"...Isao,"
A name was called in the peaceful Senju Clan compound.
Senju Kisouma, who had sensed the life force of a prominent figure of Konohagakure vanishing in an instant, called for his nephew.
"I am here, Kisouma-sama."
Isao's voice arrived swiftly in reply.
"Have you been diligent in your training?" Kisouma stood up as he spoke, abandoning his half-finished tea.
It was a disrespectful action Isao never expected from the man. To leave the swirling life force unattended any longer...
It was a taboo in the clan.
Yet Kisouma, a staunch follower of the Senju's creed, still looked away with nay a second thought.
This could only mean one thing.
"...Has something happened?" Isao asked.
Kisouma walked over with a blank expression plastered across his face. Though his expression was unreadable, he ruffled Isao's hair.
"Tell your parents I have a mission for them."
Hearing these words, Isao froze. From the bits and pieces of information he had gathered from the adults in his clan, he had long known that his parents were troublemakers.
Not in the sense that they caused trouble.
Instead, they were heavily associated with such troubles.
The clan simply teased them for all the difficulties Kisouma had forced them to placate. Without those two doing the dirty work, Isao knew the shinobi world would be much more chaotic.
Thus, his realization was simple:
'Something really bad just happened.'
***
Orochimaru appeared where Hiruzen and Suguru had dictated Danzo's death.
Seemingly appearing out of thin air, he marveled at the uncanny silence that spread throughout the land. Insects and animals were nonexistent.
Even the winds in the area were quiet, barely revealing a breeze.
"Not even a speck of dust had been left behind."
Surveying the charred earth, Orochimaru smacked his lips. He had hoped to retrieve at least some part of Danzo to use in the future.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen was more thorough than before.
—Tak. Tak. Tak.
Pain, wearing Yahiko's face, approached Orochimaru. His emotionless face was unreadable, yet the latter knew of the plans that ran through the Akatsuki Leader's mind.
"It seems like you were right," The ominous purple gleam of the Rinnegan shone in the moonlight. "All we needed was patience."
Hearing this, Orochimaru's chuckle was filled with sardonic disdain.
"Konohagakure is caving into itself. Having too much power in the hands of individuals who do not agree with each other will inevitably lead it in such a direction." A flash of light sparked past Orochimaru's eyes.
"Luckily, I left quite early."
Otherwise, Danzo would've targeted him.
"Hm,"
A grunt was all that Orochimaru received in reply.
"..."
A silence befell the uncanny duo as they stewed in their thoughts.
"Has the jinchuriki of the Nibi returned to Kumogakure?" Pain was the first to resume the conversation.
Orochimaru nodded. "That little kitten moved quite fast. I think she was considerably shaken up. Will we proceed with our previous plans?"
"No," Pain said. "There are a few things we need to revise... Due to the Fifth Hokage's actions, the other villages will likely tighten their jinchuriki's leashes. Acting now will only aggravate the situation..."
"...And, let me guess—" Orochimaru cut Pain off. "The Kyuubi cannot be located, yes?"
"..."
Pain's refusal to speak said it all, which solicited a schadenfreude-filled laugh from Orochimaru himself.
The snake's mockery echoed against the ashen forest, sounding lively despite the desolation.
***
Hiruzen once again sat in the Hokage's Office, flipping through the piles upon piles of papers that had been dumped onto his desk.
Merely looking at their titles irked him to no end.
"That damn Danzo..."
One of the documents highlighted a kidnapping attempt against the jinchuriki of the Ichibi on the same day Yugito and Akatsuchi were ambushed.
Furthermore, based on the subsequent report—
"Haah," A heavy sigh emanated from Hiruzen.
The report had arrived just a few minutes earlier.
"Even before controlling Root... I need to clean this mess up."
The squad assigned to the kidnapping had accomplished significant results. According to them, Gaara, the Ichibi's jinchuriki, was already in their possession.
Hiruzen glanced at the members of the squad, wondering how they had succeeded.
Looking at the list of jounin assigned to this task, Hiruzen realized why there weren't any notable names from the army accompanying Danzo.
[Hatake Kakashi]
[Nara Shikaku]
[Yamanaka Inoichi]
[Akimichi Choza]
[Hyuga Ko]
[Inuzuka Hitomi]
Well-known jounin of the different clans had silently infiltrated Sunagakure to capture a young jinchuriki. Hiruzen no longer doubted the results he received.
Furthermore, aside from those jounin, Hiruzen spotted another name.
[Uchiha Tatsuya]
It was then.
—Knock, knock, knock.
"Hokage-sama, we are here to complete our report."
Despite being a voice as cold as ice, Hiruzen still recognized who it was. Although it had been a while since he had seen them due to his duties guiding Team 7, Hiruzen could already feel the exhaustion hidden beneath that layer of frost.
"Come in," Hiruzen felt a smile tug at his lips.
—Creak.
"..."
Hiruzen looked at the weary faces of those behind the door. It seemed like they were expecting Danzo to be sitting behind the wooden desk. Even when they heard Hiruzen's raspy voice, they didn't think much of it.
"Lord Third!"
The first to react was the youngest member of the squad. His gasp was like a bolt of lightning in the blue.
Hiruzen glanced over and spotted Uchiha Tatsuya with his Sharingan still fully activated. The shock transmitted by his gaze was thus even more apparent.
"Oh..?"
Looking closer, Hiruzen realized that Tatsuya's Sharingan had fully matured. The mitsudomoe pattern was as clear as day — a terrifying symbol for a boy that young.
It seemed like Tatsuya had gone through a lot since Hiruzen last saw him.
However, now was not the time to discuss such matters. Hiruzen directed his gaze back onto the stunned Shikaku.
"Let's hear your report. I feel like we have a lot on our plate."
Behind the group, held firmly in place by both Shikaku's shadow and Choza's grip, was a small figure wrapped in seals.
Hiruzen didn't need anyone to tell him that the individual was none other than Gaara.
"Sigh,"
Recollecting himself, Shikaku felt both relief and a surge of annoyance. Since Hiruzen was back in command, his original rank would likely be restored.
For a moment, Shikaku even lamented his situation.
When Danzo was in power, Shikaku had a lot of time to laze around. The role of being the Hokage's advisor did not exist. Instead, Danzo ruled everything from above, assigning missions without even showing his face.
'I should've suspected it even before being called to the office...'
Shikaku massaged the back of his neck.
"...Reporting."
He straightened up with great difficulty.
"The Ichibi's jinchuriki has been captured according to the Fifth Hokage's orders. Please confirm the mission's completion, Lord Third."
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