Danzō had expected that all fourteen of his Root operatives would follow him in exile.
But when he saw that only eight had come—just two squads—and not even including "A," his most trusted asset, a hollow weight sank into his chest.
He placed all the blame squarely on Orochimaru and Ishiki Kujo.
If those two hadn't worked together, he wouldn't have been pushed into such a desperate, treasonous situation.
All his life, he'd believed the Uchiha were his true enemies, that Sarutobi Hiruzen was the biggest obstacle to his dream of becoming Hokage. But in the end, it wasn't the imagined Uchiha menace that brought him down—it was Hiruzen's disciple, and that disciple's own disciple.
In the end, he'd lost to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He'd lost the moment he lacked the courage to stand tall beside his sensei, Tobirama Senju. From then on, the tone of his life had been set: failure, and retreat.
He hadn't gotten the Hokage title. He was angry, resentful—but he couldn't direct that fury at Hiruzen. Deep down, he knew Hiruzen was more capable, more suited to be the Third Hokage.
So he retreated into the shadows, becoming Hiruzen's sharpest blade, the one who bore every sin in silence, all for Konoha's prosperity.
He admitted his ambition wasn't pure—but everything he did, he did for Konoha.
Now, Hiruzen completely ignored those contributions. Not only did he strip Danzō of authority, he extended his trust to Orochimaru. That, more than anything, enraged Danzō.
As he ran, frustration boiling, he lashed out—one slap flattening Mayoyoyo's head like a rotten fruit.
The green-skinned Stand user crumpled to the ground, but a moment later he was back, massaging his temple and grinning obsequiously beside Danzō.
"Oh no, was I breathing too loud again? I'm terribly sorry. Let me clean your hand—I'm excellent at that sort of thing."
Mayoyoyo's wheedling voice buzzed in Danzō's ears, but oddly, Danzō wasn't quite as angry anymore. You got used to looking at the little freak. Easy to kill, too—very satisfying.
Smirking darkly, Danzō ripped the arrow from Mayoyoyo's skull.
He collapsed again, but just as swiftly the arrow reappeared in his head, and he popped up beside Danzō once more.
The arrow in Danzō's own hand was gone.
Danzō shot the Stand a glance but didn't linger—he picked up speed toward the border.
Outside Konoha, there weren't many safe harbors for a man like him. Only Hanzō's domain offered a decent fallback—especially with one of his research labs there.
Sure, he had plenty of other sites within the Land of Fire. But the thought of those made his rage surge again. He raised a hand and shattered Mayoyoyo's skull a second time.
The freak's mouth twisted into a grotesque smile.
Go ahead. Hit me. Hit harder.
It won't be me who dies in the end.
Mayoyoyo followed after Danzō, savoring the moment like a gourmet bite of pain.
Behind them, the remaining Root members maintained strict formation. One ninja was assigned full-time sensory duty, monitoring Mayoyoyo's every move. The rest either guarded the perimeter or conserved energy, silently matching Danzō's pace.
They were only eight, but these eight were his elite—Danzō's final, most loyal core.
…
"Danzō has defected."
It was mid-May when Ishiki Kujo heard the news at the border.
To avoid being tied to Mayoyoyo's activities, Ishiki hadn't returned to the village once. He remained on the outskirts, assisting Shisui in reversing the "snailification" effects on captured Iwagakure shinobi.
He'd returned to the front lines early in the month, after swapping his Stand abilities.
"Yes, it's been a few days," replied Orochimaru, who had also returned to the main camp. "I told the Hokage about his secret lab. The Third led a team and seized the facility. Danzō had no choice but to flee."
"You're not worried he'll pin the blame on you?" Ishiki tilted his head, intrigued.
After all, framing someone else for that kind of betrayal was Danzō's specialty.
"I gave him every chance," Orochimaru said with a wicked grin. "When I withdrew from those experiments, I was offering him an exit. But he thought he could control me forever. That was his mistake."
Orochimaru had taken Ishiki under his wing precisely because the boy clashed with Danzō—and refused to support an assassination against him. Danzō, blinded by ambition, failed to see the trap.
"Still, he won't give up easily. Now that he's outside Konoha, he'll become even more dangerous. That's where you come in," Orochimaru added, eyes narrowing. "A single green-skinned freak isn't going to be enough to deal with Danzō."
He didn't know exactly what the green creature following Danzō was—but he was certain it had nothing to do with Kumogakure.
It had Ishiki's scent all over it.
Orochimaru had seen strange beings—he recalled that cloud-like creature once, and the chicken-headed flame summon described in Inuzuka Zawa's mission report.
So when intel came in about the green thing, he knew immediately: Ishiki again.
Especially since the Two-Tails had also ended up in Ishiki's hands, Orochimaru was convinced the Frost Country curse incident had also been Ishiki's doing.
Yugito Nii had vanished near the cursed mansion. The signs were too blatant.
And the incident with the "disappearing abilities"—almost certainly linked to the Sharingan—also had Ishiki's fingerprints all over it.
Orochimaru still hadn't figured out how Ishiki was able to control the Sharingan so perfectly.
"What green-skinned creature?" Ishiki asked innocently.
Even if Orochimaru was certain, Ishiki wasn't about to admit anything.
When Orochimaru didn't respond, Ishiki smoothly changed the subject. "So where did Danzō go?"
He had some guesses.
Very few places in the shinobi world could offer Danzō refuge.
Amegakure—the Hidden Rain—was the most logical option.
Danzō and Hanzō, two relics from a bygone era, might just find common ground. Together, they could still stir up chaos.
But Ishiki was especially curious: if Danzō really had gone to the Land of Rain, how would the Akatsuki react?
Both Danzō and Hanzō were longtime enemies of the organization—especially to Nagato and Konan.
After all, those two men had conspired, for power and ambition, to bring about Yahiko's death—and force Nagato to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"Land of Rain," Orochimaru said, confirming Ishiki's thoughts.