Naruto: From Konoha to One Piece

 After listening to Shin's words, the Third Hokage frowned slightly but eventually agreed.

Shin, however, knew that even if Konoha declared Danzo a traitor, they wouldn't truly hunt him down. Likely, they wouldn't even dismantle the Root. After all, Danzo's role was to handle Konoha's dirty work. He could simply set up a new base, keeping his operations distant from Konoha's official image.

But Shin's goal wasn't to kill Danzo outright. His motive was to crush Danzo's ambitions. With Konoha officially labeling him a traitor, Danzo's dream of becoming Hokage would be destroyed. Konoha might tolerate a shadow operative in desperate times, but they'd never allow a rogue ninja to lead. For Danzo, obsessed with the Hokage title, losing that possibility would sting more than death.

"Since you've agreed, Third Hokage, that settles it," Shin declared, waving his hand dismissively. It cost him nothing; he even gained the powerful Kotoamatsukami jutsu. He'd be delighted if he could face such attackers daily and gain this much each time.

Without looking back at the Konoha shinobi, Shin turned and walked off with Hizashi Hyuga.

Meanwhile, Danzo was holed up in a hidden base, furious. He swept the clutter off his desk, his eyes blazing with anger. "Declaring me a traitor! Expelling me from Konoha! I've done so much for this village!"

A voice came from behind him, calm but biting. "And what exactly did you accomplish? Care to share it with me?" It was Jiraiya who was there to deliver the official notice. Known for his bluntness, Jiraiya stared at Danzo as if looking at something unclean. Had the Third Hokage not insisted, Jiraiya might've eagerly labeled Danzo a traitor and taken his head to the Intelligence Division himself.

Seeing Jiraiya's cold expression, Danzo bristled with rage but held himself in check. 'This man genuinely wants to kill me! If I make any wrong move, he'll do it without hesitation,' Danzo thought, his anger cooling.

Jiraiya would indeed relish a chance to bring Danzo down, particularly after the pain his disciple, Yahiko, endured due to Danzo's schemes. If Shin had not intervened, Nagato and Konan might still have been trapped in that nightmare.

"I understand," Danzo said through gritted teeth. "Even if I can no longer return to Konoha, I'll continue to serve it."

Jiraiya looked Danzo up and down, letting out a cold snort. "You'd better do exactly as you said."

With that, Jiraiya contained his disgust and left Danzo's hidden base. Only after Jiraiya was gone did Danzo's roar of rage echo from underground.

For a time, the entire shinobi world seemed to settle into calm.

Though Shin aimed to change the world, he wasn't about to rely solely on brute force. He had an idea that, if successful, he could claim authority over the shinobi world with minimal conflict.

First, though… he needed a way to reach the moon.

As his subordinates searched for a portal to the moon, Shin kept himself busy by studying an unusual form of immortality associated with a certain cult.

Though intrigued by Hidan's immortality, Shin held low expectations. In the original timeline, despite numerous experts in body modification, none seemed interested in Hidan's physique, suggesting there were significant downsides to his immortality.

After conducting research, including absorbing some of Hidan's blood with his own abilities, Shin gained insight into Hidan's immortal body.

Hidan's Yin and Yang chakra had merged entirely, binding his soul inseparably to his physical form. In essence, his soul was anchored to his body. Even if his body were dismembered, his soul would remain.

Closer examination revealed that, while Hidan's body was indeed immortal, it wasn't particularly resilient. His physical recovery speed was surprisingly ordinary.

Moreover, this immortality came at a steep cost. Hidan's condition restricted him from using conventional ninjutsu. Though labeled as chakra, his energy diverged considerably from standard chakra, feeling cold and cursed in nature—more akin to 'curse energy'.

Given these limitations, Shin certainly wasn't eager to sacrifice his chakra abilities for a form of immortality so flawed.

With his immediate objectives in this world primarily achieved, Shin found little left to do except gather the remaining tailed beast chakra needed to complete the Ten-Tails. Yet, he moved cautiously. If he were to complete the Divine Tree transformation, he feared inadvertently reviving Kaguya within his own body.

Thus, Shin took his time gathering the chakra of the tailed beasts. So far, he has obtained samples from the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Six-Tails, and Eight-Tails. Completing the rest wasn't particularly challenging, but he refrained from rushing to avoid any unforeseen consequences.

"It's a nuisance trying to locate this," he muttered just as Orochimaru entered, carrying a mask in hand.

Orochimaru, known for his sly, calculating nature, glanced at the mask with faint satisfaction. "I didn't think you'd consider it troublesome. This mask represents the peak of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques."

Orochimaru snickered. "It does have some research value. Not a wasted effort." Then he glanced at Shin, slightly puzzled. "So, how do you plan to release the souls trapped within?"

Shin gave him a look that seemed to make Orochimaru uneasy.

At this time, Orochimaru had yet to perfect his body transfer technique and hadn't completed his first reincarnation, let alone the creation of his infamous Cursed Seals.

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Chapter 189: Zephyr's Shock is now available.

[NOTE: Numerous Naruto fanfics are getting banned on WN right now. If ever this novel is affected, I'll make the free chapters availalbe on Ptreon and ScribbleHub.]