#101

Shimura Danzo watched intently as a pile of beheading swords was fed into the blast furnace. The metal clanged against the chamber walls, swallowed by the searing heat.

The furnace roared to life, its glow casting flickering shadows across the factory walls. A wave of heat rolled through the room, but Danzo welcomed it like a warm breeze against his face.

He had waited long for this moment—the first batch of Konoha's new ironworks.

A power station employee hurried over, looking uneasy.

"Lord Danzo, the ironworks are consuming too much electricity. The village grid can't handle it. If we keep supplying power, we'll have to cut electricity to parts of the village."

Danzo's expression darkened. "Then cut it."

The employee hesitated. "Sir, this will cause major disruptions—"

Danzo's sharp gaze pinned him in place. "Shinobi are trained to endure hardship. What's a little power outage? Do as I said."

The employee had no choice but to comply. That evening, Konoha suffered a widespread blackout. People grumbled, businesses halted, and homes sat in darkness—but Danzo remained indifferent. This was a necessary sacrifice for progress.

At last, the first batch of molten iron emerged. Danzo stepped forward in anticipation, only to freeze at the sight before him.

A pile of warped, half-melted beheading swords.

The other staff stared, stunned. Murmurs of confusion filled the room.

Danzo's temper flared. "What is the meaning of this?!"

He grabbed an engineer by the collar. "Explain!"

The engineer swallowed hard. "It seems the furnace temperature wasn't high enough. The metal didn't fully melt."

Danzo's grip tightened. "How is that possible? This is the same equipment used in Sunagakure!"

Except… it wasn't.

Unbeknownst to Danzo, the blueprints he had acquired through Sai's espionage were altered. The key components for proper smelting were missing.

The so-called "advanced ironworks" he had spent millions on was little more than an oversized blacksmith's shop, capable of making farming tools at best.

The engineer flinched under Danzo's furious glare. "I-I don't know what went wrong, my lord!"

Danzo's rage burned hotter than the furnace. "Sai! Find Sai—NOW!"

Meanwhile, deep in Konoha's forests, Sai found himself face-to-face with a masked figure blocking his path.

Sai's grip tightened around his scroll, ready to summon an ink beast. "Who are you?"

The figure calmly removed their mask, revealing a Sunagakure forehead protector. "I am an Anbu of the Sand Village, sent under direct orders from the Kazekage."

Sai's expression remained unreadable, but his muscles tensed. "Are you here to capture me?"

The Anbu shook his head. "No. I'm here to save you."

Sai narrowed his eyes. "Save me? From what?"

The Anbu chuckled. "Think back. Didn't your mission go a little too smoothly? You infiltrated Sunagakure, stole top-secret blueprints, and escaped… yet no one tried to stop you. Doesn't that seem strange?"

Sai remained silent, but his mind raced.

"If you think it's because your skills are just that good, you're underestimating our Anbu," the ninja continued. "Every move you made was watched. Everything you took was what the Kazekage wanted you to have."

For the first time, a flicker of shock passed through Sai's usually emotionless eyes. "You're saying… this was planned?"

The Anbu nodded. "The Kazekage wanted Konoha to build a factory. And now, thanks to you, Danzo has sunk enormous resources into a project doomed to fail."

Sai processed the information quickly. "Why are you telling me this now?"

The Anbu tilted his head. "Because it's time for you to leave. Danzo has lost too much money. He'll need someone to blame. Who do you think is the perfect scapegoat?"

Sai already knew the answer. "Me."

The Anbu offered a hand. "Come with me. I'll take you somewhere safe."

Sai studied him for a moment before asking, "Your name?"

The Anbu smirked. "I have many names. But for now, you can call me Kaizan."

Sai looked completely dumbfounded, but he wasn't an idiot.

Without hesitation, he ran off with Kaizan, leaving his so-called allies behind.

As they traveled, Sai found himself contemplating his future. He had always been a tool, a weapon forged for a single purpose. But now, the path ahead seemed uncertain.

"Does Kazekage-sama intend for me to continue serving in the Anbu?" Sai asked, his voice as emotionless as ever.

Kaizan shrugged. "You can, if you want. But the Kazekage has been dabbling in something else lately—manga. Since you're good at drawing, you might want to apply."

Sai blinked. "Manga?"

"Yeah," Kaizan replied. "Something called Ninja Adventures: Altair's Bizarre Adventure: Ninja Saga or something like that."

Sai's usually blank expression shifted ever so slightly, a faint glimmer of disbelief flickering in his eyes.

