"What are the results?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, asked calmly as he looked at the man seated across from him.
Opposite him sat Danzō Shimura, the leader of the root a darkness that Konoha never acknowledged openly.
"There are sealing traces on the girl," Danzō replied flatly.
Hiruzen frowned.
"So it's confirmed," he said slowly. "Kirigakure really did turn her into a jinchūriki."
When he had first heard the report, that the Mist had sealed the Three-Tails into a Konoha shinobi he'd dismissed it as misinformation. A deception tactic. Psychological warfare.
But the body had been examined.
The seals were real.
That realisation left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Have they lost their minds? Hiruzen thought. Did they truly believe she could infiltrate the village so easily?
His fingers tapped lightly against the desk.
"No… something doesn't add up," he muttered, closing his eyes. "How did she learn of their plan in the first place? How did she know when to act? How could she was allowed to act? This wasn't a coincidence it was a deliberate leak."
He opened his eyes, his gaze sharpening.
"And Kakashi," he continued. "How did Kiri's ANBU fail to kill him? While he is talented but he can't take care of them all alone also why was she allowed to die it should be impossible with all those shinobi present?"
Each question stacked upon the last, forming a pattern that sent a chill through the room.
"These incidents… they're connected," Hiruzen said quietly. "It feels as though a third party was involved. Someone whose influence runs deep within Kirigakure. Deep enough to manipulate even the movements of their tailed beast."
For a moment, silence filled the office.
Even Danzō felt a faint chill crawl up his spine.
"I will increase surveillance on the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki," Danzō said immediately.
He chose his words carefully.
Not Kushina Uzumaki.
The jinchūriki.
Hiruzen didn't object. He merely nodded,"If this was an inside job, it wasn't carried out by someone small."
Danzō understood what he meant.
Someone of low rank wouldn't have the reach. Someone of high rank wouldn't be foolish enough to risk exposure so openly.
And yet…
"It's almost as if the girl had to die," Danzō said after a pause, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "I don't see the immediate benefit but her death feels… necessary. As though she was chosen."
In Danzō's eyes, Rin Nohara was unremarkable.
A member of Minato Namikaze's squad. A student of Jiraiya's student. Connected, yes but not important enough to justify such an elaborate scheme.
She had some talent in medical ninjutsu, but nothing exceptional. Nothing that should have drawn attention.
And yet…
Hiruzen's fingers tightened against the edge of his desk.
"Bring me Rin Nohara's file," he ordered.
A shadow slipped out through the window without a sound, vanishing into the village.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, then continued, "Kirigakure is in chaos. According to the latest reports, they've reduced their frontline deployments and shifted into a defensive posture."
Danzō didn't look surprised. He had received similar intelligence from Root.
"They've lost a major weapon," he said coldly. "And they can't bare their fangs any longer. We should—"
"No need," Hiruzen interrupted immediately.
He already knew what Danzō was about to say.
Press the advantage. Push forward. Exploit the opening.
"Maybe this, too, is part of their plan," Hiruzen said, his voice heavy. The third party behind all of this. The ones pulling strings from the shadows. Every report we're reading could be exactly what they want us to see. He don't want to take risk.
Danzō's visible eye narrowed, displeasure flashing through it.
"The Uchiha are stationed there," he said after a moment. "We could use this opportunity to weaken them ...just as we did with the Sen—"
"ENOUGH."
Hiruzen's shout cut through the room like a blade.
But it didn't have the effect he wanted.
Danzō didn't flinch.
He didn't retreat.
And he certainly didn't care.
"This may be our last chance," Danzō said calmly. "The environment there is their natural enemy."
The words landed exactly where he intended them to.
A flicker of hesitation crossed the Hokage's face and he saw it.
He knew what it meant.
He had succeeded.
"Don't worry," Danzō added, his tone measured, almost reassuring. "I won't go too far."
This time, he wasn't lying.
Not because he lacked the will to destroy them but because doing so now would be impossible. And more importantly, because even Danzō had begun to sense it.
An unknown enemy.
Until that presence revealed its hand…
Even he would move carefully.
"While delivering his report, Shinku also suggested that Itsuki Uchiha is ready for promotion," Sarutobi said, deliberately changing the subject. He trusted that his old friend understood where the line was and when not to cross it.
"Do whatever you want," Danzō replied indifferently. "With only one tomoe, that brat isn't worth my attention."
He paused, then added with a faint edge of amusement, "Didn't you promise them a few jōnin positions in exchange for their cooperation? That brat fits the bill. Strong enough, obedient enough and politically ignorant."
Danzō's lips curled into a knowing smile.
"He knows how to kill," he continued, already turning away. "Nothing more. He wouldn't even realise how thoroughly he'd been played by you. Just like countless others before him."
With that, he rose and walked toward the exit.
Hiruzen watched him go, shoulders heavy, a quiet sigh escaping his lips.
"…It's all for the village."
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