Darkness, almost tangible, filled every corner of the special prison. The damp air reeked of rust and decay. Occasionally, water seeped from cracks in the stone, its drops landing on the moss with clearly audible taps, like some kind of countdown.
Danzo sat cross-legged in the center of the cell, his black robe spread across the cold floor. His single eye gleamed with a sinister light in the darkness, like a lurking venomous snake. Footsteps outside the prison had continued for an entire day—ninjas sent by the major clans to watch him. They took turns standing guard, terrified that Konoha's "Darkness" might suddenly vanish.
"Heh..." Danzo's lips curled into a cold smile as his fingers lightly tapped his knee, the rhythm resembling a funeral bell.
The prison's iron bars were covered in sealing runes, giving off a faint blue glow in the darkness. These runes were enough to suppress the chakra of any Kage Level expert, but to Danzo, they were mere decorations. A thread of black chakra quietly gathered at his fingertips, burrowing into the cracks in the floor like a living creature and spreading outward along the stone tiles.
"My lord." A low voice suddenly rose from the shadows, as though coming from underground. "Everything is ready."
Danzo's single eye narrowed slightly. Black chakra traced several words across the floor: Neji?
"It has been confirmed. He made the Recording Talisman. His current whereabouts are unknown, but judging by the chakra traces, he should still be recovering near the Forest of Death."
Danzo's fingers paused for an instant, and the tapping abruptly ceased. The temperature inside the cell seemed to drop several degrees. Even the moisture in the air condensed into tiny ice crystals.
"Good, very good." Danzo's voice was terrifyingly gentle. "Decades of planning, ruined by a mere