The Truth

The Root headquarters.

Danzo came to his senses.

He looked at the bloodstained kunai in his hand and began to recall what had happened.

It seemed there had been a traitor in Root, and they had killed quite a few people.

In the end, he had sacrificed Shisui's precious Mangekyō Sharingan and used Izanagi to barely turn the tables.

Danzo crouched down and began inspecting the bodies.

To his surprise, he found that the corpses bore the Anbu's distinctive insignia.

Danzo's expression darkened at once.

He looked up toward the Hokage Office and muttered, "Hiruzen, are you trying to get rid of me while things are unstable inside the village?"

Konoha had originally had no Root, only the Anbu.

But after Senju Tobirama's unexpected death, Sarutobi Hiruzen took power without enough influence. The major clans of Konoha seized the opportunity to place their own people in the Anbu.

They turned the Hokage's private force into a battleground for Konoha's major clans.

The mighty Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't even get his orders beyond his office.

Root was a product of that era.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, the new powers in Konoha, took in orphans with clean backgrounds and put them through brutal training until they became weapons without a will of their own.

They also transferred ninjas from their own clans to Root to reinforce it.

That allowed Root to stand on equal footing with the Anbu controlled by the major clans.

And the final outcome of this power struggle within Konoha was this:

Sarutobi Hiruzen must have made some promise to the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.

From then on, the three clans became staunch allies of the Hokage faction.

The Uchiha and Hyuga clans, meanwhile, suffered varying degrees of oppression because of their arrogance.

Sarutobi Hiruzen reclaimed control of the Anbu, while Danzo took charge of Root and handled the things Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't do openly.

Still, Danzo had some doubts. After all, if his old friend had wanted to assassinate him, he would never have sent a handful of Anbu.

Could this have been a warning?

Danzo's eyes flickered. He knew Sarutobi Hiruzen was already displeased with some of his actions.

The reason was simple: he hadn't told Hiruzen in advance what he planned to do.

Danzo took a deep breath. The effects of Kotoamatsukami were becoming clear now.

He began wondering whether he should first test Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude. After all, that position was important.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen could sit in it, then so could he, Danzo!

A vicious glint appeared in Danzo's eyes.

Some Root members were already silently clearing away the bodies.

One of the squad leaders came over to Danzo and said, "Sorry, Danzo. We arrived too late, and Lord Yamanaka Fu is dead as well."

Danzo waved a hand to show that it didn't matter, then beckoned his trusted subordinate over.

When the man approached, Danzo said quietly, "Send a few people you trust to assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen."

His subordinate's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Danzo.

He was supposed to be an emotionless weapon, but even he couldn't keep his composure after hearing such an outrageous order.

His expression looked like something straight out of a meme.

The subordinate pointed at himself in disbelief. "I'm supposed to take out the Hokage?"

Danzo looked at him helplessly. "Just send a few people you trust to test him. I'm not asking you to go yourself."

Only then did the subordinate accept the order and leave.

Danzo rubbed his temples and sat down in a chair.

He could only take things one step at a time. As for the Uchiha, he'd leave them alone for now.

Uchiha Yan had just returned to the Uchiha compound when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yan, where were you?"

Uchiha Yan turned around and saw Izumi tilting her head as she looked at him.

He casually made up an excuse. "I went to train. What's up?"

Uchiha Izumi linked her arm through his. "Never mind. Come shopping with me."

Before Uchiha Yan could refuse,

Izumi tugged him along to the streets of Konoha.

Bathed in the sunlight, Uchiha Yan looked at the bustling streets around him.

His gloomy mood from being in Root had lifted considerably.

Just then, Izumi led him to a shop that sold Three-Color Dango.

Izumi bought a few skewers and took a bite.

The moment she tasted the sweet treat, her eyes narrowed in delight.

She held it out to Uchiha Yan. "Yan, try this."

Uchiha Yan opened his mouth without thinking.

The soft coating of the Three-Color Dango gave way gently between his teeth.

It was just sweet enough, without being cloying.

Uchiha Yan chewed a couple of times and swallowed.

"How is it?" Uchiha Izumi asked, watching him.

Uchiha Yan gave his verdict. "It's not bad. Just a little too sweet."

"Liar. You obviously like it." Uchiha Izumi smiled at him. "Have another."

Uchiha Yan obediently opened his mouth and ate another.

As the two of them strolled leisurely through the streets of Konoha,

an assassination attempt targeting the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was also being planned.

Danzo's trusted subordinate found several dead men and gave them a photograph of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Take this man out. Even if he survives, you'll still die."

The dead men nodded expressionlessly.

They had already sold their lives to the man before them.

In other words, they had no right to refuse.

As evening fell, Izumi finally let Uchiha Yan go.

As they parted, she waved to him. "Yan, see you tomorrow."

Uchiha Yan waved back. "See you tomorrow, Izumi."

When he reached his front door, he found an "unexpected guest" waiting there.

Kakashi was dressed in casual clothes, wearing his mask, and leaning against the wall by the entrance.

Uchiha Yan looked at him and asked, "Made up your mind?"

Kakashi nodded. "I'm curious. My father clearly committed suicide, so why did you say there was more to it?"

Uchiha Yan opened the door and said coolly, "Come with me."

Kakashi didn't hesitate and followed him inside.

Uchiha Yan took out the scroll he'd found in Root and handed it to Kakashi. "Read it yourself. Keep your emotions in check."

Kakashi took the scroll.

His fingers trembled slightly.

The paper had yellowed with age, and its edges were worn.

From Kakashi's experience, it hadn't been deliberately aged.

[Mission Number: Konoha Year 44—Secret File 073]

[Mission Rank: S—Classified]

[Operative: Hatake Sakumo]

[Mission Summary: Infiltrate the Land of Grass front lines and sever the enemy's supply route]

Kakashi already knew all this. After his father's mission failed, he'd heard the village's rumors countless times: his father had abandoned the mission to save his comrades, leaving Konoha at a disadvantage in the subsequent negotiations and ultimately causing it to suffer enormous losses.

He'd always thought that was the truth.

Kakashi's gaze swept over the lines of the report, and his pupils contracted.

It was an investigation report from Root's intelligence division.

The report stated that the comrade Hatake Sakumo had saved, codenamed "Crow," was actually a Root operative embedded in the Anbu.

And Crow's injury and capture had been staged from the very beginning.