The sun set and the moon rose; stars wheeled across the sky.
A few hours later, the anomaly here was finally discovered.
The disappearance of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, the death of the Third's grandson—what a grave matter this was!
Within moments, the important figures of Konohagakure had all gathered at the scene.
"Morino Ibiki, I'm entrusting everything to you."
Morino Ibiki quickly bowed. "Please rest assured, Hokage-sama. I will definitely find out which village's enemies dared to strike at us!"
The Third Hokage said nothing more, his face dark and grim. He waved his hand to Ibiki, then clenched his pipe between his teeth and puffed out clouds of smoke in silence.
Extracting the memories of the deceased required time, so Mitokado Homura was the first to speak: "No matter which village did this, it's an act of provocation against Konohagakure!"
"They dared to target the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—it's clearly a declaration of war against us!"
"This time, Konohagakure will never compromise!"
Everyone voiced their agreement.
"That's right. The enemy village must have learned about the Uchiha clan's extermination and thinks our strength has been greatly weakened. Otherwise, they would never have dared to provoke us like this!"
"We can't let the other villages look down on us, or the Fourth Great Ninja War will break out immediately!"
Shimura Danzō spoke in a sinister tone: "Hiruzen, I've said it long ago—the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki must be firmly controlled by the village and cannot be allowed to roam freely outside."
"After we retrieve the jinchūriki this time, he must be placed under Root's supervision!"
The Third was already irritated enough, yet his old friend just had to pour oil on the fire, instantly making his temper flare.
He glared at Danzō, gripping his pipe so tightly it cracked, and said in a low, furious voice: "Danzō."
"This is not the time for your power struggle!"
"The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki is not something you can meddle with at will—you'd best remember that clearly!"
As the two argued, Morino Ibiki had already finished probing the dead's memories and came back to report: "Hokage-sama, the culprit acted alone. He was dressed like an ANBU, first impersonating your orders to issue a mission to Konohamaru and the others, luring the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki out of the village, then suddenly ambushing and abducting him."
"The culprit's appearance and build were exactly the same as Kakashi's. Moreover, uh…" He hesitated for a moment, his gaze darting quickly toward Danzō before lowering his head rapidly. "The culprit also said, 'The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki must be firmly controlled by the village and cannot be allowed to roam freely outside.'"
Well, now!
At that, everyone instinctively turned their heads toward Danzō.
Those words still echoed in their ears!
But after a single glance, everyone immediately turned away again, pretending they hadn't heard anything.
This time, it was Danzō's turn to be dumbfounded. Enraged, he struck his cane hard against the ground and bellowed: "This is a frame-up!"
"This was definitely done by another village!"
No one spoke; they all lowered their heads, quietly counting the ants on the floor.
Matters in this village were complicated indeed.
A frame-up was one thing—but what if… it was true?
"Danzō stays. Everyone else, dismissed," the Third said coldly, his tone indifferent and flat.
[Swish!]
In almost an instant, everyone else vanished.
A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. What came next was no longer for them to overhear.
They only needed to wait for the Hokage to determine the nature of this incident.
"Hiruzen, you're not going to be swayed so easily, are you?" Danzō glared at the Third, his eyes full of grievance and indignation.
"Hmph!" The Third snorted coldly, taking a long drag from his pipe before slowly exhaling. The white smoke coiled like a dragon, rising and swirling, veiling his face in mist and shadow—his expression unreadable.
"Danzō, it's because I know you too well!"
"I know exactly what kind of things you would do to achieve your goals!"
"I've always indulged you in the past, but this time you've gone too far!"
"Konohamaru is still just a child—how could you bring yourself to harm him!"
The corners of the Third's eyes reddened slightly, but compared to his own grandson, the importance of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki still outweighed everything else.
A fierce gleam flashed in his eyes, finally showing the bearing of a true Hokage.
"Danzō, you had better hand over the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki honestly, or this time I won't let you off so easily!"
Now it was Danzō's turn to panic. He hurriedly explained: "Hiruzen, you know me!"
"If I had done something like this, I would have disguised it as the work of another village's shinobi. Why would I use people from Root directly, and even disguise them as Kakashi—what, am I afraid people wouldn't recognize them?"
"Hmph!" The Third grew even angrier at that. "You've always been narrow-minded and bear deep hatred toward traitors."
"The last time you tried to assassinate me, Kakashi defected at the last moment, costing you your chance to become Hokage—how could you not hate him?"
"Although everyone knows that the culprit must have only impersonated Kakashi, the necessary investigation and review cannot be omitted. If you interfere again, it might just become another Hatake Sakumo incident all over again!"
