The Titan Curse: A Shinobi’s Reign

Chapter 18 – The Hidden Truth

The silence between them stretched. The former Root operative remained in the shadows, his expression unreadable beneath the mask. Tsunade held his gaze, waiting.

He had already given her a glimpse of the truth. Now she needed the full picture.

Finally, he spoke.

"Kurozan wasn't just an experiment. He was a contingency plan."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "A contingency for what?"

"For Konoha's destruction."

The words hung in the air like a blade poised to strike.

She had heard rumors before—whispers of Danzo's twisted ambitions, his paranoia about the village's future. But to create something designed to end Konoha?

She crossed her arms. "Explain."

The man hesitated, then stepped forward, just enough for the firelight to catch the lower half of his face.

"After the Third Shinobi War, Danzo became obsessed with the idea that Konoha's enemies would one day overpower it. He believed the current Hokage—Hiruzen—was too weak to make the necessary sacrifices."

Tsunade's jaw clenched. She had long since lost faith in Konoha's so-called leadership, but she never imagined the extent of Danzo's schemes.

"Danzo wanted an army that couldn't be stopped. Something that surpassed bloodlines, surpassed Kekkei Genkai—something that could eradicate threats without mercy."

The pieces were falling into place.

Her voice was cold. "And he found a way to do that through Kurozan?"

The Root operative nodded. "The project involved fusing chakra with something ancient. Something beyond our understanding."

Tsunade didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"

"The Titans," the man said simply. "Or at least… the essence of them."

A chill ran down her spine.

She had seen Kurozan's power firsthand. The way he turned men into monstrous warriors. And now she understood why.

It wasn't just some unique ability.

It was something engineered.

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "How?"

The Root operative inhaled slowly, as if deciding whether he should say more. Then—

"Through blood."

Tsunade's breath caught.

Danzo had experimented with bloodlines before. The Uchiha. The Senju. Even the twisted modifications he performed on Shin. But this…

"What kind of blood?" she asked.

The man looked at her. "Hashirama's."

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

It was always him.

Her grandfather's body, torn apart and used for twisted experiments. First in Orochimaru's hands. Then in Danzo's.

Now this?

She forced herself to stay calm. "Are you telling me Kurozan has my grandfather's DNA?"

"Yes. But it didn't stop there."

Tsunade's hands curled into fists. "What else?"

"The experiment wasn't about healing or Mokuton like the previous ones. This was about transformation. They wanted to push the limits of what a shinobi could become."

Her mind raced.

Kurozan didn't have Wood Release. He didn't have her grandfather's regenerative abilities.

But he had something else entirely.

Something born from unnatural fusion.

And now she knew why he despised Konoha.

She looked the Root operative in the eye. "Did he know?"

A pause.

Then—

"No. Not at first."

Tsunade exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. That explained why Kurozan wasn't just seeking revenge—he was hunting the people responsible for his existence.

When she opened her eyes again, her voice was steady. "You were involved in this, weren't you?"

The man didn't flinch.

"Yes."

The admission didn't surprise her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

He hesitated. Then, quietly, he answered.

"Kaizen."

---

Elsewhere, Kurozan stood at the heart of his growing empire.

The camp had expanded. More warriors had joined, their loyalty secured through power and purpose.

He had given them something the shinobi villages never could.

A future.

Standing before him were his lieutenants—commanders who had pledged themselves to his cause.

One of them knelt. "We've received word. Konoha has begun moving forces. They will seek to strike first."

Kurozan smirked.

"They won't get the chance."

He turned, looking toward the horizon.

It was time.

Time to remind the world that their old ways were over.

---

Back to Tsunade, she took a slow breath, digesting everything she had learned.

Kurozan wasn't just some rogue warrior.

He was created by Konoha's sins.

And the more she uncovered, the more she realized…

She understood him.

Perhaps more than she wanted to.

She looked at Kaizen. "If you were part of this, why are you telling me?"

Kaizen's gaze darkened.

"Because even I know there are some lines that should never be crossed."

Tsunade studied him.

For the first time, she saw something human beneath the mask of a former Root operative.

A man burdened by the past.

A man seeking redemption.

She exhaled sharply. "Then let's bring these secrets into the light."

---