Danzō couldn't sleep.

He hated nights like these, where Konoha's summer heat made his skin stick to the sheets. He shook his head. He was a shinobi in training.

Father always said that shinobi didn't show their pain. It was unbecoming, especially for a member of the Shimura warrior clan. And someday, Father said, someday he would show the world that with or without Konoha, the Shimura were a force to be reckoned with.

Not through the strength of the individual, no. But through pure dedication to an objective.

This, he said, was what made the Shimura shinobi one of the first clans Senju Hashirama - said to be the strongest man of his era - approached with a proposal. One that had seemed preposterous, at the time.

Sure, he had asked the Sarutobi at around the same time, — Hiruzen's clan — but that was mostly for convenience.

Danzō let out a long sigh. Father was right, likely, but it didn't make the heat any less unbearable.

Or sleep any easier to find.

Danzō rolled out of bed, splashed some cold water upon his face. He looked through the window. Huh, strange.

The sky almost looked orange, in the distance.

Suddenly, Danzō was floating through the air, uncomprehending. Out of instinct, — he was going to be a shinobi, soon enough — he caught himself on his palms. He winced. That hurt.

…Not that much. Pain was nothing to a shinobi.

Was there an earthquake…? He thought there weren't supposed to be any, in this part of the Land of Fire.

Someone screamed, outside. The alarm started ringing, through the village.

Father was here, all of a sudden, pushing him along.

"Go. GO!" He roared. Danzō thought he looked afraid, but he knew better.

"Where?" Danzō asked, as a loud roar echoed through the village. He almost lost control of his bladder, right here.

"To the shelters! Hurry!" Father roared. "There's no time."

"What's happening?!"

"Uchiha Madara happened!" Father spat the name like a curse. "He came back with the Nine-Tails! To destroy us!"

Danzō gasped.

"Go!" He roared again. Father pushed him into the arms of a shinobi Danzō didn't know, and disappeared through the smoke.

In the distance, he saw the cause of this chaos. One man, standing proud on the head of the most ferocious Beast Danzō had ever seen.

Like a warlord of legend.

And at this moment, Danzō couldn't tell which one he feared most; Beast or Man.

Looking at the young man in front of him, there was honestly not much of Madara in him.

So why was he remembering this, now…? Was it for the Nine-Tails, that he knew a part of, at least, resided within the Uzumaki?

"So we finally meet." Danzō said placidly. His eye roamed over the summit.

No wonder the woman had reached him. He could see that several of the Hokage Monument's guards had been brought here — likely the same way he had been — and knocked out by the rest of them.

Uzumaki Naruto put a finger to Danzō's forehead with a frown, and did something to him.

Naruto shook his head. "No, we have met before. And I think you know it." His eyes were fixed upon him. "You came by once — or was it twice, now? — at the Sarutobi compound. Enough for me to remember the way you looked at me. And you didn't even know who I was, back then."

Danzō said nothing.

Naruto chuckled. "I know Sarutobi. Well, both Hiruzen and Biwako. If you decided to send Uchiha Shisui after me, and they agreed… That means the alternative was probably worse for them. What did they negotiate, then?"

"…Very well. If you're willing to speak openly of it, so shall I."

Danzō's eye met the Uzumaki's, fearlessly. Whatever it was the Uzumaki intended to do to him… he would not waver in his resolve.

"I know you are Sarutobi Naruto, yes. And I know that part of the Nine-Tails, at least, still is sealed within you."

"Great. Since when have you known?" Naruto asked.

"A while ago."

Ino sighed.

"Did Sarutobi tell you, then?" Naruto asked again.

"He didn't have to."

Naruto lifted an eyebrow.

"…He's telling the truth." A woman's voice said.

Danzō twisted in his bindings enough to finally notice an Uzumaki woman, the chains extending from her hand.

"So you have found some relatives." Danzō simply said.

The Uzumaki woman winced. "Don't make it sound weird."

Naruto snorted. "A clan doesn't make a family, anyway. I'd know."

Danzō stayed silent.

"So, I assume the old man and Biwako accepted your bargain because…?" Naruto thought about it. "You threatened to reveal their involvement in the whole debacle of losing the Nine-Tails…?"

He wouldn't say a word.

"Ah. So you figured that by saying nothing, Karin here wouldn't be able to tell if you were telling the truth." Naruto chuckled. "Fair enough."

Ino put her hand on his forehead. Danzō tried to shake her off.

"It was this… and because they would prefer you to stay alive." Ino confirmed.

"Alive… but mind-controlled. A loyal weapon to the village. Yeah, of course they would." Naruto sighed. "I didn't expect anything else, frankly."

