Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair with a conflicted expression. Jiraiya stood with his arms folded, his brow tightly furrowed. Tsunade stood by the window, gazing into the pitch-black night, her eyes heavy with emotion. She said nothing.
All three knew that tonight would be anything but peaceful in Konoha.
Before long, a furious Naruto came running all the way to the Hokage Building. He barged in, his face blazing with anger, demanding an explanation from Tsunade and insisting that the culprit be severely punished. There was no way Sakura could be allowed to suffer such a fright for nothing.
But before he could finish, Tsunade, already in a foul mood, lost what little patience she had left. She grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his neck, lifted him as easily as a chick, and threw him out of the office without another word.
With a soft bang, the door shut tight.
Outside, Naruto grimaced in pain from the fall, looking utterly aggrieved. Yet he did not dare barge in again and could only stand dejectedly in the corridor, fretting helplessly.
Dead silence settled over the office once more.
The night deepened. A full moon hung high in the sky, casting its cold, clear light across Konoha. Beneath the tranquil darkness, murderous intent was already quietly taking shape.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had expected, Uchiha Itachi, concealed in the darkness, began to act.
Although Danzo had been imprisoned, he had entrenched himself in Konoha for decades and secretly cultivated countless diehard followers. Many lurked in every corner of the village, their identities never exposed.
The culprit who had tried to assassinate Sakura tonight was merely the tip of the iceberg.
At that moment, Danzo still had his eyes closed, resting as he plotted his next moves to turn the