Chapter 7: Preparations
The Nara Clan's underground strategy chamber was quiet except for the faint scratching of brush on parchment. The air smelled faintly of ink and candle wax. Shadows danced across the walls from the dozen paper lanterns, their soft glow illuminating a large, low table in the center of the room.
On that table lay a sprawling, hand-drawn map of Konoha — streets, rooftops, sewer lines, and the dense root-like pattern of underground tunnels: small wooden markers shaped like kunai dotted certain locations, each one standing for a suspected Root safehouse.
Shikaku Nara leaned over the map, long hair falling forward as he marked another position with deliberate precision. "Based on Kinoe's memories," he said, tapping the edge of a charcoal stick against the paper, "we're not looking at a single hideout. Root is spread across seven distinct sites — all linked by tunnels, but far enough apart that if one is alerted, the rest can scatter before we arrive."
A faint shimmer flared above the table — Inoichi Yamanaka, sitting cross-legged at the far end, maintained the projection of Kinoe's extracted memories. Flickers of half-lit corridors, locked iron doors, and faintly glowing seal arrays hovered like ghostly images in the air. Every so often, the projection would shiver as Kinoe's fragmented recollection skipped forward or back.
"This here," Inoichi said, pointing at a blurred image of a reinforced sliding door with a fox-mask ANBU standing guard, "is the main control post. It's where Danzo gives orders and coordinates the others. But…" He frowned, glancing at Minato. "…it's also where the heaviest sealing barriers are. Without the right counter-seals, you won't even touch the place without alerting him."
Minato stood at the head of the table, his hands resting lightly on the map's edge. His expression was calm, but his eyes were sharp — calculating every detail. "That's fine. I'm not interested in just one post. We take them all."
Fugaku Uchiha, arms crossed, nodded slowly. "If even one base escapes, the survivors will go to ground and start again. Danzo will vanish. The Uchiha will handle the southern sector."
Hiashi Hyūga spoke next, his voice measured. "The Byakugan can trace the underground routes without entering them. We'll lock the perimeter down so no one slips out."
Shikaku placed a final marker on the map, then straightened. " We can't afford a drawn-out fight in one area while another slips through the net. Every strike happens at the same moment — no warnings, no delays. That means you'll need recon teams in place days beforehand, and extraction points ready for captured operatives."
Minato nodded once. "Good. We'll spend the next forty-eight hours confirming every location, every tunnel, every guard rotation. When we move…" His gaze swept over the room, holding each clan head's eyes in turn. "…we finish this in one night."
The flickering images above the table faded as Inoichi released the jutsu, and the room settled into tense silence. The kind that comes when everyone knows the plan is dangerous, but necessary.
"Let's get to work," Minato said.
Northern Sector – Uchiha Patrol
Two blocks away, Fugaku Uchiha and two of his most trusted men knelt on a rooftop overlooking an unassuming row of storage buildings. To ordinary eyes, it was nothing but dust and shuttered windows. But the tomoe of Fugaku's Sharingan spun slowly, peeling back layers of darkness and walls alike.
"There," he said quietly, pointing to the farthest structure. "The foundation is false — there's a tunnel beneath it, reinforced to hide chakra flow."
One of his men vaulted silently to street level and marked the location with a faint chalk seal, visible only under specific light. Fugaku kept scanning, catching brief flashes of movement — sentries without the insignia of ANBU, but with their rigid posture and precise guard rotations, unmistakably Root-trained.
He didn't need to voice his distaste; his jaw tightened enough to say it.
Eastern Sector – Hyūga Sweep
On the opposite side of the village, Hiashi Hyūga strode soundlessly along the rooftops. His Byakugan flared to life, veins standing out at his temples, vision cutting through walls, earth, and shadow. His brother, Hizashi, followed, holding a tightly wound scroll for mapping.
"Two floors underground," Hiashi murmured, eyes locked on a specific point. "Large chamber. Eight operatives — most asleep, two on guard."
Hizashi's brush moved with quiet precision, committing the information to ink. Hiashi didn't pause, already turning toward the next sector. Every sweep they made peeled back another layer of Root's hidden infrastructure.
Central Sector – Nara Coordination
In the cool damp of a stormwater tunnel, Shikaku Nara crouched over a lantern-shielded table, his sharp eyes skimming a partially filled map. Beside him, Inoichi Yamanaka sat in still concentration, hands in a seal, brushing the surface of faint memories from past encounters with Root operatives.
