Hiruzen Sarutobi Discovers Something is Wrong

Konoha, the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was smoking while gazing into his crystal ball when he suddenly heard a knock. He quickly covered the ball and said, "Come in!"

With a click, the door opened, and a somewhat disheveled white-haired ninja walked in.

"Kakashi! Is there something to report? Has something happened with the Uchiha?"

"Hokage-sama, Uchiha Itachi hasn't reported to the Anbu for a month, and he's not in the Uchiha Clan either. I'd like to ask—what's going on?"

"Uchiha Itachi? He hasn't been to the Anbu for a month?"

The Third Hokage paused for a moment, then realized that Itachi had indeed requested an extended leave from him.

In fact, that was before the battle between Uchiha Itachi and Shimura Danzō. Itachi had made some preparations, anticipating severe injuries in the fight, and the leave was meant to give himself time to recover.

The reason the Third Hokage was so slow to react was that the Uchiha Clan had been unusually quiet lately, and no one had been bringing up the Uchiha threat theory around him.

But once he pieced it together, another thought struck him—it wasn't just Uchiha Itachi. His old friend Shimura Danzō hadn't contacted him during this time either.

Thinking of Uchiha Itachi and Shimura Danzō, the Third Hokage's heart skipped a beat. Could Danzō have made a move against Itachi?

Danzō had always harbored hostility toward all Uchiha. Not long ago, he had killed Uchiha Shisui, who was Itachi's close friend.

If Itachi had truly set his mind to investigating, it was only a matter of time before he traced it back to Danzō.

With both motive and conflict in place, the Third Hokage couldn't be sure about Itachi, but he was certain that Danzō would act directly against him!

"Kakashi! Go to the Root base immediately and check if Shimura Danzō has returned! If he has, tell him to come see me at once!"

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. The Third Hokage issued the order without delay. Hatake Kakashi's eyes widened as he sensed something ominous in the command.

And that very realization sent a chill through him. Danzō making a move against Itachi? That would be forcing the Uchiha Clan into rebellion!

Losing Uchiha Shisui had already been a warning to the Uchiha—a blow meant to intimidate. But if Uchiha Itachi disappeared too, the clan would have no choice but to revolt.

Itachi's talent was second only to Shisui's, and he was the son of the Uchiha Clan head. Killing him so blatantly wouldn't just enrage Uchiha Fujioka—it would signal a clear intent to annihilate the entire clan.

Even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone a group of emotionally volatile Uchiha!

Once they realized that compromise led only to death, the Uchiha's choice would be obvious—a full-scale charge, a clash with Konoha that would end in mutual destruction!

The consequences would be catastrophic. Even if Konoha won against the Uchiha, it would be a pyrrhic victory at best. In the best case, they'd lose thirty percent of their strength. In a slightly worse scenario, they'd be crippled.

And if luck turned truly sour, it could trigger a chain reaction, igniting the Fourth Ninja World War. With Konoha's current state of depleted strength, another great war might spell its complete annihilation.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Hatake Kakashi acknowledged the order and, without another word, vanished from the Hokage's office, heading straight for the Root base.

The Third Hokage had lost all leisure. As soon as Kakashi left, he opened his crystal ball, shifting its view from the women's bathhouse to the Uchiha Clan's compound.

"Itachi isn't in the Uchiha compound... It seems the clan hasn't noticed anything either. He must have made arrangements before leaving."

Letting out a small sigh of relief, the Third Hokage relaxed slightly, his aged face showing a hint of ease.

"True. If Itachi hadn't left contingencies, the Uchiha would have revolted by now. They wouldn't have dragged it out this long."

But a moment later, irritation welled up inside him. Both Shimura Danzō and Uchiha Itachi had chosen to settle their grudges their own way, completely disregarding him, the Third Hokage!

"Shimura Danzō, you'd better handle the Uchiha matter properly. Otherwise..."

He closed his eyes slowly, and his weary, aged face hardened with resolve.

"...I'll have no choice but to sacrifice you, the Darkness of Shinobi..."

Kakashi moved swiftly. In just over ten minutes, he reached the entrance of the Root base. Two masked Root ninjas leaped out, blocking his path.

"This area is off-limits!"

"I have a writ from the Third Hokage-sama. Call Shimura Danzō out to speak!"

Without hesitation, Hatake Kakashi produced the writ and tossed it to one of the Root ninjas. The ninja caught it, glanced at it, then looked up at Kakashi.

"Wait here. I'll inform Danzō-sama."

With that, the Root ninja turned and left. Kakashi frowned slightly but didn't press forward.

"So Danzō has returned? Does that mean he's not involved in Itachi's disappearance? Or has he already killed him?"

No matter what guesses Kakashi made, this was beyond his involvement. He was the most outstanding young ninja in Konoha, but at the end of the day, he was just an Anbu captain. The power struggles among Konoha's higher-ups were not something he could meddle in.

Footsteps echoed. Moments later, Shimura Danzō slowly emerged from the Root base.

Behind him stood two masked Root ninjas with formidable auras, making even Kakashi feel a flicker of wariness and curiosity.

Root was full of hidden talents, but true top-tier fighters rarely joined—after all, real strength couldn't be forged through brainwashing alone.

Root had plenty of Special Jonin and Elite Chunin, but Elite Jonin were few and far between. These two unfamiliar Elite Jonin—Kakashi had no idea where Danzō had found them.