c98: Danzo's Operations
"Are you saying that there were signs of the Sharingan reflected in the eyes of the Kyuubi?"
Danzo Shimura's voice was cold and steady, his expression unreadable as he processed the report.
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
"The Kyuubi's pupils changed briefly from its usual vertical slits to a rounded form characteristic of the Sharingan. Multiple Root operatives stationed across the village perimeter confirmed this visual anomaly with their own eyes."
The Root agent kneeling before him wore the standard garb of Konoha's clandestine division black combat tights under an ash-white flak vest, and a red-marked porcelain mask concealing all expression.
While Konoha's regular ANBU uniforms resembled this closely, Root masks often lacked animal motifs, favoring abstract or symbolic patterns. It was not difficult for a Root agent to impersonate ANBU. Technically speaking, Root had long been considered a training subdivision of the ANBU and remained nominally under its command, though in practice it obeyed only Danzo.
After receiving confirmation, Danzo's eyes narrowed, and his voice dipped into a frostier register.
"What is the Uchiha Police Force doing?"
"My subordinates rushed to the scene after receiving the visual confirmation. They are currently assessing the actions of the Police Department," the Root agent replied flatly.
"Proceed with urgency."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
With a flicker of chakra and the whisper of a body-flicker technique, the Root operative vanished from the cavernous Root base beneath Konoha's foundations. Danzo remained still, standing with his eyes shut as if in quiet meditation.
Exactly one minute later, the same agent reappeared, kneeling once more.
"Lord Danzo, we've gathered sufficient intelligence."
"The Uchiha Police Force is currently engaged in evacuating villagers. However, the majority of the elite jonin-level officers are not involved. Only a small number are directing the evacuation efforts."
Danzo opened his eyes, and a slight sneer curled his lips.
"Hmph... The Uchiha are mobilizing their strongest to the battlefield. They're hoping to gain public favor and military prestige by fighting the Kyuubi."
"The appearance of the Sharingan in the Kyuubi's eyes implicates them directly. The timing is too perfect."
"Send word immediately. Tell Fugaku Uchiha to focus on evacuation only. They are forbidden from interfering in the Kyuubi conflict."
"Yes."
"And summon all Root operatives. Stand by for deployment."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Once the agent departed, Danzo whispered to himself, his eyes gleaming with cold calculation.
"This... could be the opportunity I've been waiting for."
Since the appointment of Minato Namikaze the Yellow Flash as Fourth Hokage, Danzo's influence had waned. He was no longer counted among Konoha's decision-makers.
But if his Root division were to play a decisive role in subduing the Kyuubi at a critical juncture, his political capital would be instantly restored.
A decisive intervention could see him reinstated as Konoha's shadow minister, and perhaps even force Hiruzen to push for his return to the Council of Elders.
Still, haste would be counterproductive. The Kyuubi was far too powerful. The real damage needed to occur first Minato and Hiruzen's forces must exhaust themselves and reveal their hand.
Only once the village had paid its price and stood on the brink would Danzo strike with Root and claim the glory. If he moved too early, he risked both failure and exposure.
Resolved, Shimura Danzo stepped out of the underground Root base and headed to the overlook at Hokage Monument behind the village, where he could clearly see the Kyuubi ravaging Konoha with its tails and claws.
The Fourth Hokage falling in this chaos? The idea had never even occurred to Danzo.
Minato's mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin no Jutsu) was unrivaled. In terms of survival and reaction time, there was no shinobi alive who could match him.
Sacrifice for the village? That was a slogan for public morale. In the upper echelons, true sacrifice only happened when one had no better choice.
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Elsewhere, Uchiha Gen had gathered twenty-two of the clan's jounin-level shinobi in the courtyard of the clan head's estate.
Veterans like Uchiha Setsuna and the elder council members now in their fifties—were leading the evacuation of civilians with the remaining Police Force.
Lady Uchiha Mikoto, a jounin herself and wife of the clan head, was assisting with evacuation near the market district.
"The Kyuubi is devastating our home. As both shinobi of Konoha and as members of the most powerful clan in the village, we must face the threat head-on!"
"For the honor of the Uchiha!"
Uchiha Fugaku, standing tall, raised his right fist in declaration.
"For the honor of the Uchiha!"
The clan's elite jounin didn't flinch. While other shinobi feared confronting the Kyuubi, the Uchiha bore the pride of their bloodline the Sharingan. Their eyes, it was said, were born to see through all illusions and stand unfazed in the face of monsters.
Fugaku took the lead, and the others followed in silence, moving as shadows across the rooftops of the burning village.
But as they crossed a ridge above the training fields, a lone figure in Root attire blocked their path, the moonlight gleaming off his red-marked porcelain mask.
"Turn back," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Fugaku raised his hand to halt the group. His eyes narrowed. "You're Root."
"Correct. Lord Danzo has forbidden Uchiha interference in the Kyuubi engagement. You are to return to evacuation duty immediately."
Discontent surged through the group like a rising tide.
Fugaku stepped forward, keeping calm but firm. "On what grounds?"
"There are confirmed reports. The Kyuubi's eyes showed signs of the Sharingan."
"What?!"
Outrage rippled through the group.
"That's impossible!"
"You must have misinterpreted it!"
"Our Sharingan can't control the Nine-Tails!"
But Fugaku's stomach turned with unease. Only one person in Uchiha history had controlled the Kyuubi: Madara Uchiha.
Could someone have reawakened the Mangekyo? Fugaku himself had the Mangekyo but had never used it to attempt such a feat. He assumed the Kyuubi could be controlled with it, but didn't know the truth that only the Eternal Mangekyo, as Madara possessed, could do so fully.
"It is no mistake," the Root ninja said flatly. "Multiple operatives saw the change. Return immediately."
Fugaku's uncertainty showed. The weight of suspicion, the shadow of history—it all threatened to fall upon the clan.
"Wait," Uchiha Gen stepped forward. "I have a question."
Fugaku turned to him. "Go ahead, Gen."
Uchiha Gen surveyed the group.
"Are any of our clan's elite jounin absent tonight?"
Sharp-eyed jounin quickly understood.
"No, my entire team is present."
"Mine too."
"Same here."
Soon all responded in unison.
"All Uchiha elite jounin are accounted for!"
Gen continued, voice rising: "Then whoever manipulated the Kyuubi cannot be from our clan!"
"If the attacker used a Sharingan, it was likely a survivor or rogue branch from Madara's time—an outsider!"
"We've been loyal to the village ever since Tobirama Senju appointed us as the Police Force!"
Fugaku's confidence returned. He stepped forward. "You hear that? The Uchiha here tonight stand united. We have nothing to do with this attack!"
But the Root ninja didn't even blink.
"Orders remain unchanged. Whether you are involved or not, Lord Danzo has issued the directive. Retreat immediately."
"Are you going to defy him?"
Fugaku, Shisui, and several others hesitated. The political implications were dangerous. Danzo had Hiruzen's trust and wielded significant power, especially in the shadows.
Fugaku's nature was always to preserve clan survival over reckless confrontation.
Then
"Tch!"
A loud scoff broke the tense silence...
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