This Danzo Is Weird!

"Welcome to Root, everyone."

As the shadows slowly receded from the old man's face, an overwhelming aura of authority and composure spread through the air.

It was the presence of someone who had emerged from mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

The sheer weight of his long-held power was suffocating.

The instant he appeared, all attention naturally focused on him.

"Lord Danzo..."

Fū Yamanaka licked a bead of blood that had trickled down to the corner of his lips, his eyes filled with reverence.

Might Guy also showed excitement.

Ever since he and his father had received recognition and praise from this man on the Southern battlefield, this passionate young ninja had sworn to protect the greatest Lord Danzo.

Anyone who acknowledges the flames of youth couldn't be all that bad, right?

This was Might Guy's nindō—the Way of Danzo!

Meanwhile, Genma Shiranui instinctively shrank his head into his shoulders.

Facing the legendary "Darkness of the Shinobi," he was genuinely terrified.

Each recruit wore a different expression.

But regardless of what they felt, at this moment, they all had to say, with the utmost respect—

"Lord Danzo."

Danzo leaped down from the steel bridge above, landing smoothly in front of them.

"Congratulations on passing the first stage of Root's selection."

His raspy voice carried across the silent training ground as he observed their wounds, both minor and severe.

His words triggered another wave of unease.

The first stage?

That meant there were more trials ahead.

And if the first one was already this dangerous… just how terrifying would the next be?

The thought made Genma shudder.

Slowly, he raised his hand and hesitantly asked,

"Uh… Lord Danzo, can I ask a question?"

"Speak."

Danzo, leaning on his cane, showed no hint of emotion.

"Umm… what happens if we fail the trials?" Genma asked cautiously.

"If you fail, you will be eliminated and unable to become an official member of Root."

Danzo's response made Genma's eyes light up.

So if I just fail on purpose, I can get out of this?

But then, Danzo's next words shattered his newfound hope.

"However, I must remind you—Root's trials are dangerous. If you do not give it your all, your life will be at risk."

Danzo's piercing gaze seemed to see right through him, instantly crushing any thought of escaping the ordeal.

Right…

If you don't take Root's trials seriously… you could actually die.

Forcing an awkward smile, Genma quickly said,

"Heh… Lord Danzo, you must be joking! It's an honor to join Root! I will do my utmost to pass the trials and serve you faithfully!"

Danzo's lips curled into a cryptic smile.

"If you truly have such resolve, then fate will not disappoint you."

Without giving anyone a chance to refuse, he walked to the edge of the training ground and activated a hidden passageway with his hand.

"This is the trial you must pass to join Root."

"This passage is filled with various traps. You must evade them to complete the final trial."

Danzo's voice was calm, yet it instilled a deep sense of danger in everyone present.

He glanced at the group and asked,

"So, who will go first?"

For someone like Might Guy, a hot-blooded youth, the answer was obvious.

"Lord Danzo, let me experience the ultimate trial of youth!"

With two backflips, he prepared to leap into the passage—only to be forcibly stopped by Kakashi.

"I will go first," Kakashi stated calmly.

His gaze toward the passage was filled with a cold determination.

Danzo watched this amusing interaction, the corners of his lips curving slightly.

To him, Kakashi's aloof nature was nothing more than a defense mechanism— a shield against the pain of loss.

After all, witnessing the brutal deaths of two close friends had left deep scars.

He had distanced himself from others, unwilling to forge new bonds and risk suffering again.

Yet Might Guy's unyielding enthusiasm seemed to have reached this so-called genius.

Danzo had no intention of interfering.

If bonds like this could be nurtured within Root, all the better.

"Since you're so confident, go ahead and enter first."

"Hmm."

Kakashi gave a small nod, pulled a kunai from his pouch, and stepped into the passage.

The deep, black tunnel looked like the gaping maw of an abyss, ready to devour him whole.

But Kakashi showed no hesitation.

"...Is this the composure of a true genius?"

Genma Shiranui bit down on a senbon, his voice tinged with admiration.

The moment Kakashi disappeared into the darkness, a figure emerged beside Danzo—Ryoma Aburame.

Then, Danzo spoke in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear:

"Set the difficulty to maximum. Let him experience the full strength of Root."

"Understood."

Ryoma vanished again, leaving behind a group of recruits who had suddenly turned pale.

Might Guy clenched his fists in silence, praying in his heart:

"You must pass this trial, my eternal rival… Kakashi!"

Moments later, the sounds of traps activating echoed through the passage.

The sharp whistling of kunai launching through the air.

The heavy boom of falling weights.

