that left hand for Gentle Fist ever again. The right is salvageable, but it will be a long road."
Hiashi nodded stoically, though his eyes betrayed his fatigue. "I understand."
Shikaku watched the Hyuga Head. He knew why Hiashi was here. Usually, a Branch member would be sent as a meat shield for such a dangerous mission. But Hiashi had come personally.
( Politics ) Shikaku mused. All the other Clan Heads were here. If Hiashi had sent a substitute, the Hyuga would have lost face. The camaraderie forged in this blood would have belonged to the Branch House, and the Main House would have looked like cowards who hide behind their cursed seals.
Hiashi, sensing Shikaku's gaze, looked up. He was thinking similar thoughts. He had preserved the Hyuga's pride, but at a terrible cost.
And yet, Hiashi thought, looking at the crater,
( with Izanagi , how did the Uchiha get wiped out? .....even If Danzo possessed this reality-warping technique, surely he couldn't have crushed the rebellion alone. Unless.... unless danzo expended nearly all his forces and eyes just to facilitate the massacre. He must have been weakened. ....Shikaku was right. This was the only window we had to strike. )
Tsunade stood up, wiping sweat from her brow. She had stabilized Inoichi and Hiashi. She looked over at Jiraiya, sulking in the corner, and shook her head, a mix of anger and familiarity in her eyes. It was just like the old days.
Shikaku limped closer to her.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," he said, his voice thick with exhaustion. "Can you .....see the condition of the others?"
Tsunade wiped a smear of blood from her forehead, her gaze sweeping over the clearing. The efficiency of the shinobi was already on display; despite their exhaustion and injuries, those still standing were rapidly assembling a large, reinforced tent to serve as a makeshift field hospital.
"Bring them in one by one," she said flippantly, though the sharp, clinical focus in her eyes betrayed her casual tone. "I'll see to the most critical cases first. Don't just stand there gawking—move!"
She turned her attention back to Shikaku. She looked at the man who had orchestrated this entire "Anti-Danzo Alliance"—a coalition of the Leaf's most powerful clans acting outside the traditional chain of command to excise a tumor from the village's heart.
It was a move that required equal parts brilliance and terrifying coldness.
Tsunade gave him a short, singular nod—a silent acknowledgment of the necessity of his gamble—before turning on her heel and marching toward the medical tent.
The battlefield became a hive of disciplined movement. Groups of two or three shinobi carefully lifted the wounded.
Inoichi was carried with his mangled leg elevated, his face taut as he maintained his mental sensory net even in his state.
Choza and Torifu, the massive pillars of the Akimichi, were helped along by their clansmen, their heavy footsteps shaking the earth even in their weakened condition.
Hiashi walked on his own power, his mangled hands tucked into his sleeves to maintain the dignity of the Hyūga, though the sweat on his brow told the true story of the agony he was in.
As the injured were filtered into the tent, the rest of the squad fanned out. They established a layered defense, faces set in grim masks. They knew the mission wasn't truly over until they reached the village gates.
Inside the tent, the air soon filled with the smell of antiseptic and the low hum of concentrated chakra. Tsunade rolled up her sleeves, the "Medical Saint" finally taking her place .
-------------------------------------
Four hours had passed since the void of the Reverse Four Symbols Seal had settled. The medical tent hummed with the steady, rhythmic glow of healing chakra until, finally, the flap moved.
Tsunade stepped out into the cool evening air, rolling down her sleeves. Her face was etched with fatigue, but her eyes were clear.
She had stabilized the wreckage: Torifu's stump was sealed, Choza's gash was closed, and she had performed the delicate work of resetting the shattered fragments in Hiashi's hands and Inoichi's leg.
She found Shikaku and Jiraiya near the perimeter. Shikaku, despite his missing arm, was hunched over a map, discussing the impending vacuum in Konoha's power structure.
"The evidence is the key," Shikaku was saying, his voice low. "That arm... it is the smoking gun that justifies everything we've done. Even the Council can't argue with Hashirama's cells and stolen Sharingan. There won't be a storm, Jiraiya-sama. There will be a reckoning."
