The air at the street corner seemed to solidify into tangible ice, and every bystander held their breath carefully, fearing that the slightest sound would detonate the bomb hanging over their heads.
Three Root Ninja stood like three lifeless tombstones, silent and unmoving. No emotions could be seen beneath their masks, but their absolute obedience to orders was itself the strongest stance. They were Danzo's will, the tentacles extending from the darkness, vowing not to rest until their objective was achieved.
Although Tsunade's aura was reined in for the child in her arms, her amber eyes held a resolve more terrifying than fury. She was like a lioness protecting her cub, all her sharpness contained beneath her claws, ready to deliver a fatal blow to any enemy who dared to approach.
Shizune's palms were sweating from nervousness. She stared intently at the opponents, her Chakra refined to its limit, ready to assist Lady Tsunade in battle at any moment.
And at the center of this vortex, Kanzaki buried his face in Tsunade's warm and soft chest. Through her clothes, he could clearly hear her heart beating fiercely, fueled by anger and protectiveness.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
This sound was his most solid shield at this moment.
"That's enough."
The voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, as if containing a peculiar power that instantly stirred the solidified air.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his characteristic pipe and clad in his Hokage robe embroidered with the kanji for 'fire,' slowly approached, escorted by a squad of Anbu. His gaze swept over the scene, first pausing briefly on the three Root Ninja, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, then settling on Tsunade and Kanzaki in her arms.
The leading Root Ninja stiffened, then knelt on one knee, lowering his head: "Hokage-sama."
"Since when did Danzo's people have the right to openly intercept a meritorious Jonin on the Village's main thoroughfare?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was flat, betraying no emotion, but the implicit question made the kneeling Root Ninja's body tense even further.
"Reporting, Hokage-sama, we are acting under orders from Lord Danzo to conduct routine inspections of suspicious individuals of unknown origin to ensure the Village's safety."
"Suspicious individual?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze finally focused entirely on Kanzaki.
Kanzaki opportunely looked up, casting a timid glance at Hiruzen Sarutobi with his clear, watery eyes that had just finished crying, then quickly buried his head back into Tsunade's embrace, clutching her tighter with his small hands, perfectly portraying an overly frightened child.
Tsunade felt the child in her arms tremble, her heart aching. She looked up, meeting her teacher's gaze stubbornly, her eyes still red: "Hiruzen-sensei, he is not some suspicious individual! He is a member of my Senju Clan!"
"A member of the... Senju Clan?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted sharply. He took a deep puff from his pipe, exhaling a cloud of white smoke. Amidst the swirling smoke, his expression became complex and difficult to decipher.
He knew Tsunade too well. Ever since Senju Nawaki and Kato Dan died, she had never again uttered the words "clan member."
His gaze fell on Kanzaki again. This time, he observed him more closely. Indeed, a familiar life force emanated from the child... a life force that felt incredibly familiar to him. Though faint, that sense of affinity and vastness was so much like... so much like his extremely familiar First Hokage, Lord Senju Hashirama.
This thought made Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart skip a beat.
"Tsunade, let's discuss this matter in detail back at the Hokage Building." Hiruzen Sarutobi did not make a judgment in public. He turned to the Root Ninja, his tone brooking no argument, "You, stand down. Tell Danzo that I will handle this matter personally. Konoha is not yet at the point where he needs to maintain so-called 'safety' in this manner."
"...Yes!"
The Root Ninja hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to obey. The three figures became afterimages, silently merging into the shadows and disappearing.
A disturbance, with the Hokage's intervention, temporarily subsided.
Kanzaki leaned on Tsunade's shoulder, listening to the conversation between the Hokage and Tsunade, but his mind was rapidly replaying events.
It worked.
The first and most crucial step was successful. He exploited Tsunade's emotional vulnerability, her obsession with her 'brother,' and successfully bound himself to the 'Senju Clan' name. Then, through this conflict, he forced out the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
With the Hokage's promise of 'personal handling,' Danzo, at least openly, could no longer use the excuse of 'inspecting suspicious individuals' to target him.
However, this by no means implied safety.
Anyone who watched Naruto knew that old dog Danzo's greed for power had reached a pathological level. A child suspected of being a 'Senju descendant' and possibly possessing the First Hokage's Wood Release power was, to Danzo, nothing less than a prime piece of meat laid before him.
In the shadows, those eyes hidden beneath the bandages would undoubtedly be fixated on him from now on.
Root's methods were impossible to guard against.
Power... I need stronger power. I am too weak right now. This body is severely depleted; I currently only have the Wood Style Bloodline and nothing else. Let alone fighting, even self-preservation is a problem.
Kanzaki's gaze subtly swept around.
Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shizune, and the Anbu in the distance... everyone here was a walking treasure trove.
Tsunade's monstrous strength, Yin Seal, medical Ninjutsu... Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation as the 'Strongest Hokage' with five Chakra natures... (It feels like something the author exaggerated in the early stages; the power levels in the later parts of Naruto were so broken, the Third Hokage's 'strongest' title felt a bit watery.)
The rule of the god-tier stealing system was that he could only steal when the target's emotions fluctuated violently. When Tsunade was enraged just now, it was an excellent opportunity, but unfortunately, all his attention was focused on acting and planning. But it didn't matter; there would be plenty of opportunities.
He needed a perfect plan to steal enough power to establish himself, or even fight back, without exposing himself... In a dark and damp underground base.
"Bang."
The Root Ninja who had just retreated knelt before Danzo Shimura, reporting everything that had just happened.
"A member of the Senju Clan?"
A flicker of intense interest and greed passed through Danzo's single eye. His bandage-wrapped fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, making a rhythmic and suppressed sound.
"Yes, Tsunade declared it publicly. And... Lord Third also personally intervened and protected the child."
"Hiruzen..." Danzo snorted coldly, his voice full of disdain, "He's still so naive, always believing in those illusory 'wills' and 'emotions.' That woman, Tsunade, suddenly returning to the Village for an unknown child, not hesitating to confront Root directly, even alarming Hiruzen... this in itself is extremely unusual."
The Senju Clan, apart from Tsunade, had long been wiped out. This was a fact known throughout the Ninja World.
Now, a so-called 'clan member' suddenly appeared, cherished so much by Tsunade... "Is there anything special about that child?" Danzo asked.
"Your subordinate is incompetent; from a distance, I couldn't perceive it accurately. But for Tsunade to lose her composure like that, I'm afraid... he's definitely no ordinary child."
"Heh." Danzo's lips curved into a chilling smile, "Interesting. To be cherished by Tsunade... Senju... could it be..."
A mad thought surfaced in his mind.
"Issue an order." Danzo's voice suddenly turned cold, "Designate the child Tsunade brought back as a top-level surveillance target. I want to know his every move, every word, who he interacts with, what he says, even how many bowls of rice he eats each day must be recorded for me."
"Yes!"
"Remember, only surveillance, no contact whatsoever. Don't alert the enemy before we figure everything out. Since Hiruzen protected him, he will certainly keep a close watch." In Danzo's single eye, a snake-like gleam flickered, "If it's true... then this last treasure left by the First Hokage must be in Root's hands. For Konoha..."