While Arata Itsuki was training relentlessly along the border, things in Konoha were far from peaceful.
Deep underground, in the hidden headquarters of Root, Danzō sat waiting—impatiently, anxiously.
He had every reason to be anxious.
This time, he had sent some of his most trusted subordinates—shinobi with the strength of Elite Jōnin.
These were rare assets, precious even to him.
After all, Root had only recently been established.
The promising ones among his recruits had not yet been fully molded.
Among those he could truly count on, only two possessed Elite Jōnin strength.
And now, one who had gone to assassinate Arata still had not returned.
"How could this be? One Elite Jōnin and three Jōnin… how could that possibly go wrong?"
He muttered to himself, eyes growing darker as he stared toward the entrance.
At that moment, the door opened—
but the one who entered was not the Elite Jōnin he'd been waiting for.
Danzō's expression darkened further, though he maintained a shred of hope.
Perhaps this person brought information?
"Hiruzen? What are you doing here all of a sudden?"
The newcomer was none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Your plan failed," Hiruzen said flatly. "Stand down for now. Don't make any more moves against Arata."
Danzō, who had been trying to maintain composure, immediately shot up from his seat.
"What!? What do you mean, failed? I haven't received any reports yet!"
Hiruzen walked over and sat down, letting out a deep sigh.
Seeing him act this way only infuriated Danzō more.
"If you have something to say, then say it! Stop pretending to be some grieving saint!"
Only then did Hiruzen speak:
"I just received intel from Hatake Sakumo. Arata has already reached the border."
At those words, Danzō finally understood.
The mission had indeed failed.
If the assassination had succeeded, Arata would never have made it to the border alive.
But what baffled him was how a mere Tokubetsu Jōnin like Arata survived an ambush by an Elite Jōnin and three Jōnin.
"Is there any news… about my men?"
Hiruzen nodded.
"Sakumo reports that Arata killed an Elite Jōnin and three Jōnin. I assume they were yours."
For a moment, Danzō simply stared.
Then—rage.
"No—impossible! He's just a Special Jōnin! How could he possibly kill an Elite Jōnin!?"
Killing Jōnin was believable—Tokubetsu Jōnin often possessed secret techniques that allowed them to threaten Jōnin.
But Elite Jōnin?
Elite Jōnin were apex forces in any shinobi village—
combatants capable of fighting Kage-level opponents.
Some with powerful kekkei genkai could even threaten Kage themselves.
Hiruzen, too, found it hard to believe.
He had always thought little of Arata, viewing him as another hardworking but low-talent shinobi.
Through his crystal ball, he had observed Arata's persistent training and admired his work ethic—
but never once considered him someone with great potential.
He never expected Arata to suddenly "jump out" today and shock him like this.
"At first, I didn't believe it either," Hiruzen said. "But Sakumo's report was clear—four bodies, all dead. Only Arata was left standing."
Danzō's face grew pitch-black.
He had always seen Arata as an ant he could crush whenever he wished.
Now that "ant" had killed one of his rare, elite subordinates.
Hiruzen added, tone full of faux sympathy:
"That Elite Jōnin was your nephew, wasn't he? What a shame. Instead of dying for the village, he died caught in an internal struggle…"
Hiruzen's sanctimonious tone made Danzō explode.
"Spare me your hypocrisy! If you care so much, why not send your son? If I recall, he's an Elite Jōnin too!"
Hiruzen ignored the jab and shifted the topic.
"In any case, Arata cannot be touched now. His strength is no longer something we can ignore. If we act rashly and he senses it, he may defect. With war approaching, Konoha cannot afford to lose another high-level combatant."
This righteous façade was exactly what Danzō despised about Hiruzen.
The old fox always acted like a benevolent saint—even when he was just as ruthless.
This time, Danzō had done all the dirty work, sacrificed the future successor of the Shimura clan—
and Hiruzen wanted to gloss over everything with a few noble-sounding lines.
"No. Arata Itsuki must die. Don't forget he's close to Tsunade! They grew up together—they're already childhood sweethearts!"
Hiruzen's expression immediately darkened.
"So… because he's a descendant of the Senju… he cannot remain?"
Danzō continued coldly:
"Tsunade is already Elite Jōnin level. Her reputation is high. If she and Arata get together, the next Hokage might not be something we can control."
This struck Hiruzen deeply.
He fell silent, lost in thought.
Danzō knew him well enough to wait quietly.
The Sarutobi clan head was not yet old or indecisive—
he was still the feared, decisive shinobi who once dominated the ninja world.
Danzō believed he would choose "correctly."
Finally, Hiruzen spoke.
"Don't touch him for now. The war is about to begin. Tsunade will be handed over to Hanzo. As for Arata—send word to the Kumogakure that he may possess Lightning Armor. They'll take care of him."
Sakumo had mentioned Arata's lightning-like movement technique in his report.
Hiruzen hadn't planned to publicize it—
but Arata's relationship with Tsunade threatened his control over the Hokage seat.
So even Hiruzen, the "benevolent one," decided to act.
Hanzō of the Salamander—
a man called the Demi-God of the Shinobi World,
with strength rivaling even Hiruzen's.
Ending Tsunade would not be difficult for someone like him.
A well-timed leak of her location was all it would take.
This kind of covert assassination was second nature to Danzō.
From Hiruzen's brief instructions, he already knew exactly how to carry it out.
The two old partners might spar verbally,
but deep down, their instincts were the same.
"That's all. I'm leaving."
Hiruzen rose and walked out of the office without another word.
Only then did Danzō remember one more loose end—
he had sent Katō Dan to kill Arata.
Clearly, Katō was now dead.
Which meant the girl under his custody—
Shizune—
no longer had value.
He began considering how to deal with her.
"Someone, come in."
A Root operative appeared instantly.
"Bring Katō Dan's niece to the espionage division."
In the end, Danzō didn't kill her.
She had passable aptitude—and more importantly, she was young and attractive.
She would make a suitable spy someday—
enticing foreign officials and extracting information.
"A waste should still be useful,"
Danzō muttered to himself.