Danzo was riding high, his spirits soaring. He had done it! The Raid on Kirigakure was a success!

With a mix of confidence and doubt, he had led a mere dozen elite Root operatives across the sea, deep into the heart of Kirigakure. Just as the Fourth Hokage and he had predicted, "Look to the distant Kirigakure," the village was in chaos. Internal strife had left it leaderless, practically defenseless. Had he commanded a full Konoha force, he might have truly severely damage Kirigakure.

Unfortunately, he only had his small Root team.

Still… it was enough.

Obsessed with forbidden techniques, Danzo's first priority upon infiltrating Kirigakure wasn't plundering cash or stealing legendary swords. He had a single, unwavering objective:

Bloodline ninjas!

Whether through force or deception, he would seize Kirigakure's kekkei genkai, just as they had stolen the Byakugan from Konoha.

"I scoff at Yagura's lack of wisdom and the Mizukage's lack of foresight. They don't understand the value of bloodline ninjas to a village."

Even he, Danzo, knew that bloodline ninjas were a force to be united, except for the Uchiha, of course. Even if purging were necessary, one should at least preserve a few to prevent the bloodline from dying out. That's what he, Danzo, would do!

Suppressing his excitement, Danzo swiftly navigated the tree branches, racing back to Konoha with the agility of a seasoned shinobi. He glanced back occasionally at the two unconscious children slung over the shoulders of his operatives, prizes of war.

Forbidden thoughts swirled in his mind.

Human experimentation. Bloodline extraction. Brainwashing. Personality implantation… Manipulating one-year-old children with kekkei genkai would be child's play.

The mere thought sent a thrill down Danzo's spine.

Of course, certain skills required specialization. Orochimaru was more proficient in human experimentation and bloodline extraction. They had often collaborated in secret.

However…

"That Orochimaru has been far too active lately. What is he planning?"

Soon, Danzo and his Root ninjas arrived at the gates of Konoha.

While he had laboratories outside the village, he had, after all, kidnapped bloodline ninjas. There might be pursuers. Danzo opted to return to his main base. Furthermore, the Root base within Konoha possessed the most comprehensive equipment.

But as he approached the gates, Danzo slowed his pace.

"Why are there so many foreigners?"

Due to their long history in the humid, overseas Land of Water, the people of Mizu no Kuni possessed subtle distinctions from those of Land of Fire.

Danzo's keen eye quickly noticed that the crowd queuing at Konoha's gates were all from Mizu no Kuni.

Some emitted the chakra signature of Genin, some were portly merchants, others appeared simple and were accompanied by four or five women… A rough estimate put their numbers well over a thousand.

Danzo frowned. While he knew of Gojo Kaigetsu's "Kirigakure Freedom Operation," hadn't he brought back too many people?

In Danzo's mind, selecting a hundred or so elites from the refugees would have sufficed. A thousand at once? Wasn't this guy afraid of Kirigakure demanding an explanation?

"Foolish child, he has no idea what kind of trouble his actions will bring to the village. He treats Konoha as his personal playground. I must report this to the Fourth Hokage and Sarutobi."

Danzo scoffed. "Let's go. Enter the village."

The village had a dedicated passage for ninjas returning from missions. A flash of the scar on Danzo's chin was usually enough to grant him passage, even from the most stubborn guards, without any inspection of his companions or cargo.

However, the usually infallible scar met resistance this time.

Two ordinary men, devoid of any chakra signature, stood guard, clad in strange uniforms. Their left breast pockets bore the words "Village Gate Inspection."

"Please present your ninja headbands."

"You don't recognize me?"

"Please present your ninja headbands." The inspection officer maintained a professional demeanor, already proficient in his new duties despite only starting a couple of days prior.

Their job was simple: inspect everyone entering the village. Konoha ninjas presented their headbands. Foreigners required either a green card or a temporary residence permit, obtainable at a special counter.

Anyone attempting to force their way through would be reported to the Konoha Military Police Force, or the nearby alarm with a special marking would be activated.

The previously lax entry procedures had, just days ago, become significantly stricter under Minato's new decree.

Danzo, thwarted, gestured for his subordinates to display their headbands.

Had a ninja stood before him, he would have asserted his authority as the darkness of the shinobi world. But these were mere civilians… Confronting them would be beneath him, and potentially dangerous.

Just as Danzo thought the matter was settled and prepared to enter the village again, he was stopped once more.

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The gate inspector pointed at the bloodline children carried by the Root ninjas. "These two… are clearly not ninja."

Danzo patiently explained, "This is classified. I'm bringing them back to the village. This is none of your concern. Step aside."

"If they don't have ninja headbands or entry permits…" The inspector's tone hardened. "They need to be taken to the holding center to await Advisor Gojo's personal handling."

"We are in special times. Please understand."

"Damn it! Watch your tone with Danzo-dono!" A Root ninja behind Danzo sprang forward, pinning the inspector's neck under his knee, ignoring his struggles.

"Gah… I can't breathe-!"

"Floyd!" The brutal scene terrified the other inspector. He quickly turned and slammed the alarm, sending a distress signal directly to the Military Police Force.

However, the first to arrive wasn't the Uchiha, but the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, clad in his Hokage cloak!

Danzo's eyes widened. He finally noticed the peculiar markings behind the alarm button – it was Minato's Flying Thunder God seal.

The Flying Thunder God…

His teacher had used a pictorial seal, while Minato's was a runic inscription, causing him to overlook it.

Minato, having rushed to the scene, took one look and understood what had transpired… He couldn't help but marvel at Gojo Kaigetsu's grasp of the situation.

