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Danzō dispatched Root ninja to assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi on his way to the Daimyō's residence.
Two Anbu moved ahead and behind. Hiruzen walked in the middle. Three more Anbu hid in the surroundings, providing cover.
And Root ninja tailed them.
A shadow clone of Qianyu also lurked unseen, tracking and observing both groups.
The moment Hiruzen stepped into the forest, ten Root ninja struck.
Five dropped from the canopy, landing before Hiruzen and his two guards. Kunai flashed. They charged.
The two Anbu reacted instantly. Shuriken flew. Kunai were drawn. They met the charge.
The three hidden Anbu tried to reinforce. Four more Root ninja appeared, blocking them.
Nine Root against five Anbu. The fight spiraled away, blades clashing, drawing further from the Hokage.
Hiruzen stood still, one hand holding his Hokage hat. He watched. Silent.
Suddenly, a Root ninja appeared directly before him. 'Kinoe'.
Hands clasped together. "Wood Release!"
From the ground, sharp, jagged wood erupted—a forest of spears stabbing upward.
Hiruzen showed no surprise at the Wood Release. A simple substitution jutsu.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! The wooden spears impaled a log.
"Substitution?!"
Kinoe looked up. Hiruzen stood on a branch, looking down. Then—a puff of smoke. The disguise dissolved. An Anbu with a mask gazed down at him.
Kinoe knew. The mission had failed. Hiruzen was never here.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
Wooden tendrils shot from Kinoe's arm, lashing toward the Anbu.
The Anbu's hands blurred through seals.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"
Air sharpened into a blade. It sliced through the wooden vines in an instant.
Kinoe didn't hesitate. He fled.
The Anbu didn't pursue.
The other five Anbu returned, the skirmish over.
"Their only target was the Third. Drawing us away was the goal." "Everyone alright?" "Yeah." "Let's go back. The Third will handle the rest."
Six flickers of movement. They were gone.
Qianyu's shadow clone, left alone, flickered and dissolved into a wisp of smoke.
Qianyu, in the middle of cooking at home, paused with his spatula. Huh.
"Seems like the old man really did know. Made arrangements and everything. And he's had his eye on that Wood Release kid for a while now." He clicked his tongue. "Well, every little bit counts. Free points are free points."
He stepped outside. Formed another shadow clone.
The clone transformed—into a snake. It slithered silently toward the Hokage Building.
In the Hokage's office, Danzō sat in the chair that belonged to Hiruzen.
To Danzō, Hiruzen was already dead.
The man was old. Rusty. His last real fight was during the Nine-Tails incident. Even the Third Great War? Hiruzen had barely lifted a finger. The Hokage didn't fight unless absolutely necessary. (That fool from Kumo didn't count.)
His skills had eroded. Dulled.
But the real reason for Danzō's certainty was 'Kinoe'.
The second Wood Release user since Hashirama Senju himself. Hiruzen would be stunned. Hesitant. He'd hold back, looking for an opening that would be his end.
Kinoe was his prized asset. Danzō had personally overseen his training. Had even procured the First Hokage's personal Wood Release scrolls. The boy was only ten, but a perfect shinobi already.
Danzō leaned back in the chair, swiveling to face the window, and closed his eyes.
Starting today… he would stand at the very peak of Konoha's power.
And next… his plan was simple. Mobilize the entire village. Crush Qianyu.
The thought made him smile. All the obstacles, finally gone.
From outside the window, a snake, tongue flicking, watched. Its serpentine face held an almost human expression—mocking.
He looks pretty happy. So happy he doesn't even sense the old man walking up behind him.
"I'm afraid I can't quite hand over this seat to someone else just yet."
Danzō's eyes snapped open. Shock—pure, undiluted shock—flooded them. He spun the chair around.
There stood Hiruzen Sarutobi. Alive. Well. And looking right at him.
"You seem surprised I'm alive." Hiruzen's voice was cold.
Danzō's face twitched. A cold sweat broke out. "I-I heard you left for the Daimyō's residence this morning."
Hiruzen's gaze was a blade. "Danzō. Do you truly believe I know nothing of what happens in my own village? Ten ninja, slipping out of the village late last night. What do you suppose they were doing? Who sent them? It wouldn't take much to find out."
He paused, letting the weight sink in.
"And that person… would face the death penalty. No question."
Danzō gritted his teeth, mind racing for a way out.
But…
"However," Hiruzen continued, his tone shifting. "My principles don't allow me to cause more harm. If I saw him… I'd tell him this incident is forgiven. All of it."
Danzō stared, disbelief warring with confusion. Forgiven? After an assassination attempt?
Hiruzen took a slow drag from his pipe. "In return… I'd ask that he devote himself wholly to Konoha from now on."
Danzō's face darkened. "You and your pacifism… Your naivety will be the death of you one day, Hiruzen."
"Perhaps." Hiruzen turned to look out the window.
Danzō stood, moving toward the door.
"You have nothing to say?" Hiruzen called after him.
Danzō stopped. "What is there to say? That it's always been this way? You, the light. I, the shadow?"
"Where there is light, there must be shadow. One cannot function without the other," Hiruzen mused. "But that's not what I meant."
Danzō frowned deeper. "Then what?"
A sigh. "Danzō. I just said I want him to devote himself to Konoha. The Wood Release ninja is vital to this village's future. Don't you have anything to tell me about that?"
Hiruzen turned, his eyes steady. "I've led this village for decades. I've turned a blind eye to much. Let Root become practically your private army. But I am not blind."
Danzō's blood ran cold.
Was there… a spy in Root?
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