"…"

"You know… now that I have you in front of me… I realize I don't have that much to ask you. Besides where Sarutobi is, right now. But that's for later. And I don't care that much about your precious village secrets." Naruto shrugged, sitting back down in the snow.

Before he even touched it, wind blew around him, clearing the snow and humidity under him. He sat there, waiting.

"So what is it that you want from me…?" Danzō spat. "Are you aiming at weakening the Leaf? Konoha will survive, with or without me."

"Good." Naruto nodded. He frowned. "I don't want to see Konoha crumble, far from it. I'm just glad you're not in it anymore. Hopefully they replace you with someone who's a bit less… terrible."

Yamanaka Ino came to stand in front of him.

"Nothing you can do to me changes anything." Danzō said.

Ino's kick took Danzō in the face. He winced in pain, but just stared back, impassibly.

He could see her blood was boiling. She punched him again.

"Stop, Ino." Naruto called.

Ino punched him again. And again, until her fist was bloody, and his nose broken. Danzō spat out a tooth.

The Yamanaka took a long calming breath.

"You're right. Sorry. Something about… everything about him pisses me right off."

"I know." Naruto said. "Nothing to apologize for."

Ino turned back to face Danzō.

"Why did you have me thrown in the prison? Was it just because I was easy pickings?"

"…"

"…You know what?" Ino asked. "I know it's not going to help, but… It feels damn good."

She punched Danzō's face again.

The Yamanaka then put her hand to his forehead. She could likely feel his emotions on the matter, then.

"Huh." She sounded surprised. "You thought you… brought justice? Are you… sane?"

Naruto frowned.

"Was it because of the scrolls Sarutobi gave to us?" She asked.

Danzō frowned.

"Which scrolls are you talking about…?" He asked.

"Truth." The Uzumaki… Karin said, with some surprise in her voice. "He didn't know."

"…What?" Ino glared at him. "This can't be true. Did you really believe I was the one to kill the Fifth?"

"Yes." Danzō finally said. "And so I did what was best for the village. You were the only one who could have done it. And you clearly had something to hide, on top of it."

"Truth."

"Are you for real…?" Ino raged. "Something to hide? That's my mind. That's why you tortured me? That's something we do to enemies. Not mere suspects!"

"How hypocritical of you." Danzō spat. "You would have done the torture yourself, if given the order."

The Yamanaka gritted her teeth. "…I would have."

She took a long breath.

"Did you give the order to kill Uchiha Toru?"

"Yes."

"Truth."

Ino paused. Taking a long breath.

"Did you kill Uchiha Fugaku? Did you have anything to do with his death?" Ino finally asked.

"No."

"…Truth."

The Umi ninja stayed there, without saying anything. Not verbally, at least, Danzō knew.

"Who did, then?" The pink-haired woman, who Danzō now was pretty sure had been a Konoha shinobi for some months, years ago, asked.

Haruki…? No. Haruno Sakura, he was sure of it. This formerly unremarkable shinobi had somehow managed to pull the wool over him, using the simplest trick in the book. And picking the right disguise for the job.

"Suna did." Danzō said with conviction.

"He doesn't know this for sure." Karin said.

"We didn't ask you who you think did it." Haruno Sakura continued.

"…A Suna poison was used." Danzō gritted out. "One that can only be made by someone with very specific knowledge."

"Truth."

Uzumaki Naruto interrupted, suddenly looking very serious.

"…Is it the one that kills on chakra use?" He asked, eyes hard.

"…It is." Danzō nodded.

Naruto closed his eyes.

"Would Sasori of the Red Sand be able to prepare it?" He asked again.

"…Is he your contact?" Danzō asked.

"No." Sakura said. "Would he be able to prepare it?"

"…Yes."

"Truth. Or he thinks so, at least."

The Umi ninja shared a look.

Uzumaki Naruto's purple eyes were fixed into his again. Danzō refused to flinch.

"I won't tell you anything more." Danzō said.

"I don't care. That's enough for me." Naruto retorted.

He looked at Danzō again, and something in his expression turned wild.

"Wait."

His chakra turned heavier, more suffocation. "There's something here that I really… really don't like."

He stood up, walking to Danzō so silently he might as well have been gliding.

"No." Uzumaki said, speaking softly. Still, his fury and his impatience were now obvious. Now he reminded him of Madara. "Where did you get it…?"

"…"

"What are you talking about?" Haruno Sakura asked, uncomprehending.

"He took a… souvenir." Karin said. From her tone, she had known. The chains still tightened around Danzō.

"What..?" Ino asked.

"Where. Did you get this?" Naruto asked again, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"…I think you know already, don't you?" Danzō asked evenly.

The Uzumaki ripped the bandages around his head, revealing Uchiha Toru's sealed sharingan.