Just yesterday, Kaigetsu-kun had sent a message via messenger hawk, urging Minato to intercept Danzo and the two children he was carrying.

That's why Minato had specifically placed his Flying Thunder God seal at the gate inspection.

He hadn't expected it to be triggered so soon.

"What's going on here? Stop immediately!" The usually amiable Minato adopted a rare stern tone.

The stricter gate inspections and the green card system were also suggestions from Gojo Kaigetsu, implemented shortly after his departure.

As the Fourth Hokage, these were his decrees… The Root ninja's actions weren't just choking an inspector, they were a direct challenge to his authority!

And look at the Root ninja's reaction!

Even after Minato's order, he didn't move, instead looking to Danzo for guidance. It was as if, in his eyes, Danzo's authority superseded even the Hokage's.

'A subordinate's subordinate isn't your subordinate.'

The scene reminded Minato of Gojo Kaigetsu's advice.

He was the Hokage, the leader of the village, but in reality? Looking at Danzo and his Root ninjas, how many truly answered to him?

"Danzo, order your Root ninja to stop immediately!" Minato's voice boomed, a final ultimatum.

Danzo now regretted bringing these children back to the village.

Nothing but unexpected trouble.

The Fourth Hokage was slipping further from his grasp, no longer the powerless, reliant-on-his-jinchuriki-wife figure he once was.

The village… was no longer the village he knew. And he no longer had Sarutobi, his old friend, to support him unconditionally.

Frustration gnawed at him.

It was all Gojo Kaigetsu's fault.

Danzo snorted. "Didn't you hear?! The Fourth Hokage ordered you to release him! Return to Root and report for punishment!"

"Yes, Danzo-dono!" The Root ninja responded without a flicker of emotion, casually releasing his hold on the inspector.

"Fourth Hokage… I would like to know when this policy was implemented." Danzo went on the offensive. "A few days ago, when I left Konoha, there was no such decree."

"I understand the gate inspections, but surely not everyone and every department needs to be checked~" Danzo emphasized. "We are Root, the organization that protects Konoha's development from the shadows."

"Our actions should not be interfered with by these civilians."

"We walk in the darkness, serving Konoha. Nothing is true, everything is permitted! That is Root's creed! A creed acknowledged by the Second and Third Hokage!"

There was something Danzo left unsaid.

The items Root brought into the village often included contraband, materials for his forbidden experiments. They also sold contraband to supplement Root's funding.

If everything were inspected, who knew what they might find?

"You are right, Danzo, but I am the Hokage now!"

"The current Konoha, represented by me, embodies the purest Will of Fire inherited from Lord Hashirama!"

Had Gojo Kaigetsu been present, he would have been impressed by Minato's newfound ability to invoke such rhetoric.

Uncharacteristically, Minato didn't take the olive branch Danzo offered. He stood firm, establishing his authority, word by word:

"Currently, due to the turbulent times and to prevent infiltration by foreign spies, Konoha implemented new entry regulations three days ago! These regulations apply to everyone, including the two children you brought back, Danzo."

"Do you have any further questions, Danzo?"

Danzo's face darkened, resembling someone who had just consumed Uchiha chakra. This eerily familiar "Will of Fire" conversation… hadn't he experienced this recently?

And… he couldn't argue back.

The Hokage's will was equivalent to the Will of Fire, an unshakeable principle for everyone in Konoha.

"…Two one-year-old children? Does the Fourth Hokage truly believe they could be foreign spies?"

"Whether or not they are spies will be determined after their identities are verified and a thorough examination is conducted."

Minato suppressed the shame of this blatant charade. Did he really need to check if two one-year-olds were spies? But since Kaigetsu-kun had specifically requested their interception, he had to play along.

He offered Danzo a way out. "Of course, once the inspection is complete, the children will be returned to you, Danzo."

"Is… is that true?"

"A Hokage's word is his bond."

Of course, the final decision regarding the inspection rested with Gojo Kaigetsu. After all… Kaigetsu-kun had his own methods for dealing with spies. He had even managed to make the Cloud spy talk.

Danzo felt he had been played, even without concrete evidence.

His instincts as the darkness of the shinobi world whispered of something amiss.

This… This was all Gojo Kaigetsu's scheme!

After all the effort he had put into the Ten Riders' Raid, finally capturing two bloodline ninjas from Kirigakure, before he could even draw their blood or extract their cells, he had to hand them over to the village?

He wasn't in love with the village.

This sudden new entry policy… wasn't it clearly targeted at him?

Regret flooded Danzo's heart. He should have taken the risk and bypassed the village entirely. He could have taken the children directly to his outside laboratory.

Now, caught red-handed by the Fourth Hokage, what could he do?

"…I will… await the Fourth Hokage's inspection." Despite his reluctance, Danzo gestured for his subordinates to hand over the children.

Minato was the Hokage. His orders were absolute, at least on the surface. Danzo couldn't openly defy him.

But both he and Minato knew this was only temporary.

Such was the way of politics. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. But when it came to tangible benefits, mere lip service to the Will of Fire wasn't enough.

These two bloodline children would be handled according to protocol. Whether or not they were spies, Gojo Kaigetsu knew the truth. If he dared to break the rules and seize the children…

Danzo's eyes glinted. He hadn't earned his title as the darkness of the shinobi world by eating soldier pills.

Don't start a fight you can't finish. He knew how to play dirty too…

Danzo spoke.

"Fourth Hokage, I wish to file a complaint regarding the 'Kirigakure Freedom Operation.'"

"Gojo Kaigetsu is too self-absorbed. He doesn't consider the potential consequences his actions might bring upon the village."

"Upon his return, convene a meeting immediately. I will reprimand him personally!"