Chapter 319: 319. Chapter 314: Danzo, the Innate Scapegoat Saint Body

319. Chapter 314: Danzo, the Innate Scapegoat Saint Body

As night fell, the whole town became silent, with only the occasional barking from the alley proving that this place was not desolate.

Sarutobi Sasuke, who was squatting at the temporary settlement, looked at the sky and waved to interrupt the F6 who were whispering.

"Time is almost up, let's go."

According to the mission details, several people would disappear strangely in this town every night at the end of the month, and the next day, abandoned corpse remains would be found on the outskirts of the town, with a foul smell and a miserable appearance.

Although the client who issued the mission repeatedly emphasized that the culprit who ate people was an indescribable monster, the experienced Sarutobi Sasuke believed that the culprit should be some kind of humanoid wild beast. The rogue ninja who went missing a few years ago probably died because of his poor skills.

"Father... Captain Sarutobi! Is there any tactic?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was on a mission for the first time, rubbed his hands excitedly, wanting to prove himself to his father with this mission.

"Yes, yes~"

The other little ones also nodded busily, their tense little faces full of eagerness to try.

"Uh... act according to my signal."

Sarutobi Sasuke, who was stared at by the little ones, felt a bit uncomfortable. He hesitated for a moment and arranged in a low voice.

"Received!"

The seductive moon hung on the treetops, and Sarutobi Sasuke took the little ones into the darkness, wandering in the dark alleys of the town, looking for suspicious figures. However, after turning around for a long time, they didn't find even a ghost shadow.

"Hiruzen, you guys come over."

Sarutobi Sasuke thought for a while and felt that it was not a way to keep wandering like this. It was said that the murderer came and went without a trace, and his hiding means and moving speed couldn't be bad, so he beckoned to the little ones who were poking their heads.

"Captain Sarutobi, what's the arrangement?"

The little ones stood at attention immediately, waiting for the order.

"Next, we will act separately. You guys form a group of three and go to guard near the two gates of the town respectively. If you find suspicious people, you must not act rashly, and send a signal at the first time."

As he spoke, Sarutobi Sasuke took out several signal flares from his backpack and distributed them to the people.

"Yes!"

Next was the grouping session. Little Danzo didn't hesitate at all and went straight to his childhood friend Sarutobi Hiruzen. The two hit it off, and then simultaneously set their eyes on Uchiha Kagami, who was being pestered by Koharu Utatane.

"Kagami-kun, please be sure to take me with you. I'm just a medical ninja who can't even tie a chicken~"

Koharu Utatane, with a pouting mouth, pulled Uchiha Kagami's arm and said in a coquettish voice.

"Koharu, men and women are different, everyone is watching."

Uchiha Kagami, looking at Koharu Utatane who was about to shed tears, felt a few cold sweats on his back. If he hadn't known the true face of this girl, he would have fallen for her trick.

"How can you say that? Aren't we good friends?"

"Kagami, join our group!"

Just as Koharu Utatane was pestering him, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo walked over and issued an invitation with a very sincere tone.

"I was the one who..."

Koharu Utatane was unhappy on the spot, then turned her head and looked at Shimura Danzo with murderous intent.

This old lady is fishing for a golden turtle here, you guys don't come to stir up the chrysanthemum.

"You can't say that. Team formation must follow the principle of voluntariness. Kagami, our team needs you!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and reached out to Uchiha Kagami.

"Sorry, Koharu."

Uchiha Kagami gave Koharu Utatane an apologetic smile, then shook hands with Sarutobi Hiruzen and joined their team.

"You Danzo, you just wait for me!"

The cooked duck flew out of her mouth, and Koharu Utatane was furious, warning Shimura Danzo immediately.

"Ha? What does it have to do with me? I didn't say a word!"

Shimura Danzo, who didn't know he was the innate scapegoat saint body, was warned by Koharu Utatane for no reason. He touched his head in confusion, his expression very innocent.

Since Sarutobi Hiruzen's three-person team had gathered, Koharu Utatane had to curse and form a temporary team with Mitokado Homura and Akimichi Torifu who didn't dare to speak.

"Good! If nothing happens, gather here before dawn."

Witnessing the process of the little ones forming teams, Sarutobi Sasuke's evaluation of his son rose a few points. He didn't expect this kid to have some leadership qualities.

"Yes!"

The little ones received the order and turned into several black shadows, scattering in two directions.

Sarutobi Sasuke looked at the little ones leaving, still feeling uneasy in his heart, so he put his hands together and clapped on the ground. Two clever little monkeys jumped out of the white smoke, scratching their ears and cheeks, observing the novel environment.

"Please, help me watch them secretly. If there is any accident, please notify me at the first time."

"Squeak squeak squeak~"

The little monkeys didn't nod for the first time after receiving the order, but stretched out a hand toward Sarutobi Sasuke. He, who understood, groped in his backpack and took out the banana he carried with him, handing it to the two little monkeys.

