Danzo was dead.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood amid the ruins, staring at the headless corpse on the ground.
It was Danzo.
The companion who had walked beside him since their youth.
The oldest friend with whom he had shared the most complicated bond of his life.
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew, of course, that Danzo had done many terrible things.
He knew Root had gone too far.
He knew Danzo had always coveted the Hokage's seat.
And he knew that, for the sake of what Danzo called Konoha, he had crossed countless lines.
But knowing was one thing.
Seeing Danzo's head roll to a stop before him was another. Grief surged through Hiruzen Sarutobi, too powerful to suppress.
"Danzo..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was hoarse.
He slowly lowered his gaze to Danzo's one eye, still open.
Spite seemed to linger in it, along with resentment and a stubborn refusal to admit defeat even in death.
Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his fists.
"Uchiha You."
His voice sank to a low growl.
"Do you know what you've done?"
Uchiha You stood a short distance away. The blood had already been flicked from his short sword.
His expression was calm.
"Of course I do."
"I executed the ringleader of a rebellion who led Root in a night assault on the Uchiha Clan Grounds."
Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer contain his anger.
"He was a Konoha elder!"
Uchiha You gave a cold laugh.
"An elder?"
"Does being a Konoha elder give him the right to lead a massacre of an entire clan?"
"Does it give him the right to steal the eyes of a fellow village ninja?"
"Does it give him the right to threaten an ANBU operative with a child?"
"Does it give him the right to command Root and orchestrate one bloody crime after another in the