In the eyes of the Hyuga Branch family jōnin, a flicker of greed appeared. Having long struggled for recognition within the clan as a branch member, he was eager to prove himself with some dazzling achievement.
The jōnin from the Inuzuka and Akimichi clans also showed a glint of ambition in their eyes.
They too had aspirations of their own.
After hearing Asuma's analysis, even the Inuzuka jōnin—who had earlier considered backing out—was visibly stirred.
Only Kurenai Yuhi felt growing unease for Inzuki. She badly wanted to ask him face-to-face what he was trying to accomplish.
"As for the rest of you, don't worry. At most, they've only got a dozen or so Uchiha in that squad. I've prepared backup."
Asuma gave a confident smile.
Hearing this, the remaining jōnin's worries faded completely.
Kurenai's concern, however, only grew stronger. She had to go with them. Even if she couldn't save Inzuki, she couldn't let him die disgraced.
She didn't care for Danzo.
She had even less respect for the ANBU or Root.
Those people—if they died, so be it.
She just couldn't believe…
That Inzuki would betray the village.
The five turned into shadows and vanished into the night, with the Hyuga Branch and Inuzuka jōnin taking the lead in tracking.
---
Late at night—just past midnight.
The bustling commercial district of Konoha had finally quieted down.
At the Hokage Residence—
Before its massive doors—
Two rows of elite ANBU stood ready. Their backs straight, ninja blades strapped to their backs, and their animal masks lending them a fearsome aura.
Even just from their presence, it was clear these ANBU were a cut above the standard advance units.
In the cold moonlight, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane paced back and forth, waiting anxiously for news from the frontline.
Like Danzo, they were advisors to the Hokage and held considerable sway in village affairs.
But right now, unease was written all over their aged faces—deeper than usual.
"Why hasn't word come back yet…"
Mitokado frowned deeply, his lined face creased with worry.
Koharu tried to reassure him:
"No need to panic. The Uchiha—whether they want to die or not—will be wiped out tonight. If they won't go quietly, we'll help them go with dignity."
Mitokado nodded slowly. "It's about time. We should call Hiruzen. It's our turn to clean up the aftermath."
Both had been key players in Danzo's plan to eliminate the Uchiha Clan. They fully supported it.
If the Uchiha were harboring treasonous thoughts—
Then they needed to be crushed before those thoughts could take root.
They didn't have the ability to resolve the long-standing tension between the village and the Uchiha.
So their answer… was to eliminate the Uchiha altogether.
Just then, a badly injured ANBU appeared from the shadows, landing in a half-kneel before them.
Seeing his bloodied state, Koharu and Mitokado immediately sensed something was wrong. The situation had clearly spiraled beyond expectation.
Did the Uchiha fight back?
Their expressions darkened.
The ANBU wasted no time and reported everything that had happened in the Uchiha district.
As he spoke, the two advisors' eyes widened in shock, their bodies stiffened, and disbelief overtook their faces.
Their expressions turned ashen—like they'd just swallowed a dead rat—and they hurried together toward the Hokage's office.
Yes, the Uchiha had been wiped out as planned—
But Danzo was dead.
And both Root and the ANBU advance unit had suffered devastating losses!
---
In the ANBU ranks outside—
Yamato leaned in and whispered to the masked ANBU beside him.
"Senpai, what happened?"
Kakashi didn't hold back. "Didn't hear the whole thing… but from the looks of it—"
CRASH!!
From the brightly lit Hokage's office upstairs came the sound of a teacup shattering against the floor, followed by a thunderous roar of rage.
The ANBU all flinched.
Their Third Hokage, usually calm and grandfatherly, hadn't lost his temper like this in years.
Something serious had happened.
Kakashi immediately fell silent.
Yamato dared not ask again.
---
In the Uchiha Clan forest district—
Numerous ANBU infiltrated the area where a brief but intense battle had just taken place.
