Naruto: Starting with the Ōtsutsuki Bloodline

Chapter 95: Shimura Danzo, You Truly Deserve to Die!

Morning sunlight bathed the land.

What was once a bustling border town in the Land of Cedar now lay in ruins under the golden rays. Flames still raged in some corners, and broken beams and shattered walls littered the streets. The once-thriving town now resembled a scene straight from the depths of hell.

Fortunately, most of the residents and tourists had escaped serious harm.

But as they looked out over the wreckage of their town, their expressions were blank, stunned into silence.

"We're screwed."

In the nearby forest, Jiraiya stood with a grim expression, gazing at the devastated town. Then, glancing down at the unconscious Fourth Raikage—missing an arm—he let out a sigh of utter despair.

"Yeah... this is really bad."

Kakashi, his expression also stiff, nodded slowly. Tsunade, however, couldn't hold back any longer.

"You guys are insane! You completely destroyed an entire town, and look at the Raikage—he's in worse shape than if you'd just killed him outright!"

"If we killed him, the Fourth Great Ninja War would start immediately," Kakashi replied with a weary rub of his white hair. Kitagawa Gen simply nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. Too many people saw what happened. Killing him would spark an all-out war between the villages. But then again..."

He made a slicing gesture across his neck.

Tsunade was left speechless.

Wait—are you actually considering it?!

"Don't joke like that, Gen," Kakashi sighed, knowing him too well.

"We need to focus on what comes next."

"Yeah," Jiraiya muttered as he trudged over with a dejected look, avoiding any more glances at the burning wreckage behind him.

"So, what do we do with the Raikage now? Look at the state he's in."

That was a serious question. Jiraiya didn't dare take the Raikage back to Konoha.

Sure, bringing him in would boost the village's reputation and strike a blow to the morale of the Hidden Cloud.

But the Raikage was a symbol—the leader of a village. Capturing him wouldn't just cause trouble—it could lead to disaster.

Not to mention... Kitagawa Gen cut off his arm.

You couldn't exactly say you invited him over for tea after that.

"This is such a headache," Tsunade muttered. Frustrated as she was, she couldn't help but glance at Kitagawa Gen again.

"Still... this kid really is impressive."

The battle between Kitagawa Gen and the Fourth Raikage had left a deep impression on her.

White hair, a mastery of kenjutsu, and the Flying Thunder God Technique...

It was hard not to think of her Second Granduncle.

Konoha... had produced another prodigy.

"Anyway, let me treat his injuries first," Tsunade said, shaking her head and pushing her thoughts aside. Her curiosity about Gen could wait—there were more pressing matters now.

"Jiraiya, I already know why you came looking for me. That guy Orochimaru—he's with that 'Akatsuki' group, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Jiraiya nodded, glancing at Kakashi. After seeing him nod as well, he continued.

"I got some intel from Orochimaru. The situation's worse than we thought."

"How bad?"

"That Akatsuki group... they're far more dangerous than we imagined. Even Hanzō of the Salamander and Danzo lost to them."

"Hanzō? And Danzo?"

Tsunade's expression grew stern. Kitagawa Gen raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Wait, what did Orochimaru say exactly?

As Jiraiya recounted Orochimaru's words, Kitagawa Gen's eyes widened.

Orochimaru hadn't said a single outright lie—but when you strung all those half-truths together, they formed a narrative that was, frustratingly, mostly accurate.

"He even exposed some of Akatsuki's internal details—and Danzo's shady dealings... damn, this was a full-on sabotage!"

Gen clearly remembered the connections between Orochimaru and Danzo.

This... was personal. Orochimaru was really going for the kill.

"Danzo... and Hanzō..."

Tsunade furrowed her brows, deep in thought. It took her a long while before she finally spoke.

"This is troublesome. That Akatsuki group might be even more dangerous than we feared."

"Exactly," Jiraiya said with a bitter smile. The situation was getting more complex and more dangerous than he'd anticipated.

"I might have to take a trip to the Land of Rain, see what Hanzō's situation really is... but that can wait. I need to talk to the old man first."

"Oh, and Tsunade—will you be coming back with us?"

"Hmph."

Tsunade snorted and gave Kitagawa Gen one last glance before turning to look at the ruined town.

"Like I have a choice? Damn it... all those beautiful casinos and hot springs... and you maniacs went and wiped them all out?"

"I don't even have anywhere to relax anymore—and now I have to keep an eye on the Fourth Raikage too. If he dies, I'll be held responsible."

"That's good to hear," Jiraiya forced a smile. As troublesome as everything was, at least they had reached some sort of resolution.

"But hey," Kitagawa Gen couldn't hold back anymore, "it wasn't just us who started this fight. He made the first move, remember?"

He pointed at the unconscious Fourth Raikage and gave Tsunade a strange look.

