By the time the Third learned that Danzo had led a team out of the village, it was already the next day.
The senior leadership had not been unaware of Root's movements. They had simply assumed Root was heading out on one of its covert missions. After all, Root enjoyed considerable autonomy and handled the Hokage's dirty work. Calling it Danzo's private army would not have been an exaggeration.
The secret came to light thanks to the ANBU the Third had assigned to surveillance.
The ANBU Squad discovered that the number of Root operatives watching the major ninja clans had dropped sharply. They reported this to the Third Hokage, conclusively confirming Danzo's departure.
Facing Aburame Ryoma, who had taken charge of Root after Danzo left, the Third did not give him much trouble.
He knew Danzo's methods and the power of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. Aburame Ryoma also produced the list of Akatsuki members.
The Third briefly scanned the names, abilities, and strength assessments on the list.
The corner of his mouth twitched, his expression shifted slightly, and he frowned as he looked toward the portraits of the former Hokage in his office.
He could not understand how Danzo, having obtained this list, had found the courage to hunt down other Akatsuki members.
Even if the Five Great Shinobi Villages assembled an allied force of jonin, defeating them all would come at a crippling cost.
Suppressing his thoughts, the Third asked Aburame Ryoma, "Where did Danzo go? The Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, or the Land of Rain?"
Before Aburame Ryoma could answer, the Third continued on his own, "It seems Danzo must have gone to Takigakure. The Seven-Tails' jinchūriki is there..."
Having ruled Konoha for decades, the Third was no fool. From the surveillance reports and