"Chee chee~"

The little monkeys who got the reward nodded excitedly, hugged the banana, leaped, and chased in the direction the little ones left.

"Sigh... This should be no problem."

Sarutobi Sasuke then put his heart back into his stomach, and his whole person slowly escaped into the darkness, looking for it.

Although this was just a B-rank mission, if it couldn't be completed, it would lower Konoha's evaluation score.

"Monkey..."

Uchiha Madara, sitting in front of the former mayor, took a light sip of the fragrant tea, but his thoughts flew elsewhere.

If there was no accident, the Konoha ninja who came to execute the mission should be Sarutobi Sasuke, the clan leader of the Sarutobi clan, and as for the few children he brought, they should be Senju Tobirama's disciples.

So to speak... Kagami-zai also came.

No, he had to take care of this matter.

As a side branch of the clan leader line, Uchiha Kagami had a lot of weight in Uchiha Madara's heart, especially since he was the child most valued by his big cousin. If something went wrong, how would he answer to Uchiha Gin?

"Thanks for your tea, I won't disturb you anymore."

Uchiha Madara, worried about Uchiha Kagami having any accidents, greeted the old man and got up to leave.

"Wait! Are you crazy? I just told you so much, did you listen to it all for nothing?"

The old man was anxious on the spot. He had told Uchiha Madara so much about ghosts just to remind this young man not to die in vain.

"Don't worry, I'm a ninja anyway."

To reassure the old man, Uchiha Madara chose to reveal his ninja identity, but the old man didn't buy it.

"You wandering guys always like to call yourselves ninjas, just like that young man five years ago."

It turned out that the old man had mistaken Uchiha Madara for a rogue ninja wandering outside, and couldn't help but bring up the past.

"Call yourself a ninja?"

This sentence aroused Uchiha Madara's interest.

"That's right, that young man five years ago called himself a ninja from the Land of Grass, but in the end, he still died in the ghost's mouth."

It turned out that the ninja who went missing five years ago came from the Land of Grass. Uchiha Madara didn't have a deep impression of that country, only that it was rumored that their ancestors were rich, but the family fell, and then they never recovered.

Uchiha Madara touched his chin and sat back down.

"What's his name?"

"His name is..."

"My name is Fire God! I am a ninja from the Land of Grass. I heard you have a mission to entrust?"

A thin young man with a ponytail stood in front of the old mayor, holding the somewhat worn sword at his waist, his face full of vegetable color with a look of expectation.

"Are you a ninja?"

These days, the old mayor, who was worried about the recent ghost incident, looked up and down at the young man in red short sleeves in front of him, his old face full of suspicion.

"Genuine! If you don't believe me, look~"

Feeling that he had been questioned, the young man named Fire God drew the sword at his waist and slashed at the table beside him. The exquisite square table collapsed instantly.

"Hehe~ How about it?"

Fire God took back his sword and asked proudly.

"Three thousand ryo!"

The old mayor looked at the scrapped table, and the muscles in the corners of his eyes were twitching.

"Ah? Didn't we agree on ten thousand ryo?"

"I'm talking about the table!"

"..."

"Remember, after the matter is done, I will only pay you seven thousand ryo."

The ninja in front of him, who didn't look much like a ninja, didn't look like someone who could afford three thousand ryo. Adhering to the mentality of trying, the old mayor finally handed this mission to him.

"Does it include meals? My appetite is a bit big~"

Never expecting that he would get a blessing in disguise, the young man named Fire God, while excited, asked.

Wouldn't this be a guy who cheats and drinks?

The old mayor rubbed his temples with a headache, weighed it, and answered,

"The world is not peaceful now, I can only provide you with one meal a day. If you can't complete the mission within three days, go back from where you came."

"One meal is fine, let's eat, let's eat!"

Wiping the crystal-clear saliva from the corner of his mouth, Fire God urged monkey-like. The old mayor had no choice but to arrange it.

"Delicious! Delicious! Another bowl!"

"No... isn't this too capable of eating?"

Standing in a restaurant, the old mayor looked at the young man who was sweeping away the clouds in a daze.

"Mayor, he has already eaten the third bucket of rice. If this continues, the food money you gave me won't be enough!"

The restaurant boss on the side also opened his mouth in surprise. He had opened a restaurant for so many years and had never seen anyone who could eat so much. Even the Akimichi ninjas who passed by before didn't have such a big appetite.

"Uh... no more rice?"

Finding that the boss didn't come to add rice, the young man named Fire God touched his flat stomach with regret.

"No more! You ate the kitchen empty, how can I do business today?"

The boss's face was iron-blue. This guy in tattered clothes actually ate up his inventory in one breath. If the old mayor hadn't stopped him, he would have slammed a pot on him long ago.

