Warm sunlight shone down on Konoha Village.
Though the streets were still crowded, there were slightly fewer people than during its former prosperity.
A trace of worry lingered on every villager's face.
It seemed they were all concerned about the war.
And beneath Konoha,
the hidden Root Base was filled with a murderous air.
"Tap!" "Tap!"...
Rapid footsteps echoed through Root's narrow corridors.
A masked Root operative hurried to a dim little room.
"Creak!"
He drew a heavy breath and gently pushed the door open.
The heavy door creaked loudly in the silence.
Inside,
Danzo sat expressionlessly in the main seat, reviewing intelligence sent in by Root's spies stationed across the land.
As always, he was silent and still.
It seemed he had held this position for a long time. No one knew what drove him to keep working without pause.
The oil lamp beside him had been burning for a long time, its oil nearly spent.
The candle on the wall had burned down to its base, wax curling around it.
Only its wick still glimmered faintly.
At the sound of the newcomer,
Danzo paused in his review, quickly skimmed the last report in his hand, and raised his head slightly.
His voice was hoarse and weary.
"Torifu... What news did you find...?"
The Root shinobi standing before him answered in a low voice.
"Lord Danzo, Fu and I infiltrated the Land of Rain and discovered... the Root base there has been completely destroyed. There were no survivors..."
At his words, Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of anger passing through them.
Though the news had come late, he remained expressionless and said nothing for a long while.
Silence fell over the room.
At last, Danzo rasped, "I see... I understand. You may go."
The Root operative named Torifu