Daimyō's Manor.
Kazuyama Gekkō sat in his seat, sipping tea provided by the Daimyō.
Truth be told, the Daimyō's special blend was quite delicious.
"Hehehehe, Konoha's Ghost Gekkō Kazuyama, one of Konoha's Twin Stars—fame pales in comparison to meeting you in person."
"My lord Daimyō jests. How could such a minor figure as myself possibly catch your eye?"
Kazuyama Gekkō responded with a cheerful chuckle to the Daimyō's greeting. He hadn't originally planned to meet the Daimyō, as he disliked such formal occasions.
"I just heard from Kazuma and the others."
"Who would've thought the renowned Danzō Shimura would be hiding in the Daimyō's Manor?"
"If not for your intervention, the Daimyō's Manor might have suffered even greater losses."
"For that, I'm deeply grateful for what you did."
The new Daimyō was the same gaunt figure Kazuyama Gekkō was familiar with, but seeing him in person made it clear that those who rise to become Daimyō are no ordinary individuals. That smile made him feel uneasy, like staring at a smiling tiger.
"Before I succeeded to the title, I heard much of your fame."
"Even the previous Daimyō and his retainers held you in high regard."
"I wonder if someone of your caliber might be interested in joining my Shugendō ninja?"
Kazuyama Gekkō drained his tea in one gulp, then shook his head with a smile.
"I'm a man who values freedom. Joining the Shugendō ninja is out of the question."
"But what about Kazuma and the others?"
"They're capable ninja. With them, the Shugendō ninja are sufficient."
Hearing Kazuyama Gekkō's refusal, the Daimyō showed no sign of displeasure—after all, he was simply testing the waters.
"Very well. Still, should you ever change your mind, Daimyō's Manor will always welcome you."
That evening, Kazuyama Gekkō sought out Asuma alone. Upon seeing Kazuyama Gekkō, Asuma immediately wore a look of utter exasperation, mixed with a hint of irritation.
"Seriously, why did you have to come find me?"
"Danzō's been captured. Why aren't you rushing back to the village?"
This was Asuma's residence, a small cottage on the outskirts of the Daimyō's Manor. Kazuyama Gekkō, having left the Daimyō's castle, had come to visit.
Facing Asuma's complaints, Kazuyama Gekkō forced himself not to kick him.
"You think I want to be here?"
"If it weren't for your old man telling me to check on you while I'm out, I wouldn't give you the time of day."
"Hmph. A little brat who hasn't grown an inch all these years. What gives you the right to make me come see you?"
Asuma's face twisted with even greater displeasure at the mention of "old man." He couldn't stand Hiruzen Sarutobi's constant supervision—and of course, the credit this man before him took for it.
"Hmph. I don't need him watching over me."
"I'm doing just fine here now. No need for him to fret."
"And you, Kazuyama Gekkō. Though I'm no match for you yet, one day I will challenge you."
Oh, really? Asuma's grown up—at least his nerve hasn't shrunk. Hearing this, Kazuyama Gekkō nearly burst out laughing.
Noticing Asuma's peculiar expression, Asuma bit off his cigarette and snarled:
"What are you laughing at!"
"You're strong, but even someone as powerful as the old man loses strength with age."
"I'm a lot younger than you. When you're old, I'll challenge you."
"I don't buy that you can stay strong forever!"
Good grief, this speech nearly threw Kazuyama Gekkō off balance. But Asuma was quite confident in his own thoughts.
"Fine, you've got guts."
"I'll be waiting for the day you come challenge me."
"But I should warn you—do you really think Daimyō's Manor is peaceful?"
"I've dealt with that Kazuma gang. Things aren't as simple as they seem on the surface."
Kazuyama Gekkō leaned against the wall beside him, a serious expression crossing his brow. Asuma was about to argue back, but the next second, he was overwhelmed by a powerful aura.
"Listen to me, or I'll turn you into crystal so you'll listen properly."
Asuma: ...Damn it!
Satisfied that Asuma had finally stopped his chatter, Kazuyama Gekkō nodded approvingly and continued:
"You should know about my past dealings with Kazuma."
"The Daimyō back then wasn't the same as the one now."
"So my understanding of Kazuma far exceeds yours."
"He's not as simple as he seems. I even suspect he had something to do with the previous daimyo's death."
Kazuyama Gekkō voiced his thoughts aloud, for the circumstances surrounding the incident were highly suspicious. Shortly after they left the Daimyō's Manor, the Daimyō died. He refused to believe there was no connection between the two events.
Seeing Kazuma at the Root base earlier, and the attitude Kazuma had shown him, only strengthened his conviction that Kazuma was definitely problematic. Even in the original story, this guy had attempted to assassinate the daimyo—let alone now.
Hearing this, Asuma couldn't hold back any longer.
"Where on earth did you get these ideas?"
"Kazuma has long been the captain of the Guardian Ninjas. Why would he assassinate the daimyo?"
"Besides, the one who killed the daimyo was clearly a hired assassin from another village. What does that have to do with Kazuma?"
It was clear Asuma was still young—he couldn't see the underlying issues here.
To this, Kazuyama Gekkō offered no further explanation, merely leaving behind a single sentence:
"Use your eyes more, and you'll find the flaws."
"Asuma, don't think that just because you've left Konoha, you're no longer a ninja of Konoha."
"No matter what you do now, Konoha remains your foundation."
"Enough. As for the rest, you'll have to figure it out yourself."
With that, Kazuyama Gekkō departed Asuma's residence via Flying Thunder God Technique. Asuma was left alone, his mind racing with thoughts.
At the same time, at the outer ninja garrison encampment surrounding the Daimyō's Manor:
"Damn bastards!"
"And that useless old fool Danzō—just like that, he's gone!"
"Useless! Useless!"
Kazuma was raging. The events of the day had unfolded too suddenly, leaving him no time to process them. Danzō's death and the Root Division's disappearance hit him hard. After all, he needed that old man to cultivate elite forces for him. But now Danzō was dead, and his plans for elite training had gone up in smoke.
"Kazuma, what do we do now?"
"Do you think that Kazuyama Gekkō guy might uncover something?"
Hirudo stood behind him, his expression equally grim.
Kazuma shook his head.
"Unlikely. All his attention was focused on Danzō."
"Compared to us, Danzō was far more important. After all, that man was the shadow of the Ninja World, Konoha's former Hokage's advisor."