"What do I mean?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, expression calm and unreadable.
"I am merely advising you to abandon your designs on the Jinchūriki… and return my people."
Danzo's expression shifted repeatedly, uncertainty flickering across his face.
At last, he lowered his head as if conceding.
"Let the Jinchūriki return. You will see your juniors this afternoon."
"And until the Chunin Exams conclude, I will not act again."
Hidden beneath his lowered gaze, however, his eyes burned with ruthless hatred.
Soon, he would no longer need to endure humiliation or shoulder blame for others. All he needed now was patience—wait until the Chunin Exams ended.
Seeing Danzo yield so easily, Hiruzen felt slightly surprised.
Normally, Danzo would argue endlessly until the familiar exchange occurred—
"Danzo, I am the Hokage."
"Hiruzen, you will regret this."
Without that routine, Hiruzen oddly felt uncomfortable, loosening the collar of his Hokage robe.
"Danzo," he said slowly, "do I need to teach you that mistakes require punishment?"
"Are you planning to destroy my base!?"
Danzo's composure shattered as he stared in disbelief.
"You intend to move against me completely?"
"Don't forget the dirty things we've done together!"
"If you destroy my base, I will drag you down with me. I'll expose everything and tear off that hypocritical mask you've worn for years!"
His confidence returned as he sneered.
"I'm just a maggot living in darkness. Reputation means nothing to me."
The reason Hiruzen had tolerated him for so long…
…was because Danzo had carried out countless dirty tasks and taken the blame repeatedly.
If everything were exposed, Hiruzen's position as Hokage would collapse.
For years, punishments had always been raised high—then lowered gently.
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
"Beneath the Shimura clan ancestral hall."
"Ten kilometers into the western Konoha forest."
"And the Forest of Death."
Each location he named was a Root base.
Danzo froze.
"I know more than one exists," Hiruzen continued calmly. "I have no intention of falling together with you."
"But you've made too many mistakes. The Jinchūriki needs somewhere to vent his anger."
"You'll only lose manpower."
Danzo laughed in fury and slammed the table.
"Hahaha… Hiruzen, you've been investigating me for a long time, haven't you?"
"They say a dog that bites doesn't bark. Today I've seen it myself."
"Fine. Then I'll watch with you."
"Let's see what makes this Nine-Tails Jinchūriki worth betraying an old comrade."
At that moment, the crystal ball displayed the entrance to the Root base.
The next scene—Lock capturing the Hokage's ANBU escort—made Danzo burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This is the Jinchūriki you trust so much?"
"He's impressive indeed—capturing an elite Chunin instantly!"
Hiruzen remained silent.
He had anticipated this.
Psychological analysis of Lock produced only one conclusion:
Dangerous.
That was why he was already preparing sealing techniques to separate personalities, and why Yamato had been reassigned to research Wood Release suppression methods daily.
Once Naruto mastered the Nine-Tails' power…
…the dangerous personality would be removed.
Inside the Root base.
Dragging the captured ANBU behind him, Lock walked through the long corridor and entered a vast underground plaza.
At a glance, he saw Sasuke and Sakura lying unconscious at the center.
Several masked ANBU lay nearby in the same state.
"Interesting," Lock murmured. "A setup."
Through the Nine-Tails' malice perception, he sensed over a dozen hostile presences hiding in the darkness.
They were slowly moving toward the corridor entrance behind him.
Understanding their intent, Lock played along and approached Sasuke and Sakura.
Inside his mind, Naruto shouted anxiously for him to check on them.
Just as Lock crouched—
The hidden figures burst out.
"INTRUDER!"
"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is attacking!"
The masked ANBU shouted loud enough for the entire base to hear before fleeing down the corridor.
"Just as expected," Lock said calmly. "Frame me… then use my hands to suppress Danzo."
He ignored their escape.
The exit above had already collapsed earlier. No one would be leaving quickly.
Moments later, Root shinobi flooded into the plaza, surrounding him after seeing their fallen comrades.
Lock cracked his neck.
He knocked the ANBU prisoner unconscious with a flick of his fox tail and tossed him aside.
A bloodthirsty smile appeared.
"ANBU. Root."
"I'll start collecting interest now."
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Swish—!
Nearly a hundred shadow clones wrapped in golden-red Nine-Tails chakra appeared instantly.
They split into two groups.
One rushed toward the blocked corridor.
The other charged directly into the incoming Root forces.
The massacre began.
"Earth Release—Agh!!"
"Wind Release—!"
Most Root shinobi died before even completing hand seals.
Chakra fox tails sliced through bodies effortlessly.
Even completed techniques failed to land against clones possessing Kage-level taijutsu.
Soon, the plaza was drenched in blood and littered with corpses.
"Boring," Lock muttered, sitting casually atop a fox tail like a chair.
"All Chunin. Not a single Jonin or Special Jonin."
Inside the mental space, Naruto raged nonstop, begging him to stop.
But Sasuke and Sakura were still unconscious.
Naruto didn't dare seize control and risk endangering them.
He could only continue attacking Lock with relentless persuasion.
Lock ignored him.
Then—
"Ninjutsu: Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"
"Roar!"
"Screech!"
An ink tiger and giant eagle burst from the side, smashing a nearby shadow clone before continuing toward Lock.
"Oh?" Lock's eyes brightened slightly. "Sai already has Jonin-level attack power?"
Only attacks at that level could destroy his chakra clones.
"A young Jonin… Danzo will be heartbroken."
As he spoke, a fox tail stabbed into the darkness.
"Found you."
Swish!
Sai's body was pierced through the heart—
—and instantly dissolved into ink.
A decoy.
Voices rang out immediately.
"Now! The Ink Mist won't hide us long!"
"Secret Technique: Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"
"Secret Technique: Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
"Secret Technique: Partial Multi-Size Jutsu!"
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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