Dog eat dog: infighting among the higher-ups

"If the Uchiha want the eyes, come in and take them."

Fugaku drew his sword half an inch, its cold gleam hovering over the edge of the table.

Several Uchiha ninja in the meeting room began breathing harder.

Sasuke raised a hand, stopping them from rushing out.

Mitokado Homura seized the opening. "Did you hear that? He's baiting you! If Sasuke takes his men there now, he'll only walk into Danzo's ambush."

Sasuke looked at him. "Are you afraid I'll walk into an ambush, Lord Advisor, or afraid the vault will be opened?"

Mitokado Homura gritted his teeth. "I've already been ordered to recuse myself. Stop dragging me into this."

Utatane Koharu immediately distanced herself as well. "Danzo has gone mad to take things this far. Hiruzen, we can't delay any longer. Send the ANBU to storm it!"

The Third Hokage looked at them both, weariness deepening in his eyes. "A moment ago, you were still saying the ledgers should be sealed away."

The skin on Utatane Koharu's face twitched. "Now the vault poses a threat to the village."

Sasuke lightly tapped the Hokage Order in his hand. "Hear that? The moment Danzo gets into trouble, our two advisors are more eager than anyone to brand him a mad dog."

Hiashi spoke coldly. "When a mad dog bites, we should also ask who raised it."

Shikaku closed the meeting minutes. "The question now is who will take control of the vault. The ANBU have suffered losses, and no one knows how many people are still hidden inside Root."

The Third Hokage looked at Kakashi. "You lead the ANBU."

Sasuke cut him off. "The ANBU can't act alone."

The Third Hokage's expression darkened. "Sasuke."

"Root and the ANBU both fall under the Hokage's authority. Danzo could obtain internal administrative papers from the Hokage Building and use old ANBU passages. Who can guarantee he has no spies in the ANBU?"

Kakashi did not argue. He merely sheathed his short blade. "A joint operation would be safer."

The Third Hokage stared at him. "Kakashi, even you think that?"

Kakashi avoided the Third Hokage's gaze. "Enough people have died tonight."

Shikaku immediately stepped in. "I recommend that the Konoha Military Police Force lead the outer cordon, the ANBU check for traps, the Hyuga provide surveillance through the walls, and the Nara seal off the passages."

Sasuke nodded. "The Uchiha will handle the breach."

Mitokado Homura sneered. "You want a legitimate excuse to swallow up Root's assets."

Sasuke pressed the Hokage Order down in front of him. "No. We're recovering the money embezzled from Konoha. If you're worried, Lord Advisor, you can wait in a cell for the inventory."

A burst of laughter rose from downstairs.

Only then did Mitokado Homura realize the window was still open. His face turned livid, and he shut his mouth.

The Third Hokage finally spoke. "Proceed with Shikaku's plan. Seal and inventory the vault's contents. No one is to take anything for themselves."

Sasuke turned and left. "Fugaku, Takaya, muster thirty Uchiha elites. Clan Head Hiashi, lend me six Byakugan users. Kakashi, bring people who can dismantle seals."

Kakashi followed him. "Are you confident?"

Sasuke did not look back. "If Danzo were confident, he wouldn't have written that nonsense on the door."

The entrance to the Root Vault lay beneath an abandoned training ground.

The outer iron door was covered in gouges from kunai, and several wounded ANBU lay on the ground. Medical Ninja were stopping the bleeding, while the smells of medicine and scorching mingled in the air.

A Hyuga ninja activated the Byakugan, veins bulging at the temples.

"Twelve people behind the door. Layers of Explosive Tags inside both walls, and overhead too."

Kakashi crouched to examine the seal markings. "A chain detonation. If we force our way through, the entire underground passage will collapse."

Takaya cursed. "Does Danzo really want to blow up the ground beneath the village?"

A Root operative prepared to die for his mission shouted through the iron door, "Lord Shimura preserves the spark of hope for Konoha! The traitorous Uchiha clan will never lay a hand on Root!"

Yamada Naoto spat. "He uses military funds to hire people to spread lies, and you call that a spark of hope?"

The operative behind the door did not answer. He merely raised a detonator to the small window in the iron door.

"Back off. Or we all die together."

Kakashi raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop. "That's a real trigger in his hand."

Hiashi walked up beside Sasuke. "The Byakugan can see the chakra pathways, but there are too many junctions. We won't have time to shut them down with chakra-point strikes."

Shikaku's shadow crept forward along the ground, only to be driven back by a flare from the seals the instant it touched the gap beneath the door.

"My shadow can't get through. Danzo sealed every opening."

Laughter came from behind the door. "Nara, Hyuga, Uchiha. You're all here. Perfect. You can join Lord Shimura in death!"

Sasuke suddenly asked, "Where is this Lord Shimura of yours?"

Silence fell behind the door for a moment.

The operative said coldly, "Lord Shimura lives in Konoha's future."

Sasuke snorted. "If he ran away, just say so. He left you here to die while he ran off with the money, and you're still guarding his door?"

"Shut up!"

"Getting upset?" Sasuke looked at the Hyuga ninja. "Watch his hand."

