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  2:30am. Hokage Tower.

  15 minutes ago, the Hokage had summoned around a dozen ninjas from Jonin and Anbu ranks and held a secret meeting. Hiruzen looked at them and his eyes held a grim edge that had everyone slightly tehey had all heard about Orochimaru and Tsunade's csh. Asuma, Anko and Anbu Deer were some of the people taking part in this meeting.

  Hiruzen quickly began without wasting any more time. "I called all of you here because you are some of the best in the vilge and your loyalty is uiohe mission I'm about to assign you is of a grave nature."

  Hiruzen was silent for a moment and quickly looked at each of them and then tinued. "You'll be assigned a team posed of Jonins and other Anbu personnel. Each of you will either be the leader of the team or will be the sed in and. This is a joint mission and Shikaku Nara and Anbu ander Ox have already picked the ones you'll be leading for this task."

  "What's the mission? Does it have to do with Orochimaru?" Asuma couldn't help but ask. He knew a joint operation like this was highly unusual.

  Hiruzen looked at his son and nodded. He then began to expin. "We have identified several hidden bases in this try belonging to him. They have defensive measures in pd each of them are guarded by at least 2 dozen men. Your task will be to eliminate or if possible, capture those men for interrogation and then raid the hideout. Take anything and everything of value and rescue Tsunade or Shizune if they are at that location."

  The shinobi nodded but some were still not sure why Anbu and Jonins were w together.

  "But this is only the primary task that you must plete." Hiruzen spoke and he looked to the side and his secretary. The in hahe ninjas a folder sisting of several dots oain ninjas.

  "Your sedary mission is to elimihe ninjas you see in your files." As soon as Hiruzen's words were fihere were murmurs within the assembled shinobi.

  Asuma looked at the dot in his hand and in the file icture of a in he knew.

  Jogan Himaki.

  He wasn't close with the man in the file but he was familiar with him. He looked at the kage and his eyes slightly narrowed.

  "What's going on? As far as I know Jogan is a Leaf ninja and he isn't a criminal. He's a good person. A good in. So why the kill order?" Asuma asked the question that many others wao know the ao.

  "Yes. Jogan is a Leaf ninja and he hasn't itted any crimes. Yet."

  Asuma and the rest of the ninjas were puzzled. They had an ominous feeling in their hearts.

  Hiruze his faeutral and showed no outward emotion as he spoke. "His loyalty isn't to the Leaf vilge but to another entity and if he stays in the vilge then there is a good ce he and the rest of them will cause a civil war here in the few hours or days… The people in those dots are sleeper agents."

  Everyone was shocked to hear that and they immediately uood the gravity of the situation.

  "Is the information accurate? About them being sleeper agents?" An Anbu questioned. He wao be sure before he executed people he once called rades.

  "Yes. I've had a few among the list be secretly taken to the interrogatioment and they were able to firm it. The intelligence is solid." Hiruzen replied and the ninjas became silent.

  "Are they w for another vilge? Ananization or something?" Another Jonins asked.

  "They belong to the Foundation under Danzo."

  The Hokage's reply shocked almost everyohey khe implications of making such a cim.

  Danzo is pnning a coup.

  The Jonins and Anbu in the room were smart and they quickly came to the clusion.

  "So this is a up mission along with a rescue mission." Anko spoke up with a rare surprising serious gaze.

  "Yes. There might be people you know in those files… Whatever attats you have towards them, whatever emotions you have, you'll o put them aside for this task. If any of you have a problem, speak up now."

  Nobody said a word and stood silent as they gazed at their kage. Hiruzen looked at their determined expression and knew Ox and Shikaku picked the right people for the job.

  He began to expin the particurs of the mission.

  "The ones marked in the files… They will have to be removed. If possible ideally during your csh with Orochimaru's men. If not then it will be up to you on how you get it done. But make sure none of the others in your squad knows about this."

  The ninjas nodded in uanding. Once Hiruzen was done giving them the details of the mission parameters he dismissed everyone present and asked them to meet with their teams and assemble on the roof of the tower.

  2:45 am. Sensor Team.

  By the time all the teams left the Hokage tower, a unicatioment was set up with several Yamanaka ninja in charge. Shikaku Nara and a Hyuga were also keeping an eye ohing and reying the necessary instrus and ands to all the teams.