Leading the charge was Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. His aging face was grim beneath the Hokage hat. His white ceremonial cloak fluttered as he stepped into the forest.
Flanked by his advisors and elite ANBU, some of his men quickly took to higher ground.
As the scent of blood filled the air, Hiruzen's eyes darkened.
Clenching his fists behind his back, he casually scanned the bodies littering the ground—and immediately deduced what had occurred.
The ANBU advance squad had walked into an ambush by Root.
Over 80% of Root had been annihilated.
More than half of the ANBU advance unit was gone.
"Danzo, that old bastard… really brought this on himself!!" Hiruzen growled.
He had a fire in his chest—too painful to swallow, yet too bitter to spit out.
He waved his hand.
"Take all the wounded back. Recover every last body."
The ANBU captains nodded and moved swiftly, cleaning up the scene. That was part of their job: assassinate, erase the traces, and burn everything else.
Kakashi and Yamato, as the Hokage's personal guards, remained with Hiruzen.
They were disheartened at the sight.
The scale of Konoha's loss was staggering. The elite Root and ANBU operatives lying dead here would take years to replace.
Hiruzen, expression dark, marched deeper into the forest.
Soon, they reached a massive tree.
Koharu and Mitokado stood stunned before a hollow in the trunk, staring at the familiar, lifeless face embedded in it.
"D… Danzo…"
Mitokado pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, the wrinkles on his forehead tightening. He stepped forward, placed two fingers under Danzo's nose, then to his carotid artery.
A moment later—
He turned away, grim-faced, and shook his head.
Danzo was completely gone.
Koharu, frowning, stepped up next. She retrieved several diagnostic tools from a scroll and began scanning for vital signs.
She had always been skilled in medical ninjutsu. In her youth, she served in the Second Hokage's elite guard unit as a medical ninja.
The electronic devices showed no response.
Her heart sank.
"Not a trace of life. From a biological standpoint… he's dead."
Danzo's death would send shockwaves through Konoha.
First, the Intelligence Division would be thrown into chaos. The countless informants planted across the continent might be lost forever.
Second, the loss of Root meant the village was down a blade that once served to counterbalance internal power.
Hiruzen's eyes bulged with rage. His body trembled. A sharp pain rose in his chest—he forced down the blood rising to his throat and moved forward to check Danzo himself.
His gaze fell on the familiar face, embedded in the hollow.
Then to the hilt of the ninja blade embedded clean through Danzo's heart.
It was an Uchiha blade.
Hiruzen's mind went blank, as though a thousand explosive tags had gone off in his head.
Danzo had wasted all these years of life…
He couldn't even handle one ordinary Uchiha. And he died dragging Root and the ANBU down with him?
He really did deserve to die!
"So… he was really killed by that Uchiha… Inzuki…"
With a trembling hand, Hiruzen pulled the blade from the tree.
Unable to suppress his fury any longer, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps.
"Hiruzen!!"
Koharu and Mitokado rushed forward to steady him.
"I'm fine," Hiruzen rasped. "Take Danzo's corpse back. His body's covered in Wood Style growths… it contains Hashirama's cells."
Lowering his gaze, Hiruzen let the blade fall to the ground and forced himself to stand tall once more.
Looking toward the Uchiha district, he said coldly:
"Head for the Uchiha compound!"
---
The full moon began to set.
Dawn approached.
Northwest of Konoha, roughly 80 li away, deep within an abandoned training ground marked as Site 007, nestled in a vast primeval forest—
Inzuki's team continued westward.
Fueled by chakra, they covered in just two hours a distance that would take an ordinary army an entire day on foot.
No one spoke along the way.
But as they passed through the ruins of an abandoned camp, a Uchiha youth carrying Tamayo on his back suddenly shouted:
"Captain Inzuki! Tamayo's fainted!!"
Inzuki stopped and looked back. At that moment, glowing text appeared in his vision:
[Side Quest: Heal Your Comrade]
[Condition: Heal the wounded
[Reward: Green Potion