"Lord Danzo."
Pain White Zetsu stepped forward, his voice calm and respectful as he addressed the man before him.
Danzo Shimura didn't notice anything unusual. His brows were tightly furrowed, his expression dark and impatient.
"Any news?" Danzo asked coldly.
His tone carried restrained anger.
Where had Orochimaru gone?
Over the past few days, Danzo had deployed numerous Root operatives to track him down—but not a single lead had been found.
It was as if Orochimaru had vanished into thin air.
"I apologize, Lord Danzo," Pain White Zetsu replied without hesitation. "We still haven't found any trace of Orochimaru."
Danzo's face twisted slightly in irritation.
"Incompetence."
In the past, such a report would have been enough to cost the speaker their life.
But things were different now.
The previous operation against Qingshui had ended in disaster.
Root had suffered heavy casualties.
Their strength had yet to recover.
On top of that, Hiruzen Sarutobi had placed increasing restrictions on Danzo's authority.
The once-shadowy power he wielded over Konoha had been greatly diminished.
Now—
He didn't have the luxury of killing subordinates on a whim.
Even his anger had to be restrained.
"Damn Orochimaru!" Danzo muttered through clenched teeth.
Pain White Zetsu remained silent, showing no reaction.
He simply waited.
Eventually, Danzo took a deep breath and calmed himself.
"Pass on my orders," he said. "Find Orochimaru at all costs."
His eyes narrowed.
"And I want information on Hirakawa Seisui."
"Yes."
With that, Pain White Zetsu disappeared.
But he hadn't truly left.
Using the Mayfly Technique, he sank into the ground, concealing his presence completely.
He waited.
Patiently.
For the right moment.
Time passed.
Soon, Danzo lay down to rest.
Although he was technically imprisoned, his status still afforded him certain privileges. As a former Hokage advisor and the leader of Root, he had been given relatively comfortable accommodations.
Compared to ordinary prisoners—
This was almost luxury.
If not for the oppressive atmosphere, one might mistake it for a quiet retreat.
Danzo closed his eyes.
And gradually fell asleep.
At that moment—
The ground beneath him shifted.
Silently, Pain White Zetsu emerged.
His movements were careful, precise, and completely undetectable.
He suppressed his chakra to the lowest possible level.
Even a seasoned shinobi would struggle to sense him.
In his hand—
A strange, dark entity pulsed faintly.
The Zero-Tails.
It was still weak.
Barely formed.
Its power had yet to fully manifest.
Which made this the perfect opportunity.
Without hesitation, Pain White Zetsu placed the Zero-Tails into Danzo's body.
The process was seamless.
Danzo didn't stir.
Didn't react.
Didn't even notice.
A faint, eerie ripple passed through his body—
Then vanished.
Pain White Zetsu exhaled silently.
Success.
To ensure stability, he absorbed a portion of Danzo's chakra, allowing the Zero-Tails to take root more effectively.
Only after confirming everything was in place did he retreat.
Using the Mayfly Technique once more—
He disappeared into the earth.
Moments later—
He reappeared elsewhere.
The Root base.
This time—
He wore Danzo's face.
With the real Danzo imprisoned, Root had technically fallen under the Hokage's authority.
But in reality—
That meant nothing.
Root answered to only one man.
Danzo.
So when he appeared—
No one questioned him.
No one doubted.
The Root operatives gathered immediately, kneeling before him and reporting their progress.
Each voice was calm.
Emotionless.
Mechanical.
Pain White Zetsu listened quietly.
His expression cold.
Indifferent.
Once they finished—
He spoke.
"Ren. Gui."
Two figures stepped forward instantly.
"Go and summon Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu."
"I have matters to discuss with them."
"Yes!"
They vanished without hesitation.
Pain White Zetsu watched them leave.
Then turned to the rest.
His eyes grew colder.
"All other missions are canceled."
The room fell silent.
"Your new objective—"
"Assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi."
No reaction.
No shock.
No hesitation.
For Root—
This was normal.
Even if the target was the Hokage—
Even if the order defied all logic—
They would obey.
Because that was what they had been trained to do.
"Once Hiruzen is dead," Pain White Zetsu continued calmly, "I will ascend to the position of Hokage."
"With the support of Homura and Koharu, Konoha will enter a new era."
The Root operatives' eyes flickered slightly.
Not with doubt—
But with excitement.
They believed in Danzo.
Completely.
Blindly.
To them—
Only Danzo could lead Konoha to true strength.
"A," Pain White Zetsu called.
A tall figure stepped forward.
This was not Yamato—
But Root's strongest operative after Ryoma Aburame's death.
"You will lead this mission."
"Yes."
"Remember," Pain White Zetsu said, his tone sharp.
"Failure is not an option."
"Understood."
With that—
The Root operatives vanished.
One by one.
The base grew quiet.
Empty.
Only Pain White Zetsu remained.
He glanced around.
Then—
A faint smile appeared.
"Now…"
He began searching.
If the plan succeeded—
Danzo would fall.
Root would collapse.
And everything here—
Would be abandoned.
Which meant—
Now was the perfect time to take what he wanted.
The Root base had existed for decades.
Its resources were immense.
Scrolls.
Weapons.
Forbidden research materials.
Specialized drugs.
He moved swiftly, collecting anything of value.
Some things—
He ignored.
Low-level ninjutsu scrolls held little interest for him.
And the operational funds—
While significant—
Were insignificant compared to Qingshui's wealth.
But the experimental materials—
Those were different.
Rare.
Dangerous.
Useful.
He took them all.
Eventually—
He reached the mission archive.
Rows upon rows of records.
Every operation Root had ever conducted.
He flipped through a few.
Assassinations.
Manipulations.
Disappearances.
All hidden in darkness.
A shadow history of Konoha.
"Truly…"
He murmured softly.
"The darkest of the dark."
He closed the scroll.
There was no need to read further.
Elsewhere—
In the Hokage Building—
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu received the summons.
"What is Danzo planning this time?" Koharu muttered.
Her expression was displeased.
Homura frowned slightly.
"He's been unusually quiet lately."
Which made this—
All the more suspicious.
Neither of them realized—
That they were walking straight into a trap.
A carefully constructed plan.
One that would shake Konoha to its core.
And force a choice—
That even Hiruzen Sarutobi could not ignore.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)