Danzo Shimura's eyes darkened, but he did not scold them. He knew that as he aged, the erosion would only worsen. This failing body would not last much longer.
Cutting off the arm could solve the problem. But how could Danzo Shimura abandon the power of Wood Release and Sharingan? If only he could replace it with another similar arm.
He could not contact Orochimaru at all. That bastard had vanished completely, leaving no trace or message. Without a new arm prepared by Orochimaru and unwilling to give up power, Danzo Shimura had only one choice left.
He needed to transplant more Sharingan to suppress the Hashirama Cells. At that moment, a black shadow appeared silently behind him and knelt on one knee. "Danzo Shimura-sama."
The voice was low and cold, carrying the distinct tone of the Root ninja. Danzo Shimura did not turn around. "Bao, what are the recent movements of the Uchiha Clan?" he asked.
"Dissatisfaction within the Uchiha Clan continues to grow," Bao replied calmly. "Suspicion and hostility toward the village are increasing, but there have been no extreme actions recently."
"The Third Hokage transferring Itachi Uchiha into the ANBU and assigning him important tasks has soothed part of the Uchiha Clan. Especially Fugaku Uchiha, whose attitude has eased. The radicals are restrained for now under Fugaku Uchiha."
Danzo Shimura remained silent for a long time and then sat up, his gaze cold. He put on his clothes and said, "Change clothes and come with me to see the Third Hokage."
Bao stiffened for a moment but answered immediately. "Yes, Danzo Shimura-sama."
At the Hokage Building, inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was buried in a mountain of documents. Fatigue showed on his face as the ember in his pipe flickered in the dim light. A knock interrupted him.
"Come in," he said without looking up.
kacha.
Danzo Shimura entered first, and Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned as he caught the familiar scent. When he noticed the cold aura of the figure following behind, dressed like a Konoha ninja, his fingers paused on the pipe. Root ninja.
Danzo Shimura had brought a Root ninja directly before him. That alone made Hiruzen Sarutobi narrow his eyes. He hid his thoughts and asked calmly, "It's late. What is it?"
"To report the latest movements of the Uchiha Clan," Danzo Shimura replied hoarsely. He stepped aside. "He will explain the details."
Bao stepped forward, about to speak. Suddenly, a dull, wet sound rang out. A cane pierced straight through his chest.
Bao froze, shock filling his eyes as he looked down at the cane protruding from his body. Blood seeped into his dark clothes. Danzo Shimura pulled the cane out without expression, and Bao collapsed to the floor, lifeless.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply. He had expected ulterior motives, but not an execution in front of him. "A spy?" he asked. "How did you know?"
"He talked too much," Danzo Shimura replied calmly. He crouched down, pinched the corpse's cheeks, and exposed the tongue. "As expected, controlled by Genjutsu or a secret art."
The seal on the tongue confirmed it. Danzo Shimura snorted. "The Uchiha Clan are not all fools."
Before he could continue, something strange happened. The corpse began to melt, skin, muscle, and bone warping like wax. Danzo Shimura used Shunshin to retreat instantly to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.
Under their shocked gazes, what remained was a pale humanoid creature. Hiruzen Sarutobi lost his composure. "Danzo Shimura, what is that?"
"It is not Genjutsu, and not even human," Danzo Shimura said hoarsely. That realization made the implications clear.
The creature could perfectly mimic appearance and aura. Even the seal had been copied. How many were there? If even Root had been infiltrated, how deeply had Konoha been compromised?
Cold dread spread through Hiruzen Sarutobi. He demanded an explanation. Danzo Shimura met his gaze and spoke coldly.
"The ninja it replaced was sent by me to monitor the Uchiha Clan. Now he is gone. I used multiple people in rotation, yet no one noticed anything."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened. That meant all of them had been replaced. It meant the Uchiha Clan was hiding something and had begun infiltrating Root and even higher levels.
Before he could call the ANBU, Danzo Shimura slammed his cane down. "Hiruzen, are you still not awake?" he roared. "My eyes were replaced right under my nose. Do you think only my Root was infiltrated?"
"If they know one was killed, they will be alerted. Do you think they will wait, or strike first?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi swallowed. He argued weakly that Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha would not do this. Danzo Shimura cut him off.
"Will you gamble the entire Konoha on their loyalty?" he demanded. "When chaos begins, can you tell who is a real Konoha ninja and who is a pale monster?"
The words crushed Hiruzen Sarutobi. After a long pause, he asked, "What do you want to do?"
"We act now," Danzo Shimura said coldly. "Secretly identify those not yet replaced and isolate the pale creatures. Seal off the Uchiha Clan area and cut all contact."
Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes. He knew this meant a complete break. Finally, he said hoarsely, "Fine. I authorize you to deploy forces around the Uchiha Clan perimeter."
He opened his eyes again, exhausted but resolute. "But remember, it is a lockdown, not suppression. No one enters or leaves without my order, including you and your Root. No unauthorized violence."
That was his bottom line. It was the last mercy he could give the Uchiha Clan. Danzo Shimura snorted, clearly unimpressed, and left after disposing of the corpse with the Scroll.
Alone again, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the quiet lights of Konoha. He knew this calm would not last. To prevent disaster, he had no choice but to control the Uchiha Clan.
Then he thought of Yunchuan Hyuga and his Genjutsu. If all the ANBU were gathered and tested within an illusion, the impostors would be revealed. With that decision made, Hiruzen Sarutobi vanished in a flash toward the Hyuga Clan.
Morning sunlight carried a hint of warmth as dawn painted the sky a soft orange, spilling through the gaps in the leaves onto the street below. The village was quiet, with only the sound of footsteps and birds waking to the day.
Mikoto Uchiha held Sasuke by the hand as they walked along the road leading to the Ninja Academy. Her pace was steady, guiding him forward through the familiar streets.
Sasuke was dressed in a brand new outfit today, yet his small face showed clear unhappiness, his lips slightly pouting. He kicked at the pebbles on the road as he walked.
"Sasuke, cheer up a little," Mikoto said gently, squeezing her son's hand. "Today is your first day of school. You should be happy."
"Mm," Sasuke answered in a dull voice, keeping his head down as he nudged a stone forward with his shoe.
After a while, he finally looked up, his big eyes filled with grievance and confusion. "Mom, why didn't big brother and Dad come to see me off too?"
Mikoto Uchiha's steps paused almost imperceptibly as she looked down at his disappointed face. She softened her voice as she explained, "Sasuke, be good. Your brother and your father have important things to take care of."
"Important things?"
Sasuke frowned even more, stubborn in the way only a child could be. "What could be more important than sending me to school? Big brother clearly promised me before."
Listening to her son's complaints, Mikoto gently rubbed Sasuke's hair without answering. A trace of complicated emotion flickered in her eyes, something she could not put into words.