By the time Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with his men, the sun was already rising.
The moment Hiruzen saw the seals on the corpses' tongues, everything became clear to him.
"Guy, Kakashi, you both did excellent work. I'll have these bodies sent to the autopsy lab immediately."
"Continue protecting Her Highness. I am assigning an additional squad to each of you."
"You must ensure the Princess remains unharmed. Not a single scratch is permitted."
Might Guy and Kakashi nodded solemnly.
After leaving the Uchiha compound, Hiruzen's face was like a thundercloud. He immediately summoned Danzo Shimura to his office.
Danzo walked in with his usual somber, shadowy expression.
"Danzo, do you have any idea what you've done?" Hiruzen barked, his eyes fixed on his old teammate with severe intensity.
Hiruzen recognized the Root's Curse Mark. Danzo didn't bother to deny it. He replied coldly, "Everything I do is for the sake of Konoha—to eradicate evil!"
"Evil?"
"Is Princess Tsukihime evil too?"
"How dare you, Danzo!" Hiruzen slammed his desk with a deafening bang.
Danzo frowned. "What are you talking about, Hiruzen? I don't follow."
Hiruzen's voice dropped to a dangerous low. "Princess Tsukihime is staying at the Uchiha compound. A group of the Daimyo's special envoys is currently in Konoha. Were you planning to assassinate the Princess right in front of them?"
"Do you have any idea what the consequences would be if Her Highness suffered an accident within the Hidden Leaf?"
"She... is at the Uchiha compound?" For the first time, Danzo realized why elite Jōnin like Kakashi and Guy had been stationed there.
Hiruzen stared him down, his voice icy. "The Daimyo and the Uchiha have established an alliance through marriage. Princess Tsukihime is now Raizen Uchiha's fiancée."
"What?" Danzo's expression finally shifted.
"You nearly plunged Konoha into an abyss of no return," Hiruzen said, exaggerating only slightly to drive the point home.
After the initial shock, Danzo quickly recovered. He snorted coldly. "If she were killed by mistake, we would simply eliminate everyone who knew. Problem solved."
Hiruzen turned his back to Danzo, his tone cold. "Danzo, this is my final warning. Do not take any further action against Raizen Uchiha. If you do, do not blame me for forgetting our years of friendship as classmates. My patience has reached its limit."
"Hmph! Hiruzen, by protecting that 'evil' remnant, you will one day regret it!" Danzo spat, turning on his heel and storming out.
Once Danzo was gone, Hiruzen looked up at the Hokage Rock, his eyes resting on the Second Hokage's face. "Sensei... have I been too indulgent with him?"
At the Uchiha Compound
Kurenai walked up to Raizen. "Husband, what are you thinking about?"
The women were worried; Raizen had been silent and brooding since the morning.
"Kakashi and the others are still here, right?" Raizen asked quietly.
Kurenai nodded. "The Princess is still here, and Kakashi's team hasn't left."
Raizen thought for a moment. "Take the children and stay near Tsukihime. Play with her, keep her company, but whatever you do, don't leave her side. I have some business to attend to outside."
"Husband, where are you going?" Kurenai asked, her voice full of concern. She could sense Raizen was hiding something heavy.
"I'm going to the black market. I'll be back soon, don't worry."
"Mhm. Be careful."
After speaking with Kurenai, Raizen went into his room. Using the Flying Raijin, he instantly vanished from Konoha.
He reappeared in the capital, at the hideout of the ninja cats.
"Meow! Lord Raizen, what brings you here?" An orange cat jumped onto his shoulder, rubbing against his cheek.
"Xiao Ju, get me several crates of explosive tags," Raizen said, stroking the cat's head.
"Understood, Lord Raizen. Please follow me."
The cat led him to a storage room. "We keep our surplus stock here, sir."
Raizen invested in many businesses; these explosive tags were the inventory from one of his weapon shops. "Perfect. I'm taking all of these." He pulled out a scroll and sealed the crates into it. "I'm leaving now."
Without staying another second, he used the Flying Raijin again. This time, he appeared in the black market town near Konoha—the same place where he had hired Kakuzu and Hidan.
Based on his memory of the timeline, the Akatsuki wouldn't begin their hunt for the Tailed Beasts for another seven years. During this time, they were busy taking high-paying missions to fund their organization. Konan's famous "six hundred billion" explosive tags had to come from somewhere, after all.
Raizen walked into the black market building. The receptionist from before greeted him warmly. "Customer! What mission do you have for us today?"
She remembered him well; generous spenders were her favorite kind of client.
"I need to hire a female Kage-level expert as a long-term bodyguard. Monthly salary: three million Ryo."
The receptionist's eyes bulged. "One moment, sir! I'll register that immediately!"
After paying the deposit, Raizen left. He moved to a secluded area and teleported back home.
Back at the compound, Raizen proposed a barbecue party to calm everyone's nerves.
Sasuke and Karin were the most excited. They sat staring at the meat in Raizen's hands, their mouths watering.
"It smells so good! Uncle's cooking is the best!" Sasuke said, wiping his chin.
"Mhm!" Karin nodded vigorously. "This is the best smell in the world!"
"Here," Raizen laughed, handing a chicken leg to Karin.
"Thank you, Raizen-sama!"
"Uncle, me too!"
"Everyone gets some!"
Late that night, while everyone was sound asleep, Raizen performed a hand seal.
"Wood Style: Wood Clone!"
A perfect replica of Raizen emerged. Raizen handed the scroll of explosive tags to the clone. "Take these and bury them all throughout the Shimura clan district."
"Understood," the clone nodded, vanishing with the Flying Raijin.
Raizen watched the empty room, his eyes cold. Hmph. Danzo, I didn't want to deal with you so soon. I wanted to wait for Sasuke to grow up so he could take your head himself. But you just couldn't help yourself, could you? I stayed quiet, I didn't even investigate the truth behind Itachi's 'betrayal,' yet you still want me dead? Fine. Don't blame me for what happens next.
The Wood Clone appeared on a high branch of a tree overlooking the Shimura clan estate.
"Hehe. Danzo loves backstabbing people from the shadows. He'd never imagine someone would dare to stir up trouble on his own doorstep."
"The security is surprisingly lax."
The clone began weaving through the shadows, using Wood Style to tunnel deep into the earth, methodically planting explosive tags beneath the foundations of the Shimura clan's homes.