"No heightened security yet," Inoichi said, voice low but steady. "They think tonight's patrols are routine."
Shikaku smirked faintly, the shadows of his clan's emblem flickering across his vest in the lantern light. "Good. The longer they believe that, the easier it will be to drop the net." He shifted one of the ink markers slightly. "One mistake, and they'll vanish like smoke. We only get one shot at this."
Western Sector – Namikaze Lead
Minato reached an abandoned yard choked with weeds and rusting crates. Crouching, he pressed his palm to the cold ground, sending a pulse of chakra rippling outward. The echo returned — hollow space, deep beneath his feet.
Another base. Another line on the map.
He looked up at the Hokage Monument in the distance, the stone faces bathed in moonlight. His eyes lingered on the carved visage of the Third Hokage, and for just a moment, his thoughts turned cold. Hiruzen let Danzo's Root linger in the shadows too long. I won't.
The Map of Shadows
By the time dawn's first gray light touched the village walls, the teams filtered back into the Nara clan compound. The central table was crowded with clan leaders and captains, all focused on the sprawling parchment covered in crisp black marks — each one a Root base, tunnel, chamber, or escape point.
Minato stood at the head of the table, both hands braced on its edge. His voice carried the weight of finality.
"Every location, every access point, every fallback route — we have them all. Rest today, but be ready. Tomorrow night, we move as one. We cut them out of Konoha in a single strike."
Minato's gaze swept over them. "No hesitation. No survivors in the shadows. Tomorrow… we end Root."
The Hokage's Home
Inside the Namikaze household, the air smelled faintly of simmering broth and wood smoke. Kushina stood at the stove, stirring absentmindedly, but her eyes kept drifting to the small clock above the counter. She had already noticed the way Minato moved tonight — lighter on his feet, quieter in his breath, his gaze slipping often to the window.
Naruto sat cross-legged at the table, slurping noodles, completely oblivious to the undercurrent between his parents.
"You're leaving tonight, aren't you?" Kushina finally asked, without turning from the pot.
Minato's chopsticks paused midway to his mouth. He set them down gently. "It's necessary. Danzo won't get another sunrise with Root intact."
Kushina exhaled slowly, not surprised but not pleased either. "You'll take ANBU, right?"
"ANBU, Uchiha, Hyūga, and all the other major clans. It'll be clean. Fast."
She looked at him over her shoulder, red hair shifting with the motion. "Come back to me in one piece, Minato."
Naruto frowned, sensing the gravity but not the details. "What's going on?"
Minato gave him a small smile. "Just… Hokage work. You focus on your training, alright?"
Naruto didn't look convinced, but he nodded.
The ANBU Hall
Later, in the dimly lit ANBU preparation hall, masked shinobi moved with disciplined silence. Armor straps tightened, weapons slid into sheaths, and scrolls were tucked into belts.
Kakashi stood in the corner, his dog mask pushed up just enough for one visible eye to watch Minato. "You really think Danzo won't see this coming?"
Minato adjusted his bracers. "If he does, it's because someone tipped him off. And if that's the case… we'll know exactly who."
Kakashi's gaze flicked briefly toward Kinoe — now fully geared, his wooden mask resting under one arm. This mission meant more to him than he was letting on.
Final Council
In the shadowed courtyard of the Nara compound, the key clan leaders stood one last time around the sprawling parchment map. Chalk markers glowed faintly in the moonlight, each one a Root location.
Fugaku tapped a specific cluster of marks. "These three bases are linked by tunnels. If they get the chance, they'll collapse them to seal off the others."
Hiashi folded his arms. "Then they must be struck at the same moment."
Shikaku nodded lazily, though his eyes were sharp. "Already calculated the timings. We'll be synchronized to the breath."
Minato's gaze swept over them. "We move in exactly forty-five minutes. No mercy for anyone still wearing Danzo's mask."
The Signal
When the teams dispersed, Minato lingered on the highest rooftop of the compound. The wind was cool, carrying the faint scent of rain from far-off mountains.
Below, the village looked peaceful — as if it had no idea that in less than an hour, its shadows would bleed.
Minato pulled his fox mask into place. The sound was small, but final.
From his wrist, a single kunai gleamed in the moonlight before he threw it high into the air, letting it whistle once before catching it again — the agreed signal.
Across the rooftops, dark figures began to move, converging toward their assigned targets.
The Fourth Hokage took a single breath, steady and calm, then vanished into the night.
Tomorrow, Root would be gone.