In Tsunade's office, the soon-to-be Fifth Hokage slammed her fist onto her desk, splitting its expensive solid-wood surface.
"That damned old fox! How many revolting Forbidden Techniques is he hiding?"
"Even those four old Uchiha gave everything they had and still couldn't stop him. Instead, they fell to that bizarre ability! Is there really no one who can deal with him?!"
Beside her, Jiraiya folded his arms and frowned. His usual lecherous air was nowhere to be seen as he said gravely:
"From what the Canopy Screen revealed, Danzo's ability seems to act directly on the mind, drawing out a target's deepest regrets. It can even erode the surrounding environment and Susanoo."
"Combined with that strange defense and his sneak attacks using formless matter, he'll be hard to handle. If we take him head-on, our losses could be heavy."
He turned to Shikaku Nara, who had been silently resting his chin on his fingers. "Shikaku, you're the village's strategist. What do you think?"
Shikaku Nara slowly raised his head, his eyes sharp and calm.
Instead of immediately discussing tactics or ways to counter the Ninjutsu, he gave a quiet sigh and said something that seemed unrelated:
"The Lord Third knew all along."
Tsunade and Jiraiya both froze.
Shikaku Nara continued calmly, "Since the Canopy Screen appeared, it has exposed Danzo's crimes in extraordinary detail, time and again. With the Lord Third's intelligence and ANBU's capabilities, how could he possibly have found no evidence?"
"Yet he's held back this whole time. To some extent, he's even allowed Danzo to remain. Have either of you considered why?"
Tsunade's frown deepened, as though something had occurred to her. Jiraiya looked thoughtful too.
Shikaku leaned forward slightly. With his keen political instincts, he had long since seen the currents beneath the calm surface. "The