Chapter 127: The Shimura Clan Is No More

"That leech Danzo is truly disgusting..."

After rising to his feet, Kahn looked at his gradually healing wounds and thought to himself that he absolutely had to make Danzo pay a heavy price this time.

The Third Raikage's Hell Stab had just shattered his Iron-Skin Charm, even carving a gash into his chest. If not for the Root members who had shielded the Raikage with their lives, he would have pursued him immediately.

"The secret techniques of the Yamanaka clan are something I need to guard against. A single Root member could control me for nearly ten seconds, and the entire clan has dozens of ninja capable of using those techniques."

Kahn collected the corpses of the Nara and Yamanaka clan members. Once Orochimaru mastered the Reanimation Jutsu, he planned to resurrect them to extract their clan secrets.

"There were also the ninja inside the pharmaceutical factory, though they’re likely nothing but charred fragments by now..."

Kahn mused. He had killed over twenty ninja that night; of the dozen or so Cloud ninja, only the Third Raikage had escaped, and of the Leaf side, only five had made it out, one of whom seemed to be missing his legs.

Profit aside, he could defend himself against Danzo while in the ninja world, but Kahn wasn't always present. If that mad dog discovered his base in the Land of Tea, things would become complicated.

Kahn had already intended to move the factory to the more secluded Land of Tea. The Land of Waves saw too much traffic; any future facilities there would be limited to food processing or other less sensitive industries.

"Aguamenti!"

Kahn waved his wand, and several columns of water erupted from the ground like a torrential flood, dousing the still-burning pharmaceutical factory. Creating a lake might have been strenuous, but conjuring the volume of a small stream was effortless for his magic.

Within moments, the fire was extinguished.

He then instructed his security team to hire a construction crew the next morning to rebuild the facility.

There were still people in the ninja world capable of inflicting lethal damage on him. This time, Danzo and his cohorts had lost due to an information gap—Root had selected a candidate that Kahn was sponsoring, and he just happened to know the intelligence.

The ambush had cost Danzo dearly. As for those last two Root ninja who had saved the Third Raikage, it was likely an attempt to prove that the operation wasn't a deliberate Root ambush against the Cloud. Those two probably didn't think the Third Raikage would die, so they used their lives to signal Root's stance.

Considering this possibility, Kahn shook his head. He would definitely teach Danzo a lesson once he returned. With that, he made a quick trip to the Marvel world that night and brought back more explosives.

Lord Kahn never delayed his revenge!

...

The next day, over a hundred construction workers were brought in from Shipping Town. Most of them relied on Kahn for their livelihood, frequently traveling to the Land of Tea or other regions for months at a time to earn a significant wage.

With plenty of manpower, machinery, and the protection of the security team, the debris and rubble were cleared away quickly.

While clearing the site, the Land of Waves' security team found several strange items. Combined with the nearby mangled corpses, they promptly reported to Kahn.

"A fan, a short sword, and a sake jar?"

Upon hearing this, Kahn immediately recalled the Six Paths Tools of the Cloud Village. Could the Third Raikage have brought these along to kill him?

He didn't delay and went directly to the construction site. The crew worked efficiently, and within a day, most of the steel and rubble had been cleared. The corpses and the strange weapons recovered from the ruins were laid out on the ground, guarded by two teams.

"They really are the Six Paths Tools..."

Kahn was quite surprised. There were five items in total—it seemed the entire treasury of the Cloud Village had ended up in his hands.

The Golden Canopy Rope, the Seven-Star Sword, and the Crimson Gourd were meant to be used together, capable of severely restricting an enemy's combat ability and focus. Even for the Cloud ninja who knew them inside and out, one slip-up could lead to being subdued by these three tools.

The Bashosen fan could ignore chakra nature; holding it allowed the user to unleash attacks of all five chakra natures. It was incredibly useful.

As for the final item, the Kohaku no Johei, the holder could call out to the target, and if they responded, they would be sealed inside the jar. It could store all sorts of things, acting as a large-capacity storage ring.

"All good things, though aside from the Bashosen, the others are too troublesome to use. Besides, my chakra reserves likely don't reach the level of a Tailed Beast; magic is much more practical for me."

Kahn reflected that these items didn't suit him. If he had the time to seal someone with the Six Paths tools, he could just as easily incapacitate them with a Stunning Spell.

However, they would be useful for his subordinates. Once the Super Soldier Serum research was perfected, he could quickly train a batch of ninja soldiers, or perhaps hand them over to Kushina.

