Outside Konoha, in an abandoned underground waterway.
It was cold and damp. Water droplets struck the moss, making sticky sounds.
Xiao leaned against the rough stone wall, turning the Silver Scale he had picked up from the meteor crater between his fingers. The scale radiated an icy chill that prickled the nerves in his fingertips.
Kurenai Yuhi stood to one side, her silver-gray Eye of Time glimmering faintly in the darkness.
In the shadows, Qiye, wearing a raccoon-dog mask, knelt on one knee in the pooled water. Splashes had soaked his trouser legs.
"Master, Danzo has gone mad." Qiye's voice came through the mask, carrying a trace of gravity. "Astral Matter's repulsive reaction has exceeded his control. Half an hour ago, he issued an emergency order for the Class-A Contingency Plan."
Xiao did not stop moving, and the Silver Scale spun between his fingers in a flash of cold light. "Who is the target?"
"The eldest daughter of the Hyuga Main House, Hinata Hyuga."
Kurenai frowned slightly and looked at Xiao. She knew perfectly well where Hinata stood on Xiao's chessboard. "Danzo dares to move against the Main House? The Third Hokage will not stand idly by."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is old." Xiao snorted and tucked the scale into a sealing scroll. "His so-called Will of Fire has long become Danzo's shoe rag. As long as Danzo can prove that his experiment benefits Konoha, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi knows, he'll turn a blind eye."
Xiao straightened up, his leather boots stepping into a puddle with a crisp splash.
"Besides, Danzo has been forced into a dead end. The transfer station was destroyed, Huomen is dead, and the backup blood supply has been cut off. If that mass of Astral Matter goes berserk, he will not even have a trump card left.