The morning light pierced through the gaps in the curtains, falling diagonally on the man's messy silver hair.
He lazily raised his arm to block the light, his eyes, hidden beneath his hair, narrowed slightly, and his eyelashes cast tiny shadows on his cheeks.
"Ugh..."
Kakashi Hatake struggled to turn over in bed, pulling up the covers to try and block the pervasive light, his eyelids half-open.
"Is it time for work again?"
Even though he had been working in the Anbu since he was twelve, he still found it difficult to adapt to the rhythm of this job.
After all, a Ninja's life, if not exactly following a strict schedule of morning and evening greetings, could at least be described as turning day into night. To sleep soundly until dawn, as he had today, was a rare luxury.
He really wondered how Might Guy managed to maintain such a disciplined life, day in and day out, for twenty years.
Kakashi thought these random thoughts, but his hand unconsciously began to rub his left eye.
It was a pity that despite having a rare full night's sleep, he had another nightmare.
For some unknown reason, ever since the Hidden Mist attack a few days ago, his Sharingan had occasionally felt a strange stinging sensation.
When he was sound asleep, scenes he had never seen before would often appear in his mind, showing a monster with a bone mask being born from his eye.
Every day when he woke up, his body felt exhausted.
"Could it be a mid-life ailment?"
Kakashi Hatake climbed out of bed, rubbing his still groggy head, muttering to himself.
"Hey! Kakashi!"
"It's snowing outside!"
Just as he was still muttering, the door was pushed open by a bouncing pug, and a rough, middle-aged salaryman-like voice, filled with excitement, rushed in from outside, a newspaper clutched in his mouth.
Upon seeing Kakashi, the pug's wrinkled face widened its eyes, and its thick, soft lips tightened slightly.
"?!"
"You're actually up!"
"It's still so early."
Kakashi Hatake ignored Pakkun's exaggerated surprise, turning to glance out the window at the sound of his words.
Looking out the window, the fine early winter snow covered the branches in large flakes, a thin layer of silver dusted the red bricks and green tiles, and in the distance, the Hokage Rock, amidst the floating snowflakes, was painted as a hazy scroll. Figures dotted the bustling streets.
It was winter again.
No wonder he felt a bit cold.
"It's the season for Ishikari Nabe, and Yudofu should be good too."
"Bone broth dishes are what you should eat in winter, a large steaming bowl, and then give me all the bones!"
Pakkun spoke to himself at his feet.
Kakashi smiled at him, then put on a thick coat: "Pakkun, make me some coffee."
"Just make do with something simple for breakfast."
"You lazy fellow..."
Life is hard, Ninja dogs sigh.
Pakkun was sometimes grateful that his paws weren't so nimble, otherwise, with Kakashi's lazy nature, he would probably have to make his breakfast too.
But sighing aside, the coffee still needed to be made.
Sizzling oil sounds mixed with the faint aroma of frying eggs came from the kitchen.
Before long, a simple breakfast was brought to the table.
Pakkun ate oatmeal with milk under the table, while Kakashi picked up the newspaper, reading the day's news and sipping his coffee.
Although he was a Ninja, he still needed to leave himself some time to relax throughout the day.
But he had barely read half a section when his gaze suddenly landed on the large vertical headline at the top of the newspaper. His expression froze, and he spat coffee all over the paper with a "Pfft!"
"Orochimaru Publicly Deserts the Village! Elder Danzo Shimura Personally Leads His Subordinates in a Two-Hundred-Mile Pursuit, Situation Critical!"
He stared in astonishment at the headline on the newspaper, reading it word for word, making sure he wasn't seeing things.
"What's going on?!"
Clearly, the moment this newspaper was publicly released, it meant the situation was serious.
As one of Konoha's famous Sannin, with excellent performance in both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, holding a high position, and leading his subordinates to win many crucial victories, Orochimaru's influence in Konoha was far beyond what outsiders could imagine.
Such a bombshell news suddenly sweeping through Konoha had an effect no different from another Nine-Tailed Fox attack.
Most importantly, this esteemed individual was one of the current Third Hokage's direct disciples!
Many stakeholders, upon seeing this news, immediately had their thoughts drift to the Hokage Building.
