"Everything I've done… has been for Konoha!"
Danzo's uncovered left eye brimmed with emotion. He stared at the statue still glowing with pitch-black light—just like… himself.
You are the sunlight of Konoha, and I… am the Root in the shadows.
And yet…
Why was it that the light received the village's recognition, the loyalty of all shinobi, the admiration of the people—while he, who had silently protected Konoha from the darkness, was rewarded only with scorn and condemnation?
He had done everything for the peace of the shinobi world—for the peace of Konoha. Why couldn't anyone understand him?
Peace required sacrifice. For Konoha's future, no price was too great.
And shinobi… were meant to be sacrificed.
So a few people died—why should he bear the infamy? Why should everyone hate him for doing what had to be done?
His heart beat with unwavering loyalty to Konoha, and he had worked tirelessly for its prosperity. Why was he never acknowledged, while Hiruzen… was about to become Hokage again?
That man had no intention of letting him become Hokage.
Hiruzen knew full well everything he had done, yet he never discarded this "blade" of his. But once he was done using him, he turned around and joined the others in blaming him—his own brother-in-arms. Wasn't that shameless?
He recalled the meeting yesterday…
That night, the one controlling the Nine-Tails had clearly wielded the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan. Everyone had seen it—the fearsome power of the Uchiha clan.
For Konoha's peace, he should have struck decisively, ensuring the Uchiha would never again threaten the village.
And yet… as Hokage, Hiruzen refused!!!
He even had the nerve to chastise him, saying, "The Uchiha are part of Konoha too. You shouldn't treat them this way."
That man knew perfectly well how dangerous the Uchiha were—so why wouldn't he act?
Because he also knew… that he, Shimura Danzo possessed a sincere and unwavering heart, devoted to protecting Konoha!
For the peace of the shinobi world, for Konoha's future—as the shadow of the village—he would do what needed to be done.
The problem was… the masked man this time wasn't one of the Uchiha, and Uchiha Madara was long dead. On top of that, that fool Minato Namikaze, ever since taking office, had worked to ease tensions with the Uchiha, making it impossible for Danzo to move against them directly.
So all he could do… was shove them into a distant, forgotten corner of the village.
But after the Nine-Tails Incident… the Uchiha clan had no hope left.
Rumors were a powerful thing.
As time passed, people stopped caring about what was true or false. Just like now—after the Fourth Hokage and his wife had died, and no enemy had been found—there was no one more "fitting" to be blamed than the Uchiha.
"This is all for Konoha~"
Danzo's gaze softened with conviction, as if the world were drunk while he alone remained sober. He let out a sigh, reached out to caress the glass statue before him, and once again pressed the button.
Immediately—
"Everything I do is for Konoha!"
That ancient, melancholic, and lonely voice rang out once more, as if echoing deep into his heart, stirring something in that solitary, misunderstood soul.
Moments later, Danzo burst out laughing, staring at the statue.
"To think… the only one who understands this old man would be a ninja from another village."
And not just any ninja—a Kage!
"In that case… what harm is there in paying you a visit?"
A cold sneer curled his lips, his expression grim.
"This old man intends to find out what the Kazekage is truly up to, showing himself again and again like this!"
...
Early October, Konoha Year 48.
The Nine-Tails Attack.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki, both perished. Coupled with the destruction wrought by the Nine-Tails, the disaster left Konoha deeply weakened once again.
And so—
Kumogakure thought it was their time to shine!
They quickly marched south and launched a surprise attack on Konoha, forcing the newly reinstated Third Hokage to rapidly quell the village's unrest. He juggled reconstruction efforts while rushing to mobilize the military to counter the assault.
The Third Great Shinobi War had just ended not long ago. While Konoha had triumphed in a one-against-four scenario, the toll had been immense.
And now… another war.
It was enough to leave the Third Hokage so stressed he couldn't even smoke his pipe.
Even the funerals of the Fourth Hokage and his wife had to be hurriedly concluded, and Konoha was thrown into full wartime preparation.
Soon after Kumogakure declared war, Kirigakure—across the sea—began stirring as well. Mist-nin were constantly harassing Konoha, their sneaky movements clearly signaling something nefarious brewing.
In response, Konoha had no choice but to dispatch shinobi to keep watch on the Hidden Mist.
Fortunately, aside from Kumogakure, the others seemed to be testing the waters with small-scale probes.
Thus, the shinobi world was now in a state of general peace, disrupted only by scattered conflicts.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Sunagakure.
Aside from some economic ripple effects, they were unaffected. After all, due to the wars, the Land of Fire, Land of Lightning, and Land of Water were temporarily inaccessible.
And the Land of Fire… was their biggest consumer base~
A certain surviving Senju clan member alone accounted for 50% of the revenue they received from the Land of Fire.
Still, perhaps due to the conflict, the number of missions being requested from Sunagakure had noticeably increased lately.
But Rasa had rejected all of them.
Why would anyone come to this remote, desolate Sunagakure to issue a mission at a time like this?
No need to think—those were definitely bad missions. Most were requests to send people to battlefields or chaotic regions.
Totally unnecessary.
So, life in Sunagakure continued as usual—unchanged. They took this chance to sort out internal village matters.
Right now, however…
Rasa looked speechlessly at Advisor Ebizō, who had dragged him off to a secluded corner like some shady conspirator. With a sigh, he shook off Ebizō's hand.
"I'm not that kind of person!"
What if someone saw and misunderstood?!
"What kind of person?" Ebizō released his arm and blinked in confusion. Then he sighed again. "I called you here, Lord Kazekage, because I have a request."
"???"
"Sasori… he's changed."
"Isn't that normal?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant." Ebizō frowned. "Sasori seems obsessed with the puppet techniques he created. He wants to turn himself into a puppet. He won't say a word. No matter how much my sister and I try to stop him, it's no use. He's gone mad."
"That's… well… oh. So what?"
Rasa thought it best not to anger the old man. He was well past his prime—what if he gave himself a stroke?
But then…
"Sigh~" Ebizō let out a long sigh, shaking his head as he stared off at a dramatic 45-degree angle, eyes full of weariness.
"I know we can't stop him anymore—he's gone mad. But… Sasori is my sister's only descendant. We still hope… he can pass on the bloodline."
"So you want me, the great Kazekage, to be your… pimp?"
"Could you?" Ebizō asked, eyes full of hope.
"…Get lost!!"
"Then what about the village girls—"
"Don't you dare ruin some poor girl's life! And if Sasori's identity is exposed now… do you want to personally send him to the afterlife?"
Rasa rubbed his forehead in frustration. After a moment, looking at the elderly man with white hair and pleading eyes, he sighed again.
"I heard there's a certain… establishment in the Land of Fire's capital. Very famous. Even the Hokage's teacher has been there."
"…You mean the red-light district, Lord Kazekage?" Ebizō gave him a disapproving look.
"That's right! I'm sure there's someone there who can meet your needs. I'll even refer you to a professional. And what's with that look? I've never been to a place like that!"
"But… that kind of place… Fine! Who's this 'professional' you're talking about?"
"You know him. Even Advisor Chiyo knows him."
"One of the Three Legendary Sannin? The Toad Sage, Jiraiya?"
"Nope." Rasa shook his head and smiled meaningfully. "His name is… Kabuto."
"???"
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