After Danzō left, brilliant flames soon illuminated the cave.
There were two reasons for the cremation.
First, the shinobi world was filled with strange and unpredictable techniques.
Danzō had no intention of allowing Kumogakure to obtain any useful information from the body.
Second, it was to preserve the fallen shinobi’s dignity.
The members of the Kinkaku Force were notorious for their cruelty and depravity.
Danzō would not allow the veteran’s remains to be desecrated further.
Not long afterward, Kagami Uchiha and Torifu Akimichi emerged from the forest.
“That bastard can really run.”
Torifu tossed a bound Cloud ninja heavily onto the ground.
His round face was filled with irritation.
“Good thing Kagami reacted fast enough.”
“Otherwise, he might’ve actually escaped.”
Clearly, he had already learned what had happened inside the cave.
“You damned Konoha brats!”
The captured Cloud ninja struggled violently against his restraints.
“You’d better release me right now!”
“I’m one of Lord Kinkaku and Lord Ginkaku’s trusted men!”
“If you dare lay a finger on me, they’ll never forgive you!”
He shouted at the top of his lungs, attempting to intimidate the Konoha shinobi with the names of the infamous brothers.
Unfortunately for him—
Those were the two names Danzō least wanted to hear right now.
Without a word, Danzō stepped forward.
Then he planted his foot directly onto the man’s face.
Crunch.
The Cloud ninja’s expression twisted instantly.
The arrogant threats became screams of agony.
Blood poured from the corner of his mouth as cracks spread across the ground beneath him.
Meanwhile, Homura brought over the other two prisoners.
The black-skinned and pale-skinned Cloud ninja from earlier.
The moment they saw the miserable state of their comrade, both men’s faces changed.
But before either could react—
A flash of steel erupted.
Danzō’s kunai swept through the air.
A brilliant arc of light flashed across the cave entrance.
Slash!
The dark-skinned Cloud ninja’s arm was severed cleanly.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Just as he opened his mouth to scream, Danzō’s hand shot forward.
His fingers clamped around the man’s throat like an iron vice.
The scream died instantly.
Only strangled gasps remained.
Danzō’s eyes were ice cold.
“Separate the prisoners.”
“I want information on the Kinkaku Force.”
“As quickly as possible.”
His tone allowed no argument.
After giving the order, he dragged the captured shinobi toward the depths of the cave.
The Cloud ninja clawed desperately at Danzō’s arm.
It made no difference.
Seeing the killing intent radiating from him, everyone unconsciously shivered.
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Finally, Homura and Kagami each took custody of a prisoner and headed off to conduct separate interrogations.
The remaining three stayed outside to maintain security and watch for approaching enemies.
And as they watched Danzō disappear into the darkness of the cave, the same thought surfaced in all of their minds.
There was a reason why the future generations would one day call him—
The Darkness of the Shinobi World.
Aside from his countless unethical experiments and ruthless methods, the original Danzō’s memories contained over a hundred different interrogation techniques.
Every single one of them had been designed for one purpose:
To break an enemy’s will.
Faced with the prisoner before him, Danzō chose the cruelest—and most agonizing—of them all.
Five minutes later, he emerged from the cave.
The mangled corpse of the Cloud shinobi was left behind.
Soon afterward, the others completed their own interrogations.
Kagami Uchiha finished first.
Naturally.
With the Sharingan at his disposal, interrogation was almost unfairly easy.
A powerful genjutsu was often all it took to make prisoners reveal everything they knew.
The group gathered their findings and began cross-checking the information.
Only after verifying the consistency of each account did they arrive at a final conclusion.
Several dozen Konoha shinobi were currently trapped in a valley more than twenty kilometers west of their position.
And their situation was critical.
Silence immediately descended upon the cave.
Most of those shinobi belonged to the Senju Clan.
During the chaos of Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s rebellion, they had repeatedly thrown themselves into battle to cover Tobirama and his students’ retreat.
They had been scattered.
Regrouped.
Scattered again.
