Several days later, Konoha's Root finally received confirmation: their intelligence relay station in Iwagakure had been completely wiped out. Not only that—all Root operatives stationed within the village had perished without exception.
Root.
The very name was a byword for shadows, intelligence, and assassination—a standard of fear across the entire shinobi world. Their track record was unmatched, and every village dreaded their existence.
Yet now, not a single one of their operatives in Iwagakure had survived. This was unprecedented—something that had never once happened before.
Danzō Shimura's face darkened as he read the report. Even with his decades of experience, the reality left him shaken. All of them… every single Root operative, gone?
Grinding his teeth, his expression twisted with fury.
"Aburame Ryōma! Investigate this at once. I want to know exactly who did this—and how."
It wasn't that Danzō looked down on Iwagakure. But in his mind, that village simply wasn't worthy of his attention. On the battlefield, Iwagakure might boast numbers, but when it came to the art of shadows and underhanded schemes, Danzō was confident he outclassed Ōnoki by miles.
Therefore, in his eyes, this couldn't have been the work of Iwagakure alone. There had to be another force at play. Those fools don't even understand the true value of intelligence. How could they possibly track down Root's shadow?
From the gloom, Aburame Ryōma—second-in-command of Root—emerged. His expression was just as grim, anger burning in his normally calm eyes. That silent fury gave Danzō a sliver of reassurance. At least he understands… If this wasn't betrayal within Root, then what kind of enemy could uncover us?
In a low voice, Ryōma said,
"Leader, I reorganized all of our earlier reports. After combing through them again, I found something we may have overlooked. Iwagakure likely discovered something. That might explain why we've completely lost contact with all operatives stationed there."
Danzō frowned.
"When exactly did this happen? And remind me—who was in charge of observing the inner workings of Iwagakure?"
"To avoid detection by Iwagakure, we assigned that role to the most skilled specialist available—the Miko. With her abilities, the problem could never have originated from her end. After reviewing the data, I'm certain the fault lies elsewhere."
"Miko… you mean Yakushi Nono." Danzō's eyes narrowed. "Indeed, if it's about skill, she's unmatched. If it wasn't her failure… then the issue must be with the others. Keep digging. Find who dared to strike against Root."
"Yes, sir. Should we deploy new operatives into Iwagakure?"
Danzō fell silent, considering. Then, instead of answering, he asked coldly:
"The orphanage. Those brats we checked last time—how are they progressing?"
The orphanage…
Ryōma immediately recalled Nono's decision to establish it. To support the children there, she had willingly joined Root, becoming their top intelligence operative.
The thought of the orphanage inevitably brought Nono's face to mind—followed by the image of a pale, bespectacled boy with sharp eyes.
Ryōma replied,
"They're doing well. Especially the one Nono values most. His name is Yakushi Kabuto. His talent rivals Nono's own—he shows extraordinary promise to become a top intelligence operative."
Kabuto's profile surfaced in Danzō's mind instantly, his memory filling in every detail.
"That boy…" Danzō muttered, his eyes narrowing. "It seems Nono's orphanage cannot be dissolved just yet. For the sake of my dream of protecting Konoha, the children there must be molded into proper shinobi."
He leaned forward, his voice cold.
"Bring that boy to me. I'll test him myself. If his ability is as strong as you say, I'll make him the next Nono. And in return, the orphanage will receive even greater funding."
Ryōma bowed.
"Understood. I'll personally deliver him to you, Danzō-sama."
Thus, the orphanage—once Nono's refuge—fully entered Danzō's shadowy web. In his hands, the children who had lost everything to war would become new pieces on his board.
Among them, Kabuto stood out above the rest. His genius rivaled Nono's own. Ryōma personally escorted him to Danzō's presence.
Kabuto remembered those lean days—when the orphanage had no funds, when every child went to bed hungry. It was thanks to this man, Danzō Shimura, that the orphanage had survived.
Now, hearing that if he joined Root, the orphanage would gain even more support, Kabuto hesitated little. Perhaps it was out of gratitude. Perhaps it was because the person he respected most—his foster mother Nono—already served under Danzō.
Without much resistance, Yakushi Kabuto nodded his agreement.
Soon after, Kabuto was dispatched to Iwagakure. Using his youthful appearance, he successfully infiltrated the village as an ordinary resident.
From there, he transmitted report after report back to Konoha. It wasn't long before he uncovered the truth behind the eradication of Root's network in Iwagakure.
Akatsuki.
A name that Danzō knew all too well suddenly reappeared in his intelligence files. It brought back memories of his "cooperation" years ago with Hanzō of the Salamander in Amegakure.
Back then, fearing that the rising Akatsuki would grow into a serious threat, Danzō had allied with Hanzō to eliminate them—guided by his twisted conviction: Anything not belonging to Konoha must be destroyed.
It had been both a success and a failure.
They succeeded in killing Akatsuki's leader and scattering the organization. Yet they had failed to truly finish the job. And now… Akatsuki had resurfaced.
Danzō's eyes grew cold, murderous intent radiating from him.
"No one escapes Root's purge. If Hanzō failed to crush them completely, then I shall do it myself."
A bold thought was already crystallizing in his mind. Piece by piece, a plan formed. He would eradicate Akatsuki once and for all.
Because anything not Konoha must be destroyed. Otherwise, what meaning would all my sacrifices hold?
Danzō moved swiftly. He slipped away from Konoha under the cover of darkness, setting his sights once again on Amegakure.
It was there, years ago, that Akatsuki had first been found.
And it would be there again that he would wipe them from existence—this time, for good.