Danzō waited for Fox's response.
Yagami's heart was pounding. One wrong word, and Danzō would kill him right here and now.
He took a moment to organize his thoughts, then said,
"Lord Danzō! We must spread word, loud and clear, that Uchiha Madara is still alive.
If we do that, the village will immediately assemble a massive force to hunt him down.
Uchiha Madara being alive—this would be Leaf's worst nightmare.
Kato Dan was last seen not far from Madara's location, and he was accompanied by Senju guards. I believe the Senju clan roughly knows where he was.
If we place Kato Dan's corpse inside the forest Madara created with Deep Forest Emergence, making it appear as if he was killed by Madara himself—wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"
Danzō's eyelids lifted slightly, showing clear interest. "And how, exactly, would this plan kill two birds with one stone?"
Yagami sensed he had caught Danzō's attention, and hurriedly continued,
"First, it explains Kato Dan's death.
Once he's dead, Tsunade will stop at nothing to investigate.
But if he died at the hands of Uchiha Madara, there's nothing she can do.
After all, her grandfather also perished early because of his final battle with Madara at the Valley of the End.
Second, we can redirect the chaos.
The Senju clan will focus their rage on the Uchiha.
They'll be too busy fighting each other to uncover the truth."
Yagami was certain—Danzō didn't fear Tsunade's investigation, but he would be very interested in seeing the Senju and Uchiha destroy each other.
During Senju Rinki's era, Danzō hadn't even taken the Senju seriously. Now, with Senju Hanaki and the clan's weakened remnants, he hadn't struck only because it would make him look bad and risk collective backlash from other clans.
Sure enough, when Danzō heard the words "civil strife," a gleam of excitement flashed in his eyes.
No one understood in-fighting better than Danzō.
He was Hidden Leaf's King of factional conflict.
At his side, B asked, "But what if Madara denies killing Kato Dan?"
Yagami explained, "From what I've heard, Madara's slain too many people to remember a minor figure like Kato Dan. He wouldn't bother to deny it."
Danzō nodded. That much was true.
Seeing that the plan was working, Yagami pressed on with his real goal.
"Lord Danzō! I'm willing to take the risk myself and head to the forest to stage Kato Dan's death right now!
The real time of death and the staged one mustn't differ too much, or someone might notice."
He had to get away from Danzō. The man was far too dangerous to stay near.
Once he separated from him, he'd have more room to maneuver.
Danzō frowned slightly, looking down at Kato Dan's corpse before finally saying, "Very well. Fox, you think quickly. You're a born ANBU."
A born ANBU... Yagami thought the phrase sounded more like an insult.
Danzō turned to B. "You'll go with Fox. Make sure he completes the mission. I'll wait here."
As expected, Danzō wouldn't risk himself again—he'd already had enough close calls tonight.
Sending B along meant he didn't trust Yagami, afraid he'd tamper with the plan.
Yagami slung Kato Dan and the two Senju guards' bodies over his shoulder, picked up Kato's severed hand, and began walking away.
B followed from a hundred meters behind, keeping Fox in his sight.
Heading once more toward the cave where Uchiha Madara had hidden, B couldn't help feeling uneasy.
Yagami had to gamble now.
He was betting that once Madara's whereabouts were discovered, Madara would move immediately.
In the original timeline, after obtaining Hashirama's power, Madara lost all interest in worldly affairs and focused entirely on the Tsukuyomi Plan.
Now that Danzō had found him, he'd likely relocate and vanish again into the shadows.
Madara's true goal was to awaken the Moon's Eye—without Hashirama, this world held no meaning for him.
But if Madara hadn't left yet… Yagami's eyes flickered. He'd have no choice but to activate his Sharingan and ask, Madara, did you ever leave any illegitimate descendants?
Though, who knew? Maybe Madara still hated the Uchiha clan for not joining him in leaving the village.
The rain fell in sheets, distant trees blurring in the mist.
Before long, Yagami reached the battlefield of Deep Forest Emergence.
Thick, twisted tree trunks intertwined, a suffocating mass of wood and roots.
He looked toward the dark cave mouth among them.
Forming a seal, he created a shadow clone.
The clone leapt up the massive branches and darted toward the cave.
A cool wind gusted from within as Yagami watched closely, Sharingan ready.
A hundred meters behind, B watched the cave just as tensely.
He had secretly left a colony of kikaichū on Fox's body—if Fox tried anything suspicious, B would kill him on the spot.
Twenty seconds later, the shadow clone emerged again from the cave.
Yagami's tense body finally relaxed. Setting down the corpses, he flickered to the cave entrance.
The clone dispersed, its memories flowing into him—but still, Yagami stepped inside to confirm.
The mountain interior was hollowed out—spacious and tall. Aside from a single chair, it was empty.
Such a vast chamber could easily house the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Uchiha Madara, Nagato, and his family—were all gone.
Yagami exhaled slowly. As expected, Madara had vanished again, retreating into the shadows to continue his plans.
He returned to the forest battlefield, where he found the bodies of leaf shinobi—and among them, Root operatives of the Aburame clan.
All crushed and mangled beyond recognition by the trees.
Studying the damage carefully, Yagami began replicating the same treatment for Kato Dan and the Senju guards' corpses.
He raised a tree trunk, wedged the bodies in, and made sure their skulls were shattered beyond recovery—no information could ever be extracted.
Only the lower half of Kato Dan's face remained visible through a gap in the bark, just enough for identification.
From afar, B relaxed as he watched Fox work.
Lord Danzō had been right—Fox was a natural-born ANBU. Ruthless, meticulous, efficient.
Once the job was done, Yagami approached B. "I request to join the investigation unit. When they arrive, I can guide their attention to specific details around Kato Dan's body to ensure the cover holds."
But B replied, "You can tell me the details. I can guide the investigation unit."
Yagami froze. If he told B everything, wouldn't B just kill him afterward?
"Fine. Let's go over it beside Kato Dan's body."
He led B back to the corpse, deliberately overcomplicating the explanation. "See this head... this chest…"
After laying out the general setup, he added,
"I've also considered the rainfall. The investigation team won't get here for at least ten days. I think the rain might alter the position of his arm in four or five possible ways…
I request permission to stay here for a few days to observe how the rain affects the scene—and to prevent wild animals or Rain shinobi from disturbing it."
B realized Fox was spinning endless contingencies, making the situation more complex by the minute.
After a moment's thought, he decided to ask Danzō himself whether Fox should be eliminated or kept alive—better not to act rashly.
"You'll come with me to see Lord Danzō. He'll decide whether you need to stay and guard the scene."
Yagami followed him back to Danzō, who still stood where they'd left him, unmoving in the pouring rain. One of his eyes was the pale four-white eye, the other a dead gray.
B told Fox to stay put and approached Danzō to whisper his report.
After some thought, Danzō said,
"Fox is useful. His foresight is thorough—let him guide the investigation team.
From Eddy Village to now, he's carried out every major ANBU mission this year without a single mistake.
He showed no hesitation in desecrating the Senju corpses—he clearly has no intention of betraying us or siding with them.
As he suggested, you and he will stay here to guard the site, make sure passing Rain shinobi don't disturb it.
I'll return to the village and bring the investigation unit back as soon as possible.
The Third Hokage will come himself—Madara still being alive is a threat greater than the entire Second Great Ninja War."
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
Watching Danzō walk away alone, Yagami finally let out a long, shaky breath.
He'd bluffed his way through it.
***
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