The Jonin from the Hyuga branch family had a glint of greed in his eyes. In the family, he hadn't gained much recognition, and as a branch member, he desperately needed an outstanding achievement to prove himself.
The Jonin from the Inuzuka and Akimichi clans also had their eyes light up.
They shared the same ambition.
After hearing Asuma's analysis, even the hesitant Jonin from the Inuzuka clan felt his heart stir with excitement.
Only Kurenai Yuhi silently worried about Kuroki. She desperately wanted to ask Kuroki face-to-face about the purpose of such actions.
"Everyone, don't worry. Their group has no more than ten Uchiha members. There's no need to be concerned. I have backup plans," Asuma said confidently, smiling.
Upon hearing this, the other Jonin's worries completely vanished.
However, Kurenai Yuhi's concern grew stronger. She felt that she had to go with them. Even if she couldn't save Kuroki, she couldn't let him be humiliated to death.
She had no feelings for Danzo.
Nor did she have any goodwill towards the Anbu and Root.
If they died, so be it.
But she couldn't believe that Kuroki would betray the village.
The five of them disappeared into the night like shadows, with the two Jonin from the Hyuga and Inuzuka clans leading the search.
...
As the night deepened, the bustling district of Konoha gradually fell silent as midnight approached.
At the Hokage Building.
At the gate.
Two rows of elite Anbu operatives, the best of the best, stood ready. Their posture was rigid, with ninja swords on their backs. The atmosphere was tense, heightened by the menacing presence of their animal masks.
From the air alone, these elite Anbu were clearly more formidable than the Anbu's vanguard forces.
In the darkness, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado paced back and forth, waiting for intelligence from the vanguard forces.
Both of them, like Danzo, were Hokage advisors and consultants, possessing considerable stature and skill.
But at this moment, their aged faces were deeply marked with tension and unease.
"Why haven't we received any news yet..." Homura's face was grim, his brow furrowed with worry.
Koharu reassured him, "No need to panic. The Uchiha clan will either be wiped out tonight, or we will help them die with dignity!"
Homura pondered, "It's about time. Let's bring Hiruzen out. We're likely going to need to clean up the aftermath."
Both had played critical roles in Danzo's proposed "Uchiha Extermination Plan" and were highly supportive of it.
Since the Uchiha clan had thoughts of rebellion, they needed to be eradicated while still in the cradle.
If they couldn't resolve the long-standing tension between Konoha and the Uchiha, they would resolve the Uchiha itself.
At that moment, an injured Anbu member suddenly appeared, swiftly arriving and crouching before the two Hokage advisors.
Seeing the battered state of the Anbu member, Koharu and Homura immediately became alarmed—things were worse than they had anticipated.
Had the Uchiha clan resisted fiercely?
Both Hokage advisors' faces darkened.
The Anbu member quickly recounted everything that had happened in the Uchiha district.
Upon hearing the report, Koharu and Homura's eyes widened, their bodies trembling in shock and disbelief. Their faces turned ashen, as if they had swallowed something foul, and they hurriedly marched toward the Hokage's office.
The Uchiha clan had been wiped out as planned.
But Danzo was dead, and the Root organization, along with the Anbu vanguard forces, had suffered catastrophic losses!
"What's going on, senpai?" In the Anbu ranks, Yamato asked the Fox-Masked Anbu member beside him in a low voice.
Kakashi replied, without holding back, "Didn't catch everything, but..."
Crash!
From the brightly lit Hokage's office, the sound of a cup shattering echoed, followed by the furious roar of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Anbu members flinched in unison.
It had been a long time since their kind and benevolent Third Hokage had been this enraged.
Something major must have happened in the village.
Kakashi immediately fell silent.
Yamato didn't dare ask any more questions.
...
In the forest surrounding the Uchiha district, a large number of Anbu operatives were once again infiltrating the area that had just witnessed a brief but intense battle.
Leading them was Hiruzen Sarutobi, his old face darkened with rage. Wearing his Hokage hat and a white ceremonial robe, which billowed in the wind, he led the way into the forest.
