Hiruzen Sarutobi had the two Anbu withdraw. He no longer had any desire to leave the village, and as the cold wind swept over him, much of his drunkenness faded.
He turned back to look at the stone monument. Several lines of writing remained clearly visible, and the four characters of Uchiha Shin's name came into view at the signature.
A moment later, he turned and left—not for his home, but for Anbu Headquarters. He knew that even tonight, Danzo would still be there.
In the silent night, the occasional barking of dogs echoed through Konoha, distant and hazy. The joyous atmosphere of the fortieth anniversary celebration had already cooled, and most people were fast asleep.
The occasional patrolling ninja were also far less vigilant during this sleepiest hour of the night. Moreover, on such a special day, there were already far fewer patrol ninja than usual. Konoha had only one entrance through its main gate; any other attempt to enter would inevitably trigger the barrier. The patrols within the village were more symbolic than anything else. Several times, the Konoha elders had even proposed abolishing these village patrols altogether. However, because opinions remained divided, no decision had been made for the time being.
Two patrol ninja walked through the streets, carrying lanterns that gave off a faint glow. Neither was on guard; after all, nothing had happened in all these years.
Just after the two passed by, a figure swiftly flashed behind them and disappeared into the shadows in the distance.
The figure moved quickly and was exceedingly familiar with Konoha's terrain. With so few patrol ninja tonight, he crossed half the village as though walking on level ground.
The figure stopped before a building somewhere in the village. He stared silently at the structure in the distance,