Kakashi fell silent for a moment.
Working in the Anbu, he had always known that Konoha had a dark side.
He had once uncovered a few clues himself.
But this was the village he loved, and deep down, he didn't want to believe what they revealed.
"Evidence." Kakashi's voice was cold. He laced his fingers together and pressed them to his lips, struggling to suppress the emotions roiling inside him.
Uchiha Ao smiled faintly. The crimson light of the Mangekyō Sharingan swirled in his eyes, and the next moment, a vortex appeared beside him.
He reached into it, his arm vanishing into the warped space. A moment later, he yanked out a scroll covered in scorch marks.
He handed it to Kakashi.
"I took this from the Root Base earlier. It has the evidence you're looking for."
Kakashi's hand trembled slightly as he took the scroll. His fingertips brushed over the ragged folds along the edges of the scorch marks.
As soon as he unrolled it, hurried handwriting appeared between the charred patches.
Kakashi's gaze suddenly froze. Beneath the "Disposition" column, four small characters stood out: Hatake Sakumo.
Forcing himself to stay calm, Kakashi read through the contents line by line.
Beside the description "White Fang failed the mission by rescuing his comrades," Danzo's cinnabar-red annotations were clearly visible:
This man's influence is too great. He may become a major obstacle in the Hokage Position election. Leaving him alive will only create trouble. Eliminate him as soon as possible, and publicly claim he took his own life after failing the mission, to set an example.
Beneath the annotations were several lines of crooked handwriting, detailing how Root had altered the scene and spread rumors, as well as the names of those who carried out the plan.
Every word cut into