Konoha.
In the Lord Third's office.
The Lord Third slammed a hand down on his desk, his anger plain to see.
"Three whole days, and you still haven't found a trace of him! Is this what Konoha's Anbu has come to?!"
The squad captain kneeling before him wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Please calm down, Third-sama!"
"Though we haven't pinned down his escape route, we've uncovered some leads on the other matter you assigned us."
The Lord Third's anger eased slightly. He took a drag on his pipe.
"Tell me. How did Danzo get mixed up with the former Amegakure?"
The Anbu squad captain hesitated for a moment.
Then he told the Lord Third everything Danzo had done in the Land of Rain.
"..."
"...That's about the whole of it, Lord Third."
"What?!"
The Lord Third shot to his feet and slammed the desk, disbelief written all over his face.
"To keep the war with Iwagakure going, he disguised his men as Stone Shinobi and had them murder civilians in the Land of Rain?!"
"He secretly conspired with Hanzo of the Salamander to destroy the current leader of the Akatsuki Ninja Village?!"
"And in the end, Hanzo of the Salamander fucking died at Danzo's hands?!"
With a sharp crack, the Lord Third snapped his pipe in two.
Three words summed up his state of mind.
Shaking with rage.
He had never sworn in his life.
But thanks to Danzo, he had just done it for the first time.
"No wonder the Rain Ninja were willing to die to kill him. My old friend has been hiding quite a few surprises from me!"
The Lord Third cursed a second time, his voice vicious.
"Why the fuck are we still looking for him? Let the bastard die out there!"
He