The Hyuga ninja immediately replied, "The chakra in his right hand is disturbed. He's trembling."

Sasuke took a step forward.

Kakashi reached out to stop him. "Any closer and you'll enter the trigger range."

Sasuke stopped at its edge. "Everyone behind that door, listen. Put down the detonator and surrender the vault now, and I'll give you a chance at a public trial. Keep guarding the door for Danzo, and after you die, the ledgers will record you as nothing but operatives who died committing village betrayal."

Someone inside cursed. "The Uchiha have no right to judge Root!"

Sasuke took out a roll of paper. "I have a list of your families here. Root's outer personnel gave it up. The family compensation Danzo promised you was charged to the border military budget, and Outpost Three skimmed off half. You're risking your lives to guard his door, and your families won't even receive the full amount."

At last, sounds of unrest came from behind the door.

"Don't listen to his lies!"

"Did he say Outpost Three? Wasn't Three destroyed?"

"Captain, how does he have a list of our families?"

Sasuke twisted the knife. "Designation B-seven, real name Morita Kei. Your mother lives on East Street. Your younger sister applied for medical aid last year, and Root rejected her for failing to meet the eligibility requirements."

The detonator behind the door wavered.

"Shut your mouth!"

"Designation C-two, real name Takahashi Shin. Your son attends the Ninja Academy. Because your Root affiliation can't be made public, he can't receive benefits for families of fallen shinobi."

Another voice rose in pitch. "How do you know about my son?"

Sasuke tossed the list onto the ground. "Danzo even embezzles the benefits owed after your deaths. If anyone still wants to be his dog, press it."

An argument erupted behind the iron door.

Kakashi glanced sideways at Sasuke. "Where did you get that list?"

Sasuke did not answer. He only looked at Takaya. "Get ready."

The lead operative roared from inside, "Nobody move! Lord Shimura won't mistreat us!"

Sasuke raised a hand. "Clan Head Hiashi, look at the third seal in the lower-left corner."

Hiashi activated his Byakugan and scanned it. "That line connects to the detonator."

"Takaya, sever the door hinges with Lightning Release. Kakashi, destroy the trigger line. Shikaku, catch his hand the instant the door opens."

All three moved at once.

Takaya's lightning raced along the ground, Kakashi drove his short blade into the gap in the door, and Shikaku's shadow swept around the lightning toward the small window.

The operative behind the door sensed something wrong and pressed the detonator with his thumb.

Nothing happened.

The markings on the detonator went dark.

Lightning Release tore an opening in the iron door. Shikaku's shadow slipped through and caught the man's wrist. Kakashi crashed through the door, flicked his short blade upward, and severed the tendons in the operative's hand.

Sasuke followed close behind.

A Root death squad member drew his sword and charged. Before he could shout, Sasuke's Chidori pierced his chest, and the lightning pinned him to the wall.

"Danzo taught you to take everyone down with you, but didn't teach you to check the seals for flaws?"

The remaining operatives still tried to resist. The Hyuga ninja closed in from both sides, sealing their chakra points with Gentle Fist, while the Uchiha subdued them with the Sharingan. Within a few breaths, nine of the twelve people behind the door were down, and the other three were pinned to the ground.

Yamada Naoto rushed in and immediately kicked the lead operative. "Weren't you acting tough just now? Go on, press it again!"

The operative spat blood but kept staring at Sasuke. "Lord Shimura will return."

Sasuke did not even look at him. "If he does, he'll save me the travel expenses."

The vault's inner door was thick and heavy, with three sealing locks mounted on it.

Kakashi frowned after inspecting them. "This is a Hokage-level sealing technique. Opening it normally requires the Third Hokage's written order and Root's seal."

Shikaku handed over the Hokage Order. "We have the Third Hokage's order. What about Root's seal?"

Sasuke pointed at the lead operative on the ground. "Under his tongue."

Yamada Naoto immediately dislocated the man's jaw and extracted a small seal from beneath his tongue. His expression soured. "He really did hide it in his mouth."

Kakashi pressed the small seal against the sealing array.

Mechanisms began turning inside the door.

One layer, two layers, three layers.

When the door opened, everyone froze.

Gold bars were piled on the left, crates of ninja tools were stacked on the right, and scroll racks stretched from the entrance into the depths. A row of sealed crates stood against the wall, each bearing an old mark from a different clan.

The Inuzuka Clan's secret medicine.

The Aburame Clan's insect jars.

The Akimichi Clan's Soldier Pills formula.

The Uchiha's Sharingan preservation equipment.

Hiashi walked in. His gaze passed over an inconspicuous black crate, and he abruptly stopped.

The veins around his Byakugan spread, and his breathing grew heavy.

"Open that crate."

Kakashi stepped forward and pried the lock open.

The instant the lid lifted, Hiashi reached inside and took out two glass jars.

The liquid inside swayed gently.

Two Byakugan eyes were immersed in it. The labels had yellowed, but the writing remained clear.

Hyuga Hiashi's expression turned terrifying. He forced a few words through clenched teeth.

"Hizashi Hyuga's eyes."