  "It will take about 4 to 5 hours for them to reach their target locations. But we o be ready if anything ued occurs." Shikaku spoke and the others nodded.

  3:00 am. Hidden Leaf Vilge Borders.

  An Anbu with a mask that has markings resembling a Bear was quietly moving through the shadows. He recalled the secret Jonin and Anbu meeting the Kage had called half an ho.

  'Every person called to that meeting was a high level shinobi. They'll be able to tain and elimihe problem. It's better for the vilge if those radical and loyal to Danzo disappear… But still… Lord Hokage won't be able to tih his position for much longer after this. It looks like the political power system will be ging soon.'

  He leapt to another branch without making a single leaf fall and quickly moved forward.

  'I wonder who the Hokage is going to be? Jiraiya most probably or maybe Lady Tsunade if nothing happens to her… Still, this will certainly cause a disturbance… Well, it's not my headache anyway.'

  Anbu Bear had another assig given by the Hokage and the man was quickly moving in the dire of the Valley of the end.

  His destination - The Hidden Sound Vilge.

  —-

  Somewhere Underground. 3:00 am.

  In a dimly lit chamber, deep within the hidden recesses of the vilge, Danzo stood before a rge, intricately carved table. Maps and scrolls were scattered across the surface, illuminated by the flickering light of dles.

  His sed in and, a figure shrouded in shadows, stepped forward. He had a hint en his posture.

  Danzo's single visible eye shifted towards the ure. "Zero. Report."

  "The Hokage made his move. The Root agents nted within his ranks have bee on missions outside the vilge."

  The old warhawk narrowed his eyes at that ued news. "Is it just a ce or…?"

  The figure shrouded in darkness shook his head. "It doesn't seem so, sir. All of our sleeper agents within the ranks have been deployed and the ones in non critical positions have disappeared without a trace. I'm certain the Hokage took them. He has anticipated our pns. I was able to procure a copy of the test missioails but nothing more."

  Danzo studied the information ae the troubling situation he found himself in, a small smile formed on his face. "It seems Hiruzen has outmaneuvered us for now. He's deployed our ows away from the vilge uhe guise of resg Tsunade and Shizu seems he's not just targeting Orochimaru. He's also leaving us vulnerable."

  "The Hokage might be aware of our pns. It's possible he's attempting to weaken our position by drawing our forces thin."

  Danzo tapped oable and slightly o himself. "It wasn't Hiruzen. He couldn't have anticipated my move so easily. If I had to make a guess, it must be Shikaku. He must have been the oo figure it out."

  The sed in and of the Roanization nodded. 'He's the best strategist in the vilge and he's a ing man. If he had the information the Hokage has then I have little doubt that it was him behind this predit. But even he won't know everything.'

  The figure looked at his master with a calm gaze. "The Hokage might be looking to strip the Root of its strength before he strikes directly. With our forces diminished, we're at a disadvantage… How should we proceed, Lord Danzo?"

  "We have to accelerate our pns. First, we'll have to reinforce our position within the vilge. I've cultivated loyalties that Hiruzen isn't aware of. It's time to call upon those alliances. Sedly, we o trol the narrative. Spread rumors within the vilge that Hiruzen's sudden as against Orochimaru are rash and that it's weakening the vilge's defenses."

  The sed in and of Root nodded, abs every word. "And if the Anbu fronts us before then?"

  "Theake the battle to a field we trol. I have secured several locations within the vilge that serve as strategic points for an ambush. Our forces may be smaller, but they are elite. We use the vilge's own infrastructure against them."

  The man standing near Danzo nodded. He knew a battle was ing and repared.

  Danzo had ahought pop up in his mind and he quickly spoke. "Additionally, we o prepare for the worst. If Hiruzen attempts to strike against us directly, we'll need tingencies. Ehat this building is secure. And the sealing jutsu... They should be ready. If Hiruzetack, we'll need every advao ter his ninjutsu."

  "I'll make sure this stronghold is well-fortified." The masked ninja nodded. "And the vilgers, Lord Danzo? If this escates, public perception could turn against us. We've always operated in the shadows for the greater good of the vilge."

  Danzo was silent for a few moments before he replied. "We craft our narrative carefully. We're not insurgents but patriots, prepared to do what's necessary for the vilge's survival. If Hiruzen attacks us, we frame it as a desperate act of a paranoid man afraid of ge. We'll o manipute publitiment. They should see us as the lesser of two evils."

