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"Snort!"
Danzo couldn't help but snort coldly as he turned to the Third Hokage, displeased. "Isn't all this your fault? If you had just let me control and brainwash that kid from the beginning, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
Danzo was fuming with regret.
Why had he been so obedient before? If Hiruzen had disagreed, so what? Would he really have failed to kidnap the boy?
Of course, he understood—Ren Takashi was the Uchiha clan leader's son. Any rash move would've triggered massive unrest, possibly civil war.
But still... now? Things were worse.
He could already see it. If they continued to let Ren Takashi grow unchecked, within a few years, he would become an uncontrollable threat.
"No. We still have to find a way to kill that little brat," Danzo thought viciously.
Then an idea sparked.
"Maybe we can leak the details about the 'glorious feat' of him rescuing the Uzumaki clan with group Flying Thunder God teleportation. Let Cloud, Mist, and Rock know."
That would stir things up. Those villages had been thoroughly humiliated in the Whirlpool campaign. If they learned a single kid was behind their failure, they'd go mad—and want blood.
The Third Hokage's face darkened.
Koharu caught on immediately and glared. "Don't say that again, Danzo! Hiruzen didn't expect that boy to become such a terrifying problem so quickly!"
"Besides," she added, "even if Hiruzen had agreed, do you honestly think the Uchiha clan would have just handed their clan head's son to you?"
Danzo scoffed. "Do they dare not to?"
"Why wouldn't they?" she snapped. "Do you think Uchiha is like the Hyuga clan? Nobuhiko is no coward. Just because he helped suppress the past rebellion doesn't mean he's weak."
"He used the incident to purge radicals in Uchiha and consolidate internal power. That's the only reason he cooperated."
Mitokado Homura chimed in, frowning. "Honestly, Danzo, you've gone too far these years. Forcibly trying to seize the Uchiha heir for brainwashing? That's delusional."
He folded his arms. "You've already alienated Ino–Shika–Chō. They were the Sarutobi clan's longtime allies, and even they've started leaning toward Uchiha."
"That's because you keep pressuring them for their talented youths. You're pushing people away!"
Danzo's face reddened with suppressed rage. He wanted to argue but couldn't deny it. It was all true.
But admitting it? Never.
What's the big deal about taking a few kids for Root? Besides, hadn't he taken enough blame for Hiruzen over the years?
"Snort!"
He turned on his heel. "Say what you want. I'm leaving."
The others exchanged weary glances and sighed as he stormed off. Dealing with Danzo's temper was exhausting.
Meanwhile...
A day earlier, Cloud, Mist, and Rock shinobi had scoured the ruins of Whirlpool Country.
But they found nothing.
No significant survivors. No treasures. No sealing scrolls. Just ruins.
They gave up and retreated with disappointment and suspicion.
Then came shocking news from Konoha: the entire surviving Uzumaki clan had been teleported to safety via a group Flying Thunder God Technique, deployed by none other than Ren Takashi.
"Damn it!" Raikage smashed the table. "So that's what happened! I knew something was off!"
"We had Uzumaki surrounded. Traps laid at every tunnel exit. There were still people inside the palace putting up resistance!"
"And yet… nothing. Not a trace. They vanished?"
"A single kid under six, using space-time ninjutsu, transported thousands of people more than a thousand kilometers back to Konoha? How is that possible?!"
Verification after verification rolled in.
Danzo's leaks, laced with exaggerations, ensured the story spread.
All the major villages, even Sand—who hadn't participated in the invasion—suddenly had one thing in common: fear of Ren Takashi.
And one goal: kill him.
Within days, he was given a 400 million ryo bounty in the black market—100 million from each of the four great ninja villages.
It was the highest bounty in ninja world history.
If this were the pirate world, he'd be a legendary captain by now.
Not only that—Cloud, Mist, and Rock sent secret orders to their spies in Konoha: infiltrate, and if possible, steal the secrets of the upgraded Flying Thunder God Technique.
Cloud Shinobi Village
Third Raikage slammed a scroll on the table. "Xi! Doesn't this group teleportation technique resemble our Tensō no Jutsu?"
Xi frowned. "In theory, yes. But our Tensō is inefficient. Too high in chakra cost, too rough in transport—it's more like an emergency escape jutsu."
"If we could optimize it, reduce its strain—maybe... maybe we could create our version of mass teleportation."
"Exactly," the Raikage said, eyes gleaming. "But we lack the talent."
Xi nodded. "Unless... we had someone like Ren Takashi."
The room fell silent.
Raikage smirked. "Well, what if we do something about that?"
"Wha—no!" Xi protested. "He's the son of the Uchiha head! If we try to capture or kill him, we'll have Konoha's full wrath!"
Raikage waved him off. "Don't you see? This information was fed to us. Deliberately. Someone in Konoha—Danzo, maybe even Hiruzen—wants us to act."
Xi blinked. "You think... they want us to assassinate him?"
The Raikage nodded. "Konoha is split. Hokage faction vs. ninja clans. Ren Takashi is clearly the clans' trump card. Sarutobi can't touch him directly—so they let us do the dirty work."
He leaned in. "This is our opportunity."
"While we're at it, let's grab a few Uzumaki as well—make Jinchūriki."
Xi gave a hesitant thumbs-up. "You're ruthless, Lord Raikage. But clever."
Raikage grinned. "Prepare a black ops team. Only elites. Stealth over power. We have one shot at this."
In the Shadows of the Mountain Cemetery
Uchiha Madara sat, pale and decaying, tubes connected to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path behind him.
Black Zetsu reported solemnly:
"Madara-sama, a genius has emerged from the Uchiha. A five-year-old boy named Ren Takashi."
"In six months, he has mastered high-level ninjutsu, taijutsu, medical arts, sealing techniques—and created nutritional pills and advanced metallurgy."
"Recently, he teleported thousands of Uzumaki with a mass Flying Thunder God technique."
Madara's eyes widened slightly.
"Five years old? That can't be natural. How did he learn Flying Thunder God? That's Second Hokage's technique."
Black Zetsu shrugged. "He became Tsunade's disciple, at Sarutobi Hiruzen's suggestion."
"Then, somehow, won over Uzumaki Mito and was taught Senju secrets, including sealing techniques."
"Eventually, he mastered Flying Thunder God himself."
Madara narrowed his eyes. "And yet Sarutobi still hates Uchiha."
"Perhaps they miscalculated."
"Perhaps... this Ren Takashi is a Kagami-like figure... or perhaps more dangerous."
Black Zetsu scowled. "He and Uzumaki Mito use barriers that block even my senses. I can't see what they're hiding... but I know it's significant."
Madara's expression darkened.
"Keep watching him."
"If he becomes a threat to the Eye of the Moon Plan—he must die."