Kenji stood on the Hokage Monument, looking down at the sleeping village. The incident at the festival was a wake-up call. Danzō was not just a schemer; he was a monster willing to sacrifice anything, including the Jinchuriki, to achieve his goals. Waiting and reacting would only lead to disaster. He had to attack.
But how do you attack a ghost? He couldn't infiltrate a Root base. He couldn't confront Danzō directly. Doing so would break every rule and the promise he had made to Minato.
No. He wouldn't attack Danzō's military might. He would attack something the man couldn't protect with barriers or emotionless soldiers. He would attack his supply line.
Through weeks of surveillance with his invisible clones, Kenji had discovered an anomaly. A small lumber trading company called the "Leaf Wood Trading Company" seemed normal on the surface, but it frequently had nighttime shipments transported by men with the demeanor of retired shinobi. More importantly, one of the company's managers was a former Anbu who had once served under Danzō.
This was one of Root's secret financial sources. A place where "dirty" missions were laundered and converted into resources to maintain the organization's operations.
That was his target.
Kenji's plan was not to destroy it. Destruction would draw too much attention. His plan was far more subtle. He would create a scandal. A scandal that would force the village leadership to investigate, freeze the company's assets, and halt its operations, cutting off one of Danzō's money streams without anyone knowing he was involved.
That night, Kenji's second symphony began.
Act I: Evidence Gathering. Five Shadow Clones, masters of infiltration, slipped into the offices of the Leaf Wood Trading Company. They took nothing. They simply used a special, nearly undetectable chakra powder to copy the entire accounting ledgers, the shady contracts, and the list of secret partners.
Act II: The Messenger. Another clone, in the guise of a drunkard, "accidentally" picked a fight with a patrol from the Uchiha Military Police Force. During the scuffle, the clone deliberately dropped a small scroll containing a few vague details about the company's wood smuggling operations, then quickly fled. The Uchiha, always vigilant and looking for opportunities to prove their worth, would certainly not ignore this lead.
Act III: The Main Play. This was the most complex part. Kenji needed a witness, someone who would come forward as an informant. He targeted a low-level accountant at the company, a timid-looking man with a sick young child. Two invisible clones approached the accountant's house. One clone used a very light genjutsu, causing the man to have a nightmare in which he was arrested and his child went without medicine because of his wrongdoings. The other clone, meanwhile, left a small bag on his doorstep. Inside was a large sum of money, enough to treat his child's illness for years. Along with it was an unsigned note: "Take this money and leave the village. Or go to the Hokage's office and tell the truth. This is your only chance for redemption." It was a perfect psychological strike. Sow fear, then offer a way out.
The next morning, the entire Leaf Village was in an uproar.
The accountant from the Leaf Wood Trading Company had gone to the Hokage's office, weeping as he confessed to all the company's fraud and money laundering.
At the same time, the Uchiha Military Police Force, acting on the "lead" they had found, conducted their own independent investigation and discovered irregularities in the warehouses.
When the Third Hokage sent the Anbu to search the company's office, they found accounting books that had been "clumsily altered," as if someone had hastily tried to cover something up. (This was the work of another of Kenji's clones, who had broken in a second time just to mess things up).
All the evidence pointed against the Leaf Wood Trading Company. A large-scale investigation was launched. All of the company's assets and operations were frozen.
From his cellar, Danzō received the report. He wasn't angry. He was just silent. He knew this was no coincidence. The gathered evidence, the appearance of a witness, the Uchiha's intervention... it was all too perfect, it all fit together too neatly.
He knew this was a message.
The "ghost" wasn't just defending anymore. It was counter-attacking. It was telling him: I know what you're doing. I am watching you. And I can touch you whenever I want.
A chill that Danzō had not felt in a long time crept into his heart. For the first time in years, the spider felt its web being nibbled away by an invisible entity.
And it had no idea that the rat was already preparing its next attack.