Weakening

The Root squad had vanished from the battlefield without a trace. Hidden deep in the forest, Fugaku followed close behind Elder Ito and the others.

Only two of the Root squad's bodies remained intact. Elder Ito's chances were slim. Given Danzo's power, it would be difficult to imprison him on the strength of two corpses alone.

To Fugaku, this had only been a diversion. He had other ways to put Danzo in a far worse position, but the time was not yet right.

Elder Ito's group had not gone far when countless Explosive Kunai flew out of the forest again. Explosions rang out one after another. Fugaku was surprised that Root had launched a second attack.

They had lost six members in the first assault. This time, though, no one rushed into the smoke to seize the bodies. Elder Ito and his companions, already braced for an attack, found no one there.

Fugaku quietly closed in on the Root squad lying in ambush. He would leave Elder Ito's group alone now. In neither attack had the Root agents shown their faces, and the second had relied solely on Explosive Tags.

By the time the smoke cleared, even the two remaining intact corpses would probably be unrecognizable. Root's leader understood what mattered most: without solid evidence from the scene, they had little to fear.

The memories of a few dead men could not bring Danzo down. Memories could be forged or altered, and they alone would convince few people.

Rather than waste his efforts helping Elder Ito, Fugaku might as well use Root's large-scale deployment to kill more of Danzo's trusted subordinates. Everyone sent on this mission was among his closest followers.

If word of this operation got out, Danzo's reputation would be ruined.

The smoke cleared. This attack had killed