Anbu One left Danzo's office. Root was going through a turbulent time.
Anbu One could roughly guess how Danzo felt. The Hokage was likely behind the attack, and Danzo had already aroused his suspicion and distrust.
That was not a good sign. Once trust began to fade, their old friendship would mean little.
Anbu One and White Duck each began gathering ninja. They left Konoha that day, parted ways, and headed for Root's Secret Bases.
Meanwhile, a Root squad secretly kept watch on the ANBU's movements. If something had happened to the Secret Bases, the Hokage was the likeliest person behind it.
Construction was in full swing throughout Konoha. Rumors spread across the village, reaching even civilians who rarely left their homes.
Two of the Hokage's three disciples were away, while Tsunade spent every day at the hospital researching Medical Ninjutsu. None of them took part.
Danzo and the Third Hokage had acted discreetly, but Fugaku knew everything. The two people monitoring Danzo had already reported Root's movements to him.
From that intelligence, it was easy to see that the Third Hokage had ordered the attack.
Judging by the distance, the ANBU ninja sent to the Land of Earth should return within the next few days.
Anyone the Third Hokage sent on a secret mission had to be among his most trusted people. Fugaku intended to muddy the waters further.
After a night's work with the Security Force, Fugaku summoned Jin and Takigawa to his home.
"I need to go away for a few days. I'm leaving the Security Force to you. Jin, keep using a Shadow Clone to take my appearance and travel between the Security Force and the Uchiha District every day.
"Try not to let anyone notice anything wrong. I'll be gone two or three days if