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Upon returning to the command center, Hiruzen reviewed the casualty report and was surprised to find that the number of casualties was far lower than expected—only a little over ten people. Not a single shinobi of special jōnin rank or higher had been killed or injured.
This was strange. Orochimaru had orchestrated such a major incident, yet it seemed all bark and no bite. Despite the terrifying display, the Leaf Village had suffered no substantial damage. Was his only goal to humiliate the village?
Hiruzen frowned deeply, unable to make sense of it.
Just then, Tsunade entered the command room, supporting Shizune.
When Danzō caught sight of Shizune, his face turned pale. Noticing Tsunade's sharp gaze, he quickly averted his eyes, inwardly filled with regret for not having eliminated Shizune immediately. Now, he found himself in an extremely awkward position.
"How is she?" Hiruzen asked.
"She's suffering from memory loss," Tsunade replied with a somber expression.
She knew Shizune hadn't actually lost her memories, but the effect was the same—she couldn't provide any useful information. Tsunade needed to find Midorima and verify the facts before she could make any judgments.
However, if she outright said, "Shizune knows nothing," it would close off all avenues for future maneuvering. Even if the real culprit were discovered later, they would lose the initiative due to Shizune's earlier statement. Thus, Tsunade opted for a more tactful approach.
By claiming "memory loss," there was still the possibility of "recovering memories." Meanwhile, the true culprit, upon hearing this, would likely reveal themselves.
Danzō's frown deepened at Tsunade's words, his unease growing—something Tsunade noticed immediately.
"However, she does have something to tell you," Tsunade said, gently patting Shizune's back.
Danzō's heart leaped into his throat, his eyes locking onto Shizune.
"What is it?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
"Orochimaru skinned a chūnin and used his face to disguise himself before escaping the Forest of Death."
"What!?" Hiruzen exclaimed in shock. "He's already left!?"
"Yes," Shizune nodded.
"Notify Kakashi immediately! Search for the dead chūnin and confirm his identity—now!" Hiruzen roared at a shinobi by the door.
If Orochimaru appeared in his true form, they could simply guard against him. But if he disguised himself as another shinobi, he could freely infiltrate the village and cause continuous damage.
Danzō secretly sighed in relief, then shot Shizune an annoyed glare. Was this trivial matter even worth mentioning? She had nearly given him a heart attack. He'd thought it was something related to him!
Hiruzen remained deep in thought, trying to deduce Orochimaru's next move. He pulled out a map of the Leaf Village, scanning it intently.
Meanwhile, Tsunade comforted Shizune, offering psychological support.
Danzō, on the other hand, found himself with nothing to do.
The "Root" was meant to operate in the shadows, never exposed to the light. He was just considering how to take his leave when a shinobi stumbled into the command center in a panic.
"What's wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed!?" Danzō snapped.
"I-It's a disaster," the shinobi gasped, his face frantic.
"What happened?" Hiruzen demanded, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
The shinobi's gaze shifted to Itachi Uchiha.
"It's… about the Uchiha clan…"
"Related to me?" Itachi asked, startled.
The shinobi nodded. "You… you need to brace yourself. Your residence was attacked. Your younger brother has been kidnapped."
"What!?" Itachi felt the world spin around him. If not for Hiruzen steadying him, he might have collapsed on the spot. "You mean Sasuke… Sasuke was taken!?"
"Yes."
"Who!? Who took him!?" Itachi clenched his fists, struggling to control his emotions, but a piercing pain in his chest made it hard to breathe.
Sasuke was his beloved younger brother, the most important person in his life. How could something like this happen!?
"We don't know," the shinobi shook his head. "Almost everyone who saw the attacker was killed. Only one child is still barely alive."
"Who is the child?" Hiruzen pressed.
"Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto."
"Could it have been Orochimaru?" Tsunade suggested.
"Was his real target Sasuke from the very beginning!?" Hiruzen muttered to himself. "Did he cause such a huge commotion here just to divert our attention!?"
Danzō was stunned.
Sasuke? What Sasuke?
Orochimaru had never mentioned Sasuke to him before.
Had Orochimaru been manipulating him from the start?
Yes…
Right now, the village's defenses were at their weakest. Even the police force had their attention focused here—Fugaku was stationed outside. If Orochimaru struck now, he could easily escape the Leaf.
He had been used!!
Danzō's face darkened with hatred for Orochimaru.
Itachi had no intention of staying any longer. After bidding Hiruzen farewell, he rushed straight home, determined to investigate the incident himself and leave no stone unturned.
Hiruzen immediately issued orders to lock down the entire village and dispatched the Anbu to assist in the investigation.
Danzō, seeing no further reason to stay, prepared to take his leave. He needed to return and secure the equipment in his underground facility before the Anbu discovered anything suspicious.
That damned Orochimaru had acted without consulting him, leaving him in a terrible mess.
Just as he was about to leave, another shinobi burst into the command room, nearly tripping over himself.
"What now!?" Danzō glared at the man.
Was there no end to this!? He still had to go home!
"Lord Danzō, i-it's a catastrophe!" The shinobi looked on the verge of tears.
"Wait… does this concern me?" Danzō asked warily.
The shinobi nodded.
Danzō took a deep breath. "Go on. I'm prepared."
"Fire… a massive fire has broken out at your residence!"
"What!?" Danzō reacted as if he'd been scalded. No one knew better than him what was hidden inside that house. "What were you doing!? Couldn't you have called for help to put it out!?"
"We tried, but the fire was too big. The jōnin skilled in water-style jutsu are either on missions or deployed in the Forest of Death… No one could extinguish a blaze of this scale…"
Danzō staggered back two steps, losing his balance. He reached out to steady himself against someone nearby, but that person abruptly sidestepped, leaving him to crash onto the floor. When he looked up, he saw it was Tsunade who had dodged him.
"Send people to put out the fire immediately," the Hokage ordered.
"Wait…" Danzō snapped back to his senses. The "Root" had many secrets that could not be exposed.
Other things could be explained away, but the Sharingan… that would be far more troublesome.
Given its connection to the Uchiha clan, he had to retrieve them personally.
Filled with dread, Danzō approached Hiruzen and whispered, "The 'Root' has certain items… it would be inconvenient if others saw them."
"But what about the fire?"
"I'll handle it myself!" Danzō felt like dying on the spot.
Which bastard had set the fire!? Did they want him dead!?
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