I Got Reincarnated As Danzo!?

"It would be great if you were a member of the Uzumaki clan," Uzumaki Ashina murmured, staring at Danzo in a daze.

In just a few months, the boy had mastered all the general sealing techniques and could perform them proficiently—something that took Ashina himself several years to accomplish. He had once been called a genius of sealing arts, but compared to this? Danzo was a monster.

If only he were truly an Uzumaki. With his talent, he could elevate the sealing arts to new heights.

Danzo chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Hahaha, Uncle Ashina, you're exaggerating. I just have a little talent."

["Without the system's help, would I be this relaxed? Heh, shameless."]

With the system guiding him and the cheat-like efficiency of Shadow Clones, he had turned what was once a slow and tedious process into mere months of focused effort. He had hardly done anything else—his life revolved around his residence, the patriarch's house, and the training grounds, pushing himself to the limits like a player grinding endlessly in a game.

Meanwhile, Toothless had been living the good life, indulged by the Uzumaki villagers to the point of gaining weight. If Danzo hadn't taken him to train daily, the dragon might have ended up looking more like a pig.

Ashina sighed. "Since you're all set to return, I won't hold you back. I wish you a safe journey—and take this letter to Mito for me."

He handed Danzo a sealed scroll, but just as Danzo reached for it, Ashina's sharp eyes caught something unusual.

"Who's there?"

The door suddenly burst open, and a dozen villagers tumbled in, having clearly been eavesdropping.

"Danzo, are you leaving so soon?"

"Can't you stay a few more days?"

"Yeah, we'll miss you!"

Danzo forced a smile while inwardly shaking his head. *They just don't want Toothless to leave.* If he stayed any longer, they'd probably try to keep his dragon as a village mascot.

By the afternoon, it was time to depart.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

With a puff of smoke, Toothless appeared, flapping his wings before letting out a proud roar, earning cheers from the gathered villagers.

Danzo climbed onto the dragon's back, raising a hand in farewell. "Everyone, fate will bring us together again!"

With a mighty flap, Toothless took to the skies.

As they soared higher, Danzo patted the dragon's side. "You really need to lose weight. You're getting slower."

Toothless let out an indignant snort, attempting to suck in his belly—only to realize it made no difference. Resigned, he nodded.

Danzo chuckled. "Alright, next stop—the capital of the Land of Fire."

---

By nightfall, Danzo found himself deep in the wilderness, the landscape devoid of any nearby settlements. He sighed. "Looks like we're camping out tonight. We'll reach the capital by noon tomorrow."

After securing the area, he sent his Shadow Clones to gather firewood. Soon, the orange glow of a campfire flickered to life, cutting through the chill of the autumn night.

Danzo pulled out some fish gifted by the Uzumaki villagers and prepared them with simple seasonings. He tossed two grilled fish to Toothless, who swallowed them whole with a single gulp.

"You get only two. Look at you—you're getting fat."

Toothless whined, circling Danzo and nuzzling against him.

"Fine, three, but that's it," Danzo relented.

Toothless happily licked him with his large, rough tongue.

Just as Danzo placed the third fish over the fire, Toothless suddenly stiffened. His ears perked up, and a low growl rumbled from his throat.

Danzo's expression darkened. "Looks like we have uninvited guests."

A kunai, wrapped with an explosive tag, whistled through the air toward them.

*Boom!*

The explosion kicked up a cloud of dust, but Danzo and Toothless remained unharmed.

Unfortunately, the fish was not so lucky.

Toothless' eyes flickered with anger. He let out a deep, guttural growl and vanished in a blur, charging toward the direction the kunai had come from.

---

In a clearing, a group of men sat around a dying campfire.

"Heh, I didn't expect someone dumb enough to camp out here," one of them sneered, licking his lips. His predatory grin looked even more sinister in the firelight.

Another bandit, armed with a bow, smirked. "Good. We were running low on supplies."

A burly man, their leader, sighed in boredom. "Ever since our reputation spread, the nearby villages have dried up. Those merchants are getting smarter, too—business is slow."

One of the younger bandits chuckled darkly. "I just want a few women. The last village had some nice ones, but they fought too much. No fun at all."

The others laughed crudely.

Suddenly, the leader's instincts flared. He frowned. "Something's wrong."

A man named Hirayama, one of their few rogue ninja, stepped forward. "Want me to check?"

"Yeah. Use an explosive tag just to be safe."

Hirayama nodded and disappeared into the night. Moments later, the sound of an explosion echoed through the forest.

"Good. That should have scared them."

But before they could celebrate, a shadow descended upon them.

The next thing they saw was Hirayama, his body dangling from the jaws of a massive black dragon.

The beast tossed him into the air and incinerated him with a single burst of dragon fire.

Panic spread through the bandits like wildfire.

The leader barely had time to react before a cold voice spoke from behind them.

"Gale Bandits. A 50,000-ryō bounty. You operate around the Fire Country border, preying on merchants and villages."

The bandits turned sharply, finding themselves face-to-face with a lone figure standing amidst the trees.

Danzo.

Their leader forced a smirk, hiding his nerves. "Heh. That's us. But since you're from Konoha, I'll make an exception. Leave everything you have, and I'll let you go."

His underlings hesitated, confused by his words. *Wasn't he just planning to kill this guy?*

Danzo gave him a flat stare. "I don't think so."

The leader's expression darkened. "Tch. Fine. Kill him!"

Several archers let their arrows fly.

Danzo didn't even blink. "Come out."

*Sching!*

From the shadows, ten figures emerged, each wielding a black-bladed katana. The bandits froze, eyes widening in horror.

"The—The Shadow Corps?! Run!"

Panic erupted. The infamous mercenary group known for their flawless execution rate was now standing before them.

Most of the bandits immediately turned to flee, their survival instincts overriding any sense of loyalty.

The black-clad assassins moved swiftly, cutting them down one by one. Within moments, only a few remained—those who knew they had no chance of escape.

Danzo approached one of them. "Why didn't you run?"

The man gave a bitter laugh. "The Shadow Corps never fails. If they're after you, you're already dead. Might as well accept it."

Danzo shrugged. "Fair enough."

With a snap of his fingers, the remaining assassins executed the remaining bandits in a single, clean strike.

Toothless returned moments later, looking satisfied. Danzo glanced at the leader's corpse and smirked. "The gold exchange will love this."

Ordering the Shadow Corps to deliver the bodies for their bounties, Danzo let out a small yawn and stretched.

"Alright, enough excitement for one night."

Suppressing his chakra to keep the surrounding wildlife from disturbing them, he returned to the campfire, lay down, and promptly fell asleep.

Tonight, the night belonged to the shadows.