From the mont he saw Danzo, Tobirama's keen eyes, ever vigilant, noticed sothing off about the man's appearance. His gaze narrowed, focusing on the empty socket where he knew Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan was supposed to be.
"Danzo," Tobirama's voice cut through the silence. He asked with a sharp and demanding tone. "Where is Shisui Uchiha's eye?" He asked again. 'Did you give it to one of your Root ninjas to safeguard it or did sothing else happen?'
Danzo stiffened, his expression darkening as he was forced to recount the events that had transpired just before Hiruzen's arrival. "It was taken… by a man who called himself 'Dragon.'"
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. "Dragon? Who is he? What happened, Danzo?"
The one eyed ninja sighed, his defeat was evident in his voice as he recounted the attack. "He appeared out of nowhere and ca straight for Shisui's eye."
The Hokage's eyes widened. "Wait! Then does he know about-"
Danzo nodded. "He knows about Shisui's Mangekyo powers. He said he had plans with the Kotoamatsukami."
At that mont Hiruzen recalled the dead bodies he and his n discovered. "When I entered the building I ca across several dead Root ninjas. I'm assuming that's his work."
The forr Root commander nodded. "He infiltrated this base with such precision and power that even my most skilled n couldn't stop him. He cut through them like they were nothing. He moved as if he had knowledge of our operations. Like he knew exactly where to strike."
Tobirama's face remained impassive, though a spark of interest lit in his eyes. "Describe him."
Danzo clenched his fists, recalling the encounter. "He wore a dark green cloak, and a mask in the design of a Dragon, his face, chakra signature and scent were hidden and he wasn't ordinary. His strength… it felt like sothing I haven't encountered before. He could use multiple chakra natures and he moved with the fluidity of a seasoned front line warrior and yet had the precision of an assassin. His techniques were flawless, and his objective was clear. He was after Shisui's Sharingan and sothing more."
"What else did he take?" Hiruzen asked, his voice edged with concern.
Danzo's jaw tightened as he continued. "He didn't stop at Shisui's eye. He took my right arm. It was embedded with Sharingan. During my fight with him, I had already used three of them for Izanagi. Seven were left… but now they're gone."
"Sharingan arm? What are you talking about?" Hiruzen questioned while the Second Hokage rely stayed silent.
Danzo closed his eyes and sighed. He felt regret at the thought of soone else benefiting at the cost of his hard work and even more at the fact that it could be used against the Leaf village.
'Instead of trying to escape, I should have fought him and used the Reverse Four seal and killed him with . At least then I could have died with so dignity.'
"Danzo…" Tobirama called his na and it woke the Root leader from his trance. "That right arm—it was no ordinary limb, was it? What exactly had you done to it?"
Hiruzen's attention was imdiately drawn to the question, his own curiosity piqued. Though he had always known Danzo to be secretive, the extent of what he had hidden had not been fully revealed until now. He then rembered what his spy had said about Danzo's secret eting with Orochimaru.
Danzo sighed, knowing there was no point in hiding the truth any longer. He looked between the two Hokage with the expression of resignation. "The arm… it wasn't just a prosthetic. It was a tool, a weapon I had created with the help of Orochimaru's research and the DNA of the First Hokage."
Tobirama's eyes narrowed dangerously, his tone imdiately harsh. "You tampered with my brother's DNA? After all the warnings and precautions we put in place?"
Danzo didn't flinch under Tobirama's intense gaze and continued. "Yes. I knew the potential risks, but I believed the power it could grant was worth it. I had the arm implanted with cells from the First Hokage, which allowed to wield the Wood Release, though not to the sa extent as Lord Hashirama himself."
Hiruzen looked deeply troubled, his brow furrowed in concern. "Danzo, you were playing with forces you didn't fully understand. Lord First's cells… they're too dangerous to be used lightly…" He recalled the reports of his spy. "So that was what you did with Orochimaru that day."
"Yes." Danzo nodded, acknowledging the truth in Hiruzen's words. "I was aware of the risks. But that's not all. The arm wasn't just infused with Hashirama's cells. I also embedded it with multiple Sharingan."
Tobirama's expression shifted from anger to a mix of shock and disbelief. "Sharingan? You implanted Uchiha eyes into your arm? To use Izanagi?"
Danzo's voice was steady as he gave his explanation. "The Yin chakra of the Sharingan helped control the Yang chakra of those powerful cells and their chakra in turn helped use Izanagi for longer periods. The Sharingan in the arm allowed to cast the forbidden technique multiple tis, effectively rewriting reality to escape death or alter the outco of a battle. I believed it was a necessary asure to protect the village from threats it wasn't prepared to face."
Hiruzen's eyes widened with shock. "Izanagi… You were using it as a tool, at the cost of the Sharingan itself?"
Danzo nodded, a bitter expression crossing his face. "Each use of Izanagi would cause the Sharingan to go blind and beco useless, but the arm was equipped with 10 eyes, allowing for multiple uses. It was a failsafe, a last resort."
Tobirama's tone was harsh and laced with disapproval. "You've taken forbidden techniques, combined them with dangerous experints, and turned your body into a weapon… You've crossed lines that should never have been crossed, Danzo."
The old man didn't argue. He knew there was no defense for what he had done. "I did what I thought was necessary to protect the village from the shadows, to deal with threats that couldn't be handled through conventional ans."
"How about now? With the loss of Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan and that arm, do you still believe the village would be safe?" Tobirama growled in anger.
Sha filled Danzo to his core as he looked down.