Uzumaki Naruto said nothing for a while.

Had Danzō been able to use his chakra, he would have broken the seals he wore around his eye and gone for a genjutsu. Even though his inexperience with the Sharingan meant it likely would have failed anyway.

"Oh, gods…" Ino paled. She was white as a sheet, her eyes filled with numb disgust. She took a step back.

Haruno Sakura looked furious.

Uzumaki Naruto was simply silent. Until he wasn't.

"Stand up." He said shortly.

Danzō made no move to do so.

"…Or don't. Your choice."

Uzumaki's hand flashed.

The Sharingan was ripped cleanly from Danzō's right eye socket. Danzō let out a terrible scream. Uzumaki held the eye out to the Haruno woman.

"Store it, please." Uzumaki said, voice clipped.

She just nodded quietly, and disappeared in a flash of thunder.

"…You just couldn't stop there, could you?" Naruto asked coldly. There was no sadness, no remorse in him. It was one of the last things Danzō saw. "At simply killing him."

"…To protect Konoha, I'm willing to do anything." Danzō managed.

"Including killing... stealing from an innocent man you consider dangerous to the order you enforce, we know." A new voice said. "Order... based on others' sacrifice. Just like the Hyūga."

Danzō turned around, and a finger strike reduced his vision to nothing. Danzō howled; he was blind.

"An eye for an eye, right?" She asked.

Danzō's screams cut off. Hyūga Hanabi said nothing else.

"…This is my answer." Danzō spat. "There is nothing else I will tell you."

"Answers…?" Yamanaka Ino asked, sounding amused. "We didn't bring you here for answers, not really. We can get these from you later. No, we brought you here to kill you, Danzō."

Once that much was confirmed, Danzō reached inwards. He would take them with him, like any real shinobi would. He would protect the Leaf, in his last breaths, taking away a few dangerous elements.

'Goodbye, old friend.'

Nothing happened.

He felt real fear pool in his gut.

"Yeah… I disabled that, before. It looked kinda dangerous." Uzumaki Naruto chuckled.

"…It wouldn't have worked anyway, with the chains." Uzumaki Karin muttered.

No.

"Well…" The same woman continued. "I guess it's time to kill you, then."

She didn't seem to really enjoy the idea. That wouldn't stop her, either.

The chains tightened, ready to crush him.

"Let me do it." Yamanaka Ino said.

Nobody opposed her.

"You won't get anything else from me." Danzō repeated. "Your threats won't change anything."

"Oh, but we will. Talking to you about this was the best way to bring the few pieces of information we still want from you to the forefront of your mind." Ino said.

She came closer to Danzō.

"Anybody here would love to kill you, I'm sure." She began. "Me… I'm angry for the stay in your torture chambers… But that's not it."

"…"

"Everything you did, Danzō. Every single decision you took was based on a flawed ideology." Ino continued. "Did you think you were so much smarter than anybody else…? All the people you killed, all the convoluted plans you made… Well, we will undo that. Your memories will be a precious help. And then, we'll reveal your actions to the world. The good, the bad. Your fears, your shames…"

"…" Danzō grunted, but there was something shaky in his voice.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Ino asked. "I could also see a little of what once was your hopes. Becoming a greater Hokage than even the Second…? Proving that you were just as good… better than dear Hiruzen?" Ino scoffed. "Your legacy will be nothing but that of a failure. A man who started a useless war… and plunged his very own village into a pool of shit."

"Don't worry. We'll put your name right next to the other traitors, as a cautionary tale." Uzumaki Naruto assured him, sounding amused. "And we'll take good care of Konoha for you, once we take over."

"You will never—" Danzō roared.

"We will. Or rather, we'll make sure it is remade in our image. Not the outdated visions of violence and backstabbing that are yours. Something better."

To hear this.

Uzumaki Naruto seemed to think aloud. "…Maybe as a small part of something bigger, more encompassing?"

Was he serious or just mocking him?

How Danzō wished he could kill the Uzumaki himself. This was no Uchiha Madara… it was worse. Madara at least… had been alone. This one had a village behind him, and people who actually supported his madness.

"Congratulations, Danzō." Ino clapped. "You've made it. For such a bitter, insecure, and deeply jealous man… You've come pretty far, haven't you?"

She came closer.

"You will be remembered as the man who ruined Konoha."

Him…? Him…?! They were about to ruin everything. Over what… revenge?

And Danzō felt as helpless as a baby.

She pulled something out.

"This one is for Toru, then." Yamanaka Ino said.

Her blade went through his throat and he choked upon his own blood, slowly.

That was it. The end of the road. He had failed.

After all these sacrifices…

'…What was I, to you? What do you think of someone like me…?'

