Konoha, Naka Shrine.
Shortly after the masked man and Itachi left.
Suddenly,
A group of figures simultaneously arrived here.
All of them wore similar gray uniforms, various animal masks, and carried the same straight blades on their backs.
They were Konoha's Anbu, the directly subordinate under the Hokage.
"Hiss... wh-what exactly happened here?"
"Unexpectedly, the entire Naka Shrine has been completely destroyed. So this was the source of the explosion sound just now..."
"A major battle did indeed occur here?"
An Anbu's member crouched on the ground, looking at the several deep cracks on the ground, lightly inhaled a breath of cold air, and couldn't help but exclaim:
"Tsk..."
"It's really hard to imagine just how powerful the slash that caused this must have been..."
At that moment,
Another Anbu's member suddenly noticed the two corpses in front of the shrine ruins.
He quickly ran over to inspect them, then stood up, turned back, and said gravely:
"They are Uchiha Clan's members who were guarding the Naka Shrine."
"They are completely dead."
"Looking at the wounds, they are almost identical to the other clansmen who died in the Uchiha Clan's compound."
"The culprit should still be... Uchiha Itachi."
"..."
Hearing this, all the Anbu's members fell silent.
'If these two Uchiha were killed by Itachi, then who was the person who fought with him here just now...?'
After a moment of silence, one of them spoke up:
"Further speculation is useless."
"Let's go. Report the situation to Hokage-sama."
As the words fell,
He took the lead and leaped, his figure disappearing into the darkness.
The others naturally didn't linger either, all rushing towards the direction of the Hokage Tower.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Inside a dim basement in Konoha, Danzo sat steadily in his wicker chair, seemingly still waiting for something.
A moment later, a Root's member rushed in, immediately lowered his head, and said respectfully:
"Danzo-sama."
"The Uchiha annihilation operation... has ended!"
"All Uchiha Clan's members, except for Itachi's younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, are dead."
"According to our members' inspection, those who had awakened the Sharingan have also had both eyes dug out... without exception."
Hearing this,
Danzo's expression finally stirred slightly. He nodded and said:
"Understood, you may withdraw."
"Observe Hiruzen's movements first, then report back to me."
"...Yes!"
After bowing respectfully, the Root's member withdrew from the basement.
Only then did a faint, elusive smile begin to appear on Danzo's old face.
'Success.'
'The biggest hidden danger of Konoha, the Uchiha Clan, has finally been uprooted by my hand.'
'From now on, there will be no possibility of Uchiha rebellion in Konoha!'
Under the lamplight,
The firelight flickered on Danzo's face, his smile gradually becoming more cheerful.
'As expected of the genius Uchiha Itachi and the one called the Shinobi World's Asura, Uchiha Madara… their strength is indeed extraordinary, their action was indeed fast enough.'
'Hmph...'
'Now, I just need to wait for that Uchiha Madara to come for the Sharingan transaction.'
'As long as I obtain the Sharingan,'
'I will be the biggest winner of the night!'
...
Time ticked by little by little.
The candle flame on the wall gradually began to dim.
And Danzo, waiting in his wicker chair, went from anticipation to gradual irritability.
He slightly raised his eye, looked at the clock hanging on the wall, and deeply frowned.
'What's going on?'
'That Uchiha Madara guy...'
'Didn't he say he would come immediately after the operation ended to transaction with me?'
'I've been waiting for almost half an hour now, why hasn't he come yet?'
'Did some accident happen?'
"..."
Just as Danzo was frowning and pondering,
Suddenly, another Root's member rushed into the basement, kneeling on one knee and saying:
"Danzo-sama, there is new information—"
"According to our investigation, not long ago, a fierce battle seems to have occurred in front of the Uchiha's Naka Shrine. The identities of the participants are unknown."
"However—"
"A member we had ambushed outside the village discovered that from the direction of the Naka Shrine, a mysterious masked man in a black robe suddenly appeared and, together with Uchiha Itachi, directly left Konoha..."
"Huh??? What did you say!?"
Thud!
The moment he heard this, Danzo's expression changed, and he abruptly slapped the chair and stood up, roaring in disbelief and fury:
"You say a mysterious masked man and Uchiha Itachi together directly left Konoha!!?"
"Y-yes, Danzo-sama!"
This Root's member immediately lowered his head, answering nervously, not understanding why Danzo had suddenly become so agitated.
However, hearing this person's confirmation, Danzo instantly stiffened, darkness swimming before his eye, and he plopped back down onto the wicker chair.
Thud!
His hands deathly gripped the sides of the wicker chair, veins bulging, as if he wanted to crush the chair.
And his eyes revealed an unprecedented and powerful hatred!
'U·chi·ha·Ma·da·ra—'
'You bastard... you actually screwed me over at a time like this???!!!'
'What about our agreement?!'
'I used Root to protect your plan, and you actually directly ran off with all the Sharingan???!'
'Not leaving even a single one for me?!'
'Beast!!'
Danzo gritted his teeth fiercely. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, as if the rage was attacking his heart, and he suddenly began to cough violently.
"Cough cough cough cough!!!"
No matter what, he was a man over half a century old, with one foot in the grave. Suddenly suffering such a huge reversal, how could he withstand it?
The Root's member beside him was immediately startled and quickly said:
"D-Danzo-sama!?"
"A-are you alright? Do you need me to call a Medical-nin for you?!"
"GET OUT!!!"