"To kill an old dog."
Shengu Xuan's icy, murderous voice gradually faded into the miasma of the Forest of Death. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the mutilated bodies of Root ninja strewn across the ground, their minds empty.
"Kakashi-sensei... Big Brother Shengu... who did he just say he was going to kill?" Naruto swallowed, his voice trembling slightly. Though he was usually oblivious, even he had instinctively sensed the terrifying aura Shengu Xuan had just released, powerful enough to destroy everything.
"Shimura Danzō... Konoha's most powerful senior adviser aside from the Hokage. Shengu actually intends to storm the Root Base alone!" Kakashi's Sharingan contracted violently, and cold sweat covered his forehead. He knew all too well how heavily fortified the Root Base was. Not only was it riddled with traps, but countless brainwashed fighters ready to die also lurked within it. Even a Kage Level fighter would have only a slim chance of surviving a frontal assault.
"No! We have to return to the village immediately and report this to Lady Tsunade! If Shengu really starts slaughtering people in the village, all of Konoha will be plunged into civil strife!" Kakashi made his decision at once. Pulling Naruto and Sakura along, he pushed his speed to the limit and raced toward Konoha.
Meanwhile, deep beneath Konoha, at Root's secret base.
This was an enormous underground fortress built entirely of hard rock and steel. Dim lights flickered in the damp corridors, and the air reeked of blood and formalin. Countless Root ninja wearing animal masks moved through the shadows like a pack of ghosts that dared not face the light.
In a spacious secret chamber at the deepest part of the base, Shimura Danzō sat upright in the leader's chair that symbolized supreme authority