"Come with us, Hyūga Kirito. Lord Danzō wishes to see you."
"So it really is you, Shimura Danzō, the one pulling the strings behind all of this."
Kirito spoke with feigned realization, narrowing his eyes as he glanced at the controlled 'Asuna', or rather, Fū in disguise.
He made no move to resist, only replied calmly, "Fine. I'd like to see for myself why the leader of Root has gone out of his way to find me."
They held Asuna hostage, but Kirito wasn't without methods to break the situation. Now that he understood who the true threat was, killing these two here wouldn't end the danger, Danzō would simply try again with a different knife in the dark. If so, Kirito might as well meet the man head‑on.
Seeing Kirito comply without resistance, Fū finally let out a quiet breath of relief. The situation had turned completely against them.
They had badly underestimated Kirito, two elite operatives working together still couldn't suppress him, and in only a few exchanges, Kirito had already crippled Torune. If not for holding Asuna's body hostage, the two of them would already be corpses on the ground.
"Don't attract attention. Follow us quietly."
Thanks to the Root operatives' full‑body suits concealing their identities, none of the nearby Konoha shinobi recognized them.
From afar, the scene merely looked like one attacker down, another unconscious, and Asuna waking up on her feet. It appeared as though Kirito had already subdued the enemy, so no one suspected a thing.
They led Kirito through a hidden underground passage beneath Konoha.
Kirito glanced around and could not help remarking softly, "All these years living in the village, and no one ever noticed an entire network of tunnels like this…?"
"The Root of Konoha," a cold, aged voice replied from within the darkness, "has always thrived in places the light does not reach. That is the essence of a true shinobi."
From deep inside the passage, a figure slowly stepped forward.
"Shimura Danzō."
Kirito's gaze settled on him, steady and unreadable.
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Danzō's eye. "You seem to know quite a bit about me."
"Lord Danzō, this boy is extremely powerful. Torune and I were no match for him. Torune was gravely injured while covering my retreat…" Fū reported.
"Is that so."
Danzō did not seem particularly shocked. He then turned his attention toward 'Asuna'. "Good. You've brought the hostage as well. Release the jutsu. Return your mind to your body."
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
Fū formed several hand seals. Asuna's body shuddered, then collapsed limply onto the ground as the borrowed consciousness left her.
"What a despicable way of doing things…"
Kirito walked forward, gently lifted Asuna into his arms, and carried her to a nearby stone bench, laying her down with care.
Danzō did nothing to stop him. He simply watched.
"Handing her back so readily, it seems she was never your true target." Kirito said quietly.
"She was, at first," Danzō replied. "But now? She no longer has any value."
"I see."
Kirito's eyes locked onto him, cold and perceptive. His next sentence made Danzō's expression violently shift.
"So… the Third Hokage has fallen."
Danzō's lone visible eye contracted sharply. Beneath his sleeve, his concealed hands tightened reflexively.
"You know far too much," Danzō said in a low, dangerous voice.
Kirito remained silent.
It wasn't hard to deduce. Earlier, Danzō had ordered his men to lure Asuna into the Forest of Death using genjutsu, intending for some 'accident' to befall the princess.
The Daimyō's fury would fall upon Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Third would be forced to relinquish the Hokage seat, and Danzō's long‑nurtured ambition would finally be within reach.
But now Danzō had dismissed Asuna as "no longer necessary."
The only explanation:
The battle atop the barrier had already ended. The Third Hokage had died by Orochimaru's hand.
From this moment on, Kirito, not Asuna, was the person Danzō intended to eliminate.
"So," Kirito said lightly, "your real target is me. I'm curious, what exactly do you hope to gain from someone like me?"
"You are perceptive."
Danzō studied him, his gaze deep and calculating. "A child your age… and yet you fight like this. It's exactly like the prodigy Uchiha Itachi of his youth. No wonder Sarutobi treasured you so highly."
"Just speculation."
Kirito shook his head. He had not expected Danzō to focus on him simply because Hiruzen had shown interest.
"At first, yes, it was only speculation," Danzō admitted. "But once you defeated two of my finest operatives, you became someone who cannot be ignored."
Kirito merely spread his hands. "Then let's stop circling around it. Why don't you tell me your true objective now?"
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters
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🚨 TL/N 💥
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💥> Naruto: Mind Control
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