Inside the Hokage Building, silence reigned until the Third's voice broke the tense atmosphere in the meeting room.
"Danzo!" The Third turned and stared coldly at his old comrade, who bore the name of Root yet had strayed further and further from the village. "Uchiha Itachi was once utterly loyal to Konoha! Even though he ultimately chose to defect, he was quicker to raise his blade against the Uchiha Clan than any of you!"
The people in the meeting room stirred.
"According to our Anbu's investigation records," the Third continued, "the number of clan members Uchiha Itachi personally eliminated far exceeded the number Root killed. He wasn't doing it for the Uchiha Clan!"
The corner of Danzo's eye twitched, but he didn't argue. Though he held the Third's words in contempt, he knew they weren't false. What concerned him more was why Itachi had ultimately turned against him.
"The reason Uchiha Itachi defected..." The Third's voice suddenly paused as he looked around the room. Everyone within his gaze instinctively pricked up their ears. Even Danzo leaned forward slightly.
If Itachi had been the sharpest blade in his hand, then that blade had suddenly turned to point at him. How could Danzo not want to know why?
"Third, go on," Hokage Advisor Utatane Koharu urged quietly.
"As everyone knows," the Third finally began, speaking slowly, "Uchiha Itachi was the youngest Anbu Squad Captain in Konoha's history. He joined Anbu at just eleven years old and carried out numerous extremely dangerous missions. During a mission to protect the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, his entire squad was wiped out, and he alone survived. Later, he even assassinated a rogue ninja from the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Mugai, an Elite Jonin, all by himself."
At this, everyone nodded. Even the most hardline old-timers