"Danzo—!!!"
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
As expected, the moment the news spread throughout Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately summoned Danzo Shimura to the Hokage Office.
Also present was Jiraiya, whose face was exceptionally grim.
After several days of recuperation, he had returned to the Village from Mount Myōboku.
However, he had only been there for two days when a series of shocks made him no longer want to stay in this accursed Village.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi glared ferociously at the man before him, his roar almost tearing off the office ceiling: "First you provoke the Shinobi Clans, then you release major unconfirmed news. Do you even still see me as the Hokage?!"
Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi's accusation, Danzo Shimura remained calm: "Do you still need me to tell you whether this news has been confirmed, Hiruzen?"
"Furthermore, I am merely laying the groundwork for a more important plan."
"This is a necessary step."
"Even so, the order for Orochimaru's defection should have been issued by me!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were bloodshot. "Who gave you the authority to label a hero who dedicated half his life to Konoha?"
"I knew you would still be indecisive, which is why I acted first and reported later!"
Listening to his roar, Danzo Shimura suddenly raised his voice, glaring at him intensely: "Now the news is already out. From human experimentation to forbidden research, and then to the large number of missing persons and photos from a while ago—Orochimaru himself has been missing for so long, how much longer do you want to deceive yourself?!"
"You..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was momentarily breathless, but he still met his gaze fiercely.
After a long pause, his voice slowly dropped, like an old man who had just lost a loved one: "You should have reported to me first..."
"This is for a more important plan."
"Hiruzen."
Danzo Shimura's voice also dropped, but remained flat and cold.
"To deal with the Shinobi Clans."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi gradually calmed down.
Or rather, deep down, he had already accepted the fact of Orochimaru's defection, but he was still unwilling to accept it until he saw him kill someone in front of him.
But now, Danzo Shimura had already made this situation a foregone conclusion, so he had no choice but to reluctantly accept it as he always did.
However, if Danzo couldn't provide a reasonable explanation this time, he would never let this scoundrel off lightly.
Seeing his demeanor, Danzo Shimura then revealed his previously formulated "Orochimaru Remnant Purge Plan" step by step to the two of them.
Crude, concise, easy to understand.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, but for the moment, he couldn't find any problems.
Because the entire thought process was quite simple; all difficult issues could be suppressed by relying on the power disparity between the Hokage faction and the Shinobi Clans alliance.
Most importantly, it was effective enough.
If he had to pick a flaw in this process, it was that the executor of this plan was Root, under Danzo Shimura's command.
"Why not let the Anbu execute it?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts had clearly shifted from the previous rage back to the right track, beginning to weigh the pros and cons: "Internal affairs should inherently be within the Anbu's jurisdiction."
"That's fine too."
Danzo Shimura surprisingly didn't object, merely stating coldly: "However, in this process, if the Shinobi Clans offer any fierce resistance, you, the Hokage who directly manages the Anbu, will have no room to change your stance."
"
"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression froze.
Danzo was indeed one of the people who understood him best; one sentence had hit his weak spot.
For him, as Hokage, the most important authority was not the administrative power belonging to the Hokage, but his identity as an absolutely impartial arbiter.
Although he was neither absolute nor impartial.
But as long as he remained neutral, no one could point out this problem.
However, if he personally got involved, the situation would be different.
"You should understand, Danzo."
"Those guys in the Shinobi Clans are not going to give up so easily."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was tinged with a sigh.
"Then you're going to tolerate them continuing to lord over us?" Danzo Shimura's tone became more indignant. "You, the Hokage, should know better than I do what kind of losses Konoha is suffering every moment."
His words were actually not wrong.
Just as Nara Shikaku had said at the Ninja Clan meeting.
In this struggle between the Hokage faction and the Shinobi Clans alliance, they were the ones who held the initiative.
In the days not long after the Hidden Mist attack, Konoha's tax revenue was bleeding out at an astonishingly rapid rate, and shops on the streets were visibly closing one after another, yet those prime street-facing properties showed no intention of being rented out.
Undoubtedly, this was the Shinobi Clans' attack on the Hokage faction.
