Hidden Leaf Village.
Root headquarters.
In a dimly lit underground chamber.
Ever since the Torune incident, Sarutobi Hiruzen had nominally absorbed the Root members into the Anbu.
However, even as official Anbu operatives, the Root members remained fiercely loyal to Danzō.
On top of that, he had continued cultivating his own secret forces behind the scenes.
Now, he had once again assembled a sizable private faction.
"Hiruzen actually promoted Kaze to Jōnin…"
Danzō had just received the latest intel.
The Third Hokage had officially named Kaze as Konoha's newest Jōnin.
He was extremely displeased.
"Hiruzen's finally lost it."
"The Uchiha are inherently dangerous. They've never truly integrated into the village."
"If they were all just average, it'd be fine."
"But they're like weeds — no matter how often you cut them down, another genius pops up."
Danzō sat calmly in the leader's seat. Below him, his Root subordinates knelt silently on one knee, heads lowered.
His sharp eyes scrutinized each of them as his thoughts churned.
"First it was Shisui. Then Uchiha Itachi."
"And now this Kaze has suddenly emerged."
"Even Fugaku's younger son, Sasuke — I hear he hasn't even entered the Academy yet, but he's already mastered the Fireball Jutsu."
"He might become a threat as well."
Danzō's eyes narrowed slightly. He could feel the situation spiraling out of control.
Shisui, Kaze, Itachi, and Fugaku.
That made four overwhelming combat powers.
Combined with the ever-worsening conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village...
Danzō's operatives had even intercepted some Uchiha members secretly discussing the possibility of a coup.
For the sake of Konoha's stability...
These people needed to be suppressed.
Their chances of rising needed to be eliminated.
This current situation should have been the perfect opportunity to pressure Fugaku into handing over Kaze's body.
But Hiruzen ignored his recommendation.
And even promoted Kaze to Jōnin.
If this continued, something terrible might happen.
"Hiruzen has strayed from the right path."
The chamber was silent for a long while before Danzō finally spoke again.
The Root members summoned here were elite—at minimum Chūnin-level combatants.
Thirteen in total.
And with Danzō himself, a ninja strong enough to rival Sarutobi Hiruzen...
They were more than enough to carry out the mission.
"To prevent Konoha from falling under the threat of the Uchiha, we must act."
Danzō addressed his subordinates.
This time, he would bypass Hiruzen and take action on his own.
Not out of personal desire.
"But all for the sake of the village."
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
All the Root ninja present lowered their heads even more, replying in unison with steely resolve.
No matter the trials ahead—fire or blades—they would complete their mission.
"Let's move."
Meanwhile…
At the Uchiha compound.
After returning from the Naka Shrine, Shisui had been brooding over Kaze's words.
He didn't get any sleep until just before dawn.
When he finally woke up, it was nearly noon.
After much deliberation, he decided to report everything discussed at the clan meeting to the Third Hokage.
With his mind made up, Shisui quickly freshened up and changed into clean clothes.
He planned to head alone to the Hokage Tower.
To personally report the matter to Lord Third.
However—
Just as Shisui stepped outside the Uchiha compound, a group of masked ninja in Anbu uniforms blocked his path.
"Shisui-san." The leading officer addressed him politely. "We are acting on orders from Lord Hokage. Please come with us."
"Hokage-sama?" Shisui raised an eyebrow, quickly piecing things together.
It was probably because of last night's clan meeting.
Near the Naka Shrine, there was a special barrier maintained by the Uchiha clan.
Neither the Hokage's Telescope Jutsu nor any eavesdropping methods used by the Anbu could penetrate that barrier.
And with tensions between the Uchiha and the village growing worse day by day...
It was only natural that the Third Hokage would be concerned about their clan gathering.
In fact...
As a double agent, it was his duty to report these developments to Sarutobi Hiruzen directly.
Unfortunately, after his intense battle with Kaze last night, he'd burned through a large amount of chakra.
And the clan meeting had gone on until the early morning.
Both physically and mentally drained, Shisui had overslept.
The Third Hokage, unable to wait any longer, had probably sent the Anbu to fetch him.
That explanation made sense.
After a brief analysis, Shisui's expression cleared with understanding.
"I understand. Then let's go."
He answered with a smile.
Seeing Shisui agree so easily, the lead Anbu nodded and turned around to lead the way. "Please follow me."
Without hesitation, Shisui followed.
They traveled through the forest.
After all, the Uchiha had been pushed to the outskirts of Konoha, and to reach the Hokage's office in the center of the village, one had to pass through a wooded area.
At first, Shisui didn't think much of it.
But soon…
He noticed something off.
The path they were taking today wasn't the usual route.
"Aren't we going to the Hokage's office?"
Shisui furrowed his brows. His instincts as a seasoned shinobi were immediately alerting him that something wasn't right.
"This is a confidential summons by Lord Hokage. The meeting isn't being held in the usual location."
The Anbu captain responded calmly, as if prepared for such questions.
But even with that explanation, Shisui's suspicions remained.
"Don't tell me…"
Shisui glanced around at the Anbu accompanying him.
From the beginning, he'd noticed something strange.
The captain led at the front, but the remaining three positioned themselves in a manji formation, keeping Shisui tightly in the center.
Normally, this kind of escort formation was used when protecting someone important.
And considering his strength and status…
There was no need to guard him like this within the village.
All these strange details led Shisui to one unsettling conclusion — the person who had summoned him wasn't the Third Hokage at all.
And in the village, there was only one other person with the authority to mobilize the Anbu…
"That man…"
"Shimura Danzō."
Shisui narrowed his eyes slightly, Danzō's image surfacing in his mind.
These Anbu's actions clearly bore Danzō's fingerprints.
What he couldn't figure out was…
Why would Danzō go out of his way to summon him in secret?
"What's the point? I'll know soon enough."
Shisui took a deep breath.
After a full night's rest, his strength had returned to peak condition.
No matter what schemes Danzō might be plotting behind the scenes…
He had nothing to fear.
And besides…
If Danzō dared to try anything, he could always report it to Lord Third.
With that in mind, a new idea began to form in Shisui's heart.
(T/N: Well, Shisui is going straight to his death. Anyway hope you all enjoyed this chapter.)
50 Stones = One Extra Chapter
100 Stones = Two Extra Chapters
200 Stones = Three Extra Chapters
Keep the power stones coming.