The days went by. Minato continued to struggle with paperwork, Kushina cared for Miroku while also dealing with hormonal imbalances, and Kaname went to the ruins of Uzushio to search for scrolls and conduct research. Kaname was considered a master of A-rank fuinjutsu during the Uzushio era, so she could risk using seals without experiencing painful backlash in case of failure.
Months passed, and a month before October, they gathered again and discussed acting according to the old plan.
***
Root's Lair
Many shinobi of the world say that Konoha is like a tree, with its leaves representing the younger generation, held up by the branches of the elders. But one must not forget about the root that sustains life in this tree. But what to do if the root has rotted to its core? Root.
That's what the organization was called, operating on the principle of "Anyone not from Konoha is an enemy," and even some within Konoha were never considered friends by them. This organization dealt with counterintelligence, espionage, and even manipulation. They undertook tasks that any jounin would refuse.
The ANBU division served in this organization, with a life creed: without feelings, without a past, without a future, without their own opinion, serving for Konoha, perfect machines for execution. To a fighter from this division, it meant nothing to kill old men, children, or even infants. But they had one major drawback—the lack of initiative affected the quality of task execution.
This semi-legal organization was ruled by the most ruthless old man named Shimura Danzo. Those in the know referred to him as a shadowy figure. Danzo himself, both in the past and present, was from the same guard of Konoha as Hiruzen Sarutobi, advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. Throughout his life, Danzo had been a staunch opponent of the Third Hokage due to the position of Hokage and the status within the village.
Moreover, he didn't shy away from betrayal and lies, which caused harm to almost all the village residents. All these actions were justified by being for the good of the village. Nevertheless, there were some actions of his that were somewhat positive.
For example, his organization excelled in sabotage and dealing with traitors from their village, even if they used radical methods. Danzo looked like an old man with hair as black as coal, one eye bandaged over his right eye, the other eye brown. He wore a white robe on top and a black tunic underneath, his right hand hidden under his clothes while holding a cane in his left hand.
In the underground chamber where he trained the ANBU NE, experiments were conducted on children. These experiments were led by one of the legendary Sannin, obsessed with eternal life, a friend of Jiraiya and Tsunade.
This experimenter was called Orochimaru, also known as Konoha's White Snake. But let's return to our Danzo. The head of Root sat in his office, decorated strictly with chairs, a desk, and a few cabinets. At that moment, one of the ANBU, codenamed Rat, teleported to him and began reporting on the completed mission.
"Danzo-san, I have news about the person you sent me to monitor."
"Report!"
"Kaname Uzumaki returned to the village from the ruins of Uzushio."
"Well, the Minato family has decided to reseal the Nine-Tails! But that's not important. Keep watching them, and let it go as planned by that youngster Namikaze. On October tenth, we must take action. Execute!"
"Yes, Danzo-sama!"
As soon as Rat left the office, Danzo, after some thought, called an ANBU with the mask of a Boar, who promptly teleported to him.
"Boar, send this letter to its destination. I need to meet with him!"
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
"Well then, it's time to take matters into the hands of this village and finally acquire its weapons!"
Three days later, in a cave, Danzo and two of his fighters awaited their old acquaintance. The air stirred, and a man in an orange mask emerged from the space, with black lines resembling his hair, and a slit for his right eye, which glowed with a Sharingan. He wore the black attire of the Uchiha from the past century. Upon his full arrival, he spoke, having been introduced to Danzo earlier as Toby:
"Danzo, do you really need my services again?"
"Yes, you're right. You greatly assisted us back then with Hanzo in neutralizing Yahiko and his gang. Unfortunately, not all of them died."
In response, Toby chuckled slightly and continued, "Don't forget, Danzo! It was in my interests too. So, what do you need from me this time?"
"To attack Konoha!" Danzo replied, feigning hesitation.
"Hmm, that's interesting. But what's in it for me?"
"Listen carefully! In a month, on October 10th, the current Jinchuriki will give birth, and as soon as the child is born, they'll extract the Nine-Tails from her. Your task is to seize the Nine-Tails under your control before they seal it into the infant. Once you have the Nine-Tails, unleash it on Konoha. It's crucial that people see the Sharingan in the demon's eyes. The Fourth Hokage will seal it into the child, but that's enough to discredit the Uchiha. And you told me you hated them. I'll give you the opportunity to act as an executioner against this clan!"
After considering everything, Toby replied, "Well, it's a very tempting offer, but how will I get to the Jinchuriki? She's guarded by a barrier."
"Don't worry about that. I have my man in the Fourth's personal guard. He'll assist you."
"Why do you need all this, Danzo? Not that it's interesting, but I should know the outcome?"
"It's all for the good of the village; reasons and personal motives don't matter!"
"Well, I'm willingly believing! And with those words, he left in a swirl."
Danzo watched his agent leave and called his subordinate, "Horok, keep an eye on his actions. If anything goes wrong, report to me immediately."
"Got it!"