Chapter 8

Inside of the Land of Fire, two old men walked slowly throughout the land, with both of them walking with such silence that even the most sensitive of animals would be unable to detect a trace of their footsteps.

These two were individuals that have lived through all three Shinobi World Wars, with them seeing the loss of friends, the destruction of other Villages, and even the fall of opposing Nations.

Yet right now, they seemed to be no more than merely old travelers, with them each not possessing the same menacing aura that most Shinobi give off due to them not being engaged in a fight.

Yet that did not mean that the two were not alarmed, as they each had such heightened senses that even an ant crawling along the floor would alert them.

"Do you think she will even return with us if threatened with the fact that she could become a Missing Nin?" Hiruzen asked Danzo as the two continued on their path.

"It will likely infuriate her. But it does not matter. The Financial investments that we made after the end of the war are finally bringing about some returns, and that itself is making an issue. No nation wants to see Konoha become any stronger than it already is. And with that much surplus of income, we would be able to greatly strengthen our forces in terms of equipment, rations, and resources when going on missions.

Iwa has begun using foreign parties to enact more dangerous missions for them, while Suna seems as ambitious as ever, even with our alliance. Thankfully Kiri is busy destroying itself, though I have begun sending my forces in to make contact with members of the Kekkei Genkai Clans, with my hope being to recruit some of them to Konoha and give the asylum." Danzo told his old friend.

"I see that you didn't talk about Kumo. Why is that? Are you still wary of their intentions?" Hiruzen asked as he smoked his pipe.

"I will always be wary of their intentions. That is what my job is. But I am primarily cautious against them because we have no major proof on what they might be planning. They could be conceiving an invasion plan, and we would not know of it until the day it arrived." Danzo said, his expression changing slightly as he thought of something.

"There are few Clans with peculiar abilities that I rediscovered recently, and I'm hoping to integrate them into the Village so that they can become Shinobi. Do you think that Minato would have an issue with a decision like that?" Danzo asked his old friend.

Two years ago, his plan to nurture new talents led him to think about Clans with abilities that could be major assets to Konoha, with him inevitably finding the Iburi Clan, the Chinoike Clan, and the Izari Clan.

He remembered the Iburi Clan due to their unique ability to transform their bodies into smoke, and while the ability was not a fully combat-oriented one, he felt that if trained properly, they could become Shinobi of an extremely high caliber, as the ability seemed similar to the Hozuki Clan's in Kirigakure.

If brought into Konoha, the abilities could definitely bring an increase in the overall strength of the Village.

"I doubt that he would purposely prevent you from anyone else joining the Village, as long as they go through all the legal processes and demonstrate the proper requirements for joining the Village." Hiruzen said as he glanced at Danzo.

His old friend's behavior had morphed a few years prior, and for some reason, it brought him both a sense of relief and a sense of confusion.

These past few years, he was able to casually and easily discuss topics with Danzo as if he were no longer the psuedo-enemy that he had grown accustomed to. 

But, this also leads to a major question for Hiruzen.

What facilitated this change? 

Did Danzo just randomly decide to change the way he approached and went about certain agenda? That simple factor alone was the one thing that stopped Hiruzen from being able to restore their relationship to the full state that it was at in their youth. While it had improved vastly to how it was, this new state was weird in regard to their friendship.

"Well, if it isn't the Third Hokage and his Shadow. What an interesting coincidence."

Danzo and Hiruzen immediately went back to back, with the surrounding ANBU and ROOT Shinobi guarding them as a swirl appeared in front of them.

They looked at the masked man, with both Danzo and Hiruzen being cautious about dealing with him.

'It seems we need to increase the barrier around the Village. If Zetsu can know that we were embarking on this mission, it's likely to say that all of Konoha's missions may be compromised.' Danzo thought.

The ANBU and ROOT agents were about to attack, yet Danzo and Hiruzen both held their hands up, signaling for them to fall back.

"He is on a different level than anything that you can handle. Fall back and only intervene in a fatal situation or if we tell you to." Hiruzen said as he removed his clothing to reveal his battle attire.

Danzo simply removed his blade from the wood, with him looking at Obito with a serious gaze.

