"So… they really are going to move against the Uzumaki clan?"
Deep beneath Konohagakure, inside an underground base, Shimura Danzō stared at the intelligence he had just received, his expression incomparably grave.
"Go invite the Hokage," he ordered after a moment of thought. "Tell him there's an urgent matter to discuss."
A Root operative departed at once. Before long, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived.
"What happened?"
Hiruzen was just as serious. He knew this old friend well—if it were an ordinary matter, Danzō would have gone straight to the Hokage Tower. Calling him here meant this was anything but ordinary.
"This intelligence came from Kumogakure."
Danzō handed over the two reports.
"The Hyūga main family's Byakugan. Uzumaki sealing techniques. Kumogakure and Sunagakure have joined forces."
After reading the reports, Hiruzen's expression grew even heavier. He immediately identified three key points—especially the first two, which fit Kumogakure's usual style perfectly.
"Those who covet Uzumaki sealing techniques won't be limited to Kumogakure and Sunagakure," Danzō said coldly.
"Iwagakure and Kirigakure, both of which possess tailed beasts, must have the same thoughts.
"According to current intelligence, they already have Jinchūriki, but those Jinchūriki frequently go berserk. That's because their sealing techniques aren't strong enough. They're all seeking a method to perfectly seal tailed beasts.
"For us, this is an opportunity. For the Uzumaki clan… it's their last chance."
Danzō's gaze sharpened, icy and resolute. What he wanted was Hiruzen's authorization—to lead more ANBU and Root forces to Uzushio and erase the Uzumaki clan as a potential threat.
A sealing technique capable of perfectly restraining tailed beasts—Konoha alone should possess it. There was no need for a second power to exist.
Hiruzen did not respond immediately. He took out his pipe, lit it, and smoked quietly while thinking.
He understood Danzō's meaning. Over the years, he had formally invited the Uzumaki clan three times to migrate to Konoha and integrate into the village. If they did, Konoha would gain all of the Uzumaki sealing techniques, and he himself would gain additional leverage.
But his goodwill had been rejected every time.
Now, with all four great villages eyeing the Uzumaki clan, if their sealing techniques were to fall into enemy hands—techniques capable of creating perfect Jinchūriki like Lady Mito—the consequences would be disastrous.
"Lady Mito is getting on in years," Hiruzen finally said.
"The village needs a young Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
This was a goal that had to be achieved.
Becoming a Jinchūriki was no simple matter. It required not only flawless sealing techniques, but also an enormous chakra capacity.
And the Nine-Tails—the strongest of all tailed beasts—set the bar even higher. At present, only members of the Uzumaki clan's direct lineage could qualify.
"I'll bring back the most outstanding Jinchūriki,"
Danzō said, a smile appearing on his face.
This was exactly what he had been waiting for—and he knew Hiruzen would agree.
In truth, Danzō understood Hiruzen's heart very well.
Although Hiruzen had officially invited the Uzumaki clan to migrate to Konoha, deep down he never truly wanted the entire clan to come.
The issue lay with the Nine-Tails.
At present, only Uzumaki direct descendants could serve as its Jinchūriki. If the entire Uzumaki clan relocated to Konoha, then whose Nine-Tails would it be—the village's, or the Uzumaki clan's?
Lady Mito's existence alone, as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, had already made the Senju clan exceedingly domineering back then. Hiruzen's position as Hokage had nearly become unstable, and the following years hadn't exactly been smooth either.
If the Uzumaki clan arrived and joined forces with the Senju through their long-standing marriage ties, wouldn't the Senju effectively ascend to the heavens?
At that point, the Nine-Tails would be in the Uzumaki's hands—and thus in the Senju's hands.
That was far too dangerous.
So, the best outcome was for the Uzumaki clan to disappear entirely—leaving behind only a single individual to serve as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
But such deeds could not be done by Hiruzen.
They had to be done by Danzō.
In Konoha, Hiruzen was the leaf basking in sunlight.
