The chamber beneath Konoha was dark, damp, and silent, just as it should be. Danzo Shimura sat at the long wooden table at the center of the Root facility, his sharp eyes scanning the kneeling operatives before him. Their masks betrayed nothing, their posture rigid and disciplined. Just as he had trained them.

A single operative, distinguishable only by the faintest insignia on his shoulder denoting his rank, stepped forward and lowered his head. “The White Fang and his team accepted the mission. They have moved into position near the ambush site. As ordered, our operatives have fully withdrawn from the area.”

Danzo nodded slightly, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the table’s surface. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Whether Sakumo Hatake lived or died in the field no longer mattered. His fate was already sealed.

There were many ways to eliminate a threat, and Sakumo Hatake presented a unique challenge. He was not reckless nor easily manipulated, and unlike the naïve fools who followed Hiruzen’s ideals, he had the skill to back his beliefs. That made him dangerous.

But Danzo had always found that a man’s greatest strength could just as easily become his greatest weakness. And Sakumo’s? It was his unwavering loyalty.

A hero like Sakumo would always rush to the rescue. He would never abandon a teammate, never ignore a hostage. His sense of duty bound him, made his actions predictable. And predictability made a man easy to destroy.

So Danzo had built a perfect dilemma—a battlefield where no choice led to victory.

First, an intelligence leak ensured that a group of nobles would be captured by Iwa’s forces. The right information, whispered in the right ears, and soon, the enemy believed they had stumbled upon a golden opportunity. It was subtle, expertly crafted—just enough that Iwa’s intelligence officers believed they had uncovered something valuable on their own. They had moved precisely as Root expected, seizing the hostages and preparing their terms for ransom before Konoha even realized what had happened. The situation now demanded immediate action.

Second, mission assignments ensured Sakumo’s team was the closest and only viable response. The mission had been carefully framed—urgent, unavoidable. The Daimyō’s people were in enemy hands. There could be no hesitation. Hiruzen, always predictable, had done what Danzo had expected. He had sent his most capable man. His most trusted soldier was walking directly into the jaws of the trap.

Third, Root operatives had subtly influenced Iwa’s intelligence division, reinforcing their belief that eliminating Konoha’s White Fang was a priority. A legendary figure like Sakumo? A man who had cut through Iwa’s ranks time and time again? They had waited for a chance like this. All Danzo had to do was nudge the right hands, plant the right fears, and soon enough, Iwa had orchestrated an ambush of their own design.

By the time Konoha had even realized the scope of the hostage crisis, there had been no other option but to act.

Sakumo could not ignore hostages. He could not abandon innocent lives. And that was why he would fall.

There was no way out. If he fought, he would be overwhelmed. If he hesitated, the hostages would be executed. And if he retreated, well… that was already accounted for.

And if, by some miracle, Sakumo survived the ambush, then the true damage would begin. His students would not survive. Iwa had no intention of leaving young shinobi alive. The death of those children would be just another nail in his coffin, a wound that would never heal. Danzo knew how deeply Sakumo was tied to the parents of those children. The shame of their deaths, the looks of disappointment and sorrow from those who had trusted him, that would be the final strike that broke him.

Danzo’s gaze shifted to another operative, standing silently at the edge of the chamber. “Hatake’s students—has there been any confirmation on their movements?”

The masked agent hesitated briefly before answering. “No direct contact. The last confirmed sighting placed them accompanying Hatake while scouting the Iwa base. As instructed, our agents withdrew entirely before the battle began.”

Danzo nodded. That was expected. His operatives were not to interfere in battle unless necessary. The objective was Sakumo, not his students.

Still, there was potential in their remains.

• Natsume Uchiha-Yamanaka. A rare genetic mix of Uchiha and Yamanaka lineage. If her Sharingan manifested in the field, her corpse would be invaluable for research. The Uchiha were secretive about their kekkei genkai, but Danzo had his own means of uncovering the truth.
• Hiro of the Summoner Division. An anomaly. An orphan with no known lineage, yet bound to a powerful summoning ability. If he carried a dormant bloodline trait, studying him could advance Konoha’s knowledge of summoning techniques.

Danzo’s fingers tapped against the table. “Make sure our retrieval teams are in position. If Hatake’s team does not return, we will recover what remains.”

The Root operative bowed in understanding. There would be no waste.

Another agent turns to Danzo. “And if Hatake flees?”

The operative shifted slightly. “There is a chance he will recognize the trap and retreat to protect his team.”

Danzo’s expression didn’t change. He had accounted for this possibility.

If Sakumo chose to flee instead of sacrificing himself, his name would be erased in a different way.

• Rumors would spread.
  • That Sakumo abandoned his mission.
  • That he had fled, leaving valuable hostages in enemy hands.
  • That Konoha’s reputation suffered because of his weakness.
• The Daimyō would be displeased. The Hokage would have to make public gestures to reaffirm loyalty.
• Sakumo’s name would be stained forever.

Danzo’s fingers stilled. “If Hatake dies, he is removed. If he lives, he will wish he had not.”

For the first time, an operative hesitated before speaking.

“With all due respect, Lord Danzo… Sakumo Hatake is a hero. If the people learn the truth, they may resist the idea that he abandoned Konoha.”

The chamber fell silent.

Danzo slowly turned his gaze toward the speaker. The agent stiffened under his scrutiny.

His voice, when it came, was calm. “Truth is irrelevant. Perception is what matters. Konoha does not need heroes. It needs control.”

The agent said nothing else. The room remained deathly still.

Danzo dismissed his subordinates with a simple wave. The sound of quiet footsteps and rustling fabric filled the chamber as they departed, leaving him alone in the flickering candlelight.

His eye drifted to the blank scroll resting on his desk, waiting for reports that would arrive soon. No matter what happened in that valley, he had already won.

Danzo slowly exhaled, closing his eye as he envisioned a future where Konoha was no longer shackled by the ideals of men like Sakumo.

A future that he would forge with his own hands.

The Shadow of Konoha had his machinations in action. It was now only a matter of time.