Inside Konoha, a second squad of unfamiliar ninja had silently slipped into Kushina's supposedly empty home!
They had crept inside without a sound, without anyone noticing!
Both men were utterly stunned!
According to the original plan, there was only supposed to be one squad!
That squad had already tied Kushina up and fled toward the village border, just as arranged!
She had already been taken away, so how could a second squad of ninja have appeared?!
This had never been part of Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi's calculations!
It was completely beyond anything they had anticipated!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned ashen. Shock rocked him, and he could no longer maintain his composure.
Whoosh!
A dark figure appeared in an instant and dropped to one knee. It was an elite Anbu who had been standing by.
Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his voice, his tone heavy with alarm and urgency as he barked an order.
"Go! Bring every last one of them back immediately! Hurry!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu did not hesitate. In a flash, he shot off at full speed toward Kushina's home.
Before long, the Anbu squad Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent out to investigate returned obediently.
The entire squad stood meekly on the open rooftop, showing no resistance. Their expressions were respectful, and nothing about them seemed unusual.
Then the Transformation Technique covering their bodies dissolved in an instant.
The faces revealed beneath it struck the two men on the rooftop like lightning!
There was no mistaking them. This was the very Anbu squad Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally assigned and lent to Danzo for the mission!
Not one extra, not one missing. Every member stood there, completely unharmed.
A deafening buzz exploded in Hiruzen Sarutobi's head. His vision went black, his blood surged wildly, and he nearly collapsed on the spot!
He