"Sigh... only barely ate sixty percent full."

Curling his lips, the young man stood up and stretched. This was the fullest he had eaten recently.

"Young man, if you are just a guy who cheats and drinks, I hope you admit it early and don't stand out."

How could a normal person have such an eating appearance? Thinking about it, this young man must have been hungry for a long time, and accepting the mission was perhaps just to eat a full meal.

"I am very strong!"

Wiping his mouth, the young man was still full of confidence.

"Since that's the case, it's the end of the month in two days. I'll leave the ghost matter to you."

"Wrapped~"

Just like that, this young ninja came to beg for food on time every day. The amazing appetite attracted people in the town to watch. Fire God didn't restrain himself and greeted people with a smile.

"Big brother, are you really a ninja?"

A young boy gathered his courage and asked Fire God who was eating.

"Why, don't I look like one?"

Fire God glanced at the child and didn't put down his bowl. He chewed the food in his mouth vigorously and asked back in his spare time.

"Don't all ninja lords wear fancy gear, spitting fire and spraying water, while throwing shuriken swish-swish-swish?"

The boy recalled the ninjas he had the honor to see and replied with longing.

"Burp~ Then I'm really sorry, I'm a ninja from a poor countryside."

Burping, Fire God didn't feel ashamed because of his poverty, but admitted it generously.

"Poor countryside?"

"My hometown, the Land of Grass. The people there are not strong, but there are a lot of things to do. They don't allow this and don't allow that, which is really annoying~"

Fire God complained to the boy while picking his teeth, without any ninja airs in his words.

"

The boy stared at Fire God for a long time before suddenly asking,

"Huh?"

"My father, the town watchman, was a man eaten by a ghost."

It turned out the boy was also a victim of the ghost; his father had been snatched away by a ghost that appeared suddenly while on duty, and later, his mangled corpse was discovered on the outskirts of town, leaving the boy an orphan from that day on.

"So that's how it is."

Looking at the boy, whose face was filled with hatred, Fire God's eyes flickered with an unreadable expression, and he muttered to himself in a low tone,

"That really is..."

"Big Brother, you must eliminate the ghost!"

"Ha~ that goes without saying."

Quickly returning to his unreliable demeanor, Fire God lazily yawned and nodded casually.

Soon, three days passed, and the day the ghost appeared finally arrived. The old mayor gathered some of the town's young and strong men in his courtyard; everyone stood ready with iron weapons, while the young ninja named Fire God sat to the side, drinking tea with an air of composure.

"The time is almost here."

The old mayor was extremely nervous because, due to the frequent disappearances during this period, his position as mayor was in jeopardy; if he couldn't resolve the ghost menace, he would have to resign in disgrace.

"Aren't you going to set off yet?"

The old mayor asked Fire God, who was beside him, in a deep voice.

"Hoo~ *cough*!"

Fire God didn't dawdle; he put down his teacup, stood up, and swaggered out of the courtyard, blending into the pitch-black night.

"I hope he isn't a fraud."

Watching the retreating back of the person disappearing, the old mayor couldn't help but pray in his heart.

Pure white moonlight filtered through the withered treetops, leaving mottled shadows on the pitch-black street. At the town gate, a formless mass of pitch-black was quietly approaching.

As it slowly stepped into the town's territory, the heavy pitch-black on its body rapidly contracted. In a few moments, it transformed into a tall figure and began to wander aimlessly, its scarlet eyes scanning the surrounding tightly closed doors with a vacant gaze.

"Eat... eat..."

A hoarse and blurred whisper echoed through the empty street. The figure endured an indescribable hunger in its belly, searching for the appearance of prey.

"Creak~"

An abrupt, strange sound was particularly jarring in the empty street. The figure was instantly attracted, and after lifting its head to sniff, a covetous smile appeared on its face.

A familiar scent.

"Hoo~ hoo~ hoo~"

The terrified boy ran through the pitch-black alley. He had only snuck out in the middle of the night because he was worried about the unreliable Big Brother Ninja, but instead of meeting Fire God, he had encountered another strange person.

When the other person turned their head to look at him, the boy felt fear instinctively and immediately dove into a familiar alley without looking back, running toward his home.

"Eat... eat..."

However, no matter how fast he ran, that devil-like whisper still echoed in his ears. Wrapped in the aura of death, the boy ultimately fell down due to fear.

"Don't come over here!"

With his legs turning to jelly, the boy found that no matter what, he couldn't stand up.

"Eat... eat..."

The ghostly figure slowly approached. Only now did the boy smell a foul stench that almost made him vomit; it was the smell unique to rotting food.

At this moment, the boy was certain that the figure before him was the ghost that had eaten his father. But under the fear that had seeped into his bones, he could do nothing but tremble.

"Eat..."

