After suffering such losses, would the Village Hidden in the Cloud let this go? Would that brute, the third Raikage, swallow this humiliation?
They would definitely pursue at all costs, definitely go mad in their encirclement. And at the most dangerous moment, with that boy's style, he would surely make the same choice as his teacher!
At this thought, Danzo suddenly lifted his head. His gaze seemed to pierce through the tent, through the camp, across mountains and forests, landing on that Land of Lightning to the northeast.
For a moment, he seemed to see that forest filled with killing intent again. His teacher's back faced him, growing farther and smaller, until it disappeared forever from his sight.
After a while, Danzo took a deep, extremely slow breath. His chest rose and fell, then gradually settled, as if suppressing something, or drawing out something buried for decades, something he had never brought out, something he had almost forgotten.
His expression returned to calm, deeper, heavier, like the unmoving surface of an ancient well.
"Someone."
The tent flap opened, and a Root member quickly entered, kneeling on one knee.
"Take thirty men and come with me."
"Yes."
Three minutes later, thirty Root members assembled. No one asked where they were going or what they were doing. They simply stood silently in the morning light, awaiting orders.
Danzo said nothing more. He turned and rushed toward the northeast.
Thirty figures followed closely behind, like a silent undercurrent, quickly disappearing into the morning mist outside the camp.
The wind rushed past his ears, carrying the scent of grass and soil, along with the crisp chill unique to early spring mornings.
Danzo's face was expressionless, but his pace grew faster and faster. He did not know what he was doing. As a Konoha elder, leading thirty men deep into enemy territory, without a plan, without support, without even a clear direction or objective, this was not like him. He had never been this kind of person.
He was accustomed to calculation, to weighing options, to laying plans in the shadows and letting others execute them. He never personally took risks, never placed hope in impulsive decisions.
But now, he was running faster and faster.
The morning light shone over the eastern ridge, casting his long shadow across the vast land beneath his feet.
He did not know what he was chasing or what he was seeking. He only knew that he had to go!
The wind filled his chest, cold, yet carrying something he had not felt in a long time. His breathing grew heavier, but his pace did not slow.
In his mind, images suppressed for decades surged like a tide.
That night, in the Land of Lightning, in that forest filled with killing intent.
In that moment, he said nothing and did nothing.
And in that very moment, he lost something forever.
Something he had spent decades trying to recover through countless methods, countless schemes, countless dark dealings, but never succeeded.
Danzo Shimura's pace suddenly accelerated again!
He suddenly understood that what he wanted to bring back was perhaps not that reckless, flamboyant boy.
But rather, that younger Danzo Shimura from decades ago, the one who stood in the forest, watching his teacher's retreating back, yet failed to take even a single step forward.
The self that had been forever trapped in that forest since that night, wandering for decades, unable to escape.
The morning light grew brighter, illuminating the road ahead.
Danzo's eyes suddenly felt a bit sore, but he did not blink. He simply kept running, faster and faster,
Toward the northeast, toward that Land of Lightning.
As if by running fast enough this time, he could catch up to that resolute figure from decades ago. As if by not hesitating this time, he could bring back the person trapped in that forest.
Even if ahead still lay that deadly forest of the Land of Lightning!
Even if this time, he would truly fall there forever, he would go and face his teacher with dignity.
At this thought, the corner of Danzo Shimura's mouth curved upward ever so slightly, revealing a faint, relieved smile.
...
Meanwhile, in Konoha, at the Hokage Building.
The third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is removing his Hokage Robes and donning a long-unseen set of battle armor.
Unbeknownst to him, his acquaintance of decades, Danzo Shimura, who was both a partner and a rival, had already led thirty elite members of the Root into the Land of Lightning, and was even prepared to go to see his teacher openly and honestly.
More than four months have passed since the start of this great war. Although the losses are considerable, compared to the previous two Shinobi World Wars, this war has been exceptionally smooth, even excessively so.
In the battles against the Village Hidden in the Sand in the southwest and the Village Hidden in the Cloud in the northeast, Konoha fought on two fronts without falling behind, and even achieved good results. This finally relaxed the third Hokage's brow, which had been furrowed for months, and brought a smile to his face.
However, several recent events have caused the third Hokage to frown once again.
First, there was the movement of the Village Hidden in the Mist along the southeast coast. Village Hidden in the Mist, which was originally eager to launch a large-scale attack at any time, learned that Konoha had repelled the fierce offensive of Village Hidden in the Cloud while fighting on two fronts, and even injured the third Raikage.
They seemed to have finally reassessed Konoha's strength and became much more docile, but only a little.
Once the war machine is started, it is difficult to stop it easily. Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Mist have been engaged in a series of covert battles around the Land of Waves, which is located near the Land of Fire. Small-scale frictions and conflicts have never stopped, but both sides still label them as mission conflicts, and neither side has officially broken off relations.
Then, just a week ago, a terrible thing happened that was serious for the Hyuga Clan and even for the entire Konoha.
A member of the Hyuga's main house was killed in a small skirmish with the Village Hidden in the Mist. This should not have happened, as members of the Hyuga main house rarely go to the front lines. However, the war is now intense, and Konoha may face a situation of fighting on three or even four fronts. All the families have been asked to send more people.
Because a large number of branch house members had been dispatched to the southwestern battlefield to cooperate with Konoha's other sensory clans in hunting the Hinokawa Clan, the Hyuga Clan still suffered from a severe manpower shortage and had no choice but to send a small number of main house members directly to the front lines.
Thus, this unfortunate incident occurred.
Even worse, after the Hyuga main house member died in battle, although the branch house members and Konoha ninja protecting him desperately fought to retrieve his corpse, one Byakugan still fell into the Village Hidden in the Mist's hands.