Jiraiya looked at the ground, his expression troubled. "A reckoning usually leaves more scars than it heals, Shikaku."
Shikaku let out a long, heavy sigh, the sound carrying a deep sense of "helplessness" that even his tactical mind couldn't mask. He looked at his missing arm, then back at the Sannin.
"We wanted to capture the Elder, not to assassinate him," Shikaku replied, his voice strained with the weight of the day.
"You are the witness, Jiraiya-sama. You saw it in person. You saw how Danzo-sama activated the seal and finished things himself. We gave him the chance to answer for his actions, but he chose the void over the light of a trial."
Jiraiya remained silent, the image of Danzo's peaceful, final smile etched into his mind. He knew Shikaku was telling the truth—the perimeter had been a capture formation, not an execution line—but the result was the same.
At that moment, the sharp cry of a messenger bird pierced the air. A Konoha hawk spiraled down, landing on a nearby post. It bore the seal of the Hokage.
Shikaku held up his remaining hand, stopping Jiraiya from reaching for the tube. He looked at the Sannin, casually probing for a stance.
"Are you going to tell him the truth now, or are you still hoping this can be smoothed over with a drink and a laugh?"
Before Jiraiya could answer, Tsunade walked up to them, her presence commanding and heavy.
"I'm returning to the village," she announced bluntly.
Shikaku blinked, his eyes widening in genuine surprise. "Tsunade-sama? Now?"
"Inoichi's leg and Hiashi's hands need more than field medicine," she said, looking Shikaku dead in the eye. "To ensure they ever mold chakra again, I need the facilities at the Konoha Hospital. I'm taking the critically injured back under my protection."
A slow smile spread across Shikaku's tired face. He wasn't just happy about the medical care; he understood the weight of her words.
If the Medical Saint entered the village gates carrying the injured heroes of the Clan Heads, with the evidence of Danzo's crimes in tow, the political battle was already won.
Tsunade-Sama wasn't just performing surgery; she was providing the ultimate political shield for the Nara-led alliance.
Jiraiya sighed, his shoulders sagging. He understood it too. Tsunade had chosen her side. She was backing the "Anti-Danzo" faction, effectively ending the era of Sensei's indecisiveness.
"So that's it then," Jiraiya muttered, feeling the discomfort of the political machinations. He was a man of the road, of prophecy and grand ideals—this gritty, bloody restructuring of the village's soul felt like lead in his stomach. "You've made up your mind, Tsuna."
"I've seen enough rot for one lifetime, Jiraiya," she replied.
Jiraiya looked at the messenger bird, then at the pen and scroll in his pouch. He decided he wouldn't be the one to light the fuse tonight. He moved to a small table, scribbling a brief note in full view of Shikaku and Tsunade.
"I am alive and well. The situation is contained. I will provide a full report in person within 24 hours. Do not send further scouts."
Jiraiya sealed the tube and sent the hawk back into the darkening sky.
"There," Jiraiya said, his voice distant. "The old man has his update. I've bought you your time." He turned away from the camp, looking toward the horizon. "I think I'll venture out a bit further before I head back. I need to clear my head of the smell of this place."
Shikaku watched the Toad Sannin with a mix of respect and lingering disappointment. Jiraiya was running again, retreating into his search for the Child of Destiny because the reality of the Leaf was too ugly to face head-on.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama," Shikaku said softly.
Tsunade didn't look back as she began barking orders to the medical-nin to prepare the litters for transport. "Get the wagons ready! We move at dawn!"
---------------------------------------
The lanterns in the medical tent flickered, casting long, dancing shadows against the canvas. The air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs and the heavy, somber weight of what had been lost.
Shikaku Nara stood at the center of the tent, his empty sleeve pinned to his chest. He looked at his brothers-in-arms:
Inoichi, whose leg was bound in a complex splint; Hiashi, whose hands were wrapped in thick white gauze; and the Akimichi duo, Chōza and Torifu, who looked like fallen mountains finally coming to rest.
