Itachi Uchiha and two Root ninja had already left Konoha.
Not long afterward, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived in anger.
Hiruzen glared at Danzo with fury, even a trace of killing intent. "Danzo, not a single one of my warnings got through to you! Do you really think I won't take action against you?"
Hiruzen was furious upon learning that Itachi Uchiha had been taken to the Root Base by Danzo's Root ninja and then immediately left Konoha accompanied by two Root ninja.
He had repeatedly warned Danzo not to act recklessly without authority, yet now Danzo still didn't learn his lesson and went ahead to contact Itachi on his own.
Danzo replied calmly, "Hiruzen, don't rush to judgment. This time, I truly haven't acted recklessly. Originally, I intended to personally come find you and explain everything. Now that you've returned, just hear me out."
Hiruzen restrained his anger and said, "Fine, let's hear what you have to say."
Danzo continued explaining, "After that day, Shisui Uchiha disappeared and later committed suicide, but his body has never been found. Therefore, Shisui's left eye has yet to be recovered.
In other words, there's still another Mangekyo Sharingan capable of using Kotoamatsukami somewhere unaccounted for—whether it vanished along with Shisui into the river beneath the Nankawa cliff or elsewhere, we do not know.
Since Itachi Uchiha was close friends with Shisui, after he disappeared, it's most likely that he sought out Itachi first. So Itachi might very well know where that Mangekyo Sharingan is, or perhaps he already possesses it himself.
Therefore, I wanted to assign two Root ninja to shadow Itachi and investigate whether he actually knows the whereabouts of Shisui's other Mangekyo Sharingan.
You know better than anyone else how dangerous Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan could be. If it fell into the wrong hands, it would become a catastrophic threat to Konoha."
Frowning, Hiruzen questioned, "If that's the case, then why didn't you inform me beforehand? Don't think I can't see through your motives—you're still coveting Shisui's remaining Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Facing Hiruzen's accusation, Danzo calmly responded, "If I wanted to hide things from you, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to discover that Root ninja brought Itachi to my base, nor would I have made their departure on a mission so noticeable.
They're only going to carry out an assassination—this mission is part of Anbu's standard covert operations.
I'm telling you, I'm not acting recklessly this time. Right now, I am genuinely considering Konoha's interests. Although Shisui might indeed have inherited the Will of Fire, like Kagami believed, we cannot assume the same about Itachi. After all, his father is Fugaku Uchiha. Hiruzen, how can you be sure he holds no divided loyalties?
If you insist on disbanding my Root Division because of this matter, then go ahead. Since you distrust me, then all those things which must be done in darkness—you will have to handle them yourself."
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent with a darkened expression before finally speaking, "Report to me immediately once you hear anything about the other Mangekyo Sharingan of Shisui! From now on, you must report all your actions to me in advance. I will decide everything. You are not allowed to act on your own again! Also, I'll be placing a few Anbu operatives inside the Root Division."
Danzo's brows immediately furrowed. Placing Anbu ninja within Root? Wasn't this openly telling him that Hiruzen wanted to monitor him?
After hearing Danzo's reaction, Hiruzen also worried whether Shisui Uchiha's other Mangekyo Sharingan might fall into someone else's hands.
After Shisui Uchiha committed suicide, the Uchiha ninja searched for his body along the Nanakawa River. If the Uchiha Clan had found Shisui's body and retrieved the Mangekyo Sharingan, especially after discovering the power of Kotoamatsukami, things could quickly spiral out of control.
What Danzo said was correct. If anyone possibly knew where Shisui Uchiha's corpse and his Mangekyo Sharingan were located, it could only be Itachi Uchiha.
Besides, Hiruzen did need Danzo and his Root Division to carry out certain tasks that the Hokage himself couldn't perform directly.
But Danzo always acted first and reported later, which had long been causing Hiruzen headaches. Therefore, he decided to deploy several Anbu ninjas into Root to monitor both the Root ninja and Danzo himself.
Danzo realized this was nonnegotiable for Hiruzen, so he didn't bother arguing further and simply replied, "Do as you like."
...
Though Konoha seemed peaceful on the surface right now, underneath the calm lay turbulent currents.
Just then, Chinya activated the ring to contact Yahiko.
Chinya asked, "How is everything going on your end?"
Yahiko replied to Chinya, "How do you think? Same old stuff. We're currently helping Orochimaru establish Otogakure. What about you? When will you leave Konoha?"
Chinya chuckled, "At most a year or two. Soon there will be a major event happening in Konoha, and after that I will leave and reunite with you guys."
Yahiko sighed, muttering, "So you're finally leaving Konoha. Are Kushina and your child leaving with you too?"
Chinya confirmed, "Yep. If I leave, how can I possibly leave them behind here in Konoha?"
Curious, Yahiko asked, "Then, should we come over? It might be inconvenient for you if you have Kushina and Sōnagi with you."
Chinya did not give an immediate response, "We'll see how things go at that time."
"Alright. Just let us know when the time comes. Then I'll head over. Well, I'll get back to work now. Honestly, since coming to Rice Country, I haven't had a proper rest in days," Yahiko complained to Chinya.
"After all, once Otogakure is established as our organization's base, things will ease up. Anyway, for now this is goodbye."
Chinya cut off the connection, rubbing his chin in deep thought.
Now, Itachi Uchiha had begun working with Danzo. There was a good chance Danzo would soon manipulate Itachi into massacring the Uchiha Clan.
Meanwhile, Obito Uchiha was likely to return to Konoha soon, hunting for more Sharingan eyes.
Chinya murmured, "So, what's your choice this time — your clan, Konoha... or have you found another path, Itachi Uchiha?"
Another ten days passed.
Itachi Uchiha, accompanied by two Root Division ninjas, had completed the assassination mission and returned to Konoha. They arrived at the Root Base to report their mission progress to Danzo.
"Good work," said Danzo. "By the way, during your absence, the surveillance officer stationed in the Uchiha compound reported that the Police Force has increased its armaments. What does this mean?"
Danzo stayed in the shadows, so deep that Itachi couldn't make out his face. His question was probing, laced with an unspoken implication.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>