Night fell like a song. The Uchiha compound was utterly silent. Ever since it had been isolated in a corner of the village, its nights had become especially desolate.
Once night fell, the Uchiha clansmen did not walk outside. The place was as quiet as a land of the dead.
Most of the clansmen had already fallen asleep when Uchiha Itachi, clad in ninja gear, stepped into the compound and slowly made his way inside.
The sound of footsteps echoed. In the forest outside the Uchiha compound, countless masked ninjas appeared, concealing themselves in dark corners as they stared coldly at the entire Uchiha compound.
There were many of them, and their masks varied. Some belonged to Root, while others were Anbu directly under the Hokage. They split into several groups and secretly surrounded the Uchiha compound from every direction.
In the dark forest, Danzo slowly emerged, leaning on his cane. A Root ninja reported to him, "Lord Danzo, Uchiha Itachi has entered the Uchiha compound. Please give your orders."
Danzo raised his head and looked toward the sky. The moonlight was blood-red, as though foretelling the slaughter to come.
"Stay here. Tonight... leave the matters within the Uchiha compound to Uchiha Itachi alone. But if any Uchiha clansmen escape... kill them without mercy. Also, no one is to lay a hand on Second Pillar."
"Yes!" the ninja before him replied softly, then immediately relayed his orders.
The dark forest returned to its former silence.
A great many ninjas had been mobilized tonight. No matter how convincing Uchiha Itachi had sounded, Konoha's upper ranks could not fully trust him. These ninjas had to be here. For that reason, the Third Hokage had even placed his personal Anbu under Danzo's command for tonight.
Naturally, he himself could not appear here. As