Danzo returned to the Root base and immediately dove into studying the ninjutsu scrolls left behind by Tobirama Senju. It took considerable effort, and by the time dusk approached, he'd only grasped the basics.
After wasting time skimming through forbidden techniques and abandoning them, he realized not all of them were suitable for training. Fortunately, he had other gains; Tobirama's breakdowns of chakra composition caused Danzo's understanding to surge explosively.
He managed not only to learn one-handed hand seals but also decided to try the Rasengan, a technique that Minato Namikaze would one day develop. Pushing aside the scroll, he sat back in his wooden chair, extended his left hand, and concentrated. A chakra sphere began to condense in his palm.
"Maintain the rotation, then gradually increase chakra supply…"
The blue sphere grew, and under Danzo's control, the wild chakra stabilized, finally reaching a steady state.
"Splendid. So this is the Rasengan, huh?"
Sensing the intense energy within the chakra sphere, Danzo managed to replicate a technique that had taken Minato three years to develop—all thanks to his extensive anime knowledge and Tobirama's chakra analysis. Not learning it under these circumstances would be strange.
"Let's try adding a chakra nature transformation…"
As he infused it with wind chakra, transparent rotating blades emerged around the Rasengan, accompanied by a sharp hum. Gradually, it began to take on the form of Naruto Uzumaki's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Suppressing the urge to throw it, Danzo carefully retracted the chakra back into his body. He could feel it—the technique he'd just created was a fully formed, ready-to-throw Rasenshuriken.
"No wonder that brat loves playing with this. It's even more terrifying than I expected, with immense destructive potential and high limits!"
Suddenly, he remembered the Rasengan variant called Rasengan Ring he'd seen in the alternate universe of the limited Tsukuyomi. There was another variation, the Great Rasengan Ring, that could rival even Almighty Push in power. It seemed to follow a similar principle to the Rasengan, though with a black appearance. Could it be due to the addition of Yin chakra?
Coincidentally, he also possessed Yin chakra. Eager to experiment, Danzo extended his left hand and created a miniature Rasengan, then infused it with Yin chakra.
*Pop.*
A sharp pain shot through his hand as the Rasengan burst in an instant. He wasn't surprised—after all, Wind Release was his forte, not Yin Release. His success with the Wind Release Rasengan was due to this body's natural affinity, but Yin chakra… that was the specialty of the Nara clan.
Ignoring the sting in his hand, Danzo resolved to continue practicing for the sake of reaching the finale and becoming unstoppable in the ninja world. Compared to jabbing a kunai at Susanoo, this technique was far more effective.
A day later, after successfully creating a pea-sized Rasengan Ring, he had his left hand wrapped in bandages. Fortunately, the medical ninjas in Root were skilled enough; otherwise, he'd have to consider replacing his left hand. (His right eye and arm were still disguised—Danzo had long set his sights on the Uchiha clan.)
…
In the Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage scowled as he read the intelligence report in his hands.
Hanzo had actually led his forces into the Land of Wind! Until now, they'd been bolstering their forces along the Fire Country border, which led Sunagakure to believe their next move would be an attack on Konoha. Consequently, the village's elite were dispatched to reinforce the Fire Country defenses.
But now… tch.
Grinding his teeth, the Third Kazekage was furious but helpless. At this point, there was no point in lamenting—he needed to recall the forces stationed in the River Country, who had been planning to exploit any weaknesses in Konoha.
"Send for the two elder advisors," he ordered.
With Konoha's situation uncertain, he couldn't afford to act rashly and had to rely on their counsel.
Meanwhile, Mitokado Homura, who was rushing to the front line, received a message from an ANBU agent sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi. After reading the message, he remained silent for a moment.
"Tell Hiruzen I understand."
As the ANBU agent left, Homura called over a nearby jonin.
"Inform Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to meet me here for a briefing."
The jonin immediately set off to deliver the order.
"Everyone, halt and take a short rest!"
"What? You're saying Hanzo himself launched a surprise attack on Sunagakure?" Tsunade speculated, sensing that something must have gone wrong at the front line.
"I see. A feint—a diversion, then?" Orochimaru muttered coolly, stroking his chin in thought.
Jiraiya, for his part, simply kept silent. Though he could fight, strategy was not his strength; he wisely let others take the lead.
"The message came from your sensei via ANBU, so it's reliable," Homura said. "But it's possible that Hanzo set up a trap to lull us into a false sense of security."
Pulling out a map, he indicated their current location and looked toward Tsunade.
"We're here, one day's journey from the Land of Rain."
"Border patrols report that Rain shinobi are still causing trouble along the borders."
"In recent days, we've lost fifteen chunin and twenty-three genin."
Before departure, Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken Homura aside, urging him to nurture Tsunade's leadership. While Jiraiya and Orochimaru were formidable fighters, only Tsunade possessed true strategic insight.
"Tsunade, as the deputy commander, what's your assessment?"
Though he secretly preferred not to see another Senju in the Hokage's chair, most Senju had integrated into the upper echelons of the Fire Country, and those left in the village were no longer a threat. Besides, as Hiruzen's student, Tsunade bore the unmistakable mark of the Third Hokage's legacy.
"Very well, show me what you're capable of," he mused internally.
Tsunade, oblivious to his thoughts, answered directly.
"I believe we should continue to the front line as planned and proactively engage, testing their defenses."
"Regardless of whether Hanzo is in Sunagakure, we must eliminate the Rain shinobi on the border."
"If Hanzo isn't there, we'll wipe out all the enemy ninjas and secure the border."
"Hmm. So she's got a cautious side to her," Homura thought, nodding with satisfaction. Tsunade's plan aligned with his own.
With Konoha's strength and Amegakure's vulnerability, wiping out their forces would undermine Rain's war potential at its core. No matter how powerful Hanzo was, he couldn't single-handedly face thousands of Konoha shinobi.
After formally checking with the other two, Orochimaru spoke up.
"I have no objections. Jiraiya, I assume you don't, either?"
Jiraiya nodded. "If Tsunade's behind it, then I'm in."
"Excellent. Let's follow Tsunade's plan," Homura concluded, pleased with their cooperation.