"Listen to me," Shikaku said, his voice dropping into that low, magnetic tone he used when the stakes were highest. "Before Tsunade-sama moves you at dawn, we must be perfectly aligned. The village is going to be in shock. The council will be screaming for blood. We must give them the truth—but a very specific truth."
He looked at each of them, his eyes sharp.
"First," Shikaku held up his remaining hand. "Our objective was never an assassination. Danzo Shimura was no longer an Elder; he was a fired shinobi who refused to stand down. We moved to bring him to justice, not to the grave."
He pointed toward the sealed container held by Hattori, standing guard at the tent flap.
"Second, the evidence. That arm is our shield. It is irrefutable proof of human experimentation using the cells of the First Hokage and the stolen eyes of the Uchiha. No one—not even the most loyal Root supporter—can defend that level of sacrilege. It proves Danzo was a threat to the very foundation of the village."
Inoichi winced as he shifted his leg, nodding slowly. "And the death itself?"
"That is the most important part," Shikaku said firmly. "We did not kill him. We neutralized his stolen powers and offered him a chance to surrender. Danzo Shimura chose to activate his own suicide seal. He erased himself to avoid facing the consequences of his crimes. We have the highest possible witnesses to this: Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama. Their word is law in Konoha. If they say he killed himself, then the matter of our 'rebellion' vanishes."
Hiashi looked down at his bandaged hands, his voice a low rasp. "We have sacrificed much for this 'truth,' Shikaku. My hands... your arm... Torifu's limb. The village will see our scars before they hear our words."
"Let them see," Shikaku replied, a grim smile touching his lips. "The scars show that we didn't just execute an old man. They show we fought a monster that was eating the village from within. We didn't act out of spite; we acted out of necessity. When you enter those gates tomorrow with Tsunade-sama, you aren't just patients. You are the survivors of the Leaf's darkest night."
Chōza let out a deep, rumbling sigh. "Everything for the Leaf... Danzo said those words at the end, too."
"He did," Shikaku said, turning toward the tent exit. "But the difference is, tomorrow, the Leaf will still be standing. And for the first time in decades, it will be breathing clean air."
He stopped at the flap and looked back. "Rest. Tomorrow, the political battle begins. And we've already won the first round."
--------------------------------------
Konohagakure No Sato :
Uzumaki Apartment :
The morning sun filtered through the blinds of the small apartment, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Naruto Uzumaki sat cross-legged on his bed, surrounded by three distinct scrolls. It had been ten days since he had received his rewards—ten days of grueling mental and physical preparation.
Naruto picked up the first scroll, the one labeled " Eight Gates Technique " ( Hachimon Tonkou )
For the past week and a half, Naruto had been meeting secretly with the Third Hokage. The "Professor" didn't practice the Eight Gates himself—it was a technique that required a lifetime of specific physical conditioning that didn't suit Hiruzen's versatile style—but his theoretical knowledge was absolute.
THe Hokage had drilled the anatomy of the chakra network into Naruto's skull: the location of the limiters, the flow of the pressure, and the terrifying biology of what happened when you forced those floodgates open.
So that's why..." Naruto muttered, rubbing his sore calves.
Naruto finally understood why Might Guy and Rock Lee were veritable perpetual motion machines. The Eight Gates wasn't a jutsu you learned once and kept in your pocket .
it was a lifestyle.
The body had to be forged into iron to withstand the violent rush of chakra. If you stopped training, your muscles would atrophy, and opening a gate would tear you apart from the inside.
The more gates you want open , the more this kind of lifestyle you needed.
"It's a daily requirement. If I want this power, I can't sit still."
Naruto looked at the scroll in his hand. Yesterday, the Old Man had handed it to him yesteday .
instead of continuing the lecture. Hiruzen had looked terrible—his face was gaunt, his eyes sunken with dark circles deep enough to swim in, and his hand had trembled slightly.
"Take this, Naruto," Hiruzen had said, his voice rasping like sandpaper. "It contains the training regimen for the first four gates: The Gate of Opening, Healing, Life, and Pain..... Do not rush "
Naruto frowned, tracing the seal on the scroll. "I don't know what happened to make Gramps look like a walking corpse, but I finally got this."