Hiruzen shook his head. "You've taken too many risks, Danzo. The village should never have to rely on such dangerous asures. We need to protect the Leaf, yes, but not at the cost of our humanity, not at the cost of becoming the very thing we seek to protect it from." The disappointnt was clear in his eyes as he spoke.
Tobirama's voice was stern as he added, "And now that arm is in the hands of soone who may use it against us. Your actions, Danzo, may have inadvertently created a threat greater than any you sought to combat."
Danzo's expression darkened with the weight of his mistakes. "I understand that now. I won't make any excuses."
Hiruzen sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead thinking about the precarious situation. "What's done is done, Danzo. But now we have to deal with the consequences. We need to find this 'Dragon' and stop him before he can use that power you've given him against the village."
Tobirama nodded in agreent. "Yes. We need to make sure that the secrets of the Uchiha, the wood style, and Sharingan are not used to bring harm to the village. But that is secondary to finding and saving Tsunade."
The Second Hokage sighed and glanced at the defeated Danzo. "Power without restraint, without understanding, only leads to destruction. This was a lesson you should have learned a long ti ago. Now its too late."
The Root leader rely stayed silent as he listened to the advice of his forr teacher.
Hiruzen rubbed his chin as he thought about the intel his n found. "I still don't understand sothing. Why kill so of the Root ninjas who weren't guarding you? Who were nowhere close to here."
It was Tobirama who answered that. "That's because he didn't just take the Sharingan. I've been tracking almost all movents throughout this building after the operation began. He raided the jutsu vault and your information archive. I investigated and learned of this a few monts before coming here. I also sensed two powerful foreign presence near here but they both escaped before I could catch them."
Both Danzo and Hiruzen were surprised. 'Two?'
Tobirama's eyes flickered with a mix of concern and anger. "I don't know who the second man is but if this 'Dragon' is capable of such feats, targeting such specific items… Then he is no ordinary enemy. What else can you tell about him?"
Danzo's face darkened further. "I didn't know much until I fought him. The way he attacked, the way he moved… It was almost as if he knew Root's techniques inside and out. But there was one thing… He recognized Hotaru, my second-in-command, who I had reanimated"
"He knew Hotaru?" Hiruzen was surprised while Tobirama was curious.
Danzo nodded. "Yes. And the way 'Dragon' spoke to , the familiarity he showed … it was unnerving. Like he knew on a personal level. And he didn't just attack to kill. He attacked with a purpose and had knowledge that only soone deeply connected to us could have."
"This is certainly strange." Hiruzen murmured.
"There's sothing else you both need to know," Danzo began, causing Hiruzen and Tobirama to turn their attention back to him. "During the battle with 'Dragon'... his focus wasn't on at first. When we fought, at the beginning it was like I was just an annoyance to him. But after he recognized Hotaru… everything changed."
Tobirama's eyes narrowed, and Hiruzen's brow furrowed with concern. "Changed how?" Hiruzen asked.
Danzo's expression darkened as he recalled the intense confrontation. "Up until that point, 'Dragon' was efficient, almost indifferent. He seed more interested in his mission than anything else. But the mont he laid eyes on Hotaru, his entire deanor shifted. It was like sothing inside him snapped. He didn't just attack … he went after with the intent to torture and kill."
Tobirama's gaze sharpened. "He recognized this Hotaru? And that recognition caused him to react with such anger?"
Danzo nodded slowly. "Yes. It was as if Hotaru's presence infuriated him. From that mont forward he didn't just see as an obstacle; he saw as a personal enemy. The battle beca more vicious, more intense. He was ruthless in his assault, and despite my skills, I was no match for his strength."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed with concern. "Why would this 'Dragon' have such a strong reaction to Hotaru? Could there be a past connection?"
Danzo hesitated and then spoke with a hint of uncertainty. "I'm not entirely sure, but during our fight, I noticed sothing peculiar… The way he moved, the techniques he used. They were eerily familiar. I recognized several taijutsu moves specific to Anbu assassination tactics."
Tobirama's eyes widened slightly at this revelation. "Anbu techniques? Are you suggesting that 'Dragon' might have a connection to the Anbu?"
Danzo nodded grimly. "It's possible. The way he fought, the precision, the efficiency—it was reminiscent of Anbu training. But more than that, his reaction to Hotaru suggests a deeper connection. If he truly is or was Anbu, it might explain his knowledge of Root's operations and his expertise in assassination techniques. But why did he react so strongly to Hotaru… that's the mystery…"
Hiruzen's expression darkened with the implications. "If 'Dragon' was once Anbu, or if he has so connection to our black ops, that would make him even more dangerous. He would have access to techniques and knowledge that could be devastating in the wrong hands. It looks like there's another unstable factor in our village."
Tobirama's voice was stern as he spoke. "This man… if he has ties to the Anbu, and if he's targeting Root and its secrets, then we're dealing with soone who knows our village's darkest secrets. A rogue ninja hiding in our ranks. We need to proceed with extre caution."
As the weight of the situation settled heavily on their shoulders, Danzo spoke again with so unease. "There's more you need to know…"
Hiruzen groaned as he realized more bad news was coming.
Danzo continued. "This 'Dragon'… he knew things. Things that should have been impossible for him to know."
Tobirama and Hiruzen exchanged glances, the gravity of Danzo's words evident. "What do you an?" Hiruzen asked cautiously.
"He knows the truth about the Uchiha massacre."
Danzo's words shocked Hiruzen while Tobirama raised the unknown man's threat level.
—-----------------
Author's Note:
If you like my story and want to read ahead, then check out my P.a.T.R.E.0.N page. I've uploaded up to 30 additional chapters there.
Patre /MonkWithAPen (No space)
Reviews
All reviews (0)