Just then, a ray of moonlight shone down, and the boy, on the verge of death, finally saw the ghost's true face.

It turned out the ghost wasn't the green-faced, fanged monster of legend, but a pale-faced woman. Her appearance wasn't stunning, just not ugly. Her face bore no expression, her long hair hung over her shoulders, and she wore a washed-out gray robe. She carried no sign of life, like a corpse that had lost its vitality.

Move! Just move!

The terrified boy slapped his trembling legs, trying to fight for a glimmer of survival.

"Eat..."

There was no reversal like in the novels. In the blink of an eye, the pale female ghost had reached out her hands to the boy's face. Watching her foul, gaping mouth slowly grow larger, the boy closed his eyes in despair.

"Tap, tap, tap~"

However, just as the boy fell into despair, the sound of footsteps slowly coming from the darkness behind him ignited a glimmer of hope in his heart. Using every ounce of his strength, he shouted loudly,

"Help! The ghost is here!"

"Tap, tap~ tap~"

The owner of the footsteps paused after hearing the boy's call, then disappeared with a 'tap'.

"So you're here~"

Just as the boy thought the owner of the footsteps had met with misfortune, a familiar voice came from behind him. Hearing this voice, the boy turned his head in excitement.

"Big Brother Ninja! Save me!"

"You, oh you. I told you not to run around at night. Why won't you listen?"

Fire God, slowly emerging from the darkness, had less of his usual casualness and more of a complex look on his face. Looking at the boy slumped on the ground, he slowly shook his head.

"Eat... eat..."

The female ghost withdrew the hand she had reached toward the boy and slowly stood up, her scarlet eyes staring straight at the Fire God who had suddenly appeared.

"Hoo~"

The boy, having survived, let out a huge sigh of relief. Fire God's appearance gave him the courage to stand up, and his trembling legs regained their vitality. However, before he could even rise, a ghostly voice suddenly came from behind, devoid of its previous laziness and filled only with a bone-chilling coldness.

"You're hungry again, aren't you?"

"That day, the young ninja named Fire God never appeared again. Also snatched away was a boy from our town. Poor child, his father was eaten by a ghost, and he didn't escape either."

The former mayor's eyes were filled with deep sorrow. He still remembered the boy's mangled corpse and the strip of red cloth tightly gripped in his hand.

"Didn't you find the ninja's corpse?"

After hearing the former mayor's account, Uchiha Madara frowned and asked.

"No, but there were fragments of his clothes. He was probably swallowed whole."

"Although you are useless, it's great to take you back and show off~"

"Strange. You said that for everyone snatched by the ghost, their corpses would appear outside the town, without exception. Why did only that ninja's corpse vanish?"

Based on the old man's narrative, Uchiha Madara vaguely felt that the ninja was somewhat peculiar.

"Perhaps it was carried off by a passing wild beast!"

Clearly, the old man did not want to talk about this memory anymore. His ashen complexion made Uchiha Madara, who was about to press for more, close his mouth.

"You should sleep here tonight. Konoha ninja are powerful; you will surely be able to help us eliminate the ghost menace."

The old man pointed to the tatami mat to the side, letting Uchiha Madara rest there for the night.

"Then thank you."

Uchiha Madara, having weighed the situation, nodded. The old man said nothing more, turned, and walked into the inner room. Before long, the sound of deep snoring could be heard.

Uchiha Madara, sitting cross-legged, sensed that the old man was fast asleep, slowly opened his eyes, and then disappeared from the room with a Body Flicker.

Town Gate

The Sarutobi Hiruzen squad, hidden in an alley, was staring at the street with full concentration, afraid of missing any detail.

"Gurgle~"

As a result, a hungry growl broke the trio's tense mood. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the source of the sound, elbowed the confused-looking Shimura Danzo beside him without changing his expression and whispered,

"Danzo, I told you to eat more this afternoon. Why won't you listen?"

"Huh? Hiruzen, it wasn't me!"

Shimura Danzo, who had been made a scapegoat for no reason, frowned and retorted in a low voice.

"If it wasn't you, could it be Kagami?"

"Maybe it was him..."

Little Danzo wouldn't take the blame for anything other than the monkey, so he immediately pointed the finger at Uchiha Kagami behind him.

"Crunch~ crunch~"

"Do you guys want some too?"

Uchiha Kagami, who was eating snacks, saw the two looking at him and shyly handed over the pastry in his hand.

This was something he had bought on the way while searching for information during the day, fearing he would be hungry if he came out at night.

"Thanks, Godfather!"

Just think, in the middle of the night, when you're so hungry you can't sleep, and at this life-or-death moment, you receive a bag of snacks from your roommate—how could you not call him 'Godfather' for such a great kindness?

"You're too polite. What's our relationship? If it's not enough, I have more here~"

"Danzo! Look at you, can't you learn from Kagami?" (End of chapter)