It seemed like a thousand enemies were harmed, but eight hundred were self-damaged, but the wealth accumulated by the major Shinobi Clans over so many years was beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Their health bars were very thick.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, didn't come up with a plan soon, Homura Mitokado, who managed the finances, would probably smash his office.
The request Danzo Shimura put forth at this moment, while excessive, was perfectly timed and fit his role as a shadow manipulator.
After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally sighed helplessly, "How far do you intend to go?"
"Complete victory, of course!"
Danzo Shimura spoke with an air of entitlement.
"No!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, having found an entry point, continued, "Your actions must be monitored by Anbu."
"When I demand you stop, you must cease operations immediately."
"With the arrow already on the string, how can we stop it once it's fired?" Danzo Shimura's eyes widened in displeasure.
"This is a Hokage's order, Danzo."
""
"At the very least, we need the Hokage Building's endorsement, allowing Root to operate publicly."
"Agreed."
"You may operate under the name of the Provisional Internal Security Department."
"Deal."
The two old men, with a word from one and a word from the other, thus compromised and settled this issue that concerned hundreds of people.
From beginning to end, Jiraiya remained silent, watching them strike their deal with a cold, almost unfamiliar gaze.
That chilling look clearly showed his deep disappointment.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi pretended not to notice.
Just as Danzo Shimura had said.
Konoha's economy was currently under immense pressure.
This was something he, as Hokage, could not accept.
After leaving the office.
Danzo Shimura looked at the ground outside the door, already covered in a silver mantle of first snow, and a playful smile suddenly appeared on his lips.
Provisional Internal Security Department.
Orochimaru's Remnants Eradication Plan.
Aizen Sōsuke truly was an unparalleled genius from a commoner background.
His proposal was excellent.
Although his seal was still a bit loose, indicating a fierce struggle, since he could be used, such a small risk was naturally negligible.
This plan would bring his Root into the light of Konoha for the first time—a dream he had long cherished.
More importantly, he, Danzo Shimura, would use this operation to establish his merits, promote commoner Ninja to replace Shinobi Clans, further expand Root's authority, and eliminate any Shinobi Clans or Ninja who dared to defy his orders... Thus, step by step, he would bring the name Danzo Shimura into the sunlight.
Until he ascended to the seat of the Fifth Generation Hokage!
As Danzo Shimura thought this, his spirits soared, as if he could already see that day arriving.
The great purge began on this morning of early winter snow.
"Thump, thump, thump—!"
A heavy knocking sound suddenly woke up the sleeping Yamanaka Genichi. As a middle-aged Chunin who just went through the motions, he didn't know what could be so urgent as to find him, but he still opened the door in confusion.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw three to five masked men in black rush into his room. They coldly scanned the room like machines before speaking, "Yamanaka Genichi, Chunin."
"During the Second Great Ninja War, he carried out three B-rank missions with Orochimaru in the same joint squad. During the Third Great Ninja War, he participated in battles under Orochimaru at Kikyo Pass and earned three B-rank battle merits."
"Additionally, while serving as a squad leader in a previous team, he repeatedly made remarks of bloodline discrimination and commoner-Ninja Clan antagonism towards the Genin he mentored, who were from commoner backgrounds."
"Is that you?"
Yamanaka Genichi had never seen such a large-scale operation in his life, and his expression was still a bit bewildered: "Ah? Yes, it's me."
The next instant after he responded, steel handcuffs were already on his wrists.
"Come with us!"
"Wait, I—"
He didn't even have time to utter a sound before he was roughly dragged out of the room.
Inuzuka Shin, as usual, went to a familiar Ninja tool shop to replenish his supplies, preparing for a high-level mission scheduled for the next day.
However, just as he left the Ninja tool shop, before he could put away the kunai in his hand, he saw several masked men in black waiting there.
Out of Ninja instinct, he almost subconsciously held the kunai in reverse grip and asked, "Who are you people?"
The men opposite him had no intention of answering. They spoke to themselves, "Inuzuka Shin, Chunin."
"During the Third Great Ninja War, he fought alongside Orochimaru for a long time. After the Fourth Hokage election, he repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction, believing that Orochimaru should have been elected, and later, while drunk, got into a fight with a customer due to a conflict at the entrance."