Danzō was the root hidden in darkness.
"If they remain stubborn and refuse to adapt,"
Hiruzen finally said gravely,
"be discreet when you act. Leave absolutely no traces."
After all, Lady Mito was still alive. Some things could not be done too openly, or the consequences would be severe.
"Do you really need to remind me?"
Danzō shot him a sideways glance. He knew this better than anyone—this operation absolutely could not see the light of day.
Hiruzen didn't mind Danzō's attitude. He knew his old friend's temperament, and that he was still hung up on that incident from the past.
They had been partners for decades. Even back in the Warring States era, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had been long-standing allies, often fighting side by side.
The Shimura clan's Wind Release combined perfectly with the Sarutobi clan's Fire Release techniques, greatly amplifying their power. Hiruzen and Danzō had grown up together, forged through battles that risked their lives.
"By the way," Hiruzen said, changing the subject,
"a few days ago you swapped out our teacher's Sword of the Thunder God. Is that related to this intelligence?"
Several days earlier, Danzō had suddenly gone to the Hokage Tower to review Tobirama's old records and relics. Curious, Hiruzen had followed—and discovered that the Sword of the Thunder God had been replaced.
At the time, he couldn't understand it. His old friend doing something like that was baffling.
But now, with intelligence of this magnitude coming from Kumogakure, Hiruzen couldn't help but connect the dots.
"That's none of your concern,"
Danzō replied flatly.
He wasn't about to reveal the truth. That matter was one of his current trump cards.
Though he found that brat's audacity and conduct irritating, Danzō could understand it.
Only someone with that kind of personality could survive in a place like Kumogakure. Excessive caution simply wasn't their mainstream style.
With that boy's intellect, his status in Kumogakure would certainly continue to rise. If his chakra aptitude issue could be solved, he might even become part of Kumogakure's upper leadership.
Danzō could even arrange a few merits for him—such as intelligence regarding the Uchiha clan's operations in the Land of Lightning—helping him rise faster and higher, thereby gaining access to even more valuable information.
For people with ability and brains, Danzō was always willing to be accommodating.
Seeing that Danzō refused to elaborate, Hiruzen didn't press further. But he understood clearly now—his old friend had planted a capable asset inside Kumogakure, and one with no low status.
That was a good thing.
Among the Five Great Villages, Kumogakure was the most purely militant—aggressive, expansionist, and the greatest threat to Konoha.
Even their teacher had died at Kumogakure's hands.
Having a high-level spy inside was unquestionably beneficial.
"Keep your people under control,"
Hiruzen warned seriously.
"Don't let anything get out of hand. We worked hard to secure some of our teacher's remaining assets—now is not the time for news of theft to spread."
The matter of the Sword of the Thunder God could be big or small. If the Senju clan seized upon it and stirred trouble, things would become very messy.
With another Shinobi World War looming, Hiruzen did not want internal strife within Konoha.
"Are you teaching me how to do my job?"
Danzō glanced at him again, utterly unconcerned. He had complete confidence in that brat—after all, he held the boy's bond firmly in his grasp.
A blade need not be dull.
As long as you hold the hilt, it will serve.
Seeing his old partner so confident, Hiruzen finally relaxed. Then his expression shifted, and his tone became almost… ingratiating.
"Ah-Zō, lend me a few tens of thousands of ryō."
"Going to buy those trashy books again?"
Danzō's eyes brimmed with undisguised disdain.
He knew this old friend's little hobby all too well—and over the years, Hiruzen had borrowed money from him countless times already.
Earlier it was Danzō. Now it's Ah-Zō?
What do you take me, Shimura Danzō, for?
"No, of course not,"
Hiruzen denied instantly.
"I just want to buy some good tobacco leaves. You know how Biwako hates it when I smoke—and she won't give me money for it."
As for that suspicious book titled The Story of Gatehouse Grandpa Sarutobi hidden in the desk drawer?
Absolutely not his.
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