Preparation

Seeing Uchiha Izumi still lost in her own thoughts, I couldn't help but raise my voice and call out again.

At this, Uchiha Izumi snapped back to reality, wearing a puzzled expression as she asked, "Senior, what did you just say?" It wasn't until I repeated myself for the third time that she seemed to wake from a dream, excitedly grabbing my arm and nodding repeatedly to show her agreement.

Seeing Uchiha Izumi's spirited look, Uchiha Chen curled the corners of his mouth, reached out to gently hold her small hand, and shared a smile with her. Then, under her astonished gaze, the Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly, transforming into the Mangekyo Sharingan in the blink of an eye!

The surrounding space seemed to distort and tremble slightly, and as the scene warped, Uchiha Chen and Uchiha Izumi were slowly absorbed and vanished, as if they had never appeared at all.

Meanwhile, in another corner of Konoha, the Root organization had been methodically withdrawing most of the members monitoring the Uchiha clan over the past few days, following Danzo's orders. Only a few remained to maintain minimal surveillance, serving as a distraction to divert Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention.

However, even so, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained suspicious of Danzo's recent abnormal behavior and had met with him several times, attempting to pry useful information from him.

Every time they met, the two engaged in a war of words; while things appeared calm on the surface, dark currents were surging underneath.

Early this morning, before the sun had even risen, Danzo was startled from his sleep by urgent knocking at his door. He opened his eyes instantly, and upon seeing that the visitor was an Anbu, he felt a flicker of annoyance but immediately realized something, rising to dress quickly before following the Anbu toward the Hokage Building.

After all, the wife of the Fourth Hokage was about to give birth, and today they needed to finalize the list of escorts and guards.

In the conference room, everyone argued incessantly. Some believed security should be tightened, while others worried that excessive protection would cause unnecessary trouble. After a heated debate, the final plan was settled.

The team would be stationed in a secret cave outside the village. It was very far from the village, so even if an accident occurred, it would not have a major impact on Konoha.

Inside the cave, a temporary barrier would be established with the Barrier Team at its core, and medical ninjas led by Biwako would be ready to accompany Uzumaki Kushina during labor. Meanwhile, an Anbu squad and a Root squad would maintain tight security in the surrounding area to ensure nothing went wrong.

This was the best plan reached through multi-party consultation. After all, even if the Nine-Tails lost control, it would be unable to harm the village.

With the Third Hokage and the others holding down the fort in the village, they would have enough time and capability to control the situation. After the meeting ended, Danzo intended to leave, but was stopped by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

"Danzo, it's been a long time since we've had a chat," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.

"Indeed, I truly miss the old days," Mitokado Homura chimed in.

"If you have something to say, just say it," Danzo knew they weren't just looking for a casual chat.

"Haha, it's nothing major, really. We just feel like you've changed quite a bit lately," Utatane Koharu said with a laugh.

Danzo understood that these three were trying to probe why his attitude toward the Uchiha issue had changed so drastically recently. He gave a few perfunctory answers and then used the excuse of needing to arrange the Anbu personnel for the night to finally escape.

Walking out of the Hokage Building, Danzo took a long look at the village, secretly calculating his next moves.

Upon returning to Root, Danzo sat in a chair identical to the one used by the Hokage, staring coldly into the air as he issued his orders.

This chair had been specially crafted by the previous Danzo, and it was indistinguishable from the one in the Hokage's office. After all, in the heart of the old Danzo, sitting in this chair was the same as sitting in the position of Hokage.

Although this was merely a form of self-consolation, it could not be denied that he was indeed a small Hokage within Root.

"Bring the Third Squad to see me," Danzo said in a low voice, then rested one hand on the table in front of him, waiting silently for the Third Squad to arrive.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A moment later, a slight rustling sound echoed, and several figures appeared before Danzo like ghosts. Danzo looked up to see the members of the Third Squad standing there, all wearing standard masks with solemn expressions, clearly ready to accept their mission at any moment.

Danzo nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, the speed was acceptable this time."

As he spoke, he rummaged through his sleeve and produced a tightly sealed intelligence report.

He tossed it casually to the leader and said in a deep voice: "Your mission this time is to guard the Fourth Hokage's wife during her labor. There must be absolutely no mistakes!

If the situation develops beyond our control and we cannot ensure the safety of Konoha, then... eliminate Uzumaki Kushina..." At this point, Danzo paused, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.

As he spoke, a cruel look seeped into Danzo's gloomy face; he drew his palm across his throat, making a gesture of "no survivors."

"Understood!"

The leader of the Root members had a cold expression and a concise tone, without a hint of hesitation or doubt. To them, Danzo's orders were absolute authority, no matter how dangerous or contrary to common sense they might be.

One had to realize that if things went south, the person they were to kill was the current Hokage's wife!

This was undoubtedly a high-risk mission; after all, trying to kill the wife of the Yellow Flash in front of him was like snatching food from the jaws of a tiger.

Although this was only a last resort, these Root members did not flinch.

In their hearts, all emotions had long since been extinguished; only Danzo's orders mattered. As for the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and others, they were worth nothing in their eyes.

Hearing the synchronized response from below, Danzo waved his hand. The figures below flashed away like ghosts, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Their speed was so fast that one could only see the dust they kicked up slowly settling, mixing with the dirt on the ground.

Once everyone had left, Danzo sat alone in his seat, lost in thought. His eyes were closed, perhaps pondering something important, or perhaps simply enjoying the silence before the storm.

Just then, a figure quietly appeared behind Danzo. She slowly extended a foot, as if testing something.

Danzo keenly sensed the anomaly behind him and was about to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape, but suddenly, thinking of a certain person or event, his body stiffened in place, unable to move.

The figure clearly realized that Danzo had discovered her presence, but instead of retracting her movement, she gritted her teeth in anger and used all her strength to kick Danzo hard, seemingly wanting to leave an unforgettable mark on him.

Upon being attacked, Danzo was kicked to the ground like a ragdoll, instantly slumping forward in a disheveled manner, but there was no change in his eyes; instead, a flicker of confusion arose in his heart—the force of the kick didn't feel quite right.

Seeing this, the attacker felt a surge of excitement.

She remained completely unaware that she had been deceived by Danzo's superb acting.