Nawaki was dragged away by his collar before he could even say goodbye. In the blink of an eye, Night Namikaze was the only one left on the training ground.
He didn't dare linger, afraid Tsunade might double back. Ignoring the dust on his clothes, he forced his aching body up to leave.
But the aftereffects of opening the Fourth Gate for the first time were brutal. His muscles felt like they were being pricked by thousands of needles.
He could only move slowly, limping step by step toward his home.
Still, today's "training" was more than worth it.
Having Tsunade as a sparring partner gave him a much clearer understanding of his own strength.
His chakra levels were already impressive—even though his body hadn't reached its peak, he estimated he had around 7 or 8 "Kakashis" worth of chakra.
In terms of taijutsu, with the Eight Gates active, he could barely touch the threshold of a Special Jonin.
As for Genjutsu... well, let's just say he met his match. It was serviceable.
Of course, if he used all his trump cards and went full firepower, that would be a different story.
As soon as he got home, Night collapsed onto his bed, exhausted.
Since coming to this world, he had been focused on survival. Influenced by his past life's values, he hadn't really thought about romance before turning eighteen.
But today's event seemed to have pierced a layer of paper in his heart, stirring ripples he had never felt before.
Gradually, his chaotic thoughts settled. His breathing steadied, and he fell into a deep sleep.
---
Konoha. The Hokage's Office.
The office was lively today. All of Hiruzen's old acquaintances were present.
"Danzo? Why are you back?!"
Seeing Danzo, Hiruzen didn't feel the relief he felt when seeing Tsunade. Instead, anger rose in his chest. Danzo returning suddenly without orders could be seen as desertion or insubordination.
"Orochimaru and I have secured dominance on the front lines. I came back because I heard Tsunade returned. I need her to treat my eye."
Hiruzen noticed then that Danzo's right eye was covered with bandages. He had assumed it was a minor injury, but it seemed serious.
"What... happened?" Since there was a valid reason, Hiruzen softened his tone, concerned for his old friend.
"The battle was intense. I was caught in the crossfire." Danzo, a master of spin, downplayed the event while subtly highlighting his contribution.
"I'll arrange for Tsunade to treat you immediately."
"No rush. Official business comes first. I'll go back to ROOT to handle the backlog. A couple of days won't matter," Danzo said righteously, looking like a man ready to shed his last drop of blood for Konoha.
In reality, he rushed back because of an urgent report from ROOT: The base had been robbed. Massive theft. Danzo was furious and needed to assess the damage personally.
Especially since many secrets in his office were known only to him. Even his trusted aides couldn't inventory the losses properly.
On the way back, he had already made a plan. He would use the eye injury as an excuse to implant the Three-Tomoe Sharingan of Kagami Uchiha! It would boost his strength and stay hidden under the bandages. Two birds with one stone.
After the meeting, Danzo returned to his loyal ROOT base. As soon as he stepped into his office, his face changed.
Even though his subordinates had reported the theft, Danzo had been confident in his traps. He believed that even Hiruzen himself couldn't find his hidden compartments.
Looking around, not only were the bookshelves swept clean, but the secret room in the corner—which even he rarely opened—was exposed. And the special metal door? Gone without a trace.
If the contents of that room were exposed, even as the Hokage's Advisor, he would be finished.
Cold sweat drenched Danzo's back. His anger was replaced by sheer terror.
He rushed to check the secret compartments in the bookshelf. The sealing barriers were intact, but the contents inside were gone.
His last hope shattered. He felt like a massive conspiracy was closing in on him.
He even wondered: Is Hiruzen finally making his move? Is he planning to purge me now that his position is secure?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He had just been sent to the front lines, and immediately his base was surgically looted.
But Hiruzen hadn't exposed him yet. Was he giving him one last chance? Danzo's mind raced with countless possibilities, each more disturbing than the last.
Lost in thought, he didn't even notice his subordinate approaching.
"Lord Danzo."
Nobumasa Shimura, still recovering from his severe injuries, came to accept punishment. The breach had happened on his watch.
Ironically, he was lucky. The bone spike had pierced his lung, and he would have bled to death if Night's lightning release hadn't cauterized the wound, miraculously saving his life.
"You incompetent fool! You let an outsider infiltrate the ROOT base!"
Already furious, seeing Nobumasa made Danzo explode. Hearing that the enemy had taken Nobumasa down first to create an opening made Danzo want to strangle his clansman right then and there.
Seeing Danzo's rage, Nobumasa was about to retreat silently when Danzo suddenly shouted for him to stop.
Then, under Nobumasa's terrified gaze, Danzo ripped off his shirt.
"L-Lord... Danzo...?"
"Shut up!"
Nobumasa's mind was in chaos. If it's Lord Danzo... I have to accept it...
Danzo knew his behavior was abrupt, but in his panic, he had no patience to explain.
He sliced off the bandages covering Nobumasa's wound. Staring at the scabbing puncture mark on the chest, Danzo's eyes narrowed.
"This wound... looks like..." Danzo almost said it out loud but swallowed the words. This couldn't be made public.
Even in his own base, having been infiltrated so silently, he no longer felt safe.
In his heart, he muttered: A bone spike? The same weapon used to assassinate Nawaki? Is it a spy lurking in the village? Or is it a bloodline ninja secretly trained by Hiruzen to do his dirty work?
Others might miss it, but Danzo would never mistake it. As a top-tier ninja without a bloodline, he had memorized the characteristics of every major kekkei genkai.
Seeing Danzo deep in thought, Nobumasa didn't dare move. He stood stiffly, letting Danzo inspect his bare chest.
Perhaps sensing the weird atmosphere, Danzo finally waved his hand.
"Dismissed. Recover well."