In a forest outside Konoha, a masked figure stood silently. This was Danzo himself; the one he had left in the village was a Shadow Clone.
Several dark figures flashed past, and a few ninja appeared before Danzo.
"My lord, we've eliminated the target."
Danzo nodded. "Did anyone see you?"
"We cleared the area. No one knows it was us."
"Good. Disguise yourselves as ordinary civilians of the Land of Fire and leave the country at once. Lie low for a while."
"Yes."
The ninja had barely turned around when Danzo activated the Cursed Seals on their bodies, immobilizing them. A Wind Release jutsu then killed them all.
After disposing of the bodies and erasing every trace, Danzo headed into Konoha. Perhaps imagining the Uchiha thrown into chaos, he gave a cold smile beneath his mask.
The Security Force continued its usual patrols, completely unaware of the murders at Elder Ize's home.
It was not until Elder Ize's family came to visit that they discovered all three people in the house were dead.
A piercing wail rang out from the house and carried through the neighborhood. A patrolling squad of Uchiha immediately sprang into action.
Two bodies lay in plain sight in the courtyard, while sobs came from inside the house.
Several Security Force members rushed in. An elderly man lay there with his throat slit.
The Security Force members exchanged glances. The squad leader asked quietly, "Can you confirm who he is?"
"It's Elder Ize. He hasn't appeared in public for a long time. I never thought he'd die in his own home."
At the reminder, the squad leader recognized who the man was and frowned. This was trouble.
Nearly every Uchiha knew that Uchiha Tenjo was about to step down as clan head and run for an elder's