A gust of wind swept through the forest, leaves whispering softly.
Kusunoki Naraku and Shimura Danzō stood where they were, calmly locking eyes.
Neither leader spoke.
Neither moved.
Yamanaka Tsuki and the ANBU operatives stepped forward without hesitation, positioning themselves in front of Naraku.
Once a choice had been made, it had to be followed through to the end.
Even if the enemy standing opposite them was her own brother, Tsuki would not retreat.
At some point, the sun overhead had been swallowed by clouds. Pale light filtered through the overcast sky, casting a cold, oppressive atmosphere over the forest.
Naraku and Danzō continued to stare each other down, neither showing the slightest intent to yield.
Centered on the two of them, the tension grew heavier and more dangerous by the second.
Tsuki tightened her grip on her sword, ready to strike at any moment.
Beside Danzō, Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune bent their bodies slightly, prepared to engage.
"Fū—stand down."
Whether because he didn't want to completely tear things apart just yet, or because he lacked full confidence, Danzō ultimately took a step back.
As Root operatives who had been thoroughly conditioned, Fū and Torune immediately withdrew upon hearing the order, retreating behind him.
Naraku raised an eyebrow.
This was reasonable—yet also unexpected.
Danzō had likely realized that Naraku would never back down, and chose to disengage instead.
After all, Naraku was young.
Youth came with arrogance—it was understandable.
Since Danzō had already yielded, Naraku had no intention of settling things here and now. He waved his hand, and Tsuki's group retreated behind him as well.
"You've grown quickly," Danzō said flatly, tapping his cane lightly against the ground.
"I should've brought you under my command back then."
The implication was clear:
Even if you'd wanted to join Root back then, I wouldn't have taken you.
"That's a shame," Naraku replied without missing a beat.
"But I don't like Root."
"No—" he corrected himself, tone sharp,
"—I hate it."
Naraku showed no restraint with his words.
Root didn't even exist anymore—what was the point of bringing it up?
There was no need to waste more breath. Their relationship was beyond repair. In the end, it would come down to who won.
Just as Naraku turned to leave with his subordinates, he saw Danzō raise a hand.
Fū, Torune, and the others vanished instantly, disappearing into the forest.
…What?
Does he want to talk privately?
After a brief pause, Naraku instructed Tsuki and the others to return to ANBU headquarters to submit their mission report. He stayed behind alone.
Naraku wasn't worried that Danzō would attack him directly.
As a well-known figure in Konoha who still officially held a position, Danzō killing him outright would amount to defecting from the village.
If Danzō wanted him dead, it would have to be indirect—just like what he'd done to Hatake Sakumo.
"What do you want to say?"
Naraku spoke bluntly. Only the two of them remained now.
Suddenly—
Every hair on Naraku's body stood on end.
A piercing sense of danger exploded in his mind. His entire body instantly entered combat mode, violent killing intent surging up—
Then, just as quickly, he forced himself back into calm.
Danzō watched him with faint confusion and slowly lowered the hand that had been touching the bandages over his right eye.
What was that reaction?
…Wait.
Did he sense something?
Danzō's expression darkened.
But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't believe Naraku knew what was hidden beneath those bandages.
"You just now—"
"I thought you were about to make a move."
Naraku waved his hand casually.
His reaction had been excessive—but he couldn't help it.
Behind those bandages lay a Mangekyō Sharingan.
The eye Danzō had stolen from Uchiha Shisui.
And within that eye resided what was known as the strongest genjutsu in the shinobi world—
Kotoamatsukami.
A technique that could silently interfere with the mind, rewriting a person's will without them ever realizing it.
For a split second, Naraku had thought Danzō was about to use it on him.
If that had been the case, Naraku would've killed him immediately.
Naraku's explanation sounded reasonable enough. Danzō reluctantly suppressed his suspicion—but someone as paranoid and cautious as him would never truly trust anyone.
From this point on, Danzō would definitely test Naraku in secret, trying to determine what he actually knew.
That was only natural.
Kotoamatsukami was central to many of Danzō's plans and concealed countless secrets. He would never allow it to be exposed.
"Recently… Hiruzen summoned me."
Danzō stopped wasting words and bluntly recounted the discussion with Hiruzen regarding the Fifth Hokage candidates.
…What?
Naraku froze.
This—this was something he truly hadn't known.
Hiruzen intended to make him Hokage?
Even as just a candidate, Naraku was confident that Kakashi couldn't outcompete him.
Once listed as a candidate, the position would almost certainly be his.
But—
The sudden revelation threw Naraku's plans into chaos.
In his understanding, the Fifth Hokage was destined to be Tsunade.
Operating under that assumption, Naraku had made many moves behind the scenes—splitting the Medical Emergency Unit was one of them, all to prepare for Tsunade's eventual return and maximize his own gains.
But now—
He was being considered as the Fifth Hokage?
It was… too sudden.
Watching Naraku's clearly shaken expression, Danzō smiled inwardly.
Exactly as expected.
This reaction was only natural.
Every shinobi of Konoha dreamed of becoming Hokage.
Walk through the Ninja Academy, and you'd find that eight or nine out of ten students shared the same dream.
A desire ingrained from childhood—an irresistible temptation for any Konoha shinobi.
Even Danzō himself was no exception.
In fact, becoming Hokage had long since turned into an obsession buried deep in his heart—one he would sacrifice anything for.
So in his eyes, Naraku couldn't possibly escape it either.
And Naraku's current reaction proved him right.
"Heh heh…"
With a faint smile, Danzō turned and slowly walked away, leaning on his cane.
You must be thrilled, hearing news like that.
But you still have a rival—Hatake Kakashi.
Go ahead.
Fight him for that seat.
With those thoughts, Shimura Danzō disappeared into the distance.
"That bastard…"
Naraku watched him go, speechless.
"He really never forgets to play his schemes…"
Danzō's intentions were blatantly clear.
He wanted Naraku and Kakashi to tear into each other over the Hokage position.
This was an open scheme.
Even knowing it was a trap, most people couldn't escape it.
The temptation of becoming Hokage was simply too great.
Naraku couldn't honestly say he was unmoved either.
But unlike others, his goal in becoming Hokage wasn't power for its own sake—it was to gain lottery opportunities, break his limits, and grow even stronger.
"Troublesome… I need to think this through carefully."
Naraku frowned. This wasn't something he could decide quickly.
"My lord!"
Yamanaka Tsuki suddenly appeared, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Oh? You haven't gone back yet?"
"Come on. Let's head back together."
Naraku knew they'd stayed behind out of concern for his safety.
They'd been waiting at a distance, and only came over when they saw Danzō leave and Naraku standing alone, lost in thought.
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