Was This in Your Calculations Too, Danzo?!

Each morning, the shadow clone Ishiki Kujo had left within the Land of Fire would perform the Summoning Technique to call out The President—a daily ritual.

Once the clone summoned the Stand, Ishiki would emerge from the Ruby Space.

Inside the crimson room, Matatabi had made no effort to leave. The place had been thoroughly transformed. Snacks cluttered one corner. Books stacked like miniature towers. The television blared anime episodes nonstop—Matatabi's claws held a volume as it casually read along.

Near the TV, a game controller lay abandoned on the floor. Matatabi had discovered an old game console in a cabinet and had, apparently, taken to alternating between matches and literature "for personal growth."

Or at least, that's how the Two-Tails justified it.

From Ishiki's point of view, it was just plain domestication.

He stared, expression blank, as the once-proud Tailed Beast lay sprawled across the couch, flabby and half-asleep, double chin forming. "I've ruined you," Ishiki muttered. "And yet… you're so damn cute. I want to pet you. Badly. Heheh."

Matatabi's narrow feline eyes arched in amusement as Ishiki left the Ruby Space.

They had only known each other for a little over a month, but the Two-Tails had already figured him out. He wasn't like the other humans. He didn't try to seal her. He didn't threaten or use her. If anything, he treated her like a finicky housecat—one he couldn't quite scratch behind the ears yet.

If she had to rate him as a pet owner?

"Kujo Ishiki, you're a surprisingly competent shit-shoveler."

Crude? Maybe. But not wrong.

There were moments his gaze annoyed her—but she could always sense the respect underneath. Annoying yet sincere. And she liked this life. She didn't care for war. This was paradise: food, books, games, peace.

Yawning, Matatabi rolled over, exposing her stomach. She scratched it absentmindedly. Nap time.

Ishiki gave her a final glance as he stepped out of the room. "Hopeless. But still… kinda adorable."

He nodded at his shadow clone, ignored The President, and darted off. There was no time to waste. He needed to catch up with Inuzuka Ze and the others before anything happened.

He kept telling himself: Don't underestimate Danzo.

Even if everything seemed to be in their favor now, if Ze's team was ambushed on the way back to Konoha, and their Root captives killed, all of this would be for nothing.

And the presence of Turtle Island couldn't stay secret for long.

Ishiki knew Danzo would suspect him the moment the ninja turtle clan got involved. That made an ambush even more likely.

Because the shadow clone had been stationed far from the border, Ishiki had a lot of ground to cover. His Ripple-enhanced senses kept him alert and fast, helping him avoid patrols and possible traps.

Only when he neared the border did he finally detect traces of Konoha ninja.

And not a small task force either—an entire unit. Moving in tight formation, advancing toward the frontline.

He barely had time to avoid them before a squad diverted directly toward his location.

They'd already sensed him.

Konoha's army had deployed high-level sensory shinobi.

Ishiki's expression darkened, but he didn't flee. Something felt wrong. Their appearance was too swift, too organized. It was as if they'd expected something to happen here.

But yesterday, there had been no indication of any Konoha presence near the border. No preemptive strike against Iwa. No recon units in sight.

Which could only mean one thing:

They'd been stationed deeper inside the Land of Fire, waiting. Waiting for something to go wrong.

Waiting for a "crisis."

With that thought, Ishiki stayed where he was. Moving might worsen things.

But that meant Ze's team was likely spotted too. Smuggling the Root operatives back into the village would be a lot harder now. Most likely, the prisoners would be transferred to the Fire Country's border command post.

Unless…

Unless Nara Shikaku's squad was in command.

Shikaku had mentioned this once during a debrief. If the Yamanaka clan's Haishi was present, there might be a real shot at extracting the secrets from Root operatives.

But… a darker possibility surfaced in Ishiki's mind.

What if the welcoming committee wasn't Shikaku… but Orochimaru?

That changed everything.

Orochimaru wouldn't answer to Danzo, true. But if he was in charge, there was zero chance the truth about Root would ever come out. The Sannin would dissect the prisoners, destroy the trail, and bury the truth.

Ishiki pressed his fingers to his forehead. Danzo, you damn snake. You're always five steps ahead.

Still… even if they failed to expose Root, Ishiki hadn't counted on the system for justice anyway.

He'd always planned to kill Danzo himself.

That had been the goal from the beginning.

Either lure Danzo out of the village—or get a Stand strong enough to take him out quietly within it.

Besides, the Turtle Island stunt alone had already made waves. Even if this gambit failed, summoning a creature of that scale in enemy territory had guaranteed Ishiki's reputation would explode.

If his public image climbed high enough to rival or even surpass the Sannin, the higher-ups would find it very difficult to silence him.

Would they risk slandering a national hero? Or openly arresting him?

No. They'd hesitate. And that was all Ishiki needed.

But he had to stay alert. Konoha was filled with dangerous talents. One wrong move, and even he could fall.

As Ishiki stood there brooding, the Konoha squad reached him. They approached cautiously at first, but when they sensed no hostility, they relaxed.

Code words were exchanged. Identities verified.

Then, they guided him toward the main force.

Ishiki's gut twisted when he saw who was leading them:

Orochimaru.

Of course. Danzo would never send the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to the border. Too risky. Too noble.

No, this was the Sannin's domain. And if Orochimaru was here, the chances of truth seeing daylight just shrank considerably.

Still, Ishiki said nothing. He joined the march, and soon enough, he spotted Ze, Tokuma, and Muta within the ranks.

They rushed over. The reunion was short but warm. The three of them looked excited—hopeful, even.

They didn't share Ishiki's grim thoughts. Maybe to them, handing Root over to Orochimaru was the same as handing them to the Hokage.

Ishiki didn't burst their bubble. He nodded. Responded politely.

As they walked, Orochimaru, seated at the center of the convoy, looked up. With a serpentine grin, he waved Ishiki over.

Ishiki told the others he'd catch up and quickened his pace, moving toward the Sannin.

Let's see what you know, snake.

Let's see what game you're playing.