Konoha Village, Hokage's office.
The afternoon sun streamed through the large windows, casting warm patches of light on the floor, but it couldn't dispel the heavy atmosphere in the office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, sat behind his large desk, holding a confidential file just compiled by the Intelligence Division.
His brow was deeply furrowed as he took a deep drag from his pipe, letting the pungent smoke swirl in his lungs as if it could slightly calm the turmoil within.
The contents of the file were the intelligence about the Land of Stars and its leader, Shura, that had been spreading wildly recently through the underground bounty exchange and various covert channels.
Phrases like 'mysterious Uchiha Ninja' and 'dark red armored giant' were heavily circled in red by intelligence personnel, glaringly conspicuous.
"A dark red armored giant... Susanoo..." Hiruzen muttered to himself, his graying eyebrows tightly knit together.
Seeing this description, he couldn't help but recall the mysterious Uchiha ninja that Shisui and his team had encountered years ago while investigating the upheaval in the Land of Bears.
At that time, Shisui had been severely injured, even losing his left eye. The report had also mentioned that this Uchiha Clan's member was extremely powerful and could use the Susanoo.
At the time, he and the advisors had discussed it, thinking it might be a follower of Madara from when he defected from Konoha Village, or a bloodline left behind outside.
After all, the Uchiha Clan's history was long and it wasn't entirely impossible for a branch or two to be scattered outside.
However, in the over fifty years since the village's founding, the Uchiha Clan within Konoha Village, while having a delicate relationship with the village, had overall been relatively peaceful without substantial rebellious actions, which had somewhat reassured the higher-ups.
But now, this mysterious Uchiha Clan's member, possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan and capable of activating the Susanoo, had appeared again. This forced Hiruzen to be vigilant once more.
'Could the initial speculation be true?'
'Did Uchiha Madara really leave such a fearsome contingency plan outside?'
Hiruzen's elderly heart was filled with worry and uncertainty.
'A Shura who could easily defeat Kumogakure's A-B Combo and enter and leave Konoha Village as if it were uninhabited land and a mysterious Uchiha Clan's member with Mangekyo Sharingan... was troublesome enough. Now, there was another mysterious Uchiha Clan's member...'
The threat level of the Land of Stars rose sharply in his mind.
Just then, the office door opened, interrupting Hiruzen's thoughts.
Danzo, leaning on his cane, walked in slowly. He was dressed in his usual attire, his right eye and right arm bandaged, his remaining left eye sharp and sinister.
He gave a slight nod as a greeting, his voice low, "Hiruzen, what's the urgent matter?"
Hiruzen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took another deep drag from his pipe, then gently pushed the intelligence file on the desk forward, indicating for Danzo to read it himself.
"Take a look at this first."
Danzo stepped forward, his eyes scanning the contents. There was no surprise on his face. His Root's intelligence network was far more pervasive than the Hokage's Anbu. He naturally already knew about these messages, possibly in even greater detail than what Hiruzen had seen.
After a cursory glance, he looked up, his voice slightly hoarse, "It seems this Land of Stars's Shura has grown powerful, becoming a liability. Now, it's confirmed that there are Uchiha Clan's members colluding with him." He emphasized the word 'colluding'.
Hiruzen put down his pipe, slowly exhaling smoke rings, "Uchiha living outside aren't necessarily colluding."
Danzo snorted coldly, a cold light flashing in his left eye, "Not necessarily? Hiruzen, have you forgotten what Uchiha Itachi secretly reported before? That Shura, and that woman called Uchiha Hikari, once secretly infiltrated the village and visited Uchiha Fugaku!"
This matter was reported by Itachi to the Third Hokage after a fierce internal struggle, having witnessed Shura and Hikari appearing in his home to speak with his father.
Upon learning this, Hiruzen took it extremely seriously and had secretly discussed it with the two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
Danzo, as the leader of Root, naturally had channels to learn of it as well.
Hiruzen's face darkened, "That meeting... Fugaku did not report it afterward. It is indeed suspicious. But based on a single unverified secret meeting, we cannot conclude that the entire Uchiha Clan is colluding with Shura. At the very least, all Uchiha Clan's members within the village are under surveillance, and no abnormal movements or secret contact with the outside have been detected."
"All?" Danzo's voice suddenly rose, filled with clear doubt and pressure, "What about Uchiha Shisui?! How do you explain his disappearance?!"
The name Shisui was like a sharp thorn, instantly pricking the most sensitive nerve between the two old men in the office.
Hiruzen's gaze instantly turned sharp. He stared directly at Danzo, "Shisui is a hero of the village. He made great efforts and sacrifices for the peace between the village and the Uchiha. I trust his character… he would never collude with a dangerous person like Shura!"
"Trust?" Danzo chuckled coldly, "Trust is the cheapest thing in the Ninja World! Hiruzen, your weakness and excessive trust will harm Konoha sooner or later!"
"Then," Hiruzen slowly stood up, leaning on the desk with his hands, his body slightly forward, his gaze burning as he stared at Danzo, his tone becoming unprecedentedly serious, "Where were you on the night Shisui disappeared, Danzo?"
The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly.
