Chapter 65: Path Forward

Extra Chapter~

Half a month had quickly passed.

The battle within the vast forests outside the capital of the Land of Fire had stirred up quite a commotion.

But that event had little to do with Kiyoshi and his companions, who continued their journey across the shinobi world.

Along the way, after receiving reports about the incident, Hiruzen, suspecting that Tsunade might have been involved, sent Anbu operatives to investigate. 

Tsunade, however, dismissed them outright.

And so, the matter was quietly laid to rest.

---

A vibrant green forest.

In the center of a small clearing, Kiyoshi held a blue chakra sphere in the palm of his hand.

Countless strands of chakra whirled wildly, intertwining in chaotic patterns.

He pressed the sphere directly against the tree trunk before him, and at a visible speed, it drilled straight into the wood.

The entire tree groaned and toppled over.

"I only explained to you a bit about Minato's ideas when he was creating the Rasengan, and yet you've already mastered it?"

Watching this scene, Tsunade was at a loss for words.

The Fourth Hokage had spent three years developing the Rasengan, an A-rank jutsu with no hand signs.

But Kiyoshi had just mastered it effortlessly.

Not to mention, Tsunade herself had never actually learned the Rasengan.

She had merely brought it up during a discussion about ninjutsu with Kiyoshi, mentioning the unique jutsu Minato had created.

Yet right before her and Shizune's eyes, after only a few simple tries, Kiyoshi had recreated it successfully.

"Incredible! This is an A-rank jutsu that took the Fourth Hokage years to develop!" Shizune couldn't help but marvel.

She had already regarded her junior's talents as extraordinary, but she realized now she had still underestimated him.

The truly remarkable part was that Tsunade herself barely understood the Rasengan; she had only conveyed its basic concept to Kiyoshi.

And yet Kiyoshi had mastered it effortlessly.

It was almost hard to believe.

"It may seem complicated at first but when you understand the fundamentals it becomes a little easier to use," Kiyoshi dispersed the Rasengan in his hand and said lightly.

"It's just a matter of concentrating chakra into the palm, making it spin in various directions while compressing it to create a high-density chakra sphere, right?"

He had already studied the Rasengan extensively.

With his precise chakra control, he hadn't even needed to train with water balloons or rubber balls; he had just mastered it right away.

Today, he simply wanted Tsunade and the others to see it firsthand.

"With my chakra control, achieving this is almost too easy."

As he spoke, Kiyoshi raised his hands, and his ten fingers transformed into twisting vines. "Like this."

In the stunned eyes of Tsunade and Shizune, each vine's tip formed a brilliant blue chakra sphere, all spinning and compressing at high speed.

The sight was awe-inspiring.

---

Meanwhile, back in Konoha.

Inside a hidden underground base.

"Lord Danzo, you've finally woken up."

A group of medical-nin and Root members watching over him couldn't contain their relief as they saw Danzo regain consciousness.

"How long was I out?" Danzo's gaze was empty, his head heavy and his body numb and weak.

"Nearly half a month!" responded a Root shinobi at the front.

"Your arm has been reattached… but upon close examination, we found that, aside from your external injuries, your mind seems to have sustained some serious damage, which kept you in a coma. 

What exactly happened out there?"

Another Root member, reporting the situation, couldn't help but ask, "Could Lady Tsunade's strength really be that terrifying?"

"Tsunade?"

Danzo raised an eyebrow, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.

That woman was no real threat to him.

Before he had lost consciousness, Kiyoshi had implanted certain commands in him..

So Danzo saw no reason to elaborate. He merely replied calmly, "That woman is indeed powerful.As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, I underestimated her…"

"Recall all our men. From today, there's no need to monitor Tsunade and her group anymore."

"Yes, Lord Danzo."

Despite their curiosity, none dared to question Danzo's orders.

"You're all dismissed. I need some time alone."

Gazing at the white ceiling, Danzo's voice was calm.

"Yes, Danzo-sama."

The medical ninjas and Root members looked at each other but chose to obey.

---

The room emptied.

"Was I… truly wrong?"

Danzo's eyes darkened as he muttered to himself, "Hiruzen… Was I really inferior to you?"

It wasn't only due to Kotoamatsukami's influence.

In the world of Tsukuyomi, the unbearable memories had driven him to a mental collapse.

And in the aftermath, he began questioning himself, examining his past actions and convictions.

That usual, stifling aura of darkness had dissipated.

Though he had once been broken, stripped of his sharpness, and weighed down by an air of old age and defeat, something was different now.

Oddly enough, he no longer seemed as defeated as before.

"Perhaps… Perhaps I was wrong. But the gradual decay of Konoha over the years—wasn't that due in part to Hiruzen's softness and his lack of resolve."

---

"Hiruzen, you've aged… and you're no longer worthy of the title of Hokage."

Glancing at his reattached left arm, Danzo clenched his fist, his gaze growing resolute.

It was as if, from the depths of endless darkness, a sudden glimmer of light had appeared, illuminating a path forward, leaving no room for hesitation.

A fervent, intense expression filled his eyes. "Let these old roots burn bright and add some heat to the eternal flames of Konoha!"

"Lord Kiyoshi… I believe you are the one capable of transforming the shinobi world."

An aging, weakened Hiruzen was no longer fit to lead Konoha.

Danzo's task now was to prepare the way and clear all obstacles for the man who would one day return.

Kotoamatsukami could indeed forcibly alter someone's will.

But, technically, it didn't directly change someone's personality.

Kiyoshi had merely commanded Danzo to be loyal to him, without specifying Danzo's exact course of action.

In Danzo's mind, his old ideals might have been flawed.

But he still believed that the timid and feeble Hiruzen was never a worthy leader for Konoha.

Konoha needed a younger, stronger, and more capable leader to guide them into the future.

To end the endless turmoil, and to bring true peace to the shinobi world.

To usher it in a new era.

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