Danzo used the Flying Thunder God Technique. Although he couldn't match Minato's mastery of it in the heat of battle, it was perfect for travel.
Coordinates had already been set up for key locations—Konoha, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Wind.
When Danzo transported himself back to the base in the Land of Rivers, he found Yakushi Nono waiting for him. She had designed the headquarters' secret chamber to be an exact replica of the Root headquarters in Konoha. Even the candleholders on the walls were the same.
Stuck in old habits as usual.
Maybe I should start changing how people like her view me, Danzo thought. Is Ikawa Kamimi the only one who knows how to enjoy life?
While Danzo was still mulling over these thoughts, Pakura arrived immediately, her face lighting up with joy. Instinctively, Danzo reached out to pat her on the head.
Pakura nuzzled into his hand before sniffing the air, her nose twitching. After a few more sniffs, she frowned and gave him a look that was unmistakably displeased.
"Where were you? You smell like another woman." Her tone was one of a wife questioning a husband who hadn't returned home all night. Her eyes even carried a hint of murder.
Danzo flicked her on the forehead.
"What about the mission I gave you?"
Pakura's "wife" act crumbled instantly. Rubbing her forehead, she grinned with a hint of pride.
"They were too weak. I'm obviously your best subordinate."
Then she turned serious.
"Next time you go out, take me with you. I'll take care of any enemy that crosses our path."
"Hmm, don't worry. I will." Danzo's thoughts had already wandered far away.
...
In the depths of a desert, the wind whipped up towering dunes of sand. The only distinguishing landmark was a massive stone pillar.
Over a dozen shinobi waited there, most of them at the jonin level. Even the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had come personally.
This meeting was to address tensions that had arisen between both sides.
The sudden reduction of trade from the Land of Rivers to the Land of Wind and the halt in purchases of Sunagakure's minerals had thrown off Rasa's long-term plans.
Although Rasa had forged some ties with the Lands of Birds and Water, the bulk of Sunagakure's trade still depended on the Land of Rivers.
When Yakushi Nono, the Land of Rivers' representative, requested a meeting with Rasa, it led to the current gathering.
"They're still not here. Do you think something's happened?" Baki asked, frowning at the Kazekage.
"This is my territory, and we're not far from the village," Rasa replied confidently. Then, with a meaningful smile, he added, "I'm rather curious to meet the representative from the Land of Rivers myself."
Danzo had been absent from the public eye for too long. And Konoha...
The Land of Rivers' sudden breach of their agreement had thoroughly irritated Rasa. It also reignited his ambitions to annex the entire Land of Rivers.
The Land of Rivers was a juicy prize. If Sunagakure could absorb it, the benefits would be enormous.
At that moment, a group of six figures appeared in the distance, moving steadily toward them.
Their attire—standard-issue for Root operatives—was all too familiar. Leading them was Yakushi Nono, dressed in her signature nun's robe.
"I'd heard rumors about Yakushi Nono of Konoha's Root, but I didn't expect her to be this young," Rasa remarked with a smile. Meanwhile, his sensory ninja silently transmitted information about the approaching group.
"Doesn't the Kazekage know that probing someone's strength without permission is extremely rude?"
Rasa showed no hint of embarrassment at being called out.
"It's just a precaution to ensure the safety of our cooperation."
"And the trade routes you've developed with the Lands of Birds and Water—are those for the sake of cooperation as well? That seems to go against the original agreement between Danzo and yourself," Nono's gentle tone belied the sharpness of her words.
"The original agreement no longer suits Sunagakure's needs. I propose we revise the terms."
"And what exactly do you mean by that, Kazekage?"
"We've heard rumors from Konoha that Danzo is on his deathbed—or perhaps even dead already. Isn't that right?" Rasa's eyes locked onto Nono, searching for any tell in her expression.
But he was destined to be disappointed.
However, a sudden rise in temperature drew Rasa's gaze to a female ninja standing behind Nono.
That chakra… It feels so familiar.
Before Rasa could process the thought, Nono spoke again.
"Revise the terms of cooperation? As a matter of fact, Lord Danzo feels the same way." She looked calmly at the assembled Sunagakure shinobi.
"Mokuton: Tree Binding Eternal Burial."
In an instant, countless tree branches erupted from the sand, swiftly growing and weaving around both groups.
The trees twisted and writhed like living beings, consuming the Sunagakure shinobi.
"Ahh—!"
"Ninjutsu isn't working! Run!"
When the trees finally stopped growing, a dense, massive forest now stood where the desert had been.
Some Sunagakure shinobi had been dragged underground, their bodies now fertilizer for the forest. Others hung lifelessly from the branches, their chakra completely drained.
The only ones who had escaped the jutsu's range were the Kazekage, Baki, and a third shinobi who had taken to the skies on a summoned beast.
"Retreat to the village!" Rasa ordered, sensing that something was terribly wrong.
A massive fireball exploded in the sky, incinerating both the summon and its rider.
"Scorch Release... Pakura?"
Rasa's eyes widened as the realization hit him.
"I'm surprised you still remember me."
Pakura, who had blocked Rasa's escape route, slowly removed her mask.
Rasa's face darkened as he stared at her familiar features.
Danzo hadn't killed her?
He had allowed a shinobi raised by another village to live? Of all things, Rasa hadn't expected that. In his mind, if Pakura had survived at all, she should have been reduced to a wretched experiment subject, not standing here in his path.
"I'm here to repay you for all the care you showed me back then."
Pakura's mind involuntarily drifted to memories of that valley, darkening her mood. The air around them grew even hotter.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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