Danzō wasn't afraid. Being afraid was unbecoming of a shinobi. He wasn't afraid—

Maybe he was.

He wondered if Hiruzen would…

The illusion broke.

He was still there, kneeling in the snow. There was no wound on his throat. Still, he gasped for air.

"Oh. Before…?" Yamanaka Ino asked. "I lied. You're not going to go so easily. Not you. Now… I'm not a big fan of it, but I'm sure I can pull off the torture act, one last time."

Danzō was stripped of everything he wore. The few plates of armor he had been wearing under his garments fell away too.

The humiliation made him seethe.

Ino kicked him, and he fell down with a grunt. Only then, she really dove into his mind.

By the time Ino stopped, Danzō didn't care what happened to him anymore.

What could be worse than this…? Physical pain would have been much easier. Much easier. Many of the things he kept so jealously were exposed to these beasts. And he knew that what few were left, she would take care of later.

He had no more will. Every shame, every pain, every regret.

All of this was brought back to the surface again. And the wounds felt rawer.

Failing to find his courage in front of the only man he had ever looked up to, leading to being passed over for Hiruzen. His unrequited feelings for the man, the ones he would never admit. His jealousy, too.

The plans he had made for Konoha in the future. What little flickers of hope he still had left.

She had scraped every inch of his brain, it felt. All the ugly parts, it seemed as though she knew them. He knew that even if he had been left alive, sleep would have eluded him for a long while.

Danzō was incoherent, babbling aimlessly. He had lost control over himself, in more ways than just this. It was something ugly to see, and raw too.

The Yamanaka removed her hand from him. She was breathing hard.

Uzumaki Naruto came close to his ear. His words brought clarity back to Danzō, like an unwanted dive in icy water.

"Are you still afraid of me, Danzō…?" He laughed. "After all this time? Don't worry. The Nine-Tails' and I… have an agreement, this time around."

The words were the last he heard, and he would never know if Uzumaki was telling the truth or not. If he truly were Madara in the flesh. In this moment, no matter how impossible it seemed, he could believe it.

Tears ran freely down his face.

When they finally pulled the rope around his neck, and slowly pulled him up in the air, where he choked, in a mockery of what he himself had ordered…

It almost came as a relief.

They wiped the guard's memories, and Naruto dropped them off somewhere close to Konoha, unconscious.

Danzō's corpse was kept as pristine as it could be, and Ino started ripping his memories right away.

Ino had some news for them.

"There are a few things." She said. "Well, plenty, but I will spare you the atrocities such as the failed attempts to bring back Mokuton through the use of orphans and the like."

"…Go on." Sakura encouraged her. She then held her pipe out expectantly. Ino growled, but she complied and lit her pipe. Sakura muttered a vague, ungrateful 'thanks.'

Ino took a steadying breath. "Yamanaka Fū and Yamanaka Kazuhiro carried the act."

"I see." Naruto said evenly.

The way his fingers were drumming on the table betrayed his apparent calm, though. And so did the feeling of static in the air. There was always an animal-like stillness to him after a battle… or a murder, like tonight had been. It usually took him a little while to regain his usual warmth. For the storm in his eyes to recede. It was probably true of all of them, tonight.

Naruto's cool purple eyes were demanding, and he looked absolutely certain of himself.

"According to the report they gave…" Ino continued, feeling the horror in her own voice. "Toru tried to fight the nightmare possession… and the last jutsu. He… really wished to live. They… removed his eye and he managed to fight back, even then. Then they tried to hang him, and we know how that ended."

The silence in the room was thick.

"…Are they in the village, right now?" Sakura asked, cutting her off.

"Yes." Ino confirmed. "They are."

"…Will you prevent me from going?" Sakura continued. "They are from your clan, still."

"…No. No, I won't." Ino said, her eyes dark. "Go ahead."

"Thank you." Sakura said, standing up. "I'll go entirely alone this time, Hanabi. Now is probably the last time to get into Konoha. Once they realize Danzō is gone, they will increase security. Especially once they figure out how I got there in the first place."

This would likely be the last time they could make use of the Mark in Naruto's basement. Had Danzō realized the place wasn't as untouched as he had believed, he would probably have lived. Well, Naruto had made sure that it would look the exact same as before, once he had gone to look for Ino, last time.

Ino had not planned on seeing her mother anytime soon, but the possibility still seemed to become a little more remote.

There was one more thing to say.

"So… I suspect Danzō might have been fooled by one particular guy. He definitely got some incomplete intel from him, at least. And that was on purpose, I think."

"Who are we talking about?" Karin asked.

"Does the name Yakushi Kabuto ring any bells to anyone…?" Ino asked, frowning.

Because it didn't to her. But they would find him.

Tonight.