Deep within the Leaf Village prison, dim candlelight cast wavering shadows across the walls.
Danzo stood in the center of the cell, his lone eye glinting coldly. Several Root ninja stood behind him, each wearing icy killing intent beneath their masks.
"Move."
The iron cell door exploded under the force of ninjutsu, fragments flying everywhere as flames soared skyward.
Danzo strode out of the cell, drawing a Kunai from his sleeve with his right hand. The Root ninja followed close behind, destroying the defensive barriers along the way.
Alarms tore through the night. Large numbers of Leaf Village ninja rushed in from every direction, but Danzo had already led his remaining men through the ruins amid the chaos and vanished into the darkness.
Near the Hokage Office, Danzo and Root lay hidden in the shadows, his gaze sweeping over the brightly lit streets below.
Thick smoke billowed from the commercial district. Explosions continued to sound from the prison, and several homes had caught fire as well.
The blaze painted half the sky red, while columns of smoke rose into the air. Yet the streets were empty, and there was no movement inside the houses. All the civilians had entered shelters because of the previously announced fire drill.
Danzo's lips tightened slightly.
He kept checking the time, his gaze repeatedly flicking toward the watch on his wrist.
Several dozen minutes had passed, yet the Nine-Tails had never appeared over Konoha. What exactly was that masked "Uchiha Madara" doing?
On the other side of the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood on a rooftop surrounded by several ANBU.
His gaze swept over the distant smoke and flames, his brow tightly furrowed.
An ANBU emerged from the shadows and dropped to one knee. "Lord Hokage, the prison has been attacked. All