A few Hours Ago.
Around 3:45 pm, a small convoy of grim-faced men, heavily armed and silent, escorted Danzo through the warlord's base. The compound consisted of several buildings arranged around a large dusty courtyard, each structure bearing the wear of countless unsavory dealings.
At the center stood a modest structure of reinforced timber, no frills or pomp—just the mark of someone who cared only about function.
Danzo scanned the area through his single good eye. He could smell sweat, smoke, and cheap liquor on the men who flanked him. They led him inside the middle building.
The interior was dimly lit by a few flickering lanterns, casting shadows that stretched across the rough wooden floor. Seated at a crude table was the warlord himself. Sanada Ryozo.
He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a crow tattoo etched onto his left cheek. He wore a thick vest of patched leather armor, and a thin haze of tobacco smoke hung around him like a secret aura. Nearby, a bottle of some strong liquor and a half-full glass suggested he'd been indulging his vices.
The warlord looked at Danzo and quickly recognized him. "Well this is a surprise. The kind I like."
Several underlings lounged around him, grinning at the prospect of handling a captive from the famed Hidden Leaf.
The men explained the situation of Danzo's capture to their leader.
One of them stepped forward, placing a scroll containing ten million ryo onto the table with a satisfying thump.
"Boss, we found this on him," the underling said, smirking. "He was carrying it all by himself."
The warlord took a long drag from his cigar, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "So, you're alone, old man? That's shocking." he asked, eyeing Danzo with suspicion. "My men say no one else is around. Let's confirm." He gestured to a small, thin man seated on the floor. A sensor-type ninja with a calm demeanor.
The warlord looked at the man who brought him Danzo. "You brought me a really big fish. You'll get your reward. But if there are any Root ninjas hiding, your head will be the last thing to go." He warned the man who became frightened at the threat.
The sensor closed his eyes, focused, and after a moment said, "There's no one else. He's telling the truth. He's alone."
Hearing that, the warlord laughed and looked at his man. "Look at that. You did great. I'll definitely give you something worth the catch. Now keep an eye outside."
"Of course. Thank you Lord Sanada." The men with him bowed and left.
Danzo stood calmly, not restrained, not bothered. 'They think I'm at their mercy.' he mused, 'but they've no idea what's lurking in the shadows.' He kept his face neutral, a slight crease forming at the corner of his mouth.
The warlord eyed Danzo, taking in the elder's attire and the empty sleeve where an arm should be. "An elder of the Leaf Village," he said mockingly. "You don't look so good, Danzo. What happened to that arm? Did someone you screwed over take it as compensation? Hahahaha…"
Danzo's eye almost twitched in anger as he thought about that particular memory but he kept an impassive face and stayed silent.
"Not gonna answer? Well, no matter. But I am curious. Why are you here in the Land of Earth with no guards? That's not like you. And with a big pile of money no less?"
Danzo's voice was steady, his tone measured. "You might think it's your men who found me, Sanada," he said, "but it's the other way around. I'm the one who found you!"
The warlord raised an eyebrow, a slight grin tugging at his lips. "Really? Am I supposed to believe that a high-profile elder from the Leaf village shows up here in front of me, alone, unguarded, for what? You want me to give you a tour of this land? Hehehe…" He leaned back, folding his arms over his chest.
"I wanted to meet you. And this is the quickest way I could think of." Danzo replied.
Sanada looked at Danzo for a few seconds and then sighed. "Alright, fine. Let's cut to the chase. Why are you here? Why do you want to see me?"
"I have questions," Danzo replied. "And only you can answer them."
Hearing that response, the warlord chuckled, his men joining in. Their laughter was rough and mocking, echoing off the wooden walls.
"You want information from me?" the warlord asked. "And what makes you think I'll talk?"
Danzo's single eye drifted to the stack of cash on the table. He inclined his head subtly toward it. "That's the price," he said coolly. "Answer my questions, and you can keep the ten million. It's simple."
