That said, the one who came was Kazuyama Gekkō, and the one who took down Danzō was also Kazuyama Gekkō. This couldn't help but make Kazuma ponder.
After all, from the battle at the Daimyō's Manor years ago, he had a deep understanding of Kazuyama Gekkō. Not only was he immensely powerful, but his mind was twisted beyond measure. Facing off against such a man demanded utmost caution.
"Damn Danzō, he had to meddle with Konohagakure's turf. If he'd shown a bit more restraint, this situation would never have arisen."
"Hirudo, order everyone to refrain from accepting missions for the time being."
"I suspect it's precisely because Danzō's methods hit rock bottom that Konoha decided to investigate the Daimyō's Manor."
"Have our people lie low for the next while."
"Oh, and what about that sensory barrier I asked you to look into earlier?"
Facing someone like Kazuyama Gekkō—who could cloak himself and wield spatial barrier ninjutsu—not having sensory techniques was a major handicap. Take this incident, for instance. He hadn't even known when the enemy had arrived at the Daimyō's Manor.
"Nothing. Sensory barriers are usually the top-secret weapons of the major ninja villages."
"Not even the black market has any leads."
Kazuma sighed. The Guardian Shinobi's resources were too limited to compete with the major ninja villages. Even though they'd gathered many ninjas, they were all average-tier. That was why he'd partnered with Danzō.
"Keep searching. If we find it, pay whatever it takes to secure it."
"Understood."
...
Several days later, Konohagakure.
Upon his return, Kazuyama Gekkō sought out Minato Namikaze and requested a meeting with three counsellors. This was unprecedented—absolutely unprecedented. Minato, who knew Kazuyama well, recognized from his demeanor that the man had made a significant discovery.
Without hesitation, he summoned the three Hokage counsellors: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, gathering them in the conference room.
"Hokage-sama, what brings you summoning us so urgently?"
"Hm? Kazuyama Gekkō, you're back?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi still clutched his pipe, though his demeanor seemed somewhat off. The other two looked much the same. No wonder—Konoha was drowning in problems these days. Even Hokage Minato hadn't been home in days.
"Oh dear, oh dear, why do all three counsellors look so pale?"
"Haven't you been resting properly? This won't do. You're all founding figures of Konoha—how can you neglect your health like this?"
Kazuyama Gekkō never missed an opportunity to tease. Especially when the targets were Konoha's Hokage counsellors.
"Hmph, what good does it do to make snide remarks?"
"These are all things you young folks should be doing. This old man is merely cleaning up your messes."
"Kazuyama Gekkō, as one of Konoha's Twin Stars, shouldn't you be contributing more to the village?"
Koharu Utatane immediately launched into a judgmental speech directed at Kazuyama Gekkō, her words dripping with dissatisfaction. Homura Mitokado, standing nearby, remained silent but nodded repeatedly. Clearly, the two shared the same sentiment: if the young generation were reliable, these old-timers could have retired long ago.
Look at Hiruzen Sarutobi—he retired at first, but what happened? Didn't he come back because of the village's situation?
"Oh, oh, how could we young folks compare to you venerable elders?"
"You should keep shining brightly. A youngster like me lacks experience and can't handle these responsibilities."
Don't be ridiculous. How could Kazuyama Gekkō lose in a verbal spar? Try to rein him in? In your next lifetime.
"Alright, Kazuyama, everyone's here. Speak your mind."
"Why did you summon us?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Kazuyama Gekkō's temperament well. If he'd come forward, it meant there was something important to discuss. And it wouldn't be trivial.
"See? Only old Sarutobi understands me."
"Come, everyone, look here."
Kazuyama Gekkō grinned as he pulled a scroll from his robe. He stepped aside, found a relatively open spot, and spread the scroll flat on the floor.
"Boom!"
As the scroll unfurled, a cloud of Haku smoke instantly filled the meeting room. A massive shadow materialized before their eyes.
As the smoke cleared, the four present instantly widened their eyes and stood up in unison.
"Danzo?"
"Danzo Shimura?"
The four blurted out simultaneously. This was indeed Danzo Shimura, the man Kazuyama Gekkō had sealed within crystal. Yet due to the crystal's properties, Danzo had now become a complete statue.
Within the transparent crystal, Danzo wore a savage expression, his right eye tightly shut. One arm remained intact, bearing his Sharingan eye. Seeing him like this, all four fell into shock.
"This trip to the Daimyō's Manor has yielded my greatest prize."
"Here. I've dealt with our village's Missing-nin, Danzo Shimura, and his Root Division."
"To show you what this bastard did, I preserved him intact and brought him back."
Standing beside the crystal, Kazuyama Gekkō moved his right hand slightly. The crystal solidified once more, forming an object resembling a pointer. Then he began teaching the others present a lesson—a lesson titled What Danzo Shimura Did.
"Now, this eye—the Mangekyō Sharingan. Its ability is akin to decay. Look at my clothes; this eye did this to them."
"To show you the effect, I didn't even bother changing my clothes."
He pointed first at Danzo's tightly shut right eye, then at his own torn garments.
"And over here—I imagine you're all familiar with what this is."
"Sarutobi old geezer, you should know best—this research was approved by you."
"Many sacrificed to create Yamato, but Danzo tested this technique on himself... and succeeded."
"He might've used Wood Release, but I didn't give him the chance. See? This pose is right before he'd activate it."
This time, Kazuyama Gekkō pointed to Danzo's altered right arm, where a face resembling the First Hokage was tattooed onto his shoulder. Clearly, this arm had been modified using the First's cells.
The barrage of revelations left Minato Namikaze's face darkening with gloom, while the three Hokage counsellors also wore extremely grim expressions. Especially Hiruzen Sarutobi—that guy's face was so dark, even describing it as "black as a pot bottom" wouldn't quite capture it.
"As for these Sharingan... I wonder if you're familiar with a certain Uchiha dōjutsu?"
"It's called Izanagi—a peculiar eye technique that grants extra lives at the cost of one's own sight."