"If it comes down to it… maybe he can pay to rebuild the town?"

"…"

The group went silent.

You chopped off his arm, and now you want him to foot the bill?

"And besides," Gen continued, "I heard from Lord Jiraiya that Lady Tsunade is buried in gambling debt."

"HEY! Jiraiya, do you have a death wish?!"

Tsunade instantly lost it and grabbed Jiraiya by the collar, causing him to panic.

"But isn't this actually a good thing now?" Gen added with a grin. "The whole town's gone… doesn't that mean your debt is too?"

"…Huh?"

---

Meanwhile, in Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a rare good mood as he flipped through the latest reports.

With Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Kitagawa Gen all out on a mission, the village had been a bit more peaceful.

"The village has been a lot quieter lately…"

They were all elite shinobi, sure, but when they stirred things up, it gave him a real headache. Plus, the constant high-level missions worried him—especially for someone like Kitagawa Gen.

"That kid's lacked proper guidance since the start… and he's been thrown into mission after mission without a break. Hopefully, this trip helps him decompress a little."

People can't stay wound up all the time. Balance is key.

Jiraiya might be unreliable at times, but when it really counts, he's trustworthy. Having Kakashi along too? This mission couldn't be in better hands.

"Lord Hokage! Urgent report!"

An Anbu suddenly burst into the room—holding a toad.

"…!"

The moment Hiruzen saw the toad, his heart skipped a beat.

"Yo! Jiraiya told me to deliver this. Mission complete—I'm out!"

The toad dropped a scroll and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"No way…"

Hiruzen hesitated as he picked up the scroll, a bad feeling creeping in.

"They were just supposed to find Tsunade. What could possibly have gone wrong?"

He unrolled the scroll.

Then his eyes went wide.

They encountered the Fourth Raikage and Orochimaru?

The entire town was leveled in the battle?

Orochimaru gave them crucial intelligence—and this involves Shimura Danzo?

The Fourth Raikage was defeated—and even had his arm severed?

Each revelation hit Hiruzen like a hammer. His legs nearly gave out.

It felt like the sky was falling.

"…And the Akatsuki are somehow tied to Danzo too?!"

The situation was spiraling out of control. Still, Hiruzen forced himself to stay composed.

The Raikage's situation was serious—one wrong move could start a war.

But he still needed more follow-up from Jiraiya's side. For now, the only thing he could act on was Danzo.

He knew Root had been disbanded, but Danzo never disclosed the full extent of his past dealings.

"If he's tangled with such dangerous people and kept it from us… If he's planning revenge—it could be catastrophic!"

With that, Hiruzen left the office with the Anbu at his side.

He needed to confront Danzo immediately.

---

At the same time, in the Land of Rain.

A cold rain fell over Amegakure. Under the grey sky, Pain stood still, glaring at Uchiha Obito.

"You're saying Orochimaru handed over our intel to Konoha?"

"He gave them quite a bit," Obito replied with a nod. "Not everything, but enough to be dangerous. He knows his limits, though."

Obito had ordered Black Zetsu to investigate Danzo's connections in Konoha, never expecting this kind of chaos to unfold during the mission.

He had intended to suppress the information, but Black Zetsu convinced him to inform Pain. After all, no matter how tense their relationship, Pain was critical to the revival of the Gedo Statue—and their entire future operation.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru were going too far. If Konoha started digging seriously, it could ruin everything.

"Even if Orochimaru kept quiet, Danzo was already investigating. Our intel shows he's about to contact Hanzo of the Salamander."

"You think he'll come to Amegakure?"

Pain's expression darkened.

"If he does, I'll personally—"

"—Kill him?" Obito cut him off with a cold snort. He repeated what Black Zetsu had suggested.

"And then what? Konoha learns we're based here. You think they'll just sit back? They'll hunt us down—and don't forget what happened with Iwagakure."

Pain fell silent.

He didn't believe Iwagakure had learned much. But word was that Deidara had gone to Konoha…

If the Leaf and the Rock exchanged information…

"What do you suggest?"

Pain didn't want to gamble. If this were just about him, he wouldn't hesitate.

But he had Amegakure to protect—and the Gedo Statue to feed. They couldn't afford exposure.

"We won't let them off the hook," Obito said coldly. "But it can't happen here."

"They're still in the Land of Cedars," he continued. "Because of the Fourth Raikage, they won't be moving anytime soon."

"So we pretend to take on a mission there… and 'coincidentally' encounter them?"

Pain immediately understood.

It was a clean plan. No trace would lead back to Amegakure.

Still, a bitter thought crossed his mind. Who could've imagined things would spiral like this?

All because of that man—the one who had betrayed Yahiko with Hanzo and now stirred up so much chaos.

"Shimura Danzo…"

"You really do deserve to die!"