At this, the warlord's men laughed louder. The warlord grinned, amused at the notion. "So, you think you can buy me, old man?" Sanada asked, taking another long drag of his cigar. "Alright, since you came all the way here, I'll humor you. What do you wanna know?"
Danzo stepped a bit closer, casual yet certain. "The Finance Minister of the Land of Earth imported several secret shipments from the Land of Snow," he said. "They've evaded all official scrutiny. I want to know how these shipments are transported around the country, how they move undetected, and what routes they're using to slip past patrols. You have about 30 seconds to tell me what I want to know if you want to keep that money."
The warlord's amusement faded slightly. "And if I don't?"
Danzo's eye narrowed a fraction, and he allowed a thin smile. "Then," he said in a calm, almost bored tone, "you'll tell me for free."
The warlord leaned forward, placing both elbows on the table, his knife glinting under the lantern light. "You got balls, old man, coming in here and making demands. Poking into the business of my country." He lifted the long knife and pointed it at Danzo. "Maybe I'll just keep the ten million and ransom you back to the Leaf. Or maybe," he said, voice dripping with sadistic delight, "I'll cut you up into little pieces right here."
Danzo remained unmoved. He was unphased by the threat. He glanced at the table and spotted a cigar. With deliberate slowness, he walked to the table to reach out and take it. The warlord's men tensed, fingers itching to draw weapons, but the warlord raised a hand, stopping them. He was intrigued, curious what this old relic ninja would do next.
"I had forgotten the delights of field work." Danzo spoke as he lit the cigar, took a measured puff, and nodded in approval. "This is quality stuff." He said ignoring the blade pointed at him. "You have about ten seconds before my offer expires," Danzo remarked, exhaling smoke.
"Ten seconds, huh?" the warlord sneered. "I'm really going to enjoy this," he said, standing up from his chair, knife in hand, eyes gleaming with predatory intent.
Danzo exhaled another smoky breath and shook his head. "That's a shame."
'This is where the fun begins.' The former Root leader thought as he moved his chakra subtly in a unique pattern for a split second. He had given Tobirama a silent signal beforehand. 'Three... two... one…'
At that moment, a thunderous explosion rocked the compound. The ground trembled, and shouts erupted from outside. Through the open doorway, they could see flames rising in the sky, turning it a furious red-orange.
One of the buildings in the compound had been blown to bits.
"Wh—What the hell?" The warlord's men scrambled, their bravado replaced with alarm. A few men inside quickly rushed out to find and stop the enemies, leaving only Danzo and Sanada and his two guards in the room.
The warlord himself looked shaken, his eyes darting between Danzo and the chaos outside.
Tobirama, who was secretly following Danzo, blew up the weapons and drugs storage building situated in the compound.
"There goes your weapons and drugs cache," Danzo said calmly, taking another puff from the cigar. "You really shouldn't have threatened me. I don't take kindly to threats."
The warlord's face contorted with fear and rage. "You... you bastard!" he spat. "You think this scares me?" He tried to sound tough, but his voice wavered. "I can kill you right now? Then we'll see what happens."
"Do you think I'm afraid of dying?" The way Danzo asked that question and the look on the old man's face sent shivers down Sanada's spine.
Screams suddenly erupted outside which took Sanada and his men's attention. At that moment Danzo took a bottle of alcohol and dumped it on the pile of cash on the table. The next second he threw a lighter and set the money ablaze.
The fire immediately caught everyone's attention.
"YOU BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO?" Sanada screamed at Danzo.
"Like I said before. You waited and my offer expired."
Sanada was pissed. "What are you fools just standing around for? Put out the fire." The warlord gave the order and the two guards scramble to stop the flames.
"Just tell me what I want to know," Danzo said, his tone unchanged, as he moved away from the burning cash and the panicking guards. "and I'll stop."
