Inside the dim room.
A ninja with orange hair wearing an animal mask took a report, glanced at it, and then immediately said in a solemn tone, "The heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans have headed toward the directions of the Aburame and Inuzuka clans."
"Have they joined forces?" the ninja with short black hair startledly asked.
"After all, since they are being asked to hand over their young clan heads, they naturally won't be able to sit still," the orange-haired ninja said.
Aside from the two of them, there was an old man in the room with short black hair and bandages wrapped around half of his face. He sat in the center of the room with a calm expression, completely unaffected by the sound of the two discussing. He was precisely Danzo, the darkness of the shadow.
"Lord Danzo, the Ino-Shika-Cho and these other major clans are clearly uniting to oppose the Root. Should we go immediately to give them a warning and stop their alliance?" the orange-haired ninja said.
Danzo, however, shook his head and said, "No need. Their attitude like this was already within old man's expectations."
Hearing his two subordinates' words, they were momentarily stunned, not understanding what Danzo meant by this.
Danzo said, "Hiruzen having me supplement the Root at this time clearly wants old man to fight that old fogey Setsuna to the death."
"Just how strong Setsuna's strength is, you two know as well. Relying solely on the people of the Root to press forward is completely like an egg striking a stone."
"If old man and the Root are finished, then so be it, but old man worries about Konoha."
"Setsuna is a madman with extreme character and ideology, and Hiruzen's personality is weak. If old man is gone, Konoha will be