Chapter 24: Interlude: Danzo

The good thing about Hiruzen was that he took his time when it came to his friends. Sure there'd been a few meetings over the past few weeks about his punishment, but overall, he was simply unwilling to commit. It was the same weakness that had seen him become leader of ROOT. While his cell wasn't comfortable, he did have an abundance of free time to plan out his moves.

Already his sources had informed him that the events of that night were spreading around, and even the rumours surrounding ANBU's sudden incapacitation were linked negatively to him. It was clear that Konoha was no longer suitable. He had no chance of becoming Hokage and shaping the village to his liking right now.

Which left him with one option. He'd leave Konoha and bide his time until he could assert control. He was limited in what he could take with him out of the village, especially when it came to manpower. Suspicion would fall on those left behind, but sacrifices had to be made. With the agents he could take with him, however, he should be able to raise enough funds to put his plan into action.

It would be a long wait before he would show his face in Konoha again. But what was a few years to make the village into an ideal paradise, one he would lead them to. Even better he'd be able to deal with one of the threats to world peace in the same move. The pieces were set, now all he'd have to do is put them in motion.

Of course, there were a few minor risks. He'd been informed that Hiruzen was considering bringing Tsunade in to rehabilitate ANBU as quickly as possible. In the event a fifth Hokage was selected, it'd be her who would most likely end up with the seat. She was not as forgiving or naive as Hiruzen, and if she chose to deal with him, there would be complications.

There was also Kakashi, a former subordinate. He'd no doubt take the mission to try and locate him and his agents, which would be a problem if he managed to find them. A handful of jounin were also enough for him to consider a threat should they accompany Kakashi. But overall, the chances of tracking them down would be minimal. His experience in the field was unmatched by all but Hiruzen himself.

Light from the setting sun leaked in through the singular window. It would be time to move soon. Fu and Torune would assist his escape while the selected few would quietly leave. One of the few remaining ANBU delivered his evening meal and waited for him to finish. Danzo took some small pleasure in the meal, as he likely wouldn't have one as good for at least a few months.

He slipped the tray back to the guard and waited. 10 more minutes until he'd be free from his cell. He waited in silence, counting off the seconds. Even with the nature of the current mission, ROOT had to uphold its standards. At 590 seconds, the door silently opened, and two masked shinobi entered the room. As he reached 600, he was leaving the room. At 620, they were outside the gates of Konoha.

The general state of the world outside the major hidden villages was ripe for covert ops. Even Konoha's close neighbors were experiencing some problems that they couldn't afford to fix. While the village had a rigid payment policy, a group of unaffiliated shinobi could negotiate. A few weeks of protecting a build site in exchange for a small percentage of the revenue it brought in.

But it hardly stopped there. So many small communities, too economically downtrodden to pay for services up front. It was a mostly untapped market, and what missing nin did work with said communities could be dealt with. It wouldn't even take that many of them to get an income trickling in. As long as they kept frugal, within 3 years they'd have the funds.

The only drawback would be the ease at which he could be found if they stumbled upon the right people. It could be alleviated by cycling through various communities, but even that presented a margin of uncertainty. Danzo was betting on them discovering his plan too late. Some of his agents had weighed the odds and had come to the same conclusion: it was far more likely to succeed than not.

But none of that was important at this very moment. It wouldn't be safe to move openly for a number of months. He wasn't done biding his time, not yet. He did a quick head count to ensure that all had gone to plan, and then set off into the thicket of trees that encircled Konoha.

Something had been bothering Kakashi ever since they'd locked up Danzo. He'd been too cooperative, too quiet. His time in ROOT was telling him that this was a sure sign he was planning something. He'd tried his best to run an investigation but had run into issues masking his actions.

As much as he respected the Hokage's leniency in certain matters, his inaction against Danzo had been frustrating. He'd voiced his opinions in every meeting. He'd done everything "by the book" he could. Yet it was only now they'd reached a consensus on how Danzo would be handled.

He began making his way to the Hokage's office. The day was coming to a close, and if there was any time to appeal a harsher punishment, it was now. A glance at the clock told him Danzo had been fed his evening meal 9 minutes ago. He could only hope that Hiruzen hadn't taken an early leave from his duty.

The air changed. Kakashi's training kicked in as he focused on his surroundings. There was an intruder nearby. But how? He reached up for his headband. If they could make it to the Hokage tower without resistance, they were not to be taken lightly. With his free hand, he dug into his kunai pouch.

In a flash he whirled around. The kunai left his hand, aimed perfectly at the pair of men attempting to sneak up on him. They were wearing ANBU masks. It all made sense. He targeted one of the two with his sharingan, hoping to put him out of commision. One looked away and the other formed a familiar triangular seal.

Kakashi ran. He was at too much a disadvantage if the pair were who he suspected. He covered up his eye and bolted up the stairs. He might not be able to stop it as it was happening, but he could at least stop them from getting far. There was no doubt in his mind for what they intended to do.

"Lord Hokage, Danzo is making an escape attempt." He huffed out as he burst into the Hokage's office. Hiruzen froze for but a moment. His features hardened, and a silent storm began brewing.

"Kakashi, I am giving you control of what ANBU are still loyal and able. Your mission is to detain all ROOT members still in the village." He was gone as soon as he gave the order. Kakashi set to work.

Blood pounded in his ears and boiled in his veins. Danzo had been right there. He could've stopped it had he been stronger. It was Orochimaru all over again. He didn't need anyone else. He was going to drag each and every agent in personally. Those two had been too strong together, but everyone else was was trivial.

He made a promise to himself, that even if it meant spending the next 2 months in T&I, he would ensure that information regarding Danzo would be wrenched from the disparate agents who remained. He found a vein of hatred attaching itself to Hiruzen. Part of this had been his fault. It was his inaction that had let Danzo do this.

Deep breath. He would exchange words with Hiruzen later. For now, all that mattered was the mission.