Today was perhaps Danzo's darkest day.
First, the Root treasury had been robbed. Then, his personal treasury was also emptied. And finally, his dream of becoming Hokage was shattered.
Danzo could still stomach the first two blows, but the last one… the more he thought about it, the more unbearable it became.
He lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. His mind kept replaying the conversation he had with Hiruzen earlier that night, the suffocation pressing tighter with every memory.
Even when he finally drifted off, his sleep was plagued by nightmares of the same scene.
It was then that Danzo conceived the idea of eliminating Hiruzen once and for all to clear the path to the Hokage seat.
Coincidentally, Hiruzen, in order to officially reclaim the Hokage title, still had to go through formalities at the Daimyō's mansion. The Hokage leaving the village was the perfect opportunity for an assassination.
To succeed, however, Danzo needed to know Hiruzen's movements in detail. And whenever the Hokage traveled outside the village, secrecy around the route was always airtight, precisely to prevent ambushes by enemy villages.
After careful thought, Danzo set his eyes on Hatake Kakashi, a brilliant but emotionally unstable Anbu captain. Through Kakashi, Root could potentially obtain the information they needed.
And so, the infamous scene from the original story came to pass, Danzo sat in the Hokage's office, in the Hokage's chair, already celebrating his victory before it was even won.
But in the end, Hiruzen let him off with only a stern warning. Danzo dared not push further and retreated back into his shell, temporarily cowed.
Meanwhile, after several political maneuvers, Hiruzen officially regained the Hokage position, shedding the 'acting' title. His return was accepted calmly both by the Daimyō's court and the people of Konoha.
It was proof that Hiruzen's prestige and grip on Konoha were simply not something a man like Danzo could rival.
Of course, even someone as seasoned as Hiruzen was not invincible.
Every person, no matter how strong, carried their own weaknesses.
Far away, in the Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village, inside the Mizukage Building's private lounge, a masked man lay sleeping. Uchiha Obito, his face hidden beneath his trademark orange spiral mask, had been using the Mist as his den for years.
Suddenly, a White Zetsu slipped halfway out of the ground, calling urgently:
"Obito, something's happened."
Obito stirred, voice heavy with sleep. "Tobi, what is it?"
For the past couple of years, he had spent most of his time here in the Mist, subtly manipulating its leadership and stirring chaos among the major bloodline clans. Outside of the occasional Akatsuki meeting or secret visit to see Rin in Konoha, he rarely left. His body wasn't tired, but his heart… was weary.
"The White Zetsu we stationed in Konoha has gone missing again."
Obito immediately sat upright on the bed. His mask hid his expression, but irritation simmered beneath.
"When did this happen?"
"About half a month ago," White Zetsu answered.
"And you only realized now?"
Zetsu scowled. "Obito, that's unfair. Do you know how many tasks you've piled onto me? And nothing's happened for so long…"
Obito waved it off. "Fine. Understandable. Any leads?"
"None. The missing Zetsu vanished as if into thin air."
"Tch…" Obito exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. This was troublesome.
If memory served, this was the third disappearance already. Once two years ago, once in Whirlpool Country, and now again. If Zetsu operatives kept vanishing like this, gathering intel in Konoha would be impossible.
"Maybe we should investigate Konoha personally."
"You're right. But even then, the chances of finding the truth are slim. It's like asking you to track me in a forest. Could you?"
Obito shook his head. "No. But we'll still try. That's just a side objective. The real goal lies elsewhere."
"Oh?" Zetsu tilted his head. "What's the real goal?"
Obito's voice dropped into a dark certainty. "Collecting Sharingan… and subjugating Uchiha Gen."
"That kid's name is spreading everywhere. His strength is climbing fast. Once he had only a sword and a dragon. Now he commands even a thundercloud. Who knows what new powers he'll gain in the future? He's exactly the kind of powerful subordinate Akatsuki needs."
"The organization is short-handed. We must plant people in key places to secure control."
Obito sat at the bed's edge, elbows on his knees, fingers laced. His lone Sharingan glowed with calculation.
White Zetsu smirked. "Let me guess your plan, you're thinking of targeting his girlfriend, or maybe his friends?"
Obito shook his head firmly. "No. Gen is different from Nagato and the others. He has a wide circle of allies, a successful path ahead, a bright future. Targeting his loved ones won't open his eyes to this world, it'll only make him an enemy. And once he becomes our enemy, bringing him to our side will be nearly impossible."
"Didn't he say he'd only join us if life in Konoha became impossible for him?"
"Exactly. Then we make life impossible."
Zetsu frowned thoughtfully. "Easier said than done. That kid has the Uchiha Clan behind him, Orochimaru backing him, and his own talent. Small tricks won't shake him."
"That's why we give him something big." Obito's tone hardened. "What if we conspire to assassinate the Uchiha Clan's leader?"
Zetsu chuckled. "Heh… now that would be big. But also nearly impossible."
"I've already drafted a method," Obito replied. "But it requires Uchiha Gen's chakra as a disguise. Without it, no Transformation Technique will fool a Sharingan. The risk of being exposed is too high. If a sensor-nin is present, the plan collapses instantly."
He turned toward Zetsu. "So—any bright ideas?"
White Zetsu could only shake his head.
Just then, a creeping blackness spread across half of Zetsu's body. From it, a low, hoarse, and cold voice emerged.
"Orochimaru is known for indulging in strange experiments," Black Zetsu intoned. "If he, as Gen's sensei, requested a sample of his chakra for research, would Gen suspect anything?"
Obito's eye lit up. He chuckled. "Black Zetsu… brilliant, as always. Second only to me."
"…" Black Zetsu fell silent, seething internally. Second only to you? I've been manipulating Madara, and through him, you. If you weren't still useful, I'd crush you where you stand.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu blinked. "But collecting Orochimaru's chakra, is that any easier?"
"Much easier than Gen's," Black Zetsu replied. "No matter what experiment he's working on, it always requires chakra. We just need a White Zetsu to infiltrate his research base and strike at the right moment."
White Zetsu sighed. "Except… we don't have any operatives left in Konoha."
"What?!" Black Zetsu snapped. "None again?"
"That's right. Same as before, they vanished."
Obito raised a hand. "It doesn't matter. This time, Tobi and I will go ourselves. If the mysterious enemy behind these disappearances shows up, I'll handle it."
"…Alright." White Zetsu finally nodded.
"Obito," Black Zetsu urged, "lay out your full plan. We'll refine it together."
Obito leaned forward, voice low but sharp. "First, the Princess of the Land of Fire will summon Uchiha Gen. No elaborate excuse, mere curiosity will do. The Uchiha are one of the Land of Fire's noble clans, and the Daimyō is the greatest noble in the land. If the Daimyō's daughter personally requests Gen, the Uchiha will not refuse."
"With witnesses all around, Gen won't have the chance to dodge suspicion. Then, the strike comes—not in the mansion, but on his way to or from the Daimyō's court…"