After receiving the Sand Shinobi's request for negotiations, Yuichi immediately ordered Flying Eagle to carry the scroll back to Konoha.
But choosing to deliver Sand's scroll through a messenger eagle was a questionable decision.
The eagle carrying the scroll reached Konoha's skies—only to be struck down by a kunai before it could land.
Root Headquarters.
Danzo was poring over a stack of files. He had always believed in forging an iron-blooded Konoha, but in his mind, even that harshness was for the village's sake. With the Hokage's seat vacant, countless matters demanded his attention.
Though Konoha was only one shinobi village, its ninja operated across the vast Land of Fire. Missions had to be coordinated, and intelligence from spies in other villages required immediate response.
With the Third Hokage dead, Danzo's workload had doubled.
Busy though he was, it was clear that even if his philosophy differed from the Hokage's, his goal was the same—he wanted Konoha to grow stronger.
A knock came at the door.
"Come in," Danzo said.
A Root shinobi entered, setting the intercepted scroll on Danzo's desk.
Danzo's single visible eye flickered toward it. "What is this?"
"It's a scroll from Sunagakure."
A scroll from Sand… it could only mean war or peace.
Danzo slowly unsealed it. The contents surprised him—Sand's words were humble, almost pleading. They sought Konoha's forgiveness and were willing to pay a steep price for it.
Danzo had expected Sunagakure to resist longer before bowing its head. Clearly, instability plagued the village. Perhaps some hidden crisis was forcing their hand.
But…
He set the scroll aside and stood, pacing a few steps. His expression darkened as his mind turned over countless calculations.
"Konoha needs a hero," he muttered under his breath.
Turning, his gaze fixed on the Root operative.
"Send word to Sunagakure. Tell them to dispatch an official delegation to Konoha immediately to re-sign the treaty. And… leak certain rumors inside their village."
The Root shinobi stiffened, his masked face paling.
Why would Lord Danzo do such a thing? Wouldn't this put Konoha at risk…?
The cold wind swept through the forest, then across the Gobi, and into the endless desert.
Moonlight faded, days turned, and soon the sun and moon had already traded places twice.
In a bustling town near the Land of Fire's border, Yuichi and Naruto arrived at a noisy casino.
Naruto wrinkled his nose at the crowd. "This place stinks."
"Wait here," Yuichi told him. "I won't be long."
"Fine, just hurry up."
Yuichi slipped into a private room at the back. A moment later, a heavy crash shook the building. The gamblers froze, glancing toward the source.
The door swung open, and Yuichi stepped out casually.
Inside, the casino boss and the two rogue shinobi he had hired lay stuffed in a crate, beaten black and blue.
"Alright," Yuichi said to Naruto as he rejoined him, "I found our target."
Without fanfare, he led Naruto out of the casino and toward the town's edge.
As they walked, Naruto struggled to burst the swirling water sphere in his hand—Rasengan training, already at stage two.
Meanwhile, Yuichi traced their route on the map.
At this pace, we should reach Tsunade's location in a day… If it were just me, an hour would be enough. But I need to give Naruto time. He has to master Rasengan quickly. And I can't waste chances to deepen my Wood Style proficiency.
They had been away from Konoha for three days. Yuichi's Wood Style inheritance had climbed to nearly fifty percent.
[Wood Style: 49.3% — Second Stage Inheritance]
Just 0.7% more to reach the halfway point.
Tsunade will still be drowning in debts tomorrow. One day's delay won't matter.
The journey continued slowly. Each step nudged his Wood Style proficiency higher, the system interface pulsing in the back of his mind.
Behind him, Naruto gritted his teeth, sweat dripping as he pushed his Rasengan practice.
Suddenly, Yuichi stopped.
Naruto nearly crashed into him. "Hey, what's—"
Before he could finish, Yuichi vanished and reappeared behind him. A sharp chop to the neck knocked Naruto unconscious. Vines erupted, binding his body, and dragged him gently into the ground.
A Wood Style clone emerged, nodded at Yuichi, and vanished into the earth with Naruto.
The forest ahead rustled.
A shadow burst from the trees, blocking Yuichi's path.
Black cloak. Red clouds.
The Akatsuki.
The man's torn Mist forehead protector revealed a grotesque face marked with gill-like slits.
Hoshigaki Kisame.
So it's him.
In the original timeline, he and Itachi had tried to capture the Nine-Tails after Konoha's collapse. But with Jiraiya protecting Naruto, they'd been forced to retreat.
Now, however…
Yuichi's eyes gleamed coldly. This was no stalemate. This was prey delivered straight to him.
"Huh? Just a brat?" Kisame sneered, surprised that the boy before him showed no fear.
That alone told him the truth.
"You're a shinobi, aren't you?"
Yuichi said nothing.
Kisame grinned. "A ninja kid, huh? Then which village are you from? Could it be… Konoha?"
"Yes," Yuichi answered flatly.
Kisame's grin widened. A Konoha genin wandering without a squad? Lucky indeed.
"So where's your team? Your jonin leader?"
"I'm not going to answer your questions."
"Oh?" Kisame chuckled darkly. "You should. Otherwise, kid, this won't end well…"