"Fuck you!" the warlord gritted his teeth and yelled in anger, veins bulging in his neck. "Fine! If you wanna die so badly, I'll kill you and then your damn allies, whoever they are!"
No sooner had he spoken that a second explosion rocked the base. This one was even closer, sending embers and debris flying past the windows. The warlord stumbled, his bravado eroding with each passing second.
"There goes your collection of black market goods, your antiques and medical supplies. Hmm… Don't you have an upcoming auction? It's a shame you won't be able to organize that now." Danzo commented offhandedly.
He tapped the ash from his cigar and then looked at Sanada with the same impassive face. "Next would be your vault, I believe—the one with your money, intelligence and blackmail materials. Imagine what's going to happen when the leverage you have over all those important people goes up in flames."
The warlord's eyes went wide. "N-No, not that!" he shouted. He looked around frantically, sweat beading on his brow. The man was frightened. The vault and its contents was his most precious asset. "Stop. Please stop."
"Then talk," Danzo said simply.
With trembling lips, the warlord began to speak. He explained how the shipments from the Land of Snow were moved through a network of abandoned mines, hidden below old trade routes.
"The Finance Minister's people controlled these old mines. That's how they're transporting the goods. No one asked questions; anyone who did vanished. But that's not all. There is someone helping the minister. After the shipments are brought in, someone else takes over and moves them through these mines. The minister has his people simply divert the Hidden Stone village's patrol ninjas if they get close." The warlord steadily answered everything as fear courses through him, even as screams and small explosions rang outside.
He described the layout of the mines and the different layers of security. He handed over blueprints—maps he had kept as leverage, stored in a secret chest. Danzo nodded appreciatively as the warlord's shaking hands passed him the documents.
Danzo also demanded information on the Stone Village patrol squads—their timing, their numbers, their usual routes for the next couple of days. The warlord complied, voice quavering. He revealed every detail he knew, desperate to save his precious vault.
"Who's helping the minister?" Danzo asked with a cold tone.
"I don't know. I swear." Sweat dripped down Sanada's cheeks as he looked at the old warhawk.
The former Root leader looked at the man silently and nodded. "I believe you."
Once Danzo had what he needed, he spoke softly, "If you had given me what I wanted from the start, we could have avoided all this unpleasantness. Regardless, I appreciate your cooperation." He took one last puff of the cigar and crushed it under his heel.
The warlord watched with dread as the door swung open silently. Tobirama emerged in his anbu form. In a blur, he struck the man. His silent, lethal blows ended the lives of every guard and subordinate, outside and inside leaving only the warlord untouched.
The man could barely muster a scream before it caught in his throat as he witnessed his empire crumble in seconds.
"Wh-what are you…?" he rasped, falling to his knees as Tobirama approached.
Danzo nodded to Tobirama. With precise, practiced chakra control, they erased the warlord's memories of this entire event. The man's eyes glazed over, confusion and emptiness filling them before he fell unconscious.
At 3:55 pm, Danzo and Tobirama stepped over the bodies of the fallen, leaving the warlord alive but hollow.
With their mission accomplished, they vanished as if they were never there to begin with.
At 4:10 pm, they arrived at the designated meeting point—an inconspicuous village where Jiraiya had indicated they'd gather.
The place was quiet, dim lanterns casting gentle light on worn wooden walls. Tobirama inclined his head. "I have to go pick someone up," he said curtly.
Danzo nodded, and Tobirama disappeared, leaving Danzo alone with his thoughts and a satchel of incriminating evidence.
—-------------
Author's Note:
I thought about just skipping this chapter but I really wanted to write this scene since the moment I decided to let Danzo survive the Root siege.
It might feel like I'm stalling but every chapter I write is what I want to write.
Ok. From the next chapter onwards the mission starts. We're at the very end of this arc.
Soon a gigantic confrontation of several forces will come.
I hope you guys liked what I did with Danzo's character.