Chapter 33: Danzō in Motion
"A three-tomoe Sharingan?"
A glint of light flashed in Danzō's eye as he contemplated the information.
"Uchiha Itachi's potential is no less than that of Uchiha Shisui. And he's Fugaku's eldest son... Perhaps, through him, I can influence the entire Uchiha clan."
"I must handle this myself."
Having made his decision, Danzō carefully put the scroll away. After reviewing all the intelligence from within the village, he finally turned to the other pile of scrolls on his desk. These were all from outside Konoha.
Danzō's Root didn't just focus on the village's internal affairs; they monitored the entire shinobi world. On one hand, it was to prepare for any eventuality and eliminate any potential threats to Konoha. On the other, it was to gain enough prestige and merit to finally unseat Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"The Land of Rain's civil war has ended... The Daimyō has declared a policy of isolation... Hanzō of the Salamander has not been seen in public for a long time..."
"Hmph!" Danzō slammed his hand on the desk. "That untrustworthy bastard, Hanzō. We helped him wipe out the Akatsuki, and then he went back on his word and refused to honor our alliance. It seems I'll have to pay a visit to the Hidden Rain to collect that debt in person."
"The Land of Wind's Daimyō has cut their budget again... The One-Tailed Jinchūriki was attacked by an unknown assailant, lost control, and was subsequently subdued by the Kazekage, Rasa, and imprisoned."
"The One-Tailed Jinchūriki... Rasa still hasn't given up on that, has he? Let him continue his foolish experiments."
"There was an explosion in the Land of Earth. An eyewitness claimed it was the work of the Tsuchikage's student, Deidara, but later recanted their statement."
"That woman, Nōno... she's quite capable. Just as I thought. Placing her in Iwagakure was a good move."
"What? He wants another picture of Kabuto?"
"It seems the 'Wandering Miko' has developed feelings. A tool with emotions is no longer reliable. And she knows too many secrets... it would be best to eliminate her."
A cold glint in his eye, Danzō took out Yakushi Nōno's file and drew a large X through her name.
"The Village Hidden in the Grass was infiltrated by a mysterious ninja. Their leadership suspects it was Konoha?"
"Nonsense! Utter rubbish!"
"Hiruzen, I told you those Grass-nin were all self-serving opportunists. An alliance with them is nothing but trouble. Now, my words have been proven true."
"News from the Land of Water... our spy has gone missing under mysterious circumstances. It's presumed his cover was blown and he was eliminated?"
"Strange. That's the third group."
"When did Kirigakure become so difficult to infiltrate? Could they be plotting something against Konoha?"
Danzō tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking for a long time but coming to no conclusion. He shook his head, momentarily setting the matter aside, and picked up the last scroll.
"A letter from the Land of Lightning... The Byakugan traitor, Hyūga Neji, has been teamed up with the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, Yugito Nii... They are suspected to have completed a secret mission and were rewarded with the Kohaku no Jōhei?"
"So, the boy not only avoided becoming a breeding stud, but he's become a Kumo-nin. And it seems he's highly regarded by the Fourth Raikage?"
"That Raikage... he's a brute who will do anything for power, but in terms of magnanimity, he has a sliver of my own vision."
"A pity his judgment is so poor."
"Only Wood Release and the Sharingan are truly invincible. The Byakugan is not worth investing so many resources in."
"Just watch. In the end, it will all come to nothing."
After reading all the reports, Danzō leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed in thought.
He picked up the report from the Hidden Grass and threw it in the trash. They had dared to slander Konoha. He would remember this debt and settle it later.
Then, he picked up the report from the Hidden Sand and threw it in the trash as well. Suna was, nominally, an ally of Konoha. Their Daimyō had cut their budget, so they would be struggling for the foreseeable future. And Rasa was completely preoccupied with the One-Tailed Jinchūriki. For the time being, his unreliable ally would not be causing any trouble for Konoha.
Next, he picked up the report from the Hidden Mist. After a moment of hesitation, he threw it in the trash. He couldn't figure out what was happening there. Spy after spy had been lost. Something major was clearly going on. He was tempted to go and investigate himself, but Kirigakure was the infamous "Village of the Bloody Mist." As the future Hokage, he had to ensure his own safety. He could not afford to take such a risk. For the sake of the village's future, Danzō decided to wait and see.
Finally, only the reports from the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning remained on his desk.
"Who is in charge of the Land of Lightning?" Danzō asked, his voice low as he glanced at the dark corner of the room.
"I don't know."
A deep voice replied as a man in a black cloak and sunglasses, a purple mark on his right cheek, stepped out of the shadows.
Aburame Torune. He was a man of few words who preferred to work alone. A master of the Insect Secret Jutsu, his infiltration skills were second to none. He was a high-ranking member of Root, second only to Danzō himself. But in essence, he was no different from any of the other tools.
"You don't know?" Danzō said, his voice laced with anger.
"That's right." Torune's face remained a deadpan mask, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Danzō was on the verge of exploding. "Only you, Lord Danzō, have that information."
Danzō looked surprised for a moment, then a look of realization dawned on his face.
"Perhaps he's been undercover for so long that I almost forgot I had such a trump card."
"Lord Danzō, are you going to activate him?"
The highest level of spy was a complete ghost. No name, no past or future, not even a file. In all his years serving Danzō, Torune had only overheard him mention once that he had a high-level spy in the Hidden Cloud. That was all he knew. Two years ago, during the incident with the Kumo delegation, Konoha had suffered a great loss due to a lack of intelligence. Torune had always felt that this "high-level spy" was not living up to his reputation.
Danzō's expression soured. He had had the same thought. If he didn't know that the members of Root were incapable of betrayal, he would have already begun to suspect that "Puppet" had defected.
"Puppet" was the spy's code name. A puppet to be manipulated by him.
"Torune, take a team of Root ninja, infiltrate the Hidden Cloud, and make contact with Puppet."
Danzō then picked up Yakushi Nōno's file and threw it on top of the Land of Lightning report. "And one more thing. Yakushi Nōno will also be going to the Hidden Cloud to assist you."
"Lord Danzō, what do you need me to do?" Torune's muscles tensed.
"I need you to go to the Hidden Cloud and do three things."
"First, stir up a conflict between the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Stone."
"Second, purge the Byakugan bloodline from the Hidden Cloud."
"And third... Yakushi Nōno cannot be allowed to live. After the mission is complete, eliminate her."