Late at night, Shimura Danzō led a dozen Root shinobi as they crept toward a teahouse.
Each one was fully armed and deadly serious.
"All of you, keep your guard up. Don't let that bastard Hiruzen catch wind of this!"
"..."
Hiss
Good grief. When their leader summoned them so urgently, they'd assumed some enemy jōnin from another village had infiltrated Konoha.
But never would they have guessed their target would be him the so-called "Professor of Ninjutsu."
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Could this be it? The final showdown?
But wait, something didn't add up. Could their small squad of a dozen Root operatives really take down Sarutobi Hiruzen for good?
The odds… didn't exactly look promising.
As these Root shinobi began to realize who they were dealing with, their nerves tightened, hearts pounding in their chests.
And just then, Shimura Danzō suddenly waved his hand.
Shff! Shff...
In the blink of an eye, the entire squad moved, surging toward the second-floor windows of the teahouse from all angles.
Behind their masks, every Root shinobi wore a tense and grim expression, palms slick with cold sweat.
Danzō, though he looked pleased as a cat that caught a canary.
"Hiruzen… I want to see for myself what kind of secret scheme you three are cooking up in here!"
"No matter what, that brat Ye Wudi is mine. No one can take him from me I said so!"
But just as Danzō steeled himself with these self-assured thoughts
A strange, rhythmic melody began to drift down from the second floor of the teahouse.
At the sound, Danzō's lips curled into a scornful smile.
"Heh… playing music now? You're really committing to the act."
"But Hiruzen, after all these decades of fighting, don't you think I know your tricks by now…"
Confident beyond measure, Shimura Danzō slowly raised his head and poked a tiny hole in the window paper.
But the moment he peered inside, his entire body froze.
Wait a second
What... what the hell is this?
In his field of vision, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura…
Were dancing in sync to the beat of Gokuraku Jōdo.
Sarutobi was even handling a two-on-one partnering up with Koharu and Homura for a coordinated three-person routine!
They're… they're really just here to dance…
"Could it be… that Hiruzen doesn't care about Ye Wudi's fate at all? Or is he just that confident?"
For a moment, Danzō stood frozen like a statue, unable to process what he was seeing.
He'd been so sure that the three elders had slipped away from the council chamber to privately conspire on how to secure control of Ye Wudi.
As for the dancing? Clearly just a cover.
But now…
What the hell are these three doing!?
"Damn you, Ye Wudi. If not for you, how could I have ended up in such an embarrassing situation tonight!?"
Ding! Congratulations, host! You've received 999 points of negative emotion from Shimura Danzō!
"..."
Meanwhile, the Root shinobi crouched beside him were exchanging stunned glances.
So… they weren't here to ambush the Third Hokage?
They were… just here to unwind and dance?
This this was beyond bizarre.
In fact, one of them got so excited that he accidentally leaned too far forward, making a small noise as his position shifted.
Squeak…
"Who's there!?"
"Who's hiding?!"
The sudden disturbance jolted Hiruzen and his companions into alertness.
Even the Anbu stationed at the stairwell came storming up all at once.
"Protect the Hokage! Guard the elders!"
"Quick! Move!"
Seeing the scene erupt into chaos, Danzō instinctively turned, preparing to flee.
But before he could move, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed as he sensed a familiar chakra signature.
"Danzō? So it was you."
"Er…"
Now that Hiruzen had called him out directly, there was no way for Danzō to pretend otherwise. He stood frozen, awkward and humiliated.
He was just about to spin some excuse and make a swift exit, when Hiruzen suddenly burst into hearty laughter and waved the Anbu back downstairs.
"You old bastard! If you wanted to join us, you should've just said so. Why sneak around? We've been comrades for decades!"
"And those Root boys you brought along have them join the Anbu downstairs. Let this be our long-overdue high-level gathering!"
"This time, the event will be… a dance-off!"
Danzō's eyes lit up.
He'd been racking his brain for a way to explain himself and get out of this mess.
And now, Sarutobi Hiruzen had handed him the perfect out.
Without missing a beat, Danzō vaulted through the window.
Thud!
The Root shinobi followed the Anbu down to the first floor in quiet confusion.
"Ahem… Yes, we had just finished our mission and got curious about the music, so we came to see what was going on."
Watching Danzō awkwardly mumble excuses while refusing to meet anyone's gaze, Sarutobi chuckled and dragged him toward Koharu and Homura.
"Ha! You really are hopeless. Even after decades of covert ops, you're still shy."
"Come, come! I was just wondering how I could convince you to join me. Handling two opponents at once is no easy feat."
"Now that you're here, we can revive the legendary 'Zan-Zō Combo'!"
With that, Sarutobi took the first step, leading into the routine with practiced ease.
Koharu and Homura showed no mercy, diving right back in.
"Hiruzen! You think with Danzō's help you'll beat us? Dream on!"
"What's impossible about it? In dance, you never know who wins until you dance it out!"
"Then bring it! Ahhh!"
Seeing the trio gear up again, Danzō stood stiffly in place.
Wait a minute… Am I really going to end up staying and dancing with them tonight?
"But this music really is kind of catchy. My blood's actually… flowing faster?"
Maybe dancing a little… wouldn't be so bad?
Still wavering, Danzō suddenly heard Koharu and Homura mocking him.
"Hah! Hiruzen, you think he's going to help you? Look at him he's completely out of sync!"
"She's right. Our Spring-Flame Duo is unbeatable! Just give up already!"
Give up?
Danzō's eyes instantly widened in rage.
Say what you want but never say I lost!
"You bastard, Homura! Hiruzen losing to you is no surprise."
"But with me on his side, everything changes!"
Boom!
With that, Danzō exploded his tactical gear off using chakra, the scraps fluttering down like confetti.
Striding forward, he planted himself beside Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Tonight I'll show you all what it means to be an old blade still sharp! And Hiruzen, I'll remind you who the real star of the Zan-Zō Combo is!"
"Oh oh oh~ Oh yeah… Oh yeah!"
In an instant, Danzō became the flashiest figure in the room.
Hand-in-hand with Hiruzen, he began to sway wildly with the music.
Swinging his hips, flailing his arms, whipping his hair, waving a fan
He was the very image of unrestrained chaos.
"You little punk what kind of infernal music is this!?"
"This rhythm… it won't let me stop! I… I can't control myself anymore!"
"Ahhhh!"
Ding! Congratulations, host! You've received 999 points of negative emotion from Shimura Danzō!
Ding! Congratulations, host…