While Tahara Rokuro was having tea at Uchiha Setsuna's house, Danzo was summoned to the Hokage's office by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"What the hell did you do this time? Not only did you fail the mission, but you left behind a massive problem! Danzo, you're becoming more useless by the day! If this continues, there will be no reason for Root to exist anymore."
Earlier that day, after being cornered and silenced by Rokuro's argument about the Will of Fire, Hiruzen's mood was already terrible. Now, even his usual air of moral superiority was gone.
Danzo's face darkened with anger, but he knew perfectly well he had indeed messed things up.
"I'll take care of the cleanup, but Hiruzen, that Uchiha Rokuro must not be allowed to live. He's a potential bearer of the Forbidden Eye — if we don't eliminate him before he matures, it'll be too late."
Hiruzen waved his hand irritably.
"You think I'm blind? I don't need you to remind me. But you also know the situation Konoha is in. Because of the Nine-Tails incident, we lost both Minato and Kushina — our top powerhouses are gone. Now the Land of Lightning keeps provoking us, testing Konoha's strength. If we start fighting among ourselves now, we'll trigger the Fourth Great Ninja War!"
Hiruzen's glare hardened on Danzo.
"If the A-B duo from Kumogakure comes again, can your Root unit withstand them? If you're that confident, I don't mind letting you go eliminate Uchiha Rokuro right this instant."
Danzo opened his mouth, then shut it again.
He was self-aware enough to admit that without any Wood Release users left, Root was in a miserable state. Against the A-B duo? Not a chance — even one of them would be too much.
"If you give me Kinoe (Yamato) back, I could—"
"Enough! Kinoe's name is now Tenzo, and he's a member of the ANBU. Stop thinking about him. Besides, even if he has Wood Release, he's nowhere near the First Hokage's level. He won't change the tide of any battle. Just leave. Next time, make sure you do your intelligence work properly. I'm done cleaning up your messes."
Danzo's blood pressure shot up several notches. This time, he didn't even manage to spit out his usual "You'll regret this" before leaving.
On the way back, Danzo clenched his teeth and made a decision.
"The Wood Release experiment must resume. Orochimaru… sorry, but you shouldn't have defied me."
Danzo's obsession with Wood Release rivaled his fixation on the Sharingan. Or rather, as the disciple of the Second Hokage, he was deeply influenced by him.
Tobirama Senju, throughout his life, valued two bloodlines above all others — the Senju and the Uchiha. Under that influence, Danzo too regarded those two clans as the ultimate sources of power. To surpass Hiruzen, obtaining those bloodlines was undoubtedly the fastest path.
Meanwhile, after leaving Uchiha Setsuna's home, Rokuro found himself with an unexpected companion — the giant cat summoned by Uchiha Meika.
Being from the clan of Ninja Cats, it was, of course, far from ordinary. Its body was the size of an adult tiger, it could talk, and even perform ninjutsu — albeit only a few basic ones, but still impressive for a beast.
Its name was Nyanrokurō, said to be the sixth-born in its litter. Since it was already over twenty years old, Rokuro affectionately called it Old Six.
"Rokuro, I'm not so easily fooled. You expect me to believe a seven-year-old brat like you could single-handedly kill Kakuzu, the immortal ninja? Hah! Impossible."
As they walked together, Nyanrokurō grumbled constantly, half complaining, half trying to start conversation.
Rokuro didn't look back. "If you don't believe me, why are you following me? Go back to Cat Star."
"I'm staying to evaluate you," the cat snorted. "That old geezer Setsuna sending a little kid to represent the Uchiha? Hah! Once I see your true strength, I'm reporting to Granny Cat and ending this partnership with your clan."
Rokuro turned slightly, his voice calm. "End the alliance with the Uchiha, huh? Then you'll be facing those rogue ninja who've been stealing your contracts… on your own. Think you can handle that?"
At that, Nyanrokurō reared up on its hind legs, folding its massive front paws across its chest. With its tiger-sized frame, it actually looked rather intimidating.
"I am a warrior of the Ninja Cats! Those rogue ninja may be strong, but once this great lord takes the field, they'll be nothing but scratches on my claws!"
Rokuro chuckled, plucking a willow twig from a nearby tree. He waved it lightly before the cat's eyes.
Instinct kicked in — Nyanrokurō pounced, batting and swiping at the twig. Only after catching it did realization dawn.
"You bastard! Are you toying with me?!"
The whiskers on its face twitched furiously, but no matter how much it tried to look fierce, its fluffy face only made it… adorable.
Rokuro reached out and scratched under its chin. Nyanrokurō's eyes half-closed, a deep purr rumbling from its chest.
When Rokuro withdrew his hand, the cat's expression snapped back into outrage.
"You insolent brat! I'll teach you a lesson!"
It lunged, pinning Rokuro to the ground. Its razor-sharp claws hovered at his throat.
"Now you see my true power? You, defeat Kakuzu? Don't make me laugh."
The cat let out a smug growl—until it realized the Rokuro under its paw didn't move. In the next instant—poof!—the "boy" turned into a log.
Before Nyanrokurō could react, a hand landed atop its head, ruffling its fur.
"If this is the best the Ninja Cats can do, no wonder you need Uchiha help."
The cat batted his hand away, eyes narrowing dangerously. "When did you use the Substitution Technique?"
"The moment you raised your paw."
"That's impossible! I didn't even see you weave any signs!"
Rokuro grinned. "Using the Three Basic Techniques without hand seals — isn't that fundamental? If you need seals for that, what kind of ninja are you? Anyway, I'm home. You can go now. …Mom! I'm back! What's for dinner?"
"Welcome back! Go wash your hands — we're having squirrel fish tonight!"
Nyanrokurō had been about to leave, but at the mention of food, it spun right back around and darted inside before Rokuro could close the door.
"Whoa~~ what a huge cat! Where did you find it?"
Uchiha Kei, setting the table, ran over with sparkling eyes to pet the feline. Ashikaga, Rokuro's mother, smiled wistfully.
"Isn't this Nyanrokurō? Are you here to be Rokuro's summoning beast?"
"Ashikaga? Wait—don't tell me… this kid is Taidachi's son?"
The cat turned toward Rokuro, realization dawning.
"Mom, don't tell me this stupid cat used to be Dad's summoning beast? No way. Dad had that bad of a taste?"
END OF CHAPTER
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
Forbidden Java Jutsu - MrBehringer's Secret
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