Danzo Shimura sat alone in the cold chamber of Root headquarters. The faint flicker of the oil lamp cast long, twisted shadows across the walls, its dim glow unable to dispel the suffocating gloom that hung in the air. His breath came raggedly, chest rising and falling as beads of cold sweat slid down his scarred face.
Moments ago, the rampaging Wood Release cells within his body had almost erupted out of control. Even though he had mastered countless forbidden techniques and implanted Hashirama's cells within himself, the danger of losing control always lingered. Tonight, the unstable surge had nearly consumed him.
Suppressing the turmoil with sheer willpower, Danzo inhaled deeply. The lingering ache beneath his skin was sharp, like countless writhing roots threatening to burst forth. He shook his head, forcing calm back into his expression. To others, he would reveal no weakness.
Slowly, he turned toward the wooden desk stacked with reports, his sharp gaze falling upon the documents his operatives had submitted. Tonight was meant to be his greatest triumph: the night the troublesome Uchiha Clan was erased from Konoha's history. Yet even victory came with shadows. He had long learned to mistrust easy outcomes.
His wrinkled fingers brushed across the parchment as he opened the first dossier. The faint scratching of paper filled the silence. His single visible eye narrowed.
"…Personnel losses?" he muttered, frowning deeply.
Root, trained to be emotionless and efficient, rarely made mistakes. For them to suffer casualties at the hands of the already doomed Uchiha was unacceptable.
He flipped further. A chilling report caught his attention:
Six Root members assigned to monitor Uchiha Gen within the Police Force headquarters have gone missing. Their last known position was inside his office. No bodies recovered. No survivors. Preliminary traces at the scene suggest the use of an unknown sealing jutsu before the target's death.
Danzo's lips curled downward. "A sealing jutsu?"
He tapped the desk rhythmically, his mind sifting through possibilities. No—something about this felt wrong. He had seen many sealing techniques in his lifetime; the evidence did not match.
His voice dropped, hoarse and low, almost unwilling to admit the thought taking form. "…It seems more like… Wood Release."
The words froze in the air. His own heart skipped.
Wood Release—an ability belonging solely to the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Danzo himself had nearly died obtaining fragments of that godlike power. To think an Uchiha, of all people, might possess such a force was absurd.
"Impossible," he hissed, shaking his head violently. "Absolutely impossible! The Uchiha have no access to Hashirama's cells. They cannot…"
Yet even as he spoke, a faint pressure in the depths of his mind seemed to silence further inquiry. A strange fog settled over his thoughts, urging him to dismiss the matter. It was as if some unseen hand guided his reasoning, preventing him from probing deeper.
Danzo frowned but allowed the thought to slide into the recesses of his mind. Instead, he muttered, almost convincing himself:
"Gen was nothing more than a clerk in the Police Force. No Sharingan. No combat record. And yet… six Root members vanish? Preposterous."
His words grew weaker, his conviction forced. But his mind, suppressed under that alien influence, refused to see the contradictions.
Exhaling slowly, he closed the file and pushed it aside. His eye gleamed with cold calculation. "Enough. There are more pressing matters."
The extermination of the Uchiha was already accomplished. Now came the true battle—the political aftermath. How the Hokage's council would handle the surviving child, Sasuke Uchiha, could tilt the balance of Konoha's future.
Danzo rose to his feet. His robes rustled softly as he adjusted them, regaining his usual aura of stern authority. His earlier weakness was hidden once more beneath layers of discipline and ambition.
"For the future of the village," he murmured, "Sasuke must not fall into Hiruzen's naïve hands. He must be molded into a weapon… or disposed of."
With deliberate steps, he left the secret chamber, the shadows clinging to him like a second skin.
---
The High Council Meeting
The atmosphere inside Konoha's council chamber was heavy. The faint aroma of incense could not mask the tension that gripped the room. The carved table at the center bore the weight of the village's fate as the elders gathered.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, veterans of countless political struggles, sat rigidly. Their eyes burned with restrained anger. Since Root's forces had stormed into the Uchiha compound, seizing artifacts, jutsu scrolls, and even harvesting Sharingan, the advisors had prepared to confront Danzo.
