Chapter 19: Shadows in the Flame
The flickering candle cast long shadows across the Hokage's office, its dim glow barely illuminating the stacks of reports and mission scrolls littering the desk. Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples as he exhaled slowly. Another long night. The weight of the village rested on his shoulders—heavier than ever.
A quiet knock at the door disrupted the silence.
"Enter," he said, his voice calm but firm.
The door slid open, and a masked ANBU operative stepped inside, kneeling swiftly. The flickering light caught the steel of his mask, the carved patterns giving him a ghostly appearance in the dim office.
"Hokage-sama," the ANBU said evenly. "The captive shinobi delivered by Team Kenshiro has been processed for interrogation. Initial findings are… troubling."
Hiruzen straightened, his sharp gaze locking onto the operative. "Explain."
The ANBU placed a scroll on the desk. "We identified him as a missing-nin from the Land of Lightning. However, his allegiance is unclear. He bears no village insignia, and his records do not match those of known defectors."
Hiruzen's fingers brushed over the scroll, but he did not open it just yet. "And his purpose?"
The ANBU hesitated. "Uncertain. But he has extensive knowledge of our patrol routes along the northeastern border—too extensive for a mere mercenary."
Hiruzen's grip on the scroll tightened. The northeastern border… That was no random location. It was a weak point, a stretch of land where defenses had only recently been reinforced.
"If he knew our patrol routes," Hiruzen mused, "then either he has been watching us for some time… or someone has been feeding him information."
The ANBU nodded. "We're pressing him for details, but he's trained to resist interrogation. It will take time."
Hiruzen sighed, finally unrolling the scroll. His eyes scanned the detailed report, each line deepening the furrow in his brow. The missing-nin had been caught testing their defenses, yet his techniques suggested formal training—structured, disciplined. This was not the work of a wandering rogue.
A bitter thought crossed his mind. The world is shifting again. Shadows move beneath the surface, unseen but ever-present. I had hoped for peace… but peace is always temporary.
"Hokage-sama," the ANBU spoke again, quieter this time. "What are your orders?"
Hiruzen closed the scroll with a decisive snap.
"Double the surveillance along the northeastern border. Have our reconnaissance teams sweep the area—discreetly. If this was a scouting mission, we cannot afford to assume he was acting alone."
The ANBU bowed. "Understood."
As the masked shinobi disappeared into the night, Hiruzen allowed himself a rare moment of stillness. He reached for his pipe, lighting it with practiced ease. The first slow drag of smoke curled into the air, dissolving like the brief illusion of peace.
Something is coming.
And Konoha had to be ready.
---
Deep Beneath Konoha…
Where even the air seemed to suffocate under the weight of secrecy, Danzo Shimura sat in his underground chamber. The dim candlelight barely illuminated the scrolls and reports spread across his desk. Around him, the silent presence of his ROOT operatives loomed—faceless, voiceless, obedient.
A faint smirk ghosted across Danzo's lips as he ran his fingers over the two scrolls before him. So, the Hokage finally received the report. He had, of course, already read it long before Hiruzen had.
His eye flicked over the first scroll—an account of a young genin's supposed cleverness during a border skirmish.
Kiyoshi Senju.
Danzo snorted. What's so remarkable about a child using a simple tag at the right time? The report praised the boy's quick thinking, but in the end, it was nothing extraordinary. If not for his surname, Danzo doubted the boy would have even been mentioned.
Senju…
His single visible eye narrowed. The name once carried weight, but over the years, it had faded. And soon, it will disappear completely.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the first scroll aside and unrolled the second—far more interesting. This one contained the interrogation results of the captured shinobi. As his eye scanned the document, a slow, satisfied nod followed.
Kumogakure's shinobi were as careful as expected. Their operatives knew how to erase their tracks, leaving behind no substantial evidence that could link them directly to an orchestrated attack. And yet… they had failed.
Danzo's smirk deepened. Even after I handed them critical intelligence regarding Konoha's patrol routes, they accomplished nothing of real significance.
His fingers tapped against the wooden desk, a rhythm of calculated thought. He had allowed Kumogakure access to that information, hoping they would create a major disruption at the border—enough to force Hiruzen's hand. If they had succeeded, he could have used the rising tensions as leverage:
Demand more funding for ROOT.
Push for his operatives to be embedded within ANBU and other elite divisions.
Slowly tighten his grip on Konoha's most vital institutions.
Eventually, the Hokage's chair would no longer be out of reach.
And yet, despite all that… it wasn't a total loss.
He had still profited from this.
Selling the information had yielded a considerable sum, further strengthening ROOT's hidden resources. Money is power—and power is what I need to shape Konoha into the village it should be.
Danzo exhaled slowly, folding the scroll. This was just a minor setback. The bigger game was still in motion, and as long as he remained in the shadows, pulling the right strings, his time would come.
His gaze flickered toward his waiting operatives. "Continue observing the Hokage's next move. If he attempts to investigate further, I want to know before he does."
The masked shinobi bowed silently before vanishing into the darkness.
Danzo leaned back, steepling his fingers.
Hiruzen, old friend… let's see how you handle this.
The room was silent.
Then, a voice—silken, taunting—cut through the darkness.
"You always have your little games, don't you, Danzo?"
From the shadows, a figure stepped forward, the candlelight flickering eerily against his pale skin.
Orochimaru.
Danzo didn't flinch, nor did he look surprised. "I assume you've come for your… investment."
Orochimaru smiled, slow and serpentine. "I do appreciate our partnership." His golden eyes gleamed with something unreadable as he moved closer. "Funding is such a tedious thing to procure when one's research is deemed… unethical."
Danzo retrieved another scroll—one bearing the seal of a hidden funding channel, untraceable to ROOT or Konoha. He placed it on the table between them.
Orochimaru's long fingers plucked the scroll from the desk, rolling it open just enough to confirm its authenticity.
Satisfied, he looked back at Danzo. "I assume you're curious about my latest findings?"
Danzo nodded. "That mysterious DNA you were working on. Tell me… is it viable?"
A low chuckle escaped the Sannin's lips. "Oh, you wound me, Danzo. When have I ever failed you?"
Danzo's expression remained unreadable, but his fingers tightened slightly against the table. "Explain."
Orochimaru leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"You recall the Eight-Tails' last rampage in Kumogakure, yes?"
Danzo gave a slow nod.
"That… was my doing."
Orochimaru's smirk widened.
Danzo listened in silence. Shadows stretched across the room as the candle burned lower.