Hanzo rubbed his brow; a muscle jittered under his right eyelid.
Ever since agreeing to deal with Danzo, unease had dogged him—as if an unseen net had settled over him and he'd only just realized he was the bug thrashing inside.
"Age," he muttered. "It makes cowards of worriers."
"Lord Hanzo, it's time," his most trusted Jonin called from the door.
"Move out."
He rose, back straightening, the old steel returning. He was still the leader of Amegakure—the man who once pressed the Legendary Sannin into the mud.
Outside the village, at the appointed place, Hanzo arrived with a handpicked strike team. Tsunade stood waiting with Hikari and the masked ANBU at her back.
So that brat is the one.
Hanzo's glance at Sogetsu was quick and casual—too casual for anyone without a Sharingan studying micro-tells.
"To prevent 'accidents,' I brought top-tier Ame shinobi," Hanzo said blandly. "Quite a mobilization. I trust Konoha will… compensate. Yes?"
"I'll tell the old man exactly what you said," Tsunade replied.
"Excellent."
He didn't look again. He just waited for the opening. Once Danzo's agent pulled Tsunade away, he had to kill the target fast. Only then would there be room to explain things away.
He failed to notice he was being read in turn.
Just now, he played a glance at me.
Sogetsu's Sensory-of-Psyche "lens" was already open; in the Spectator path he habitually watched mind-shadows, ticks, and micro-expressions from a third-party angle. Hanzo's aura told the tale plainly: sharpened, hostile—killing intent trained on him.
Not Tsunade. Hanzo wouldn't dare swat the last Senju heir and slap the Sandaime in the face.
Which left… the ANBU attendant.
Sogetsu's mouth curved behind the mask.
So. Danzo.
Who else? Not Black Zetsu—he had bigger games. Only Danzo would spend this much to harvest a pair of Sharingan.
Fine by me, Sogetsu thought. I've been looking for an excuse.
A slim smile. Let's see how you plan to separate Tsunade from me.
They moved in silence through a narrow gorge until Sogetsu halted. "Here."
Per the scroll, this was the seal site—but the ground was torn up. Someone had already pried something out.
"Your movements leaked," Hanzo said.
"Great…" Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mission change. We track."
The quarry hadn't had time to scrub sign. They followed fresh scuffs until the trail forked, identical prints splitting right and left.
"Looks like we split," Hanzo said.
"They're clever," Tsunade agreed. "Two teams."
Hanzo took his shinobi left. Tsunade led Sogetsu and Hikari right.
"Visual," Tsunade snapped. "On our side."
A shinobi burst into view ahead, clutching a bundle wrapped in black cloth. He glanced back and sprinted harder.
"Run? From me?" Tsunade stamped down.
The ground cratered.
She launched like a shell and dropped an axe-kick.
The road for ten of her strides shattered; pressure-waves rattled the trees. The fleeing ninja tumbled end over end, vomited blood, and lay with a caving chest.
"Who sent you?" Tsunade asked, hands on hips.
"Heh…"
The man smiled—wrongly.
Tsunade's eyes flicked; stone beside Hikari squirmed.
"Move!"
She whirled and sprinted. She'd lunged too far on the pursuit; Sogetsu was a step off her shoulder and Hikari was briefly alone.
Figures burst from the "rock," seized Hikari, and sprinted for the trees.
"Damn it!"
The earth broke under Tsunade's heel as she gave chase, a storm at her back.
Sogetsu stood over the dying decoy, gaze cool.
"Uchiha… Sogetsu…" the man rasped, lips frothing. "Lord Danzo… says hello."
"Oh."
Sogetsu stepped down on his throat.
Crack.
The begging in the man's pupils frosted over. Sogetsu let the body slump, tugged off the ANBU mask, and slid on his black-rimmed glasses with a small adjustment at the bridge.
"When you see him," he said to the corpse, tone almost polite, "send my regards back."
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