Night fell.
Inside a dim cave somewhere within the Land of Fire—
Sarutobi Hiruzen bent forward and spat out a mouthful of dark blood.
"Wah—"
The moment the clotted blood left his body, his breathing eased noticeably.
"Third Hokage-sama… are you alright?"
Tenzo stood nearby, still masked, worry flickering in his eyes.
"I'm fine. Getting the stagnant blood out helps."
Hiruzen waved weakly and leaned back against the cave wall.
But the truth?
He had not "withdrawn unscathed" during the day.
He had taken eight or nine solid blows from Kakuzu—each enhanced with ninjutsu.
Three broken ribs.
Cracks in his forearm and skull.
Internal organ damage.
He had forced himself forward on willpower alone.
Now that he'd relaxed—
His whole body felt like it had been taken apart and poorly reassembled.
The Silence Between Them
After a while, Hiruzen spoke.
"We're close to Konoha. The Cloud ninja haven't shown themselves for some time. They've probably given up pursuit."
Tenzo didn't answer.
He didn't know how to.
He had gone there as an accomplice.
He had become the target.
The man he was meant to help assassinate had saved him.
Where was he supposed to stand now?
Hiruzen chuckled faintly.
"You don't know what to do next. Or how to face Shimura Danzo, do you?"
Tenzo froze.
Hiruzen had seen straight through him.
The Old Man Connects the Dots
"Wondering how I figured out you were Danzo's man?"
Hiruzen smiled tiredly.
"It wasn't difficult."
"Wood Release belonged exclusively to Senju Hashirama. Even across thousands of years of the Senju clan, no second bearer emerged."
"To recreate it, you'd need his cells."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"Wood Release experiments began under Senju Tobirama. I supported them once."
"They were stopped. Too many deaths. Too little result."
"Later, I learned Danzo and Orochimaru restarted the experiments. Sixty test subjects—all supposedly dead."
His gaze sharpened.
"Seems that report wasn't entirely accurate."
Tenzo stayed silent.
That was confirmation enough.
Not Like the Others
"You're different from Root."
Hiruzen observed him carefully.
"You lack their coldness."
He wasn't wrong.
Tenzo had not been trained like ordinary Root operatives.
He was the sole survivor of a deadly experiment.
The only living wielder of Wood Release.
Danzo could not afford to grind him down the way he did disposable orphans.
His training had been harsh—
But not dehumanizing.
He had rarely been sent on missions.
He had been hidden.
Preserved.
A Choice
"You're confused because you know what Danzo will do next."
Hiruzen's voice lowered.
"This mission failed."
"And it was the assassination of a Hokage."
"To erase traces—he'll silence you."
Tenzo's fingers tightened.
He knew that was true.
"If you want to live," Hiruzen continued, "you cannot return to Root."
"And you'll need a powerful backer."
He lifted his head.
"Join the ANBU."
"You don't belong in Root."
"I'll handle Danzo."
Hatred and Calculation
Tenzo hesitated.
"Third Hokage… you don't hate me?"
"I helped ambush you."
Hiruzen's eyes darkened for just a moment.
"My son and daughter-in-law died there."
A pause.
"Of course I feel anger."
"But anger must be aimed correctly."
"Kakuzu was paid muscle."
"The Cloud acted for national gain."
"You acted under orders."
"That's different."
"You're still Konoha's ninja."
"And today, your Wood Release saved my life."
That was true.
But not the whole truth.
Wood Release was more than power.
It was legacy.
It symbolized the First Hokage.
Symbolized unity.
Symbolized Konoha's foundation.
Tenzo wasn't just useful.
He was symbolic capital.
If guided properly—
He could become something much larger.
Hiruzen saw value.
And Hiruzen never wasted value.
Acceptance
After a long silence—
Tenzo nodded.
He accepted.
Hiruzen's eyes brightened faintly.
Then he asked the question he truly wanted answered:
"Tell me Danzo's full plan."
If used well—
Tenzo could become a blade pointed at Danzo's throat.
But Tenzo shook his head.
He pointed at his mouth.
"I can't."
Danzo had placed a seal.
Tenzo stuck out his tongue.
A cursed marking glowed faintly upon it.
"Tongue-Sealing Curse…?"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
The Cursed Seal of the Eradicated Tongue.
Classic Root control method.
Troublesome.
But not impossible.
Hiruzen leaned back against the cave wall again.
The night outside was quiet.
Very quiet.
Too quiet for this to be over.
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