'He will likely be far more on guard than he was last time. If I want to eliminate him for good, it will take me using some of my newer techniques aswell.' Danzo thought.

Hiruzen immediately summoned Monkey King Enma, with him transforming into his staff form upon seeing the enemy.

Hiruzen tightened his grip on his staff, his eyes narrowing. "I have no idea what your intentions are, but you have already designated yourself as an enemy of Konoha. Prepare yourself!"

Danzo, with his bandaged arm and stern expression, nodded in agreement. "You've meddled in our village's affairs for long enough, Uchiha. This ends now."

"I more than welcome you to try. But I truly hate to have to bully the elderly." Obito said, with sole eye shining in it's crimson color.

With a burst of speed, Hiruzen launched himself forward, swinging his staff with precision. Obito, however, was ready. He phased through the attack effortlessly, his body becoming intangible.

Danzo, capitalizing on the opening, unleashed a flurry of kunai from his sleeves, each one imbued with a lethal poison that was created through the merger of poisons from Sunagakure and his own creations. They passed through Obito harmlessly, embedding themselves in the trees behind him.

Obito chuckled darkly. "Is that all you've got?"

But Hiruzen and Danzo were far from finished. Hiruzen weaved a series of hand signs rapidly, and with a deep breath, he exhaled a massive torrent of fire.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!!"

The searing flames roared towards Obito, illuminating the forest with their intensity. Obito activated his Kamui, allowing the flames to pass through him without harm.

"Danzo, now!" Hiruzen shouted.

Danzo's visible eye gleamed with determination as he unleashed a Jutsu of his own.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!!!!"

Blades of compressed air shot toward Obito, slicing through the trees and ground with ease. Obito dodged with fluid movements, but the coordinated assault from the two seasoned warriors was relentless.

"Allow me to show you how to properly use Fire Release." Obito spoke, his arrogance evident in his tone as he then countered with a Jutsu of his own.

"Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!!!"

The Jutsu erupted, sending a spiraling inferno toward Hiruzen and Danzo. Hiruzen raised his staff, creating an earthen barrier to absorb the impact. The ground trembled as the flames collided with the barrier, sending shockwaves through the forest.

"Incredible!!" One of the ANBU agents mumbled in awe at the power of the Jutsu's being used, as none of them felt that they could directly survive one of the attacks. The ROOT agents remained silent, though they also agreed with the sentiment.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Danzo activated his Light Chakra Mode, a technique created to augment his speed to the greatest degree possible.

The sheer speed made him almost instantaneously appear behind Obito, allowing him to appear directly behind Obito. With a swift motion, Danzo attempted to strike Obito's back with a kunai, but Obito's Sharingan predicted the move. He twisted and phased, rendering the attack useless.

Obito retaliated by summoning a barrage of shuriken from his Kamui dimension. The projectiles whizzed through the air, forcing Hiruzen and Danzo to evade with agility. Hiruzen, not missing a beat, summoned Enma, the Monkey King, in his staff form.

"Enma, extend!" Hiruzen commanded.

The staff elongated rapidly, smashing into Obito's position with tremendous force. Obito phased again, but Enma's reach and Hiruzen's mastery of the weapon kept him on the defensive. Danzo took the opportunity to unleash a powerful powerful attack.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!!!"

The attack blasted forward, creating a vortex of wind that sucked in debris and shrapnel, making it harder for Obito to maneuver.

Breathing heavily, Obito's frustration was evident. "You're more persistent than I expected."

Danzo smirked, his voice cold. "We've faced greater threats than you, Uchiha."

'He's strong, yet it does not seem like he is as powerful as he would be in the future. Perhaps his skill in using Kamui is still not on that level, but he would still be a dangerous opponent for anyone who did not understand his ability.' Danzo thought.

Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "Together, we are an unstoppable force. Surrender now, and we may show you a shred of mercy."

Obito's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "Mercy? From the likes of you? I don't even think you are capable of it."

With a glare Obito activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, the space around him distorting. The forest trembled as he prepared to unleash his most devastating technique that he developed through the use of his Mangekyo, Kamui's Dimension Warping.