The pupil of Danzo's exposed left eye contracted almost imperceptibly, but the expression on his face didn't change in the slightest, remaining as gloomy as ever.
He met Hiruzen's gaze without flinching, his voice even carrying a hint of indignation at being wronged, "I was naturally handling official business at the Root Base! Hiruzen, what do you mean by that? Do you suspect I did something to Shisui?!"
Hiruzen stared at him tightly, not speaking, his deep gaze seeming to penetrate Danzo's disguise and see the truth hidden beneath his bandages.
In fact, since Shisui's disappearance, Hiruzen's first suspect had been Danzo! Danzo's extreme attitude towards the Uchiha Clan, his greed for the Sharingan, and his habitual use of dark methods gave Hiruzen ample reason to suspect him. Moreover, that night, some Root's members did have abnormal activity patterns.
But there was no direct evidence.
Danzo was extremely careful and cautious, almost never leaving any evidence.
More importantly, the situation inside and outside Konoha was complex now. Kumogakure was watching covetously, the Land of Stars was rising, and there were internal issues with the Uchiha Clan. He still needed to rely on Danzo and his Root to handle those unsavory tasks.
After a stalemate, Hiruzen slowly sat back in his chair, his expression becoming inscrutable again.
He picked up his pipe, relit it, and took a deep drag, as if wanting to exhale all his doubts and helplessness with the smoke.
"...Enough." He waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual steadiness but carrying a trace of fatigue, "Let's not dwell on the past for now. Danzo, what's important now is the future."
"The threat of the Land of Stars is right before us. I need your Root to use all its power to intensify the investigation into the Land of Stars, especially that Shura and the mysterious Uchiha! Any clue, any possible piece of intelligence, must be excavated as much as possible! Once there is a major discovery, you must report to me immediately! Understood?"
Danzo, looking at Hiruzen who seemed to have chosen 'compromise', allowed a barely perceptible curve to form at the corner of his mouth beneath the bandages. He bowed slightly, his tone returning to its usual respectfulness, but his eyes gleamed with a cold light.
"Understood. For Konoha, Root will naturally spare no effort." He responded in a deep voice, then turned and left the Hokage's office, leaning on his cane.
…
Root Base, deep within.
Dark, damp, oppressive.
This was a corner of Konoha where sunlight could never reach.
Danzo sat in his seat, his single remaining eye gleaming with a ghostly light under the dim lamp.
Aburame Tatsuma appeared silently before him, bowing respectfully.
"Danzo-sama."
"Tatsuma," Danzo's voice was low and cold. "Any new messages from Yakushi Kabuto?"
Tatsuma adjusted his sunglasses, answering calmly, "There is indeed some intelligence about the recent battle in the Land of Stars. It's more detailed than the versions circulating outside and sold in the underground bounty exchange. It confirms multiple Uchiha participated in the battle. One female Uchiha used an ability similar to the Susanoo, with extremely terrifying strength. But regarding the detailed identity of the other Uchiha... the intelligence does not specify clearly."
"The other Uchiha-" Danzo's fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest, a cold light flashing in his single eye, "Is it Shisui?"
He highly suspected it was Shisui.
'That Shura could infiltrate Konoha Village without anyone noticing, even able to steal the Byakugan from the Hyuga Clan's main family. His familiarity with Konoha's barriers was alarming. And after Shisui's disappearance, a powerful Uchiha expert appeared in the Land of Stars... the coincidence was too great!'
But then again, the suddenly appearing Hikari was also unfathomably powerful. If there really was a Uchiha branch living outside, there were probably more than one or two powerful individuals.
The water was muddier than he had imagined.
Just then, he remembered another matter that stuck in his craw like a fishbone.
The 'accidental' death of Yakushi Nono.
This important pawn he had placed in Iwagakure had inexplicably 'died in action' during a routine border patrol mission, without even a body to be found! It was too fishy! He absolutely refused to believe it was an accident!
The extremely paranoid Danzo instantly connected these events.
The mystery of the Land of Stars, the abnormality of the Uchiha, Nono's bizarre death... It was as if there was an invisible web behind it all.
He needed confirmation!
Confirmation of whether Kabuto was still loyal, confirmation of the true situation in the Land of Stars!
Danzo abruptly looked up, a flash of resoluteness and ruthlessness in his single eye, "Tatsuma, immediately send the highest emergency-level secret order to Yakushi Kabuto!"
"Content?" Tatsuma asked without any fluctuation.
"Order him: No matter what, at all costs, he must return to Konoha Village within seven days to report!" Danzo's voice was decisive and firm, leaving no room for doubt, "Tell him, this is Root's highest directive. Failure to arrive on time will be treated as defection!"
He would use the 'news' of Kabuto's foster mother, Yakushi Nono's death, as a probe. He would use Kabuto's immediate reaction and whether he could return on time to judge if he had betrayed them, or at least force some more core secrets about the Land of Stars from his mouth!
Tatsuma didn't hesitate in the slightest, bowing to receive the order, "Yes! Danzo-sama!"
His figure slowly retreated into the shadows to carry out this order that could decide Kabuto's fate.
In the depths of the gloomy Root Base, only Danzo remained, his single eye flickering in the shadows like a lurking venomous snake, waiting for its prey's response.