Danzō had been restless lately.
Not only because of Ishiki Kujo, but also due to the growing surveillance and restrictions imposed by the Third Hokage. The ANBU now shadowed his every step with blatant disregard for subtlety—wherever he went, two black-ops members followed like shadows.
He'd love nothing more than to eliminate them—but his rational mind held him back. To strike now would be to declare open war on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
And to challenge the Hokage's authority now would be no different than announcing his intent to defect from the village.
He'd come to realize something: Orochimaru had truly, deliberately severed ties with him.
Under pressure from Hiruzen's investigations, Danzō had been forced to shut down and dismantle numerous labs, including several deeply buried in classified territory—labs where Orochimaru had once played a key role. With these facilities gone, their collaboration had effectively ended.
Danzō still held dirt on Orochimaru—but even if he exposed it to the Hokage, there was little gain in it. Hiruzen was unlikely to find solid proof, and continuing to deepen suspicion against Orochimaru at this point seemed pointless.
Orochimaru was more slippery than even Danzō had anticipated.
What's more, the number of people investigating Danzō had recently multiplied.
First, covert surveillance from the Uchiha. Then, pressure from the Inuzuka and Aburame clans. Even the Ino-Shika-Chō trio had shown him uncharacteristic hostility.
All of them had ties to Ishiki Kujo.
The Hyūga Clan was the only one that remained neutral—for now. But even so, Danzō was beginning to feel the weight of Ishiki's influence on the social web of Konoha.
Even Kawahara Shunji's elite squad, which had recently interacted with Ishiki, had begun nosing around Root. They weren't formally investigating yet, but their curiosity was already irritating.
Ever since that damned boy came into the picture, everything had started slipping out of his grasp. Plans derailed. Power frayed.
Danzō loathed Ishiki Kujo with his entire being.
After finishing up Root's daily affairs, Danzō prepared to return home. Ishiki wasn't a problem that could be solved in a day.
But the moment he stepped out of Root HQ, two of his operatives appeared by his side.
"Danzō-sama, be careful!"
At the same time, two ANBU flared into view nearby—everwatchful.
All four fixated their gazes on a grotesque green-skinned figure that had followed Danzō from the building.
The creature was bizarre: dwarf-sized, rotund, hunchbacked, its skin covered in green scales. No neck. A cone-shaped spike jutted from its bald head like a drill. Where its ears should've been were two large bolts. It wore a blue mechanic's jumpsuit, its one red eye and one yellow eye glinting with a disturbing gleam.
Drool dripped constantly from the corner of its mouth. The thing looked utterly brain-dead.
Danzō had already spotted it the moment his agents called out. With a single glance, he gave the order—no mercy.
One Root agent unsheathed a short blade; another rapidly weaved hand seals.
The one with the kunai held defensive stance, while the sealing user unleashed a jutsu:
Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!
Compressed chakra blasted forth like high-caliber rounds, piercing through the green creature's chest and launching its flabby body several meters back.
It hit the ground with a wet thud, twitched—and then, disturbingly, turned its head back toward Danzō. The hole in its body knit together rapidly with unnatural elasticity. Within seconds, it was on its feet again, ass-up like nothing had happened.
Root, ANBU, even Danzō himself were momentarily taken aback. Though not everyone could visually perceive the creature, chakra sensory confirmed something tangible.
More attacks followed.
Wind tore flesh. Fire charred muscle. Steel slashed through limbs. The creature writhed and screamed in strange, almost comical agony—yet always regenerated.
And it never stopped talking.
"Ohhh! That hit the spot! You call that full force? Are you even trying?"
"Sorry I dirtied your cute little knife~ Want me to lick it clean?"
"This is a combat suit, right? I could repaint it! Red blood adds vigor to your daily grind, didn't you know?"
…
"Sealing Jutsu," Danzō said calmly.
He hadn't moved the entire time—just stood watching, analyzing. Enhanced sensory jutsu gave him perfect clarity of the situation.
The creature was autonomous. Vocal. Seemed to possess some bizarre masochistic tendencies. Its appearance was repulsive. Even its voice irritated him.
If it couldn't be killed, then it would be sealed.
Root moved quickly. Within minutes, the green creature had vanished, leaving only a sealed scroll in its place.
"Bring it back to Root. I want a full report by tomorrow," Danzō commanded.
He didn't know exactly what the thing was. But if it had the audacity to show itself before him, and worse, showed hostility, then it had forfeited its right to exist.
Just as the Root agent reached for the scroll, however, the creature reappeared—squatting beside the scroll and poking at it with its stubby finger.
"Oooh, what's this thingy? Can Yo-Yo Ma have it?" it chirped, before trying to eat the scroll.
With a deadpan reaction, the Root ninja stomped on the scroll—driving it into the creature like a nail into soft wood, pinning it to the ground.
Danzō hobbled over, tapping his cane.
"Who are you? Who sent you?" he asked coldly.
"I'm Yo-Yo Ma. I was sent by JoJo to take your life, Shimura Danzō!" the creature replied cheerfully, baring its teeth in a surprisingly savage snarl at the mention of Danzō's name.
"JoJo?" Danzō echoed.
"That's my master's name. Last time I saw him, he was relaxing somewhere in the mountains, enjoying the fresh air," Yo-Yo Ma replied with mindless enthusiasm.
It answered everything—an interrogation machine in the flesh. If it knew it, it spoke it.
"You know where those mountains are?" Danzō asked, narrowing his eyes.
Master. Mountains. Could this be a projection technique? A summoned fragment?
As for the threat against his life, Danzō didn't even register it.