Chapter 61 - 61: The True Beast of Konoha
With Zeldris's departure, Konoha Village slowly returned to an eerie peace.
At the devastated Uchiha mansion, only one man remained — Shimura Danzo, furious beyond words.
Tonight was supposed to be his night, his grand victory.
Yet somehow, it had ended in utter disaster.
And when he thought of Uchiha Madara — no, that monster — Danzo's anger burned even hotter.
"I used up almost all of Root's forces," he seethed internally, veins throbbing on his forehead.
"And you— you just took your damn Sharingan and ran?!"
Not a single one left for me?
You absolute bastard!
Before Danzo could explode on the spot from sheer rage, hurried footsteps approached.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, accompanied by his personal Anbu unit, had finally arrived.
The moment they saw the wreckage — the cratered ground, the burnt corpses, the collapsed walls — everyone froze in horror.
"W-What the hell happened here?!"
"This destruction... even the earth shook earlier!"
"Could it have been... a tailed beast attack?"
Even Hiruzen's expression darkened.
This wasn't something Uchiha Itachi could have pulled off alone — not by a long shot.
As his eyes scanned the battlefield, Hiruzen suddenly caught sight of a disheveled figure in the distance.
Danzo?!
What in the world is he doing here?!
Suppressing the thousand questions boiling inside him, Hiruzen rushed over.
But the closer he got, the worse it looked — Danzo was pale, coughing, and clutching his side as if he'd fought a war and lost horribly.
"Danzo!" Hiruzen barked.
"What happened here?!"
Danzo gritted his teeth, visibly restraining himself from exploding. Just as he opened his mouth—
An Anbu member appeared in a flicker of leaves, landing heavily beside them. His voice was grave:
"Third Hokage— confirmation: the entire Uchiha Clan has been wiped out."
"The prime suspect... is Uchiha Itachi."
The announcement fell like a hammer.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and nodded somberly.
"...Understood. Continue the search. Find any survivors, if there are any."
"Yes, sir!"
As the Anbu vanished, Hiruzen's mind raced.
If Itachi had done his part — then who unleashed this chaos?
Who fought here, shaking the entire village?
And why the hell was Danzo standing here like a bomb that had been set off too early?
Danzo, sensing Hiruzen's sharp gaze, leaned closer. His voice was low and grim:
"Sarutobi... we made a major miscalculation tonight."
He paused, grinding his teeth as if the very words hurt to say.
"It wasn't just Uchiha Itachi who acted against the clan..."
"It was—"
He almost choked on the name.
"—Zeldris."
!!!
Hiruzen froze.
He almost thought he misheard.
The name "Zeldris" felt like a bad dream they had hoped was forgotten.
"You're sure...?!" Hiruzen demanded, his voice taut.
"You're saying he was involved?!"
"The destruction, the earthquake— all because of him?!"
Danzo nodded stiffly, his face as black as thunder.
"His strength..."
Danzo said hoarsely, "has grown to a terrifying level."
He inhaled sharply, as if it physically pained him to admit:
"Even if you and I joined forces... we might not even be able to scratch him."
The words hit Hiruzen like a punch to the gut.
They had just eliminated the Uchiha problem, and now this?!
Danzo's face twisted further, his fists clenching tightly enough to draw blood.
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't stand it.
Not only had he failed to harvest the Sharingan—he got beaten half to death for free!
He'd mobilized Root, lost men, lost face, and ended up empty-handed!
The sheer humiliation was too much for his old heart.
Danzo suddenly coughed violently, his body shaking like a leaf—
—and with a final glare at the heavens, he rolled his eyes back and collapsed.
Thud.
A pathetic sound, like a sack of old rice.
...
Meanwhile, in the dense forests outside Konoha—
Zeldris was speeding through the trees, relaxed, whistling a little tune to himself.
He hadn't expected his few words to traumatize Danzo so much — but hey, a bonus was a bonus.
Under the guidance of the Purple Demon Eyes, he soon arrived in a dense jungle clearing.
A familiar silhouette waited ahead.
Spotting Uchiha Itachi, Zeldris smiled lazily.
Itachi, hearing the disturbance, turned around sharply.
The moment he saw Zeldris, his ever-calm eyes flickered slightly.
—He escaped Danzo?
Already?!
Before Itachi could piece it together, Zeldris landed lightly in front of him, smiling as if they were old friends meeting for tea.
"What's wrong, Itachi?"
Zeldris said with a sly tilt of his head.
"You look surprised to see me."
Itachi schooled his face into perfect neutrality, but internally, his mind was working overtime.
Wasn't he supposed to be restrained by Danzo?
How is he here already?!
Before Itachi could muster a response, Zeldris leaned closer, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
"And by the way..." he said softly, almost teasingly,
"The one-eyed masked man—he's running late, huh?"
"You're not curious at all, Itachi?"
Itachi's breathing hitched ever so slightly.
Still, he kept his voice calm.
"What are you implying?"
Zeldris chuckled lowly, an almost predatory sound.
"You don't actually think..."
He paused dramatically, savoring the moment.
"—that he's coming to help you... do you?"
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