Kahn gathered up all the Six Paths tools. The Cloud Village would undoubtedly be furious and seek to reclaim them, but that was their problem; Lord Kahn had never officially possessed any ninja tools.

He watched the construction crew finish clearing the ruins, and after confirming there was nothing left to find, he used Apparition to return to the Leaf Village.

Danzo should have returned by now. That evening, Kahn contacted Yakushi Nonō.

When the video call connected, Kahn saw Nonō in a thin, translucent silk nightgown. He coughed and said, "Nonō, I have something important to discuss. Would you mind changing clothes?"

"Changing? Is this not acceptable?" Nonō looked down, then feigned ignorance and asked about other matters: "Boss, about the situation in the Land of Waves..."

Kahn straightened his expression. "That is exactly what I want to discuss. I need the location of the Root base, so I need you to find time to come over and pick something up."

He needed the location of the Root base and detailed visuals of its surroundings. He needed Nonō to have the recruit who had been selected for Root carry a micro-camera inside to record the environment in detail. Only then could Kahn use Apparition to enter the base directly.

"I understand, Boss. I'm on my way."

With that, Nonō ended the call.

"Wait, Nonō..."

Kahn sighed helplessly at her haste. He used Apparition to appear right beside her and said, "Nonō, you hung up too quickly. It's actually much more convenient for me to come to you."

Nonō was startled but quickly regained her composure. "Boss, what would you like me to do?"

"Give this to him. Have him record the environment inside the Root base in detail, then have him find a safe place to hide. Everything after that will be out of his hands."

Nonō nodded, taking the micro-camera from Kahn. She looked up slightly and asked, "Boss, you weren't hurt in the Land of Waves, were you?"

"I'm fine, I've already recovered. Danzo is just a nuisance that needs to be dealt with."

Kahn rubbed his chest. He would need to be twice as careful in the future; there were still many in the ninja world who could threaten him. Perhaps he should look for some alchemical items, whether for soul defense or physical protection.

Nonō nodded and suddenly said, "Those trained in medical ninjutsu have a deep understanding of human muscles. I know exactly which ones need massage—better than someone who hasn't studied it."

Kahn felt a strange undertone to her words and probed, "Hm? Nonō, are you saying..."

"Lie down, Boss. Let me check you over."

Nonō's tone was gentle, but her words were firm. After speaking, she pulled Kahn down to lie down, then, having made up her mind, she sat on top of him and began to massage him using medical ninjutsu.

Kahn immediately felt the difference between medical-ninjutsu massage and Kushina's amateur attempts—it was the difference between mere comfort and total bliss. When Nonō used the technique, it felt like countless tiny hands were gently kneading his muscles, especially since she was wearing only a silk nightgown.

But because it was so comfortable, Kahn didn't think of anything else and quickly drifted off to sleep.

.....................

Root Base.

Since returning from the Land of Waves, Danzo's face had been grim. He had just been berated by Sarutobi Hiruzen in the Hokage's office, because in this time of war, his actions had cost the Leaf a powerful ninja.

Kato Dan was a necessary tool Sarutobi had intended to use against Kahn, but because of Danzo's false orders and rash actions, the village's only Jonin capable of soul-based secret techniques had been rendered useless.

With both legs amputated and his lungs severely damaged, Root couldn't treat him. After being brought back, he was sent to the Leaf Hospital, but even Tsunade had no solution for such injuries.

After emergency treatment, he was reduced to a cripple who could only lie in bed, gasping for air if he spoke even a little—let alone using jutsu, as even refining chakra could kill him.

Root had also suffered significant losses; of the four squads he had taken, only three members had returned. And on top of that, he had been subjected to such a scolding by Sarutobi.

"The Hokage... will be me, Danzo Shimura, sooner or later."

Danzo whispered in the dim room, his eyes dark. If he were Hokage, he could mobilize more resources and formulate more perfect plans; there would be no need to cooperate with the Third Raikage.

"I will become Hokage..."

Just as Danzo made his vow, a massive explosion rocked the Root base. A terrifying blast wave instantly swept through the entire underground space.

Many in the Leaf heard the muffled boom, as if explosive tags had been detonated inside a sealed room. Many of the Police Force hopped onto rooftops, searching for the source of the sound.

After a while, an Anbu suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office, kneeling before Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Lord Hokage, a collapse has occurred beneath the Shimura clan compound, likely related to the muffled explosion from earlier. Rescue operations are underway; the number of casualties is currently unknown."

Sarutobi's expression changed instantly. Beneath the Shimura compound? That was the location of Root!