"What was your purpose in doing these things? Who instigated you? What was your motive? Who is behind you?"
This barrage of questions left Inuzuka Shin's mind blank. He didn't react immediately and instinctively raised his hand to block in front of him: "I was already locked up by the Konoha Military Police Force once then..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the men in front of him had already seen the kunai in his hand and immediately shouted, "Suspect is attempting to resist!"
In an instant, several figures pounced on him, pinning him down in the snow and binding him tightly.
"Take him away!"
Similar incidents occurred one after another in Konoha Village. On the very first day of clearing out Orochimaru's remnants, twenty-seven people were arrested and taken to the Root base.
Their commonalities were that they all came from Shinobi Clans, had worked under Orochimaru, and had, to some extent, engaged in discriminatory behavior towards commoner Ninja. Their strength was mostly concentrated at the Genin and Chunin levels.
Looking at the entire Konoha, the actual proportion was quite small, and most people had not yet noticed any abnormalities.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was a rather obvious test.
Representatives from various Shinobi Clans all remained silent in the face of the impending storm, quietly awaiting developments without making any moves.
They had not yet fully grasped the intentions of Root and Danzo Shimura.
It wasn't just them.
Even among those truly in the know, there were still some doubts.
"Lord Aizen."
Yakushi Kabuto stood beside the desk that originally belonged to Danzo, asking with some confusion, "What is the point of us doing something like this, and only targeting ordinary Ninja Clan Ninja who don't have much status?"
"If we want to make the Shinobi Clans fearful, wouldn't it be more efficient to target the Ninja Clan's decision-makers?"
Aizen Sōsuke sat at the desk, quietly reviewing the newly acquired documents. He was not at all surprised by Yakushi Kabuto's question and, without looking up, retorted, "Kabuto-kun."
"Before engaging an opponent whose strength and identity are unknown, what is the first thing you should do?"
Yakushi Kabuto tilted his head in confusion, testing, "Is it... to probe the opponent's power level?"
"No."
"The correct answer is to determine how far you can go," Aizen taught with a gentle tone.
Yakushi Kabuto was still puzzled: "But haven't we already determined the number and capability levels of Root's personnel?"
"That is something you only need to consider when facing an enemy in a life-or-death struggle."
Aizen continued calmly, "When you face an official Konoha personnel holding a Hokage's written order, requesting you to conduct an investigation, how much of your true strength can you actually exert?"
"How much added benefit does the Village's prestige give to a Root Ninja?"
"Besides that, when using Danzo Shimura as an endorsement, how much of Root's resources and manpower can we mobilize within a determined period?"
"These all still need to be explored."
Yakushi Kabuto looked at him with a wry smile: "Why go through all this trouble, Lord Aizen?"
Since you can control Danzo Shimura so easily, why not just set him up as a puppet and command him?
He thought this to himself.
Aizen, without even looking up, seemed to hear his thoughts directly, explaining calmly, "While this Root was built by Danzo, that doesn't mean he can control everything."
"Since we need to bypass him to mobilize the entire Root's resources, we must prepare in advance, identifying which individuals are staunch supporters of Danzo and need to die in the upcoming operations, and which can be directly used by us after Danzo's disappearance."
"Don't be impatient, Kabuto-kun."
"We still have a lot of time."
Yakushi Kabuto was quiet for a while, presumably thinking, and then quickly asked curiously, "And after you fully control Root's power and subdue the Shinobi Clans? Your next plan must already be in motion, right?"
Although he had only followed him for a short time, Yakushi Kabuto was certain that the adult before him was always someone who planned three steps ahead.
This had been proven countless times in previous actions.
Hearing this question, Aizen finally looked up from his desk, glanced at him, and showed his usual smile: "That depends on whether there are any variables."
"If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to quickly open up a new space using existing resources—that is what I hope for."
"If something unexpected happens, then you might first witness the birth of a monster."
"A monster?"
Yakushi Kabuto subconsciously repeated the term, feigning confusion.
"Yes."
Aizen Sōsuke looked up, his gaze seemingly carrying a hint of nostalgia: "A monster born from the depths of the soul."