The deadly swish of razor-thin wires slicing through space…

The sheer intensity of the sounds sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Even listening to it was terrifying.

Fifteen minutes passed.

Gradually, the noise subsided.

Under the watchful eyes of the group, Kakashi finally reemerged from the tunnel.

But gone was the collected, elegant figure that had entered.

His flak jacket was riddled with cuts and slashes, his silver-white hair was a complete mess.

"How was it, Kakashi?"

"Did you conquer the trial with your burning flames of youth?!" Might Guy asked passionately.

Kakashi sighed, nodded slightly, and warned,

"I passed. It was tough. Be careful."

He adjusted the headband covering his left eye.

On the surface, he appeared calm.

But deep inside—he was frustrated.

During the relentless onslaught of traps, he had been forced to use the Sharingan.

At one point, he had nearly been pushed into using Raikiri.

That, to him, was a huge failure.

Might Guy, of course, failed to notice Kakashi's complicated emotions.

Instead, he clenched both fists, his youthful spirit burning—

"Since Kakashi has passed, as his rival, I must not fall behind!"

With that, Might Guy charged straight into the tunnel.

Danzo was momentarily stunned.

He hadn't even had time to tell Ryoma to adjust the difficulty!

The setting used for Kakashi had been specifically calibrated to challenge his Sharingan.

But Might Guy didn't have such extreme dynamic vision—he could actually get hurt…

However, after a brief moment of thought, Danzo didn't stop him.

Instead, he murmured with anticipation,

"Let me see your true potential, Might Guy."

---

It soon became apparent that Kakashi's trial was too intense for Might Guy.

Under the relentless barrage of traps, wounds quickly began to appear on his body.

Yet, as his blood splattered, there was not a trace of hesitation in his eyes.

Instead, they burned with determination!

"So this is the kind of danger Kakashi just endured?"

"I can feel your resolve, Kakashi!"

"Eight Gates Release—Fifth Gate, Dōmon: OPEN!"

In the next moment, an explosion of chakra erupted from his body.

With the power of the Eight Gates, he blasted through the tunnel in just fourteen and a half minutes.

Unlike Kakashi, however, the moment he stumbled out, his body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

His injuries were severe—

A combination of the trap-inflicted wounds and the recoil from the Eight Gates.

His entire body was on the verge of shutting down.

The sight of Might Guy—battered, exhausted, and barely conscious—was a powerful shock to the rest of the group.

And yet, his spirit remained unshaken.

With great effort, he raised a trembling thumb toward Kakashi.

"I… I didn't break our promise, Kakashi."

Kakashi blinked.

"What promise?"

Danzo shook his head and sighed,

"You young people are reckless beyond reason."

Despite his words, he recognized that the Root division needed warriors with such fearless conviction.

Might Guy's personality might not align with Root's methods, but in terms of willpower, many Root operatives couldn't hold a candle to him.

Just as Might Guy was about to lose consciousness, a broad hand rested gently on his body.

A soft green glow flickered, spreading warmth as his injuries slowly began to heal.

"Th…thank you, Lord Dan—"

Before he could finish speaking, sheer exhaustion pulled Might Guy into deep sleep.

Seeing this, the rest of the group breathed a sigh of relief.

"So as long as we survive the trial… we'll be healed afterward?"

"And by Lord Danzo himself?!"

"Then even if we die… it'd be worth it!"

With this realization, Yamanaka Fu suddenly bolted toward the tunnel—without a word, just like Might Guy!

Danzo's expression darkened slightly.

"Might Guy has the Eight Gates… what do you have?"

"Running in blindly—are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Fortunately, Danzo had already accounted for this possibility.

While Might Guy had been tackling the trial, Ryoma Aburame had been adjusting the difficulty for each participant.

The goal of this training was not just to eliminate the unqualified, but to push everyone to their limits and assess their willpower.

---

26 minutes later—Yamanaka Fu emerged, bruised and battered.

And just as he had hoped, he received Danzo's personal healing.

Then came Yamashiro Aoba—17 minutes.

Followed by Namiashi Rado —19 minutes.

Morino Ibiki—20 minutes.

And finally, the most timid of them all—Genma Shiranui.

After a grueling 24 minutes, he successfully passed.

Surprisingly, he wasn't too heavily injured.

This meant that, despite his cowardly nature, his actual skill level was quite high.

Of course, this was only because Danzo had adjusted the difficulty for them.

If everyone had faced the same challenge as Kakashi…

Most of them probably wouldn't have made it out at all.

__

This Danzo Is Weird 360 advanced chapters: (5-10 ch updates everyday)

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