'What kind of ridiculous title is that?'

Never mind. He'd stick with Anbu. Just hearing the name of that manga told him it was doomed to fail.

With Sand Village's Anbu covering their tracks, Danzo's men couldn't find him. Before they even realized he was missing, Sai had already slipped into Temari's transport, en route to Sunagakure.

Danzo's subordinates wouldn't dare stop her.

By the time Sai reached the village, his transfer papers were already waiting.

As for the cursed seal Danzo had placed on him? A minor inconvenience with Orochimaru around.

The next morning, Sai reported for duty.

Mufasa leaned forward with an eager grin. "Sai, have you really never considered drawing manga? I'm telling you, being a mangaka is a promising career!"

Sai didn't hesitate. "Thank you, my lord, but I think I'll take my chances in Anbu. At least that job comes with a guaranteed paycheck."

Mufasa slumped back. (∠":") "Why does no one here care about art?"

He sighed.

"Fine, I'll just make a doujinshi myself."

Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Danzo fumed.

Sai had disappeared without a trace. His instincts screamed that something was off.

'I've been played.'

That traitor Sai had to be in league with the Kazekage. There was no other explanation.

He wanted to issue a village-wide warrant for Sai's capture.

But there was a problem.

He had previously informed Sunagakure that Sai didn't exist.

This time, he had outsmarted himself.

For now, he shoved the issue aside. There were bigger problems at hand—like the disaster unfolding in the ironworks.

He had spent millions on this project: buying fishing villages, commissioning ships, hunting whales, building factories, producing equipment.

And what was the result?

A bunch of red-hot beheading swords.

That was it.

The iron wouldn't melt properly. Without molten metal, there were no ninja tools.

At this rate, Sunagakure was going to laugh him out of the shinobi world.

They'd be thinking, 'This guy's a genius. Why didn't we think of using this metal before?'

Danzo slammed his cane into the ground. "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!"

The ironworks fell silent. His subordinates trembled.

This old man was terrifying when he lost his temper.

Danzo's single visible eye glared at his engineers. "Speak! Someone, give me a solution!"

One of them hesitated, then cautiously raised a hand. "My lord... what if we just sold the beheading swords? They are technically ninja weapons."

Danzo's brow twitched.

A second later, a gust of wind sent the poor fool flying across the workshop.

"Are you an idiot, or do you think I'm an idiot?!" Danzo barked. "Who in their right mind would use a 250-centimeter, 30-kilogram sword for regular ninja combat?! Unless someone's got superhuman strength, that thing is completely impractical! And do you really think a ninja running around with a giant blade strapped to his back isn't going to be the most obvious target in a mission?!"

No one dared to speak.

Danzo's fury simmered.

"I need real ideas."

A young researcher, Katasuke Tono, hesitantly stepped forward. "Danzo-sama, I believe the ironworks can still be salvaged."

[T/N: I think this is the young Katasuke in Boruto. Remember, Danzo is talking to the workers of Konoha Ironworks or something like that. He's not talking to his Root right now.]

Danzo turned sharply. "Explain."

Katasuke swallowed hard. "The issue isn't the ironworks itself. The furnace temperature just isn't high enough to melt the beheading swords. But it is high enough to process other iron ores. The facility could still be used—it's actually more efficient than our previous forges."

Danzo mulled it over. "And what about quality? We need ninja tools that surpass those of Sunagakure. Can standard iron ore accomplish that?"

Katasuke nodded. "Yes. We've been researching a rare mineral called Emerald Steel. It has the durability and cutting power required."

Danzo's stayed quiet for a few seconds, seemingly in deep thoughts.

"Emerald Steel... Do we have it?"

"That's the problem," Katasuke admitted. "We only have a small sample for research. The main mines are controlled by the Fire Daimyo, and it's part of his private assets."

Danzo tightened his grip on his cane. "Then buy it."

Katasuke hesitated. "There's another issue. The daimyo's prices are... steep. The cost of mineral is three to four times higher than what Sunagakure pays for their metals."

Danzo's fingers twitched.

'Damn that greedy old man.'

He had miscalculated.

Now, he had a half-built industrial empire, an astronomical investment, and no cost-effective way to compete with Sunagakure.

Before he could figure out his next move, an Anbu agent appeared at his side.

"Danzo-sama, Lady Tsunade has summoned you."

Danzo knew exactly why.

Tsunade had caught wind of the ironworks mess.

'Tch. No point delaying it.'

He took a deep breath, straightened his cloak, and turned toward the Hokage's office.

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Word count: 1573

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