The Hokage's Office was thick with smoke, the air stifling. Hiruzen Sarutobi was planning a vacation outing with Konohamaru, while the two advisors were so worried they could barely eat.
Utatane Koharu gripped the edge of a report, her knuckles whitening from the force.
The report was titled "Konoha Security Threat Elimination Report."
Twelve veteran spies from different ninja villages had all vanished overnight.
Mitokado Homura, standing beside her, looked so grim it seemed water could be wrung from his face.
He could not imagine how it had been done.
No ANBU had been alerted, no disturbance had been caused, and not even a single corpse had been left behind.
The efficiency was chilling.
"This is against the rules."
Mitokado Homura's voice was hoarse as he slapped the report onto the desk with a dull thud.
"There were no interrogations and no approval from the Hokage. This is a complete overreach of authority."
"But they really were threats." Utatane Koharu spoke softly, yet there was a helpless sense of reality in her voice. "The report makes it very clear. Every one of them had undeniable evidence of their crimes. Besides, when did Danzo ever inform us before taking action?"
As she spoke, she fell silent herself. Yes, they had been unable to control Danzo when he was around. Now that he had been replaced by someone younger, more efficient, and more terrifying, they still could not control him.
Zero stood before the desk without saying a word, paying no heed to the fierce argument between the two advisors. He merely delivered the report he was supposed to give.
"The report indicates that, following the removal of key intelligence nodes, the intelligence threat posed by the four major ninja villages within Konoha has dropped by two levels."
Zero's voice was steady.