The technique was created after Obito faced the power of Danzo's Fairy Law, with him using his eye to destabilize multiple points in space around him, leading to powerful shockwaves due to the destruction.

"Danzo, we must end this now," Hiruzen said urgently.

"Agreed," Danzo replied, his eye flickering with the desire to eliminate Obito for good.

Together, they launched one final, coordinated assault. Hiruzen summoned his immense chakra reserves, forming countless shadow clones to swarm Obito from all directions. 

Danzo, on the other hand, gathered a vast amount of Light Chakra into his palm, with him then imbueing the ball with Wind and Fire Chakra, after which he blasted it at Obito.

Caught off guard by the sheer number of attacks by Hiruzen and the potency of Danzo's, Obito struggled to phase through them all. The combined might of Hiruzen's clones and Danzo's devastating Jutsu overwhelmed him. With a final, desperate effort, Obito activated his Kamui, warping himself away to safety just as the attacks converged on his position.

Danzo and Hiruzen were about to continue the assault, yet in the distance, they could see smoke rising.

"Looks like my job is done." Obito said as he stood on a tree, with him warping away.

Danzo and Hiruzen immediately blasted towards the location of the smoke, their speed making them seem reminiscent of a blur.

'What was his purpose?' Danzo questioned to himself.

The two quickly arrived at the town where Tsunade was last sighted, yet instead of the bustling streets that it was known for, the town instead seemed like a wasteland. Destroyed homes, broken houses, and dead bodies adorned the town.

"Hiruzen, over there," Danzo said as he detected a powerful Chakra signature, pointing towards a figure kneeling in the center of the square.

Hiruzen's heart sank as he recognized the blonde hair and familiar attire of his daughter in all but blood, Tsunade Senju. She was cradling a limp body in her arms, her shoulders trembling with silent sobs.

Her Chakra swirled around her, destroying the ground and making the atmosphere even more heavy than it was.

Danzo stayed back and allowed his old friend to attempt to comfort his daughter.

As Hiruzen drew closer, the identity of the lifeless figure became painfully clear: Shizune, Tsunade's apprentice and surrogate daughter. The one anchor that she still possessed in this life.

"Tsunade..." Hiruzen whispered, his voice filled with sorrow.

Tsunade looked up, her eyes red and swollen from crying. The pain and anger in her gaze were palpable as the Chakra around her swirled even faster, the Nature Energy in it making it difficult for even Hiruzen to breathe. "Hiruzen-sensei..."

Hiruzen knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What happened here?"

Tsunade's voice was shaky, barely above a whisper. "We were attacked. A group of Shinobi. The majority of them had orange hair, while the other was a rouge Shinobi of Takigakure. They came so suddenly. W-We were no match for them. I fought against the Takigakure Shinobi and three of the ones with orange hair, but one of the others killed her while I was fighting.

I could only watch. I COULD ONLY WATCH AS THEY KILLED MY DAUGHTER!!!" 

Danzo felt Tsunade's Chakra, and for the first time, he felt completely overwhelmed.

While Orochimaru, Hiruzen, and even Jiraiya all possessed large Chakra Reserves, with he outclassing even them, he felt the near endless Chakra that Tsunade possessed from inside her Seal.

The Chakra felt familiar, as it reminded him of Sensei, yet it also felt as if it would crush him, as if it represented Nature's wrath.

Hiruzen's grip tightened on his staff, his own grief mixing with a rising sense of anger. "We will find whoever did this, Tsunade. I swear it."

Tsunade's hands trembled as she clutched Shizune's body closer. "She was all I had left... What am I supposed to do now?" Her last question seemed to be towards herself.

Hiruzen gently squeezed her shoulder, his voice filled with determination. "You still have us, Tsunade. I, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Kushina and even her child. We are your family. We will get through this together."

Hiruzen stood, helping Tsunade to her feet. "Let us take Shizune home. She deserves to rest in peace."

Tsunade only agreed because she knew it would be what the girl wanted, with her still holding her body and following behind the two elderly men, while Danzo continued wondering why Obito would make a move against Tsunade.