What was called "reputation"?
This was called reputation!
Danzō was speechless, wanting to explain yet finding even his own words weak and unconvincing.
Because the deed fit his desires far too perfectly—it was exactly the kind of thing he had wanted to do but had never taken action on.
Could it be that one of his subordinates had guessed his intent and taken the initiative to "solve" the problem for him?
Seeing Danzō fall silent and avert his gaze, the Third grew even angrier. He waved his hand, summoning an ANBU and ordering: "Convey my command: from this moment on, Elder Shimura Danzō is to remain in seclusion for reflection, forbidden from leaving his residence."
"And also, have…" He hesitated for a moment before choosing someone capable. "Have Nara Shikaku lead a team to search Root. The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki must be brought back!"
"Yes!" The ANBU saluted and vanished instantly.
Seeing that the Third's decision was final, Danzō knew the situation was lost. He wasted no more words, slammed his cane heavily on the floor, turned around, and left, shouting bitterly as he went: "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
The Third watched Danzō's departing figure with deep, shadowed eyes, saying nothing—just smoking continuously, no one knowing what thoughts weighed upon his heart.
...
The Root was, as always, a place untouched by sunlight, shrouded in eternal darkness.
The corridors were pitch-black, the rooms tightly packed, and from somewhere far away came indistinct screams… it was impossible to tell whether this was reality or a realm of ghosts.
Danzō sat cross-legged on the faded tatami, his hunched back like a rusted blade.
On the desk, a single bean-sized lamp cast its dim light sideways across him, pinning his shadow to the wall, where it twisted and clawed behind him.
Half his face was veiled in shadow, his expression unreadable. His single eye was half-narrowed, gleaming murkily within the darkness like a crocodile lurking in a swamp.
A shinobi stood like a withered tree trunk at the edge of the lamplight, devoid of any sign of life. Only the faint rustling from the insect jar on his back revealed a trace of living presence.
Even in such darkness, he still wore his sunglasses. Half his face was covered by a mask, his entire appearance that of a standard Root operative. Only the insect jar on his back marked his origin from the Aburame Clan.
"Have you confirmed it wasn't done by any of our Root members?" Danzō asked in a slow, drawn-out tone.
"Yes, Danzō-sama." Aburame Tōrune kept both hands tucked within his sleeves, his tone utterly flat—no different from any other Root member in its chill. "I've accounted for all Root personnel and confirmed their whereabouts at the time of the incident. None could have committed the act."
"Moreover, all members of the Root are absolutely loyal to Danzō-sama. They have no independent will of their own. Without Danzō-sama's orders, it is impossible for them to attack the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
"So that's how it is!" Danzō sighed almost in a chant, lifting his head, his single eye flashing with a vicious gleam. "So this time, I've been framed by the enemy, have I!"
"Well now—what a rare occurrence indeed!"
His twig-like fingers tapped against his knee, the sound carrying not a trace of dejection or anger, but rather a hint of excitement.
"As expected, the enemy has finally realized that to destroy Konoha, they must first eliminate me and the Root!"
"It's only a pity that old fool Hiruzen is so senile and muddle-headed—he understands things even less clearly than the enemy!"
"Ah!" Danzō let out a deep sigh, his voice full of pained righteousness. "Since Lord Hokage is incompetent, the Root will simply have to work a little harder!"
"Nara Shikaku is a clever man. He'll only investigate the matter of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and won't pry further, but it's still inconvenient to let him know too many of the Root's secrets."
"You go deal with him. Have Yamanaka Fū lead a team to track down the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki's whereabouts."
After hesitating for a moment, he ordered again: "After you ascertain the enemy, immediately report the intelligence to our incompetent Lord Hokage, and before the men sent by the Lord Hokage arrive, bring the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki back."
"I understand!" Aburame Tōrune saluted and then vanished in an instant, leaving Shimura Danzō alone, who smugly stroked the eye beneath his bandages.
Ah, everything is getting better!
The wicked Uchiha have finally been purged, and that old fool of a monkey has finally made an error that cannot be concealed.
Next, I only need to single-handedly turn the tide, capture the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, reveal the truth to the public, then fan the flames and stir the emotions of those victims' relatives—then even if that monkey wants to cling to the Hokage position, he simply won't be able to!
"Hehe…"
Hokage, finally it will be my turn!
Danzō laughed smugly, as if he could already hear the rustle of the Hokage's robe.
That dry laugh echoed in the room, but was quickly absorbed by the Root's corridors and could not spread out. Like all the ambitions he had swallowed over the years, they were ultimately buried deep in this sunless underground.