In a hidden subterranean medical chamber, Danzo pushed open a heavy steel door that creaked with age and resistance.
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat shirtless on the edge of a bed, his aged torso exposed and his expression strained as he tentatively flexed his newly grafted arm. The skin of the arm looked slightly discoloured, tinged with faint purple veins from the injection of Hashirama's cells.
"It seems that the operation was a success, Hiruzen," Danzo said flatly, walking directly toward the aged Hokage.
The doctor on the side, clad in pale Root medical robes and wearing a mask over his mouth, said respectfully, "Lord Danzo, we have constructed the most viable arm for Lord Hokage. However, the cells are still highly active, and suppression measures must be implemented immediately."
Danzo waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry. I've got everything under control."
When Sarutobi Hiruzen heard these words, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Then what about Itachi...?"
"He's gone with 'Uchiha Mada,'" Danzo said coolly, before moving to the adjacent bed beside Sarutobi.
He unrolled a thick scroll and handed it to the doctor. "The Sharingan in my previous arm have been expended. Prepare for the replacements. Transplant these at once."
"Yes, Lord Danzo," the doctor replied, bowing with unwavering obedience.
As a loyal Root medical operative, he had performed similar surgeries many times before. His hands moved swiftly, preparing the surgical tools and anaesthetics.
Sarutobi exhaled heavily, his body still tense. "Itachi has done so much for Konoha... We owe him a great debt."
Danzo sneered faintly, not looking at him. "But Itachi isn't a saint. Before leaving, he threatened me—warned me not to touch Sasuke. Can you believe that insolence?"
Sarutobi said nothing at first. The tension in his jaw betrayed his internal conflict.
"It's outrageous!" Danzo barked again, the veins in his neck pulsing slightly.
"No," Sarutobi finally said, his voice harder than before. "Itachi now possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan. Once he masters it, he could reach the level of Kaito."
The name cast a shadow over the room. Even Danzo's fingers twitched slightly at the mention.
"We've already made an enemy of Kaito," Sarutobi continued. "If we provoke Itachi as well, Konoha will be dragged into utter ruin."
Danzo scoffed. "You're too soft. I don't believe Itachi can ever catch up to Kaito. I—"
"No need to say it!" Sarutobi cut him off sharply.
His eyes locked with Danzo's, unwavering. "I know exactly what you intend for Sasuke. But Sasuke is our last connection to Itachi. If you tamper with that bond, there will be no hope of redemption. I will handle Sasuke."
Danzo, sensing the finality in Hiruzen's voice, fell silent—though the fury in his one eye didn't subside.
But after a moment, he narrowed his eyes again and shifted the topic.
"Then what of the Anbu who were present during Kaito's appearance? They all heard what he said..."
Hiruzen's face darkened. His shoulders sagged slightly under the weight of what was to come.
Indeed, this was a thorn that couldn't be ignored.
Most Anbu were elite shinobi, capable not only in combat but in judgment. Among them, 70% were civilian-born. Clan interests did not bind their loyalty, but by moral duty to the village.
The clan-aligned Anbu, Sarutobi, didn't worry about. The families had long been silent partners in his regime, turning a blind eye as long as their spheres of influence remained untouched. The politics of fear had worked.
But civilians were a different matter.
They didn't fear Hiruzen's past title.
They didn't care about lineage, legacy, or face-saving lies.
They were Konoha itself.
And if even a fraction of them turned against him after hearing Kaito's damning words, the Hokage's throne would crumble beneath him like it had after the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars.
He remembered those bitter years. When Minato's brilliance on the battlefield made the people whisper for change, his authority had eroded like sand in the wind. He had been forced to abdicate then.
And now, he had only just clawed his way back.
He wouldn't lose it again.
Therefore, the civilian Anbu who witnessed Kaito's revelations... were a threat.
An unpredictable, dangerous, possibly contagious threat.
The kind that could spark dissent.
And dissent, in a shinobi village, was the first step toward revolution.