Outside the Hidden Cloud Village.
Yagami stood atop a mountain peak, peering through a telescope toward the village. The Eight-Tails was incredibly resilient; even after being pummeled for half the night, it refused to settle down. Small specks—Cloud ninjas—swarmed around the beast like persistent mosquitoes, with the blue streak of the Third Raikage leading the charge.
Yagami glanced at C, who was also observing. 'You've got good luck, kid. Still breathing.'
By dawn, the battle finally subsided. The southwest district of the Hidden Cloud was utterly decimated. Fortunately, the Cloud's residential areas were spread across various peaks, keeping the population density low. If such destruction had occurred in the concentrated streets of Leaf, at least a fifth of the villagers would be dead.
At noon, Yakushi Nono arrived at their ridge with precise post-battle intelligence. This time, she was disguised as a youthful maiden—eyes clear and sweet, an airtight performance. Unless she spoke, no one would know her true identity.
"Lord Orochimaru," Nono reported, "Eight Jonin of the Cloud are dead. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B, has perished, and the selection for a new host began today. Including the ANBU squad guarding him, over sixty ninjas were lost."
Orochimaru nodded, highly satisfied.
"Lord Orochimaru," Nono added, "The Cloud is like a primed explosive tag. Everyone is screaming for war against leaf village. Should we make preparations?"
"Heh, are they that angry? Then my mission was a resounding success," Orochimaru sneered. "War is for the Hokage to worry about. Unless they make me Supreme Commander, it's none of my concern."
With that, he departed. Nono watched their retreating backs, a flicker of anxiety in her eyes.
'Is the village really not afraid of a declaration of war? That's thousands of lives.' She tried to catch Fox's eye, but he remained cold and dismissive.
Eighteen days later, the trio reached the outskirts of Hidden Leaf.
"C," Orochimaru commanded, "Have Root spread rumors. Let it be known I caused the Eight-Tails' rampage and crippled the Cloud."
"Understood, my Lord," Bing replied hesitantly, "But with F, G, and the others gone, our manpower to spread propaganda is severely limited."
"That is a Root problem. I only care about results."
'Cold, cruel, but fair to everyone,' Yagami thought. 'At least he's not just picking on me.'
"Fox, come with me to the Hokage's office."
...
While Fox followed Orochimaru, C hurried to the Root base to report to Danzo.
Danzo's first question was sharp: "C, why did F, G, and the rest vanish? The plan was for them to lead the assassins to Orochimaru."
"Lord Danzo, I received F's hawk, but by the time I reached Orochimaru and tried to re-verify their position, the hawks couldn't find them. I suspect they were killed by the mysterious Fire Style master. They were no match. I wanted to search for the bodies in the Land of Iron, but Lord Orochimaru... he refused to waste time on it."
Danzo frowned. He hadn't sent a search party either, for one simple, grim reason: Root was down to just C and J.
The once-mighty Root, filled with elites, was decimated.
A (Orochimaru) was only half-involved.
B (Aburame Ryoma) died in the Land of Whirlpools.
D and E died in the Land of Rivers.
F, G, H, and I were now dead in the Land of Iron.
This wasn't just pruning; it was an amputation. Root's most vital asset was its spy network, and managing that with only two people was impossible.
"Lord Danzo, should we begin recruiting immediately?" C asked.
Danzo didn't answer. Root required absolute loyalty, which was hard to find. He thought of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal mentioned in the Second Hokage's notes. Unfortunately, the Whirlpool lab was destroyed before he could secure it. He'd have to find a way to get it from Tsunade.
'Who is doing this?' Danzo wondered. He had suspected Tsunade, White Fang, or the Uchiha. But the sheer brutality of these killings suggested a level of cold-bloodedness that surpassed domestic political squabbling. This was an obsession with total annihilation.
Tsunade was playing defensive in the hospital. Sakumo was busy building public prestige. Neither fit the profile. That left the Uchiha.
'Teacher Tobirama said the Uchiha are a clan of love—and love easily turns to extreme hatred.' It seemed the most likely answer.
"Where is Orochimaru? Why isn't he here?"
"He went to the Hokage's office with Fox," C reported.
Danzo's eyes narrowed. "Fox didn't report to ANBU first?"
"No, Orochimaru specifically told Fox to go with him."
'Does Orochimaru really want to be Hokage? Why is he courting the ANBU so aggressively?'
"Based on this mission, how strong is Fox? Is he getting too close to Orochimaru?"
"In this mission, Fox tanked a hit from the Third Raikage," C said, his voice trembling slightly. "The 'Walking Priestess' (Nono) confirmed it. The Raikage was in full Lightning Chakra Mode. Fox took the hit, flew dozens of meters, and stood back up as if it were nothing. The Raikage didn't hide the details of the fight. The consensus among the Cloud Jonin is the same: Copper Fox is a man of copper-bound ribs and iron bones. His defense is staggering."
Danzo's expression turned dead serious. He had viewed Fox as Shinnosuke's talented subordinate, but he realized he had miscalculated. Even Shinnosuke couldn't tank a direct hit from the Third Raikage. Neither could he or Hiruzen—they would have to dodge.
"Come," Danzo stood. "We are going to the Hokage's office."