Fighting every step of the way.
Eventually, they had been driven into that valley and completely surrounded.
The only reason they were still alive was because Kinkaku and Ginkaku themselves were preoccupied with hunting Tobirama.
Otherwise, they would have already been captured.
Of course—
Without reinforcements, capture was only a matter of time.
Danzō crouched beside the map spread across the ground.
Then he spoke.
“Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts.”
His eyes swept across the group.
He was genuinely curious.
Faced with this situation, what choices would these future pillars of Konoha make?
Koharu spoke first.
“I believe our highest priority should be returning to the village.”
Her position was clear.
With Tobirama likely headed toward a sacrificial last stand, stability had become paramount.
Everything else came second.
“If anything happens to you, Danzō, the entire village could fall into chaos.”
Homura immediately nodded.
“I agree.”
“Protecting the Third Hokage must be our first priority.”
“As for those trapped shinobi…”
“We can attempt to rescue them through diplomatic means later.”
Danzō wasn’t surprised by either answer.
In the future, Koharu and Homura would become famous for their conservative political views.
They were the type who always preferred caution over risk.
It was precisely that cautious nature that allowed them to survive long enough to become Konoha’s senior advisors decades later.
Even in old age, they would still be offering opinions to future Hokage.
Danzō didn’t comment.
Instead, he shifted his gaze elsewhere.
As expected, Kagami frowned almost immediately.
“Diplomatic means aren’t realistic.”
“Not against the Kinkaku Force.”
His voice hardened.
“At the rate they’re going, everyone will be dead before negotiations even begin.”
The statement instantly reminded everyone of the tortured Senju shinobi they’d found earlier.
The cave fell silent.
They all knew Kagami was right.
“Diplomatic rescue” sounded comforting.
But in reality, it was little more than wishful thinking.
Still…
His words were blunt.
Very blunt.
Danzō glanced at Homura.
Sure enough, Homura’s expression had become noticeably uglier.
Unfortunately, Kagami seemed completely oblivious.
Without even looking at him, he stepped forward.
“Hokage-sama.”
The respectful title caught everyone’s attention.
“I volunteer to lead a rescue force.”
“Even if we can’t save everyone, we can at least draw away part of the enemy’s strength.”
Homura’s face darkened even further.
The more righteous and selfless Kagami appeared, the worse Homura felt by comparison.
And Hokage-sama?
Since when had Kagami become so good at flattering people?
Fortunately for Kagami, Danzō found the title quite pleasant.
As expected of the man Tobirama once described as—
An Uchiha who truly possessed the Will of Fire.
Kagami’s concern wasn’t an act.
He genuinely cared about his comrades.
Perhaps that was precisely why he would one day die on the battlefield.
Even so, Danzō still withheld his opinion.
Instead, he turned toward Hiruzen and Torifu.
Torifu scratched his head awkwardly.
“I can go either way.”
Then he grinned sheepishly.
“If we’re heading to rescue them, though…”
“You’ll need to give me a few extra Soldier Pills.”
Everyone couldn’t help smiling.
The previous battle had consumed an enormous amount of his chakra.
The large Akimichi shinobi looked noticeably slimmer than before.
Finally, Hiruzen spoke.
After carefully considering every viewpoint.
“Koharu, Homura, and Kagami all make valid points.”
“Your safety truly is our highest priority.”
He paused.
Then proposed a compromise.
“What if Kagami, Torifu, and I go provide support?”
“Koharu and Homura can escort you away from the battlefield and back toward Konoha.”
It was a remarkably balanced suggestion.
Danzō’s safety would be guaranteed.
The trapped shinobi would still receive aid.
And the Will of Fire would not be abandoned.
Exactly the sort of answer one would expect from the future Third Hokage of the original timeline.
Steady.
Practical.
Measured.
Once Hiruzen finished speaking, everyone’s gaze settled upon Danzō.
Because no matter how much they debated—
There was one fact that could not be changed.
He was the Hokage.
And the final decision belonged to him alone.
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