As the meeting was going on, Shota had a shadow clone positioned at the dead-drop location outside Konoha where he had instructed Danzo to leave the name of the traitorous Suna elder.
When the time was up, the clone stepped forward and picked up the sealed envelope tucked under a loose rock.
He broke the plain wax seal. There were no explosive tags, no poison and no traps. Danzo had played it safe. Inside was a single folded piece of paper.
The clone opened it. One name stared back at him. There was no explanation and no proof. Just the name of the elder who had sold out Suna to Konoha's shadows for years. The clone memorized it instantly, then channeled a tiny spark of fire chakra to burn the paper to ash.
And then the clone dispersed in a quiet burst of smoke.
The memories flowed back to the real Shota in a gentle rush as he walked behind the Kazekage and Elder Mina out of the Hokage office. He felt the name settle into his mind like a puzzle piece finally clicking into place.
'Finally. I know who is responsible for so many deaths in Suna for the past wars.'
The name belonged to an elder he had only spoken to a handful of times. Someone who was always watching Shota a little too closely, always pushing him to join that particular faction with offers that sounded very generous. Now it made sense. The man had wanted control over Suna's new weapon before anyone else could claim it.
'Now, let's hope that the name is correct and Danzo is not trying to confuse me by giving me someone else's name to cause more confusion inside Suna. It might be a possibility considering it's Danzo who is being cooperative.'
Danzo was a master of misdirection. He could have planted a false name to spark internal chaos, force Rasa to accuse an innocent elder, fracture the council, weaken Suna from within.
Shota would verify everything when they returned home. One wrong move and the traitor would slip away. But if the name was real… justice would come quietly and completely.
'I have not interacted with this elder much. But he was someone who was very pushy about me joining his faction than other elders. He might be the one. I will have to look into him after we get back to Suna.'
Shota's steps stayed even as he followed Rasa down the corridor. The name repeated in his mind like a drumbeat. He filed it away carefully. Later. He would deal with it later. For now, he had other plans in motion.
Then a glint appeared in his eyes.
'It's time for phase 2 of my plan. Danzo, you are not the only slimy one in this world.'
He held back a cruel smile that tried to form on his face. The expression would have looked wrong on a child's features anyway. He kept it locked behind the mask.
-- Scene change --
Minato was just taking another look at the agreement papers between Suna and Konoha alone in his office.
Suna and Konoha standing side by side instead of blade to throat. The thought made him smile faintly.
His secretary knocked once and entered.
"Sir, someone from the Suna delegation wants to see you urgently."
Minato frowned slightly.
'The Kazekage just left. I wonder what they want now.'
"Send them in."
The door opened. Shota Aizawa walked in alone. Minato instantly sensed it. The boy was a shadow clone since the amount of chakra that the boy had was pretty less than the original.
'So the reports were true. Suna finally managed to get their hands on shadow clone jutsu. Or maybe this boy managed to recreate it. He did so with my Rasengan after just looking at me.'
Minato kept his expression neutral. He gestured to the chair across the desk.
"Please, sit."
The clone remained standing.
"Hokage-sama. Sorry for interrupting your work. But I have some information for Konoha."
Minato leaned back slightly. His curiosity igniting.
"This information is coming from my side and it's not in any relation to something that the Kazekage had tasked me to do. In fact, he is unaware of our meeting."
Minato was getting curiouser and curiouser. He nodded once.
"Go on."
The clone reached into his sleeve and pulled out a storage scroll. The two ANBU guards stationed in the corners of the room immediately went alert.
Minato raised one hand in a casual stopping gesture. They relaxed.
The clone unsealed a scroll. A small stack of documents slid out. Folded papers, sealed reports, a vial of dried blood, a marked map. He handed everything to Minato without flourish.
"This is all the proof and information that I have managed to gather on Elder Danzo Shimura of Konoha on various issues that harm both Konoha and the shinobi world itself."
Minato took the papers. His fingers brushed the edges as he began to read.
"This list of crimes includes blackmailing and assassination of Land of Fire nobles, killing Uchiha clan members and bloodline theft, kidnapping or illegally taking kids from not only Land of Fire orphanages but also other countries, suspicions of experimenting on humans especially children, and finally suspicions of experimenting with the body of the First Hokage."
Minato's expression became more grim with each line. He flipped through pages of copied letters, witness statements, financial records, and even grainy sketches of hidden Root facilities. The evidence looked solid
'This…'
He was in shock. He knew Danzo had done some very dark things for Konoha as Jiraiya had informed him. But these crimes were too much for that.
'I will have to talk to sensei and Lord Third about this. If all of this is true and judging by the proof it is, then we might have a big problem on our hands if this gets out.'
The clone continued.
"Along with that, he managed to find out that Suna is aware of his crimes so he sent some agents after me yesterday which I had to eliminate. I did not manage to take their bodies but here is the blood of some of the shinobi. You can have them DNA tested. One of them was an Akimichi and one of them was an Aburame. They should match with someone that was taken legally into his Root or… well… illegally went missing as a child."
Shota then showed him Konoha maps with a marked location.
"The fight happened in this area. You can check with sensors. I suspect bribery and corruption."
Minato took the map too. His fingers traced the red circle. It was on the outskirts. A dead zone for regular patrols. Perfect for an ambush.
He looked up at the clone.
"Why give Konoha all this? Do you expect to use it to weaken Konoha? No, if this is true then you are helping us get rid of a serious internal threat. So why?"
Shota smiled lazily.
"Consider it as repayment for sparing my life and… well… I don't like that man."
Then Shota said.
"I will appreciate if you don't mention it to the Kazekage. He would cut my pay if he knows I went behind his back and Elder Mina would give me a lecture on village politics. Thank you for listening to me, Lord Hokage."
With a bow, Shota disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Minato stared at the empty space where the clone had stood.
He said to his personal Anbu.
"Summon Jiraiya sensei, Lord Third, and Shikaku. Immediately. Tell them it's urgent."
The Anbu said, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
--------Author Notes---------
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