Just as Yamanaka Inoichi was about to call some clansmen over to get to work, two figures suddenly burst into the Yamanaka compound and blocked his way.
" …Root?!"
The masks worn by Root operatives were very distinctive; Inoichi recognized the strange patterns immediately.
He frowned and went on guard.
"Why has Root shown up uninvited?" Inoichi asked impassively. He wanted nothing to do with Root, fully aware of Danzo's ambition for the Hokage's seat.
Danzo's desire to become Hokage was as obvious as the Uchiha clan's wish to stage a coup—a "secret" everyone could guess.
The Yamanaka clan ultimately aligned with the Hokage's faction, so they naturally resisted a wouldbe usurper like Danzo.
Of course, Inoichi would have preferred to keep some distance from the coup‑minded Uchiha as well. Unfortunately, Uchiha Chizumi sent Police Corps officers with corpses every day, so Inoichi had no choice but to handle the autopsies.
At that moment the Root shinobi on the left spoke coldly:
"Clan Head Inoichi, these eight corpses belonged to Root. The Yamanaka clan has no right to probe their minds."
The Root shinobi on the right added, "Do not touch the bodies. Our people will come to take them away."
Inoichi's pupils tightened ever so slightly.
All eight bodies were Root operatives? Had Uchiha Chizumi clashed with Root again?
"Very well."
If Danzo wanted to clean up his own mess, Inoichi was happy not to make trouble for himself.
…
Before long, more Root shinobi arrived—and leading them was Shimura Danzo himself.
Danzo stood beside Inoichi, silently studying the eight corpses draped in white cloth. A night breeze lifted one shroud, revealing a face Danzo found familiar …
He drew a deep breath.
"U! Chi! ha! Chi! Zu! Mi!"
Veins bulged on the backs of his clenched fists as he forced out the name.
Inoichi could feel the seething rage inside this Konoha elder. Then Danzo suddenly swung his glare onto him.
Inoichi: "???"
"I haven't even started reading their memories," he said, irritated at being blamed for nothing, his tone colder than usual.
While speaking he happened to notice Danzo's left ear was missing.
Danzo fixed him with a long, dark stare.
Once I replace the Monkey, he thought, every last member of the Yamanaka clan will wear the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal before I sleep easy. They know far too much.
Those thoughts stayed in his head.
Watching his men hoist the bodies, Danzo strode toward the gate—then stopped short.
"Wait!"
He knit his brows and barked at the subordinates preparing to carry the bodies back to base.
His sharp gaze swept the surroundings. The Root shinobi tensed with him.
Tap… tap… tap…
Soft footsteps approached, drawing all eyes toward the dense darkness ahead.
The Root shinobi dropped the corpses, drew their blades, and formed a ring around Danzo.
As the walker emerged into the moonlight, Danzo's face darkened.
Grinding his teeth, he shouted the newcomer's name:
"Uchiha Chizumi!!!"
…
"Daddy, why is it so noisy outside…?"
Ino, in cute pajamas and clutching a stuffed toy, rubbed her eyes as she padded out barefoot.
Danzo's sudden shriek of "Uchiha Chizumi" had already startled Inoichi. Seeing his daughter awake, he realized what was happening.
"Ino, back to your room—no, hide in the underground vault!" he said sternly. "No matter what you hear, do not come out!"
" …Huh?" Ino hadn't yet grasped the situation.
"Go—now!" he barked.
Startled, her eyes brimming with tears, she dared not argue and ran for the hidden chamber.
"Whew…"
As her figure disappeared, Inoichi felt half‑relieved yet even more anxious, turning his gaze to the compound gate.
"What a troublesome night."
If he guessed right, Uchiha Chizumi knew Danzo would come for the bodies, so he had waited outside the Yamanaka compound.
—He was hunting Shimura Danzo.
Inoichi also knew the two had clashed once before, stopped only by the Hokage himself.
Perhaps, in Chizumi's creed of "Absolute Justice," everyone in Root must be purged. Not good—I have to warn the Hokage.
His head throbbed.
Danzo's face was like dark water, a phantom pain throbbing in his healed left ear.
He remembered clearly—
Uchiha Chizumi had exposed his secrets to the Monkey, costing him several three‑tomoe Sharingan and forcing him to surrender Sharingan research data.
"You inherently evil Uchiha brat! After last time you still dare face me alone? Just because you gained Lava Release you think yourself invincible? Uchiha's innate arrogance disgusts me!"
Murder glinted in Danzo's eyes; the surrounding Root shinobi shifted restlessly.
Chizumi's gaze met Danzo's in mid‑air.
"I've waited more than two hours for you, Danzo-'sama'."
The calm tone made Danzo laugh in fury.
"You set bait for me, did you?" he growled.
Molten lava dripped from Chizumi's fingertips, its orange‑red glow lighting half his face.
"If I hadn't," he said softly, "how else could I drag a filthy rat like you out of Konoha's sewer?"
Crack! Fissures split the ground beneath Danzo's feet.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had warned him not to fight Chizumi again—but Danzo knew one thing: if he didn't kill this dangerously extreme Uchiha, Konoha would never know peace, and he himself would never sleep soundly.
"Kill him!!!"
He gave the order in an icy roar.