After ending the meeting with the two Hokage advisors, Danzō returned to Root headquarters.
He tapped the armrest of his imitation Hokage chair, expression ice-cold, not saying a word.
—Those two old fossils are still too timid.
—Useful for small things, useless when it counts!
Even while criticizing Koharu and Homura, Danzō knew their worries were valid.
He wasn't ready to move yet either.
—Why was Itachi in the Hokage's office?
Danzō couldn't be one-hundred percent sure, but a dark suspicion was forming.
—That monkey Hiruzen definitely knows I have one of Shisui's eyes!
—Yet he shows zero fear that I'll use Kotoamatsukami on him.
—Can he actually block it?
—Some secret jutsu? Another Sharingan?
—Did Itachi hand Shisui's corpse over to Hiruzen?
His mind twisted into a knot of threads, all of them leading back to one question: where was Shisui's body?
The answer would tell him exactly where Hiruzen's confidence came from.
Still no report. Danzō's patience finally snapped.
"Why isn't Nara Suzaku back yet?"
He'd only sent the man because he wanted to squeeze some last use out of the waste.
If he'd known Suzaku was this useless, he would've sent one of his real loyalists to the Naka River.
Just as Danzō was about to stand, a Root operative came to report.
"Lord Danzō, Firebird (Nara Suzaku's temporary codename) has returned."
"Bring him in."
"Yes!"
One minute later, the shadow-clone disguised as a masked figure led five corpses into the heart of Root headquarters.
Danzō took one look and his eyes turned glacial.
The escorting Root shinobi didn't know any better.
But the man who had personally given the order? He knew exactly.
Firebird's squad had five members total.
And the ones still "standing" were clearly corpses.
"Who are you?"
The cold voice rang out.
Dozens of Root operatives instantly flickered into position—north, south, east, west, above, below—every angle covered.
Every single one stared at the group like they were already dead.
Shikage ignored the threat and calmly studied the surrounding shinobi.
Every last one was at least elite mid-chūnin. No wonder Root was called the village's blood-sucking leech—their strength really was terrifying.
Even without Itachi helping, if the Uchiha didn't fight back, Root and Danzō alone might have been enough to wipe them out.
But what did that have to do with Nara Shikage?
He pushed the thought aside, released control of the five corpses, and pulled back his hood.
The bodies hit the cold stone floor with heavy thuds.
The mask on his face was now fully exposed under the dim lights.
Danzō stared at the familiar design. His pupils shrank to pinpricks.
—The mastermind behind the Nine-Tails attack!
"You're… Uchiha!"
While Danzō's attention was locked on the mask, No.2—hidden inside the clone's shadow—silently opened its blood-red eyes.
The evil pupils reflected Danzō's wary expression.
Shikage didn't answer. He lowered his voice to a raspy whisper.
"Some things… are not yours to touch."
"This is the first time. It will also be the last."
The words were vague, but the threat was crystal clear.
It actually made Danzō laugh in pure fury.
Showing up in Root headquarters, parading his dead subordinates, and threatening him to his face.
This was the heart of Root!
"Take him!"
At the order, the surrounding Root operatives attacked from every direction.
Faced with dozens of enemies, Shikage didn't panic—he simply smiled.
The moment the mocking laugh rang out, his figure dissolved into smoke.
"Shadow clone…"
Danzō clenched his fists and slammed them against the wall in rage.
He never noticed the shadow power that had already slipped into his mind.
The effect lasted less than ten seconds, but that was more than enough.
Every tiny detail that should have raised alarms was smoothly ignored.
Even the most suspicious part—the masked man's identity—was subconsciously accepted as truth.
When the Kotoamatsukami effect ended and Danzō started reviewing what happened, he still couldn't shake the thoughts that had already taken root.
Once the seed was planted, the idea would grow on its own.
In Shikage's plan, Danzō would fill in the rest of the "conspiracy" himself.
And that was exactly what happened.
After venting his anger, the now-calm Danzō began analyzing the masked man's purpose.
He wouldn't have come just to show off and bark empty threats.
Suddenly he remembered Itachi in the Hokage's office and Hiruzen's complete lack of fear even though he knew Danzō held Kotoamatsukami.
—Could they be working together?
The moment the thought formed, dozens of "clues" snapped into place.
The more he thought, the more convinced he became that he had finally seen Hiruzen Sarutobi's true face.
—It all makes sense!
—Shisui's corpse was definitely taken by them!
—Hiruzen has always opposed purging the Uchiha—that was never normal!
—Even Lord Tobirama couldn't stand the Uchiha, so why would Hiruzen?
—He must have been colluding with them for years!
—The Nine-Tails attack was probably orchestrated by Hiruzen himself!
—After Minato died, Hiruzen regained power—he was the biggest winner!
—Hiruzen has already been corrupted by the Uchiha!
—They control Konoha from both light and shadow!
—Every policy I pushed for the village's good, he shot down!
—No wonder… no wonder…
Danzō had always thought he was the darkest player in Konoha.
He never imagined Hiruzen could be even more sinister.
"I finally see you clearly, Hiruzen!"
"You talk about protecting the village, but no one is more hypocritical than you!"
"No. For the village's sake, I must act!"
"I cannot let darkness swallow Konoha!"
The man who had always lived in shadow suddenly looked radiant, burning with righteous fury.
People only believe what they want to believe.
Especially when they think they figured it out themselves…
...
Shikage had no idea Danzō had spiraled straight into full conspiracy-theory mode.
His only goal had been to make Danzō hesitate because of the "Uchiha" mask.
Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared.
The moment the shadow clone dispersed on its own, he knew the frame job had succeeded.
As long as Danzō left him alone, the old man could believe whatever he wanted.
Too bad Kotoamatsukami was still too weak against someone like Danzō.
The strength gap was just too big.
Otherwise he could have skipped the subtle suggestion and just ordered the old bastard to kill himself.
With the last loose end tied off, Shikage stood in front of the Nara clan gates, took a deep breath, and flashed a toothy grin.
"Young master's home!"
"Why isn't anyone coming out to welcome me?"