Two Hokage advisors and elite Anbu operatives followed closely behind, while other Anbu members took strategic positions around the area.
The smell of blood hung in the air, and Hiruzen's expression grew more severe. His fists clenched behind his back as he glanced at the bodies on the ground.
From this, he deduced that the Anbu vanguard had recklessly entered the forest, only to be ambushed by the Root organization.
Root had suffered over 80% casualties!
The Anbu vanguard had lost more than half its members!
"Danzo, that old fool, deserved to die!!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest heaved with anger, a fury he couldn't release nor swallow. He quickly gave orders: "Take the injured away and recover the bodies!"
The Anbu captains nodded in agreement and began organizing their teams to clean up the area. This was a routine task for the Anbu—killing, cleaning up, and covering their tracks!
Kakashi and Yamato, as the Hokage's personal bodyguards, stayed by his side.
Seeing the grim scene before them...
Kakashi and Yamato sighed inwardly.
Konoha's operation this time could be considered a heavy loss. Just the elite members of the Foundation and the Anbu who died would take years to train again.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a dark expression, quickly walked into the depths of the forest. The group arrived at a giant tree.
Two of the Hokage's advisors stood frozen before a sunken tree hollow, staring at the familiar old face embedded within.
"Dan... Danzo..."
Koharu Utatane adjusted her black-framed glasses, the wrinkles on her forehead bunching together. She hurried to the hollow, placed her fingers under Danzo's nose, then on his carotid artery.
After a moment.
Koharu lowered her head, turned around with a gloomy face, and shook her head, indicating that Danzo had no signs of life.
Homura Mitokado's expression was solemn as she stepped forward and retrieved some medical instruments from a storage scroll to check Danzo's vitals.
She had always been skilled in medical ninjutsu, having once served in the elite guard unit of the Second Hokage, specializing as a medical ninja.
The electronic medical instruments showed no response.
Homura's heart sank completely, and she shook her head, saying, "There are no signs of life. Biologically speaking, he's dead."
Danzo's death had a significant impact on Konoha.
First, the intelligence department would experience an earthquake; the scattered agents outside of Konoha might never be recovered.
Second, Konoha had lost its "Root," which was akin to losing a sharp internal balancing blade.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils widened. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His rage surged to his heart, and he forcibly swallowed the blood rising in his throat. He stepped forward to check Danzo himself.
Looking at that familiar old face in the tree hollow.
Hiruzen's gaze fell on the hilt of the ninja blade that was precisely lodged in Danzo's heart.
It was a Uchiha ninja blade.
Hiruzen's mind was in turmoil, as if thousands of explosive tags had gone off in his head.
Had Danzo's life gone to the dogs over the years? He couldn't even deal with an ordinary Uchiha and caused such heavy losses to both the Root and the Anbu before his death.
He really deserved to die!
"Danzo was really killed by that Uchiha named Kuroki."
Hiruzen pulled the ninja blade from the tree. Unable to contain his anger any longer, he spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back a few steps.
"Hiruzen!!"
Koharu and Homura immediately rushed to support him, stabilizing him in place.
"Don't worry about me. Have someone bring his body back. These Wood Release mutations on him contain cells of the First Hokage."
Hiruzen lowered his weary eyes, tossed the ninja blade to the ground, forced himself to stand straight, and looked toward the Uchiha compound, continuing, "Go to the Uchiha compound first!"
…
The full moon set in the west.
The night was ending, and dawn was breaking.
In the dense forest of Abandoned Training Ground No. 007, 80 miles northwest of Konoha, Kuroki led the team onward toward the northwest.
With the chakra circulating in their bodies, they covered in two hours the distance that would take a regular army in Kuroki's previous life a full day to march.
No one spoke along the way.
As they passed by a ruined camp, one of the Uchiha youths carrying Tamao suddenly exclaimed:
"Captain Kuroki, Tamao has fainted!"
Kuroki halted, turned to look back, and suddenly saw words appear in his mind:
*[Side Quest]: Heal your comrade.*
*[Options]:*
1. Heal your comrade.
*[Reward]: Green Potion.*
(End of Chapter)