Konoha.
The Third Hokage hesitated over whether to stop Danzo's actions, but in doing so, he missed the best opportunity. Whether this was intentional or not was difficult to determine.
At this moment, only a select few in Konoha were aware of the plan to eliminate the Uchiha clan.
Aside from a handful of Root operatives, only the Third Hokage and the clone left behind by Uchiha Kiyo knew the details.
The clone had been informed as soon as the main body received the village's orders.
Following the main body's directives, this moment was to be Uchiha Kiyo's greatest act of vengeance against Danzo.
Root Headquarters.
Danzo sat at his desk, reviewing the intelligence reports handed to him by his subordinates.
The report detailed the execution of the mission and contained the most recent frontline updates from half an hour ago.
For information from the battlefield to reach Danzo in such a short span of time was a testament to the terrifying efficiency of Root's intelligence network.
On the battlefield, circumstances changed rapidly, and obtaining firsthand intelligence—especially within high-ranking villages—was extremely difficult. Typically, valuable information only became available after the fact. Yet, Danzo received updates within half an hour.
Even after suffering significant losses among its top combat personnel, Root's intelligence system remained unaffected. Not even the Third Hokage's Anbu could achieve such swift information gathering.
This alone proved that Root still had formidable means at its disposal.
Perhaps, this was Danzo's greatest asset.
As he reviewed the information in his hands, Danzo allowed himself a satisfied smirk.
"Uchiha Kiyo has arrived at his destination and is now aware of the mission assigned to this squad of Konoha shinobi. It all depends on what he chooses to do next."
Even if Kiyo opted to stay out of the matter and focused solely on his task, Danzo could use that as grounds for impeachment, tarnishing the reputation of the Uchiha clan.
At the very least, Kiyo would survive.
However, knowing Uchiha Kiyo's personality, there was a high probability he would not make such a choice.
"So, Uchiha Kiyo… you must die!
A threat to Konoha must be eradicated!"
Danzo repeatedly reinforced this belief through self-hypnosis.
Yet, no matter how many times he convinced himself, he could not ignore the reality that he was targeting a shinobi from his own village.
And this realization unsettled him the most.
As ridiculous as it seemed, he couldn't help but believe it.
Danzo still remembered the attack from two months ago.
The humiliation of his own severed arm, the devastating losses suffered by Root, and the reckless self-destruction of his enemy…
And the ominous "warning" that only he seemed to have heard.
*"This is the first time… but it won't be the last.
Murdering a comrade of the same village will be punished."*
Danzo had never taken threats seriously—he had heard countless curses, warnings, and threats in his lifetime while building Root, and they had long since lost their impact on him.
Yet, this one lingered.
He thought of it often.
That battle had not only cost him his arm but had also brought him closer to death than ever before.
A chilling experience.
Fortunately, Danzo was adept at "self-hypnosis." Through repeated mental conditioning, he suppressed his fear.
"I am not killing fellow Konoha shinobi. I am removing threats to the village. Everything I do is for Konoha."
The Clone's Plan.
The previous assault on Root had not been a mere accident—it had been a carefully orchestrated move by Uchiha Kiyo's clone.
His mission was to instill in Danzo a constant state of paranoia, ensuring that every action he took would be haunted by the fear of unseen retaliation.
And now, the Konoha clone had begun the next phase of his plan.
*"An assassination can wait until the main body is 'dead.'
For now… let's have some fun with Danzo."*
Without anyone noticing, each major ninja clan in Konoha suddenly found a scroll placed within their compound.
No one knew where the scrolls had come from.
Initially, the clan leaders assumed they were secret messages from another family. But after reading the contents, their expressions changed dramatically.
"Danzo! My clan will never forgive you!"
Furious outbursts erupted from each clan compound.
The scrolls contained shocking revelations.
Recently, numerous Konoha shinobi had mysteriously disappeared—most of them from major ninja families.
Investigations led to a singular conclusion: the disappearances were linked to Root.
With the Third Hokage's tacit approval, Danzo had been abducting ninja from various clans to replenish Root's forces.
Though Danzo had left behind few clues, the clone had carefully pieced together enough evidence to expose his actions.
The scrolls detailed these disappearances and hinted at the brutal conditioning methods employed by Root.
The revelations were intentionally vague yet damning enough to raise suspicions.
Notably, the Uchiha clan did not receive any scrolls.
From the clone's perspective, the Uchiha had already attracted too much attention due to their ongoing feud with Danzo. It was best for them to remain uninvolved this time.
Additionally, Danzo had deliberately avoided targeting clans with powerful Kekkei Genkai, such as the Uchiha and Hyuga, to prevent major repercussions.
Even Danzo knew that if his actions against such clans were exposed, not even the Third Hokage could protect him.
Land of Rain.
After creating the "Tetsuya" clone, Uchiha Kiyo remained in place to recover his chakra.
Once he had regained enough strength, he rushed toward the location where his "death" was supposed to occur.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!"
Uchiha Kiyo accelerated with the Body Flicker Technique and launched an attack against a team of Sunagakure shinobi.
A compressed wind chakra projectile, laced with sharp cutting power, shot toward the strongest Jōnin in the group.
Because Uchiha Kiyo's attack had been sudden, the enemy had no time to react.
The Vacuum Bullet struck directly, severely injuring the Jōnin.
With their strongest fighter incapacitated, the Sand ninja team quickly fell.
"Good, let's collect these puppets. They'll fetch a good price."
Feigning death had its advantages, but also a major drawback—Uchiha Kiyo could no longer take on official missions to earn money.
And a ninja's expenses were massive. Even with a frugal lifestyle, he would still need a million ryō per year.
His funds wouldn't last long.
Thus, he seized this opportunity to hunt down more puppet masters and sell their puppets for profit.
For some time, Uchiha Kiyo roamed around the supply station, ambushing Sand shinobi reinforcements.
He eliminated over seventy or eighty enemy ninjas, if not a hundred.
No further reinforcements arrived—most had already been slaughtered.
*"That should be enough. I didn't expect Sunagakure to throw so many men at me over a single piece of unconfirmed intelligence.
They must really hate me."*
Satisfied with his haul, Uchiha Kiyo decided to end the hunt.
Or rather, there were simply no more targets left.
*"The clone should be wrapping things up by now.
I need to hurry over and witness my own 'death.'
And clean up the battlefield.
Gotta make sure the news of my 'death' is undeniable."*
Uchiha Kiyo smirked at his own ingenuity.
Meanwhile, Hatake Sakumo had successfully rescued another squad of Konoha ninjas.
Among them were members of the Ino-Shika-Cho and Inuzuka clans, along with a Hyuga Branch ninja.
Sakumo was relieved.
However, before he could relax, a wave of Sand ninja surrounded them.
Hundreds of enemy shinobi closed in.
*"Konoha's White Fang…
You've killed too many of our puppet masters.
This ends today."*
Hatake Sakumo narrowed his eyes, preparing for battle.
He had no interest in pointless conversations.
"The villain always dies from talking too much," he thought.
"Break through in one direction," he ordered. "I'll cover the rear."
There was no time for hesitation.
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