Naruto set the Eight Gates scroll aside and turned his attention to the second reward:
The A-Rank Assassination Technique, Chidori.
"Lightning Release: Chidori," Naruto mused. "High speed, high penetration. The fatal flaw is the tunnel vision caused by moving too fast."
Normally, this technique required the Sharingan to predict enemy counter-attacks while moving at linear, blinding speeds. But Naruto grinned. He didn't have the red eyes of the Uchiha, but he had something else.
He closed his eyes and pulled up his System Interface.
[Skill List]
Dynamic Vision: Level 5
Keen Eye: Level 5
Halo Eye: Level 3
Naruto's gaze lingered on Halo Eye. He had acquired this Active skill by accident during a rare, polite invitation to the Hyūga Compound.
He had been walking Hinata home after academy , and her mother—the Hyūga Matriarch—had invited him in for tea. A simple "Sign-In" at the Hyūga main house had granted him this ability.
-----------------------------------
[Halo Eye (Lv 3)]
Effect: Grants a 360-degree sphere of perception around the user.
Range: 4-meter radius
------------------------------
The Skill started with 1 meter sphere at Level 0 , later after he levelled it upto 3 , the Chakra sphere has the radius of 4 meters around him .
"It's like a mini-Byakugan without the veins," Naruto thought, activating the skill. Instantly, he could 'see' the dust settling behind his head, the fly buzzing near the ceiling, and the layout of his entire room without turning his neck.
the skill alsp significantly enhances motion tracking and reaction time within the sphere.
( well no chakra vision though )
"With Dynamic Vision Lv 5 and this 360-degree awareness, I don't need a Sharingan. I can see everything."
Naruto clenched his fist. He already had the Overdrive skill to handle the reflexes and speed needed for the Chidori. Now, with the Great Sage skill, he planned to dissect the Chidori.
He didn't just want a lightning blade; he wanted a Lightning Chakra Mode. Even if he didn't have any leads for the ultimate defense of the Raikage's armor yet, the speed boost combined would make him a blur.
Finally, Naruto reached for the last scroll. The heavy, black scroll with gold tying cords.
The S-Rank Space-Time Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God (Hiraishin no Jutsu).
Naruto unrolled it carefully. and read it's introduction
----------------------------------
Flying Thunder God Jutsu
Rank : S-rank
Classification : Ninjutsu, Space–Time Ninjutsu
Class : Supplementary
Range : All ranges
Usage Summary :
This is not high-speed movement or a body flicker. It is instantaneous teleportation. The user moves through a dimensional void to instantly appear at a marked destination.
Before the Flying Thunder God Technique can be performed, users must first mark a target with their "technique formula (jutsu-shiki). The formula is applied after the merest touch and cannot be removed .
By entering a dimensional void, users can instantly teleport to a technique formula's location whenever they please, regardless of distance or different dimension
There is no limit to how many targets can be marked with technique formulas,
To an onlooker, it may look like the Body Flicker Technique, but the Flying Thunder God actually has more in common with the Summoning Technique. Anything that the user is holding, contacting, or that is linked with their chakra will teleport with them.
but this requires additional chakra to do; particularly large objects can require so much chakra as to place a limit on how far away the user is able to teleport. Users can choose to teleport to a different location than the objects, or they can teleport objects without teleporting themselves.
In combat situations, the Flying Thunder God can most effectively be used by marking an opponent's body with the technique formula, allowing the user to teleport to them at anytime: when the marked opponent tries to attack, the user can attack them first .
when the marked opponent tries to escape, the user can instantly appear at their side. anyone marked with the technique formula is essentially sentenced to death.
While trying to find an opportunity to mark opponents, the Flying Thunder God also gives users a defensive option, as they can teleport away from an opponent's attacks. In order to take advantage of this, the technique formula is often applied to projectile weapons.
Cautions -
1 - Need Space-time Talent .
2 - Sensor Talent
3 - Sealing Talent
4 - Chakra requirements are high
Users -
Only 2 Users are known for this jutsu since the village founding
Tobirama Senju : Second Hokage ( Creator of the Jutsu )
Minato Namikaze : Fourth Hokage