Damp.
Cold.
Oppressive.
It was as if every shadow Konoha had ever birthed pooled together here, in this sprawling underground labyrinth carved beneath the village's rear mountains.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary limestone cave.
But just inside the entrance stood two figures—masked shinobi in assassination uniforms different from ANBU, their masks engraved with harsher, more twisted patterns.
This was Root.
Hidden traps blanketed the mountain path leading here.
Sensor lines, silent mechanisms, killing wires—anything to deter, mislead, or kill intruders.
From the entrance to every branching hallway, to every iron door, the base was saturated with surveillance.
Eyes watched.
Ears listened.
Nothing escaped.
This was Danzo's lair—the heart of Konoha's darkness.
"Has that old man reacted at all these days?"
"None."
"Keep watching. The moment anything changes, report to me immediately."
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
Inside a windowless room illuminated only by the harsh white glow of fluorescent lamps, a Root shinobi finished his report and disappeared into the shadows.
Danzo, alone, surveyed the photos pinned to the wooden walls—
Tobirama in his prime.
Old teammates.
He himself as a young man.
The day Root was founded.
His expression twisted.
"The Uzumaki Clan…"
"A truly ignorant bunch."
"I asked for a few children—just a few—and they dared to refuse me."
His single eye hardened.
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless."
"All for Konoha."
"The vessel of a tailed beast must never—
never—be in the hands of outsiders."
Half a month earlier, Danzo had taken his Root operatives across the sea.
They had clashed with Kirigakure forces en route, but the enemy detachment was small—merely decoys to mislead Konoha.
Once Danzo realized they were weak, he crushed them and sailed straight to Uzushio.
There he met both the former and current clan leaders.
They believed salvation had arrived.
Instead—
Danzo told them:
"Konoha requires at least ten Uzumaki children under the age of eight who possess sealing talent.
And the survivors of our offshore outpost will now reside within Uzushio.
Konoha will oversee your operations moving forward."
In other words—
—
He intended to annex the entire whirlpool nation.
The Uzumaki leaders exploded in fury.
They refused him outright and expelled Root from their borders.
Danzo returned to Konoha and—without hesitation—
twisted the story.
He claimed the Uzumaki rejected cooperation, refused to offer even one suitable candidate as jinchūriki, and showed "clear signs of collusion with Kirigakure."
Hiruzen was forced to report the situation to Uzumaki Mito.
Eventually, even the Fire Daimyō had to be informed—
for he too had heard rumors of Uzushio–Mist collaboration.
Thus, by the time the newspaper printed the "end of alliance"…
the diplomatic collapse was already half a month old.
Senju Residence — Uzumaki Mito
In a peaceful garden surrounded by greenery stood a traditional Senju estate.
Inside, a woman with crimson hair tied in twin coils—old in age, youthful in appearance—sat formally before a lacquered tea table.
On the side lay today's issue of the Ninja World Daily.
A warm orange light hung from a simple ceiling lamp, painting her thoughtful face in soft glow.
Behind her, atop a wooden altar, hung a framed photograph of a smiling young man.
Senju Hashirama.
"Hey, old woman."
The deep voice echoed through her mind.
"If Konoha no longer trusts the Uzumaki, why don't you go outside and tear the village apart?"
Outside, ANBU and Root operatives watched her every move.
Inside, the Nine-Tails whispered gleefully—
a spectator who wanted chaos.
"The Uzumaki Clan…
Will they vanish from the shinobi world just like the Senju?"
"Tch."
"What a bitter fate."
"If only we could fight…
the Second Great Ninja War would never have begun."
But her age was her prison.
If she unleashed the Nine-Tails and suffered backlash, she might die.
And if she died—she would lose control, and the Nine-Tails would run wild.
She could not risk destroying her husband's village.
But she could not watch her clan perish either.
Mito closed her eyes.
Darkness unfolded.
Her sensory field spread outward—
every chakra signature blooming like fireflies in the void.
This was Uzumaki bloodline ability: Kagura Mind's Eye.
"Someone has arrived."
"A Doton user…
He slipped past ANBU and Root. Impressive."
She opened her eyes and turned toward the far corner of the room—
a place no outsider could see through the shoji door.
"Who are you?"
From the tatami floor, the intruder emerged with deliberate slowness, minimizing sound and vibration.
It took him nearly three minutes to surface entirely.
Rabbit-patterned mask.
Dual-toned blue-white high-collared cloak.
A short ponytail.
The "doctor."
"Surgeon."
"That's the codename I gave Konoha, isn't it?"
He tilted his head mockingly.
"And yet the village's strongest ninja—the current Nine-Tails jinchūriki—doesn't know it?"
His gaze slid toward the altar.
Hashirama's youthful smile reflected in the mask's eyeholes.
"As I thought."
"The moment a village chooses itself over its people—
The moment it sacrifices family for politics—"
"That's the moment…"
He stepped fully into the light.
"…when darkness begins to grow."
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