There were no unnecessary sounds beneath Root's headquarters.
Everyone kneeling before Danzo knew that today's meeting was different from the ones before.
Previous orders could wait.
Paperwork could be laid out at leisure.
Rumors could be spread little by little.
But Uchiha Gen was dragging Shisui out of a position where he could be "dealt with alone."
That was what Danzo truly could not tolerate.
"The fake summons failed."
Danzo's voice rang through the stone chamber.
"The border deployment failed."
"The Resettlement Zone incident failed."
"The report defining the limits of his abilities will soon be submitted to the Hokage Office."
Each sentence landed like a stone striking the ground.
No one dared raise their head.
Danzo continued, "If we wait any longer, Shisui Uchiha will no longer be just one man."
He would be wrapped in layer upon layer of records from the Hokage’s Direct Subordinates, filings with the Konoha Military Police Force, testimony from the Uchiha clan meeting, and medical sealing procedures.
By then, anyone who wanted to take that eye would first have to tear through an entire framework of rules.
Danzo disliked rules.
He disliked rules written by someone else ahead of him even more.
"So we begin tonight."
A Root ninja asked quietly, "What pretext should we use?"
Danzo looked at a list on the table.
It listed the Uchiha clansmen who had recently been placed under close observation.
Several were young, impulsive, and openly hostile toward the higher-ups.
These men might never actually rebel.
But as long as their names were placed in the right spots, they would become useful enough shadows.
Danzo tapped one of the names.
"Spread the word."
"What should it say?"
"The Uchiha radicals are preparing to attack the Hokage's Anbu tonight."
Silence filled the stone chamber.
Those words were