Grind is My Ninja Way

It was night.

Within the Hidden Leaf Village.

In a remote corner of the village.

The headquarters of the Root organization was located underground in this area.

At this moment, in an office, Danzo was reviewing a file in his hands when the door to the room was suddenly knocked on.

Danzo frowned slightly, closed the file, and said, "Come in!"

Creak~

The door was pushed open.

A Root ninja quickly stepped inside.

Looking at the ninja, Danzo directly asked, "Otsu, what is it?"

"My lord, Shadow Ghost has gone missing," Otsu reported concisely.

"What?"

Hearing the news, Danzo's expression briefly showed a flicker of shock.

Then, with a frown, he asked, "What do you mean?"

In response, Otsu wasted no time and immediately explained everything in detail.

"My lord, half an hour ago was Shadow Ghost's scheduled contact time with the base, but he did not send any signal. Concerned about potential issues, I dispatched the Red Shadow Squad."

"And then?"

Danzo asked impassively.

Otsu replied, "The Red Shadow Squad followed the markers left by Shadow Ghost and tracked him to the Seventh Training Ground. However, the trail ended there, and Shadow Ghost's whereabouts remain unknown."

Hearing this, Danzo's expression turned grim. He then asked, "What about that kid?"

"The target has already returned to his residence," Otsu replied.

"Was there anything unusual at the site where Shadow Ghost went missing?" Danzo asked again.

"No."

Otsu shook his head and said, "The Red Shadow Squad conducted a thorough inspection but found no traces left by Shadow Ghost and no signs of a struggle. It's as if Shadow Ghost vanished into thin air."

Shadow Ghost, of course, was the Root ninja tasked with monitoring Seimei.

In reality, Shadow Ghost's location had been discovered by Seimei through his Byakugan. Using the "Heavenly Transfer" technique, Seimei instantly closed the gap and subdued Shadow Ghost with the "Genjutsu: Sharingan." Afterward, he removed Shadow Ghost from the scene.

Not only was there no physical confrontation, but Seimei had also used the "Heavenly Transfer" technique a second time when leaving, completely erasing any trace of his actions.

Given this, it was no surprise that the Red Shadow Squad found no clues.

Hearing Otsu's report, Danzo's face grew even darker.

Although Shadow Ghost's life and death were still uncertain, and there was no evidence directly linking this incident to Seimei, the fact that Seimei had safely returned to his residence was itself a major issue.

Shadow Ghost had been monitoring Seimei under Danzo's orders. Unless something beyond his control occurred, Shadow Ghost would never abandon his mission.

Now, with Seimei back at his residence and Shadow Ghost missing, the conclusion was obvious, even without much thought.

Shadow Ghost was likely already dead.

What Danzo hadn't anticipated was that Seimei would be so bold.

In his original plan, even if Shadow Ghost was discovered, Seimei would probably avoid killing him. At most, Seimei would try to shake off the surveillance.

After all, that's what other Uchiha clan members had done in the past.

But Seimei had broken from tradition, completely upending Danzo's expectations.

Recently, Danzo had been preoccupied with helping Orochimaru compete for the Fourth Hokage position, leaving him little time to deal with Seimei. The surveillance was more of a routine measure than anything else.

He never imagined that Seimei would go so far as to kill.

If Seimei had left behind some clear evidence, Danzo could have seized the opportunity to make an issue out of it.

The problem was, Seimei had done it so cleanly that no incriminating evidence remained.

As things stood, Danzo seemed to have no choice but to swallow his anger.

But Danzo wasn't the type to let a matter slide so easily.

---

After a brief moment of thought, he gave a direct order:

"Yi, starting tomorrow—no, from this very moment—you'll assign two squads to monitor that brat.

If he acts again, don't hesitate to respond in kind. I refuse to believe he could take down two squads without leaving a trace. Once we catch him in the act... hmph."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

If given the chance, he certainly wouldn't let Seimei off lightly.

However, upon hearing the command, Yi hesitated and said, "Sir, is this the right time? Should we perhaps—"

Before he could finish, Danzo waved his hand, cutting him off.

"Enough. Just do as I've instructed."

"Yes, sir."

Hearing this, Yi refrained from further objection and immediately complied.

"Good. Now, go make the arrangements."

"Yes."

Yi responded one last time before turning and leaving the office.

Once he had left, Danzo's expression gradually returned to calm.

His decision to act at this time wasn't solely out of anger at being underestimated; he also intended to use this opportunity to send a message to the Uchiha clan.

Initially, he hadn't planned to provoke the Uchiha clan during this period.

But according to the latest information he had received, most of the Uchiha's upper ranks had decided to support Minato Namikaze in his bid to become the Fourth Hokage. In just a few days, they would likely reach a unified stance.

The backing of a powerful clan like the Uchiha would undoubtedly be a significant advantage for Minato.

However, their decision was contrary to Danzo's own ambitions.

Thus, he no longer cared about holding back.

If this incident could sway the Uchiha clan's decision, it would be ideal.

If not, he could eliminate a potential threat.

And then...

Danzo raised a hand to touch his bandaged right eye.

If his suspicions were correct, Seimei might have awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan.

Even a simple three-tomoe Sharingan had already proven to be immensely powerful. If he could replace his current eye with an even stronger one, his strength would undoubtedly surge to new heights.

With such power, his chances of securing the Hokage position would also greatly improve.

Yes, even now, Danzo was still chasing his dream of becoming Hokage.

As for whether he could capture Seimei, Danzo had no doubts.

It was true that in the past two years, he had failed several times in his attempts against Seimei.

But those failures were because he had more pressing matters to attend to, which forced him to allocate only partial resources and prevented him from making meticulous plans.

This time, things were different.

Everything that needed to be done had already been completed.

When the opportunity arose, he would mobilize all his resources.

With such preparation, nothing would be left to chance.

Danzo was supremely confident in the power he wielded.

Equally confident, however, was Seimei.

From Yinggui, he had learned that Danzo might have guessed he possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.

But Danzo didn't truly understand the full extent of its power.

This was evident not only from the instructions he gave his subordinates but also from his future battle with Sasuke, which hinted at his lack of comprehension.

Knowing this, how could Seimei possibly be afraid?

Besides, his strength wasn't solely reliant on his Sharingan. His vast chakra reserves and mastery of numerous high-level jutsu were also solid foundations of his confidence.