"Lord Danzo, at a time like this, the Third Hokage has called a high-level meeting. I'm afraid..."
In the hidden chamber, Danzo, seated in a shadowed high-backed chair, slowly opened his eyes. His eternally unchanging expression seemed to tremble slightly, and a trace of desolation slowly flashed through his brows and the corners of his eyes.
The Root ninja kneeling on one knee before him also showed a grave expression as he spoke.
"I'm afraid the Fifth Hokage has already been decided."
However, before the Root ninja could finish, his master interrupted him. Danzo slowly rose to his feet and said,
As he stood, an air of decline—something he had almost never displayed—faintly emanated from him.
"Lord Danzo..."
Seeing his master stand, the Root ninja who had followed Danzo since childhood widened his eyes slightly. Perhaps he was too shocked; he nearly murmured the words aloud, clearly losing his composure.
Yet he could hardly be blamed for it.
He had followed this lord for decades, ever since Root had been permitted to form. This was the first time he had ever seen such a sight.
Although this lord had always been suppressed by the Third Hokage, no matter how unfavorable the situation became, he had never shown the slightest sign of fatigue—let alone the dejected air he showed now.
That was precisely why he had willingly followed him.
Though he had always been suppressed by the Third Hokage, this lord had never given up. He had also shouldered Konoha's dark side all along. Unlike the Third Hokage, who stood in the light, he knew clearly what kind of cruelty and darkness his lord endured, and what kind of will he used to resist—and even make use of—that cruelty and darkness.
Moreover, in this world full of darkness and brutality, he