"Webs of Deception"

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Early in the Morning

As Ron ate his breakfast, he couldn't help but think about what had happened last night.

Damn, teleportation is amazing.

No time wasted at all—one instant, he was in New York, and the next, he was back in Malibu.

Of course, the details of the second half of the night… yeah, best not to describe those. That could get messy.

All Ron knew was that cleaning up the villa afterward had been a real pain.

Webbing stuck to the ceiling, webbing on the tables—one strand had even suspended an entire chair mid-air.

What exactly had happened? Well, only two people knew the answer to that.

As for Gwen, Ron had taken her home last night.

She insisted she had to be back—otherwise, her mom would definitely notice when she came to wake her up in the morning.

Ron respected that. Again, teleportation made everything so much easier.

After giving Ron one last kiss, Gwen skillfully climbed up the side of her house and slipped into her bedroom.

She lingered at the window, looking at Ron for a long moment before finally pulling the curtains shut, clearly reluctant to part.

Ron didn't leave right away either. Instead, he scouted the area, making sure he could teleport there easily in the future.

Once he had the layout memorized, he finally left.

The Shinobi World

Shizune glanced at Tsunade, who was staring blankly into space, still drinking.

She couldn't help but lower her gaze, looking at her wrist with a sigh.

He said he'd be gone for a while, but it's been so long… Why isn't he back yet?

She didn't notice that the moment she looked down, Tsunade's gaze also shifted to her wrist.

A sharp pang hit Tsunade's chest. She didn't know why, but the sight of that metallic bracelet stirred something inside her.

She was supposed to be afraid of him, supposed to want to keep her distance… yet she had willingly thrown herself into his arms.

And now, with Ron gone for days on end, instead of feeling free, she just felt… empty.

Yesterday had been especially frustrating. She had planned to go gambling to take her mind off things, but for some reason, her luck had been absurdly good. She won every single round. In just two hours, she had multiplied her money tenfold.

Instead of feeling happy, it only made her more irritated. She grabbed Shizune and went back home.

As she walked, thoughts of Ron kept creeping in, and before she knew it, she was recalling that day at the training grounds.

The day Ron had dragged in those two corpses.

"Lady Tsunade, two more ANBU members came asking about Lord Ron today."

Hic! Tsunade hiccupped, taking another sip of her drink. "They're not ANBU. They're from Root."

Shizune blinked in surprise. "Root? But aren't they under Lord Danzo? Why would he be looking for Lord Ron?"

Tsunade didn't answer right away. She took another long drink before suddenly asking:

"Shizune… If I died, how long would it take for my body to rot away completely?"

Shizune felt uneasy. She looked at Tsunade with worry. "Lady Tsunade, you're not going to die!"

But Tsunade didn't seem to hear her. She shook her head and mumbled, "No, wait… The head would still be left."

"If the whole body rots, would the head still be intact?"

"If the head is still there, wouldn't the flesh still be attached?"

She kept muttering to herself, her words slurred from the alcohol.

Shizune couldn't make sense of what she was saying. She was too young to understand the pain hidden in Tsunade's voice.

It was the kind of sorrow that came from knowing the truth but being too afraid to accept it.

The weight of disappointment.

Shizune answered honestly, "That… shouldn't happen, right? Even if a body decays, there would still be some skin left."

"It's impossible for it to completely disappear. The whole body should decay at the same rate… unless someone deliberately cut it off."

Tsunade's whole body trembled. Then, as if all the strength had drained from her, she slumped onto the table.

She murmured to herself, "Yeah… You're right. That's exactly it…

"How could my grandfather and granduncle's bodies decay?

"We're Senju. Even after decades, our bodies should still be full of vitality. They shouldn't rot away at all."

"Their heads being intact proves it.

"So… someone carved the flesh off them."

A bitter, broken laugh escaped her lips.

"In Konoha!

"In the village they built and protected!

"In the very cemetery they were buried in!

"Under the noses of the Hokage and his students!

"Their own people stripped their flesh from their bones!"

Her voice grew louder and louder, until finally, she was shouting through her tears.

Then, just like that, she collapsed onto the table, passed out.

Shizune stood frozen beside her.

What did I just hear…?

Grandfather and granduncle…? Their flesh was stripped away?

Doesn't that mean…

The First and Second Hokage?

Their bodies were desecrated?

But… they died so long ago!

The First Hokage passed away not long after defeating Madara Uchiha.

The Second Hokage sacrificed himself to protect his students—including the current Third Hokage and the village elders—allowing them to escape.

Afterward, Konoha negotiated with the Hidden Cloud, and the Second Hokage's remains were returned.

Both of them were buried in the village cemetery.

That was common knowledge.

People regularly visited their graves to pay respects.

But now…

Thinking about Tsunade's tearful outburst, Shizune shuddered.

Could it be true?

But this is Konoha!

The most honorable place in the entire shinobi world!

Her heart clenched as she looked at the unconscious Tsunade.

She gently lifted her onto the bed, tucking her in.

"Lady Tsunade… you must be struggling so much inside."

She sighed softly.

"If only Lord Ron were here…"

She wasn't sure why she thought that.

Tsunade and Ron's relationship wasn't exactly harmonious.

In fact, Ron had always taken what he wanted from her without the slightest hesitation.

It wasn't love.