The door creaked. Danzo entered, his cane tapping against the floor, his face expressionless. He walked with the aura of someone who feared nothing—not even judgment.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat at the head of the table, his weary gaze watching every movement. His silence was both restraint and warning.
The meeting began. But before Hiruzen could speak, Koharu's voice cut sharply through the air.
"Danzo! Root has overstepped its authority once again. You ignored Hokage directives, invaded the Police Force headquarters, and plundered the Uchiha's compound. What exactly are you scheming?"
Her tone dripped with accusation.
Homura leaned forward, his voice equally biting. "After the clan's extermination, numerous Sharingan were collected. What justification can you possibly give for hoarding them without reporting to the Hokage?"
Their words struck like arrows. The chamber's atmosphere grew taut, every syllable laced with hostility.
Danzo remained unmoving, his eye half-lidded, as though their complaints were the buzzing of insects. He neither defended himself nor showed contrition.
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. His voice was calm but edged with steel. "Danzo, they speak the truth. Root has acted without approval. What explanation do you have for this conduct?"
Silence reigned for a heartbeat. Then Danzo's lips parted.
"I require no explanation," he said flatly. "Everything I have done… is for Konoha."
The words rang cold and final.
Koharu and Homura stiffened, outrage flashing in their eyes. They had expected Danzo to deflect, to excuse, to bargain. But instead, he declared his authority absolute, his intentions beyond reproach.
Koharu leaned forward, about to retort—but Danzo turned his head abruptly. His single eye locked on Homura, and an odd glint flickered within.
"Homura," he said, his tone suddenly mocking. "You speak so loyally of the Hokage. How very noble."
Homura blinked, momentarily stunned. "What are you implying?"
Danzo chuckled coldly, the sound like a blade scraping stone. "True loyalty is blind obedience. Mindless servitude. Yet you—" his eye narrowed, "—you still think rationally, don't you? That is not loyalty. That is hesitation."
The words cut deeper than any kunai. Koharu stiffened, Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. None of them had expected such open derision.
Danzo leaned forward slightly, voice dropping into a hiss. "Do not lecture me about loyalty. So-called loyalty earns you nothing but empty praise, a fleeting reputation. And those you serve? They enjoy power, benefits, dominion. If it is benefits you seek…" His lips twisted into a cruel smile. "I can provide them. I could even carve your faces into the Hokage Monument, if that is what you desire."
"Danzo!" Koharu exploded, her voice echoing through the chamber.
Hiruzen slammed his staff against the floor. His voice was thunder. "Enough! Danzo, do you realize what you are saying? This insolence borders on treason!"
But Danzo did not flinch. His expression was eerily calm, almost serene. "I am not mad, Hiruzen. I am merely unshackled. For too long, I have tolerated the hypocrisy of this so-called leadership. You cling to ideals, to illusions of peace, while true strength rots in the shadows."
The chamber fell silent. His words carried a strange weight, a conviction uncharacteristic even for him. It was as though some invisible force emboldened him, tearing away years of restraint.
Danzo rolled his shoulders, exhaling deeply. A faint, twisted satisfaction flickered across his face. For the first time in decades, he felt no burden, no need to conceal his contempt. He felt… liberated.
Never had he spoken so freely. Never had he felt so comfortable, so confident.
Koharu and Homura exchanged alarmed glances. Hiruzen's eyes narrowed with suspicion and unease. Something was wrong—terribly wrong—with Danzo.
But Danzo ignored them all. His gaze turned inward, his mind alight with strange clarity. He did not realize that his thoughts, his words, even his emotions, were being quietly guided, reshaped by the faint echo of Uchiha Gen's final jutsu.
A new Danzo was being born in silence.
One who no longer concealed his darkness.
One who would no longer bow to anyone.
One who, perhaps, would drag all of Konoha into the abyss with him.
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