The emergence of Root confirmed to Kazuyama Gekkō that the old man, Danzō, had definitely taken refuge in the Daimyō's Manor.
"Who would've thought, Danzō Shimura…" he muttered to himself. "He's truly a sly fox with three burrows—made me search all this time. We're definitely going to have a good chat about this."
Now that he had a lead, Kazuyama Gekkō knew exactly what to do. Activating his Transparent Escape Technique, he made his way directly to the target. He wasn't the least bit worried about being detected. Seriously? The Transparent Escape Technique is not something to take lightly.
Soon, the Root operative arrived at a house in the outer ninja encampment.
"Captain Kazuma, Lord Danzō asked me to inform you," the operative said. "The new batch of ninja has finished their training. He wants you to expedite the screening of the next batch of candidates."
"Also, Konoha has sent scouts to probe our movements at least five times."
"Lord Danzō wants the Guardian Ninjas to increase patrols."
Kazuma glanced at the masked Root operative and replied calmly, "Tell Danzō to relax. It's been years, and Konoha still hasn't found us. As long as we're in the Daimyō's Manor, Root will remain undetected."
Kazuyama Gekkō, who had been hiding nearby using the Transparent Escape Technique, nearly laughed out loud. Seriously, where did Kazuma get the confidence? Absolutely undetected? Then what the hell did Kazuma think he was seeing?
Forget it. Once Kazuyama finds that old fart Danzō, he'll deal with Kazuma later.
After delivering Danzō's orders, the Root operative quickly left. His speed seemed like child's play to Kazuyama Gekkō. Kazuyama followed him all the way to a gambling den.
"Holy crap, that old man actually opened a gambling den?" Kazuyama muttered under his breath. "Pretty discreet. Really discreet."
Watching Kazuma enter the den, Kazuyama Gekkō nearly popped his eyes out. Who would've thought? That old bastard Danzō actually knew how to blend into the city, setting up a gambling den as a front. And damn, the place was packed.
Inside, the gambling den was a cacophony—shouts, dice clattering, merchants, commoners, nobles, and even ninjas were all gambling away. The Root Division had really pulled this off. From Kazuyama's rough estimate, this den was making serious money. He even started wondering if he should open similar places in other countries.
"Shameful! Despicable Danzō! Running a side business!" Kazuyama spat in disgust, unable to hold back his disdain. "Hmph!"
He continued following the Root operative, his irritation growing. The operative had already used a Transformation Technique before entering the gambling den. Once inside, he made a hand gesture to the front desk staff. The attendant nodded, confirming that the front desk manager was also a Root operative.
After their exchange, the Root operative made his way toward the back hall. Kazuyama Gekkō quickly followed.
In the back hall, the Root operative flipped a switch, and soon, a secret passage appeared in one corner of the room. Kazuyama Gekkō stared, astonished. Good grief, Root Division, Root Division—does this organization need to be underground to survive? Back in Konoha, their base was underground, and here in the Daimyō's Manor, it was the same.
The underground space beneath the Daimyō's Manor was massive—at least, that's how it seemed to Kazuyama. But the moment he stepped underground, something felt off. His feet made a splashing sound against the ground.
Where was this water coming from? Holy crap!
As soon as his feet touched the water, Kazuyama Gekkō knew something was terribly wrong.
The next second, the door behind him slammed shut.
A cold voice echoed from every direction.
"Intruders!"
"Everyone, on guard!"
After a flurry of alarmed shouts, a calm and indifferent voice rose above the noise.
"To walk into my base like this… Kazuyama Gekkō, you didn't really think I'd leave myself undefended, did you?"
That voice… Danzō.
Kazuyama clicked his tongue in irritation and released his Transparent Escape Technique. His technique could block chakra detection and erase his presence, but it couldn't prevent physical contact. The water spread across the floor—it was there to expose intruders like him. No, to be exact, it was meant to expose him.
After all, in the entire ninja world, he was the only one capable of such a technique. Decades ago, the Second Tsuchikage might have possessed a similar ability, but that man had long since perished.
"Danzō, I didn't expect this," he said with a mocking tone. "You went this far to guard against me? Keeping the floor soaked every day—aren't you afraid you'll rot from the damp?"
In the dim light, Kazuyama looked toward the source of the voice.
Half his body wrapped in bandages and a cane in hand, Danzō stood there, surrounded by dozens of Root operatives. It was clear—this was the Root's main base within the Daimyō's mansion.
"To deal with someone like you, such precautions are necessary," Danzō replied evenly. "Even when I left Konohagakure, I knew someone would eventually come for me. And that person was most likely you. After all, in the whole of Konoha, no one but you has ever been so determined to capture me."
Kazuyama let out a short laugh. "No one but me, huh? You're not wrong about that."
Hunting down Danzō was not something he would ever entrust to anyone else—this was personal.
"Hmph. Everyone, restrain him. I need to unseal it," Danzō ordered coldly. "Our numbers may be limited, but with all of you together, he can be contained."
As his eyes opened fully, a cruel gleam flashed within them.
Kazuyama immediately understood what that meant. So Danzō had already begun experimenting with Orochimaru's First Hokage Cultivation Project on himself.
The bastard was fearless. Though there had been successful cases before, one small mistake could easily lead to death.
"So, that arm of yours…" Kazuyama said with a faint smirk. "Tell me, how many Sharingan have you prepared to fuel your Izanagi?"
He waved his hand casually, as if Danzō's "backup plan" wasn't worth his concern. In Kazuyama's eyes, such techniques were meaningless unless used by someone truly powerful—someone like Madara Uchiha. Otherwise, they were just wasted eyes.
Yet that offhand remark made Danzō's heart jolt.
"You know about Izanagi…? Impossible. You're not even an Uchiha…"
"Oh, that's right," Danzō muttered, almost convincing himself. "You were Orochimaru's disciple. Given your research background, it's only natural you'd know more about the Uchiha."
Kazuyama almost applauded him for finding his own excuse.
"Heh… Danzō, with the First Hokage's cells and all those Sharingan, how much power do you really think you have?"
"Even with this group of Root operatives beside you, how strong are you, really?"
As he spoke, Kazuyama spread his arms. Waves of chakra rose visibly from his body, filling the air with pressure.
It was a presence born entirely from overwhelming chakra—an aura reminiscent of Hashirama and Tobirama Senju themselves.