The Titan Curse: A Shinobi’s Reign

Chapter 12: A Shadow Falls

Hiro pressed a bloodied hand against the wound on his shoulder as he moved through the darkened alleyways of Konoha. He had spent years working in the shadows for Root, and now those same shadows sought to consume him.

He had known Danzo wouldn't let him live after what he revealed to Tsunade, but he hadn't expected the old war hawk to move so quickly. The three Root agents that had ambushed him fought with the same terrifying precision he had once prided himself on. If he hadn't escaped when he did, he would already be dead.

His breath was shallow as he reached a small abandoned storage house near the edge of the village. He needed to leave Konoha. Now.

A flicker of movement in the distance made him freeze.

"He found me already?"

---

Tsunade stood by her office window, watching the village below. The untouched bottle of sake on her desk felt heavier than ever.

She had spent the last few days digging deeper into Hiro's claims. The classified records she had access to only confirmed his words—Danzo had conducted human experiments with Hashirama's cells, attempting to recreate the First Hokage's power.

The implications of this were monstrous.

Had the Senju clan been deliberately weakened over the years? Had Nawaki's death been orchestrated? Was this why Konoha had let her clan fade into obscurity while protecting the Uchiha until their eventual fall?

She didn't want to believe it.

But the more she read, the more it felt like the village she had sworn to protect had been built on something rotten.

Shizune entered the office hesitantly. "Lady Tsunade, Hiro hasn't reported back. If Danzo's men found him first—"

Tsunade clenched her fists. "Then we're running out of time."

If Hiro had already been captured, then she needed to act now before whatever secrets he held were buried alongside his corpse.

She stood up and grabbed her cloak.

"I'm going out," she muttered.

Shizune's eyes widened. "Alone?"

Tsunade didn't answer as she left the room.

---

Naruto sat atop the Hokage Monument, staring out at the village with a troubled expression.

Something was wrong.

Tsunade had been acting differently. She avoided long conversations, barely spoke to him, and looked exhausted even when she wasn't doing paperwork. He had tried asking Shizune about it, but even she seemed uncertain.

He thought about the last time he visited her office. She had been hiding something on her desk—scrolls filled with information she didn't want him to see.

Naruto wasn't stupid. He knew something was going on.

And for the first time, he felt like Tsunade didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth.

A faint chakra signature flickered at the edge of his senses. He turned his head sharply, narrowing his eyes.

Tsunade was leaving the village.

Alone.

Without even thinking, he leapt off the monument, heading in the same direction.

---

Hiro barely had time to dodge as a kunai whistled past his ear, embedding itself into the wooden crates beside him.

He cursed under his breath.

He had thought he'd lost them, but his pursuers had never stopped hunting.

Two masked figures emerged from the darkness, their movements silent and precise.

"Enough running, Hiro," one of them said, voice devoid of emotion. "Danzo does not tolerate traitors."

Hiro exhaled sharply, slipping into a defensive stance.

"I didn't betray Konoha. I betrayed a monster who hides behind it."

Without another word, he flashed through hand seals.

A surge of chakra erupted from his body as he slammed his palm against the ground.

"Earth Style: Stone Barricade!"

A thick wall of rock rose between him and his attackers. He turned on his heel and sprinted toward the village gates.

If he could just make it outside, he had a chance.

The wall behind him exploded into rubble as one of the Root agents blasted through it with a wind-enhanced kunai. Hiro gritted his teeth.

They wouldn't let him escape so easily.

But he wasn't alone anymore.

A shadow dropped from the rooftops above, landing between him and his pursuers.

Tsunade.

Her golden eyes flickered between Hiro and the two masked shinobi.

Hiro staggered back, still panting from the fight. "You… You shouldn't be here."

Tsunade ignored him. Her gaze locked onto the Root agents, her jaw tightening. "Tell Danzo that if he wants to clean up his mess, he can face me himself."

Neither of them moved.

Then, with the same ruthless efficiency as always, the Root agents attacked.

Tsunade didn't bother dodging the first strike.

The kunai aimed at her throat shattered against her skin as she lunged forward, grabbing the first attacker by the face and slamming him into the ground so hard the earth cracked beneath them.

The second agent flickered behind her, blade aimed for her spine.

Hiro moved before he could think, intercepting the strike with his own kunai. The clash of metal sent vibrations through his arm, but he held firm.

Tsunade turned just in time to deliver a devastating kick, sending the agent flying into a nearby wall.

Both Root operatives were down.

Tsunade exhaled, rolling her shoulders. "Tell me everything you know, Hiro. Now."

Hiro hesitated. "If I tell you the full truth, you won't be able to stay in Konoha."

Her hands clenched into fists, but her voice was steady. "Maybe I don't want to."

A powerful chakra signature flared behind them.

Tsunade and Hiro turned to see Naruto standing at the entrance of the alley, watching them with narrowed eyes.

His gaze flickered to the unconscious Root agents before locking onto Tsunade.

"You're really not gonna tell me what's going on, huh?"

Tsunade met his stare, something unreadable in her expression.

"Not yet."

Naruto's fists clenched. "Then I'll find out myself."

For the first time, Naruto and Tsunade stood on opposite sides of the same village.

---

Far from Konoha, Kurozan stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing toward the village that had ruled the shinobi world for so long.

The time for patience was nearly over.

A figure approached from the shadows and knelt before him. "Our forces are in position. What are your orders?"

Kurozan's eyes gleamed.

"Show them what a real nightmare looks like."

---