  "Lord Danzo, we might be able to fool the civilians but the Shinobi s… They will see through our tactics."

  "I'm aware. My success hinges on precise, strategic ambushes and the loyalty of the vilge's s. We o use the vilge's geography to our advantage in battle and I need accurate intelligen where ea stands." Danzo's face turned slightly grim as he thought about the numbers. He khey were not in his favor. 'I'll need some help from the people in the Royal court ohis is all over.'

  At this time Zero spoke. "The Hyuga are traditionally loyal to the Hokage, but there is internal division. The branch family may feel disenfranchised enough to side with us, especially if we promise reforms on the 's curse mark system. A targeted approach, exploiting these divisions, could work to our advantage."

  Danzo nodded with that strategy. "Good. Make those promises discreetly."

  "And the Nara ? They're a signifit asset of the vilge." The root agent asked his master.

  Danzo had a frown on his face as he thought about the Jonin ander and the head of the Nara . "Shikaku Nara is loyal to Hiruzen and most of their is loyal to Shikaku. He'll be a thorn."

  "Maybe we target the younger Naras. The ambitious ohey might be swayed to our side. We offer them positions of influence you take charge."

  Danzo grunted. "Hm… But those offers have to be entig. And people from that … They're not easily fooled. Lastly, we o trol the narrative within the vilge. The Akimichi, Yamanaka, and other iial s must see us as the legitimate future of Leaf. Spread rumors of Hiruzen's failih and indecisiveness in times of crisis."

  "If we move too aggressively, too quickly with this strategy, there is a ce it will fail or be used against us." Zero cautiohe old man.

  Danzo was silent as he realized the valid point the masked ninja made. 'Hiruzen has been preparing this. And his words back at the office. He has tingencies in case of his death? He wasn't bluffing then. Zero is right. If I make too muoise too soon it could be used against me.'

  At that moment his agent spoke. "What if we keep this battle in the shadows. We could anize a silent coup from within. That way there will be minimal disruption to the vilge... A coup that's over before anyone realizes it has begun."

  Danzo shook his head. He knew such a pn would not be feasible. Especially not now. "That won't be easy. We have to sider Hiruzen's steps. He's no fool and will be anticipating such a move from us."

  Danzo crossed his arms ahe power in his body. 'It looks like a direct frontation is unavoidable.'

  "Lord Danzo, what about Orochimaru? If he learns of our predit, he might see it as an opportunity to strike at us." Zero asked his master.

  Danzo frowned as he thought about the rogue Sannin. "Orochimaru is a variable we ot trol, but we try to anticipate him. We'll send feelers out, perhaps even propose a temporary truce. Our enemy's enemy be our ally, however briefly. If it succeeds then we might also be able to gain information on Tsunade and what that snake wants with her. But make no mistake, Orochimaru is a threat to us and the Leaf. We will have to deal with him in time."

  The masked Root ninja nodded. "Uood. And what of the two advisors? Koharu and Homura. They could prove troublesome."

  "Divide and quer. I've been sowing seeds of mistrust among them for years. It's time to exploit those divisions. Send anonymous tips about a potential attack from within. Make them doubt each other. Keep them occupied."

  "Yes Lord Danzo. I'll make the arras."

  "To the outside world we shouldn't appear weak. Nor we draw the vilge inter internal flict. This frontatioween Hiruzen and I, we'll o finish it as soon as possible. If the other vilges get involved it will be disastrous. We 't afford to fight battles on multiple fronts at this moment."

  "I uand. I will begin preparations immediately. The Root will be ready to move on your and."

  "Remind everyone, our as are for the greater good of Leaf vilge. Hiruzen's time has passed. This vilge needs a leader who make the hard decisions, who guide it through the darkness. That leader is me…"

  Danzo looked at the map of Fire try and the map of the Hidden Leaf vilge in front of him. He made his choid he wasn't going to back down.

  He turo his right hand man. "Ready our forces. The future of the Leaf is about to be rewritten."

  As the sed in ahe room to carry out Danzo's orders the chamber fell silent once more, save for the flicker of dlelight.

  Danzo stared at the flickering fme atop the dle. 'The stage is set for our frontation, Hiruzen. This will ge the fate of the vilge forever.'

  Author's Note:

  From the chapter onwards Daichi, tobirama, danzo, jiraiya… All parties take a

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