And yet…

Somehow, deep down, Shizune felt that Ron was already rooted in Tsunade's heart.

Shizune had a feeling—right now, in Tsunade's heart, Ron meant more to her than Konoha itself.

If Ron were here, he would definitely help Lady Tsunade get justice.

She gazed out the window, lost in thought, not noticing the brief flash from the watch on her wrist. Tsunade's watch did the same.

Konoha, Root's underground base.

"You're sure that's what Tsunade said?"

Shimura Danzo stood in the darkness, his lone eye fixed on the kneeling subordinate in front of him.

The Root member, wearing a mask, lowered his head and respectfully replied, "Yes."

"We didn't leave immediately after inquiring about Ron Stark's whereabouts."

"Outside, we overheard Lady Tsunade drunkenly speaking with Shizune."

Danzo's gaze deepened. "I see. You may go. Bring Orochimaru here—tell him I have something important to discuss."

"Yes, sir!" The Root member bowed and disappeared in an instant.

Less than ten minutes later, a tall and slender figure walked into the Root base.

It was none other than Orochimaru. He looked around in distaste at his surroundings.

Despite having a contract with the giant snakes of Ryuchi Cave, which was also underground and had a rather dark atmosphere, at least the cave had a certain aesthetic appeal.

But this place? Root's base was pure darkness—oppressive and suffocating. Staying here too long could drive someone insane.

"Seriously, no matter how many times I come here, this place always makes me uncomfortable."

"What do you want? I have experiments to conduct. Hurry up and say your piece so I can go back."

Danzo remained expressionless at Orochimaru's disdain.

"Tsunade knows."

"Knows what?"

"She knows we've been using the First and Second Hokage's corpses for research."

Orochimaru spread his hands indifferently. "And? What does that have to do with me?"

"I'm just a researcher. My job is to conduct experiments. You're the one providing the materials."

Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Don't forget, the First and Second's cells are in your lab."

"So what?" Orochimaru licked his lips with his forked tongue, completely unfazed.

"If we get exposed, I'll just leave the village. The only reason I've stayed is because you provide me with resources. It's convenient."

"But you? Can you leave? Lord Danzo, the man who desperately wants to be Hokage?"

Anyone could betray the village—but not Danzo.

His obsession with becoming Hokage was his driving force.

He was willing to use any means necessary to claim the title, but he would never betray Konoha. That would mean cutting off his only path to power.

Even if he had to face punishment, he would stay in the village.

Outside the village, anyone could become Hokage. But inside? The position could still be his.

Danzo's eye flickered with anger, but he didn't dare take it out on Orochimaru.

"Don't you want to continue your experiments? Even if you leave Konoha, do you really want to waste time searching for materials and equipment all by yourself?"

Orochimaru's expression shifted slightly. "What are you getting at?"

Danzo's words made sense. Searching for resources on his own would take too much time—time he could be using for more experiments.

Danzo stepped down from his seat, walking slowly toward Orochimaru.

"Tell me, is there any experiment material better than Ron Stark?"

Orochimaru let out a mocking laugh. "You think you can beat him? Or that your Root members can?"

"Just his armor alone could wipe out your entire Root. And on top of that, he can use Wood Release."

"That's basically two Kage-level threats combined—and not just ordinary ones."

"You don't want to experiment on him?" Danzo asked, ignoring the insult.

Orochimaru chuckled. "What's the point of wanting something if you can't have it? You still want to be Hokage, don't you? Has that happened yet?"

"If I were still interested in being Hokage, you wouldn't even stand a chance."

"Oh, wait—scratch that. You still don't stand a chance. Word is, the old man wants Minato Namikaze as the Fourth Hokage."

Orochimaru sneered. Both he and Minato were from civilian backgrounds, with no powerful clans backing them.

That was precisely why he gave up on the Hokage position.

The death of his disciple, Nawaki, only pushed him further into his obsession with immortality.

What was the point of becoming Hokage? Just another puppet for the old man.

And besides, being Hokage wouldn't grant him immortality. No interest.

Danzo thought differently. His eyes flashed coldly.

"Hmph, the Fourth Hokage should be me. I've done more for this village than anyone. Minato? He's just a young upstart."

Orochimaru smirked and wagged his finger mockingly. "Oh, come on now."

"Minato earned the title of the 'Yellow Flash,' fought the AB combo to a standstill, and destroyed Kannabi Bridge, stopping Iwagakure's invasion."

"By my count, he's completed multiple S-rank missions—more than enough to earn the Hokage title."

"The entire village is cheering for him."

"And you, Lord Danzo? Who even knows who you are?"

Danzo clenched his fists. Damn it! If I could get rid of Sakumo Hatake, I can get rid of Minato too.

The Fourth Hokage will be me! Anyone who gets in my way will die!

As Danzo's face darkened, deep in thought, Orochimaru chuckled, amused by whatever sinister plan was forming in Danzo's mind.

"Alright, alright, let's get back on track. You called me here just to talk about Ron Stark?"

"What's your plan? If it's interesting enough, I might consider working with you."

Danzo looked up, his face once again calm and expressionless, as if all the frustration from moments ago had never existed.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue. What a sly old fox—his ability to switch faces is unreal.

Danzo's voice was low and firm. "We trap them with a barrier—then, we strike."

"....."