Inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen was, as usual, working overtime to process documents.
Seeing Danzo enter, Hiruzen asked, "Did Root lose two more men?"
"Yes. Given the killer's strength, they could have easily destroyed the evidence. Instead, they deliberately left the bodies for me—a blatant attempt to apply pressure."
Danzo placed a scroll on the desk in front of Hiruzen. The Hokage opened it to find notes from the Second Hokage, specifically an evaluation of the Uzumaki clan's secret technique: the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Confused as to why Danzo was showing him this, Hiruzen continued reading patiently:
[This is the sealing jutsu most compatible with the ANBU. It allows one to bypass the concern of loyalty by using seals to control a group of puppets who know only how to obey.]
[Because its characteristic of eroding emotions is too cruel, the Uzumaki clan classified it as a Forbidden Jutsu.]
[Only when the objective is absolutely righteous can such dark methods be employed. After much deliberation, I decided not to request this jutsu from the Uzumaki patriarch.]
[The Hidden Leaf is developing rapidly; such extreme measures are not needed for now.]
[The Leaf ANBU are ninjas who use dark means to bring light to the village. Their ideals are sufficient to drive their actions; they do not require the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.]
After finishing, Hiruzen looked up. "What? Are you saying you want this sealing jutsu?"
Danzo nodded. "Absolutely loyal subordinates take years to cultivate. No one offers me absolute loyalty upon our first meeting. My subordinates are suffering continuous casualties, and I cannot replace them in the short term."
"Root's strength cannot be allowed to drop this significantly. I must restore the ten-man roster immediately. I need to see the Uzumaki Scroll of Seals and acquire this Forbidden Jutsu."
He thought of B (Aburame Ryoma), such an excellent subordinate, dead in the Land of Whirlpools under mysterious circumstances. And D (Shimura Oka), his own nephew, dead just outside the border. These were men he had spent years molding, and they were all gone.
"The Uzumaki Scroll of Seals? Impossible," Hiruzen stated. "I asked Senju Hanaki recently. The scrolls of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans are in Tsunade's possession."
"Hanaki may be the patriarch in name, but she only handles trivial affairs. The true authority of the Senju lies with Tsunade, their strongest member. Even I cannot simply take the Scroll of Seals from her."
"Tsunade is a stubborn, arrogant, spoiled fool of a woman," Danzo countered. "Asking won't work. We must employ... other methods."
Hiruzen's voice turned stern. "Danzo, do not go too far with Tsunade. She is not like the others."
Danzo acted as if he hadn't heard, turning and leaving the office. He hadn't come to seek permission; he had come to give notice.
...
Back at Root headquarters, Danzo summoned C. "C, is there any result from the surveillance on the Senju clan, the Sakumo group, or the Uchiha?"
"Apologies, Lord Danzo. Nothing yet. All three parties have been quiet and have no overlapping windows of time to commit these acts."
"Does Root exist just to apologize to me? It is inevitably one of those three! Keep investigating!"
He then summoned G, H, I, and J. "The four of you will set a trap. Bait this killer out. He must be eliminated!"
"Yes, sir!"
Shimura Danzo had never been as furious as he was now. Someone was specifically picking off his forces. If it hadn't been for the death of Sarutobi Yui, he might have even suspected Hiruzen.
...
Every day when Yagami entered the ANBU headquarters, he marveled at how comfortable the tranquility of the base felt. Danzo still hadn't traced anything back to him; it seemed the "Darkness of the Shinobi" wasn't all he was cracked up to be.
After his shift, Yagami donned his mask and prowled through the Leaf's night.
A drunkard stumbled out of an Tavern, swaying as he searched for an alley to relieve himself. He muttered about not getting caught by the Uchiha Police Force—getting fined for "damaging the village's image" would be a pain.
As he began to let go, enjoying that unique relief only a drinking man knows, a pair of Sharingan flashed briefly in the darkness!
The man was so startled his urge vanished instantly. He zipped up and bolted. Once he saw two villagers approaching on the main street, he finally felt a sense of safety.
"Did you hear? Lord White Fang went to the Hidden Cloud and fought their Jinchuriki. His blade actually cut through the Tailed Beast Bomb—the strongest attack in existence!"
"That's nothing! I heard he went to the Cloud's capital, stood on the city walls, and cleaved *three* Tailed Beast Bombs with a single stroke!"
"No way, that's too much. A Tailed Beast Bomb can level half a village. How could he take three at once?"
The drunkard's head was spinning. He wanted to ask more, but when he turned around, the two villagers had already vanished into a side street.
He stumbled into a second tavern for his second round of the night. At the table, he began to boast:
"Do you lot know? Lord White Fang stood on the walls of the Land of Lightning's capital and cut down *five* Tailed Beast Bombs with one swing! You know what those are? The ultimate weapon! One can destroy all of Our Village!"
The others scoffed. "If he can protect five Leaf villages with one swing, he's a god. You're exaggerating."
In the shadows, Yagami deactivated his Sharingan. The genjutsu of a two-tomoe Sharingan was more than enough for ordinary civilians. Every night, he planted these "seeds" in at least five people, letting them boast about Hatake Sakumo.
It worked well. Such sensational stories that boosted village pride were incredibly popular. With his ANBU status, Yagami's presence anywhere was easily justified; if asked, he was simply "gathering intelligence on village sentiment for the Hokage."
Ten days later, legends of the White Fang were everywhere. The only downside was that some drinkers had no sense of moderation. The rumors had inflated to Sakumo cleaving "dozens" of Tailed Beast Bombs in a single strike.
The "power creep" of the rumors was getting out of hand; Yagami wished he'd made the first version a bit more grounded so it wouldn't be this ridiculous.
...
One morning, Yagami was summoned by the Third Hokage. Inside the office, he found the usual trio: Hiruzen, Orochimaru, and Danzo.
Hiruzen sat behind the desk, while Orochimaru stood nearby, positioned to see every scroll on the desk. Rumor had it Orochimaru stood there all day and only went back to his lab at night.
To Orochimaru, power was the best medicine; standing all day didn't tire him in the slightest. Anyone entering the office could see Hiruzen was grooming him as a successor.
Danzo sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
Hiruzen spoke. "Fox, what do you think of the rumors circulating in the village regarding Hatake Sakumo?"
He went straight for the throat with a sensitive question. It was as if he suspected Yagami was involved.
Fortunately, Yagami had long since mastered the emotional detachment of an ANBU. His heart didn't skip a beat.
"Lord Hokage," Yagami replied calmly. "The quality of those spreading the rumors is poor. The stories are becoming increasingly far-fetched; any ninja could discern their falsehood. Cleaving dozens of Tailed Beast Bombs in one go is an absolute impossibility."