Konoha's Root Base lay buried deep underground, untouched by sunlight all year round. There were only cold stone walls and flickering lamps that stretched people's shadows into ghostly shapes.
The air was thick with the smells of medicinal herbs and rust, and something deeper-the scent of conspiracy and death.
Shimura Danzō sat in the seat of honor, his lone eye fixed on a thin intelligence scroll in his hand as his knuckles tapped rhythmically against the hard armrest.
Hatake Sakumo's "death" had not entirely dispelled his doubts.
Everything had gone too "smoothly." Miwa Kato's "professional judgment" had been flawless, while Shinji Uchiha's "composure" had seemed far too deliberate.
In particular, according to reports from his informants planted in the hospital, Miwa Kato had been unusually active lately. Not only was she taking over the Medical Corps resources Tsunade had left behind, she also seemed to be secretly investigating old medical records and supply allocation lists.
"Miwa Kato..." Danzo's low voice echoed through the empty hall, edged with icy murderous intent. "She knows too much. Whether it is the truth behind Sakumo's death or what she is doing in the Medical Corps now, she cannot be allowed to live."
He would never allow even a spark to survive if it might threaten him or reopen Sakumo's case.
Since he could not establish whether Sakumo was truly dead, the safest choice was to eliminate everyone close to Sakumo who might know something and had the means to investigate further.
As the "first person to discover him" and a key figure in the Medical Corps, Miwa Kato was unquestionably at the top of that list.
"And she is trying to seize control of the Medical Corps... Hmph. Does she think she can inherit what Tsunade left behind so easily?" A cold gleam flashed