Naruto: Threads of Crimson

Kaito moved swiftly through the familiar streets of Konoha, his mind heavy with thoughts as he made his way toward the Foundation's headquarters. The summons had come without warning—an agent appearing at his family's home, whispering that Danzo Shimura required his presence.

For a seasoned shinobi and Uchiha like Kaito, receiving a summons during wartime was nothing unusual. But every time he was called by Danzo, it sent a chill through him. The shady leader of the foundation was someone most Uchiha didn't trust—no, couldn't trust. It wasn't just his clan either; none of the village's prominent families held faith in Danzo.

His reputation for manipulation, power plays, and thinly veiled contempt for the clans of Konoha made him a constant source of suspicion. Yet Kaito knew the delicate balance that held the village together, for the good of the clan and the village, he had no choice but to meet him there.

As Kaito descended deeper, the air grew thicker, almost oppressive. He could feel the weight of the place pressing in on him, but he kept his face expressionless. No sign of weakness.

Kaito soon stood in front of a large metal door, the chill in the air sharper now. With a sigh, he knocked twice. The door swung open soundlessly, revealing a dark, sparse, sterile room. Danzo sat behind a plain desk, his single visible eye watching like a hawk. Maps and scrolls lay scattered on the desk and walls, but it was the tension in the room that truly stood out.

"Kaito," Danzo greeted, his voice low, as always, calculating. His eye seemed to pierce through Kaito, seeking any sign of hesitation. "Thank you for coming."

Kaito nodded respectfully, though he could feel his instincts warning him to remain on guard. "You summoned me, Danzo. What do you need?"

Danzo leaned forward slightly. "I have a mission that requires the unique skills and discipline of the Uchiha clan. Over the years, I've come to recognize that you, Kaito, are a capable leader among your people, so I decided to trust you with this task."

Kaito's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. 'Danzo, of all people, praising an Uchiha? That isn't just unusual, it's unsettling.' He kept his expression neutral, but internally, every alarm bell was ringing. "What's the mission you have in mind?"

Danzo reached into his desk drawer, pulling out a sealed scroll, which he tossed to Kaito. Kaito accepted it, casting a brief glance at the unbroken seal before returning his gaze to Danzo. He was already feeling uneasy. This was no simple request.

"This mission," Danzo began, his tone heavier now, "is of critical importance. We've gathered intelligence that the Land of Water is mobilizing forces. They're preparing to make a move against us. I need you to assemble a team of your best Uchiha, an infiltration squad. Your task is to eliminate key targets within their ranks before they can strike."

Kaito's gut tightened. 'A preemptive strike? From an Uchiha team, no less?' Something felt deeply wrong to him about this situation. 'It's well-known within the village's inner circle that Danzo doesn't trust the Uchiha in any capacity. So why would he want our clan to be involved with a mission like this?'

Danzo's single eye stayed fixed on him, unblinking, waiting. The silence in the room was stifling.

Kaito knew better than to question Danzo outright, not in this moment. The man thrived on confrontation and suspicion, and Kaito had no desire to give him any more reasons to act against the Uchiha.

"Of course, I'll assemble the necessary team and review the details of the mission. How many should I gather?" Kaito asked, playing along for now, his voice steady despite the doubt brewing in his mind.

"Four should suffice," Danzo replied evenly. "This mission is high-risk but also high-reward. Stealth will be paramount, but if it comes to a fight, I need to know that you can handle it."

Kaito nodded slowly, though his suspicions only deepened. Danzo's words were too smooth, too calculated. The man rarely spoke without ulterior motives, so for him to request an all-Uchiha team was as suspicious as anything.

'Why would Danzo trust the Uchiha with such a sensitive mission?' Kaito thought again. 'There is no way the man suddenly developed faith in our abilities and trustworthiness. No, this was part of something bigger, something darker.'

"I'll gather my men," Kaito said, slipping the scroll into his pouch, careful to mask the unease in his tone. "When do we leave?"

Danzo's single eye remained cold and unblinking, his expression unreadable. "As soon as possible. Report back here once your team is assembled."

Kaito bowed slightly in acknowledgment, keeping his face neutral as he turned to leave. The door clicked shut behind him, sealing the darkened room, but the oppressive weight in his chest only grew heavier. Each step through the suffocating corridors of Root felt deliberate, his mind racing with the implications of Danzo's request.

As he exited the underground headquarters and breathed in the fresh air, the gnawing sense of unease refused to fade. 'This feels like a setup,' he thought, his hand brushing against the sealed scroll tucked in his pouch. 'Danzo has never trusted us Uchiha, and he's never been shy about using us as scapegoats.'

Kaito's thoughts turned to his clan. 'The Uchiha had long been wary of Danzo's ambitions and manipulations. If this mission goes wrong, it could spark something much worse than just a failed operation. It could give Danzo the excuse he needs to tighten his grip on us or worse, paint the clan as traitors.'

"I need to gather a team I can trust," Kaito resolved, turning toward the Uchiha compound.

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After Kaito had left, Danzo leaned back in his chair, his visible eye gleaming with satisfaction. Everything was falling into place, just as he had anticipated. The seeds of his plan had been sown, and soon, the pieces would begin to move on their own, carrying out his will.

Standing, Danzo moved toward the back of his chamber. With a calculated press of a hidden panel, a staircase was revealed, descending further into the depths beneath foundation's headquarters. He descended the steps methodically, the echo of his boots bouncing off the cold stone walls. The darkness suited him it was silent, secretive, and unyielding, just like the path he had carved for himself in Konoha.

At the bottom, a group of his agents awaited, standing in formation, their faces obscured by blank masks. Their bodies were rigid, prepared, trained for absolute loyalty and silence. Danzo surveyed them with a sense of grim satisfaction. These were his elite—a special unit chosen for their efficiency and unquestioning obedience. 

"The Uchiha clan," Danzo began, his voice cold and deliberate, "is a threat to Konoha's stability. Their power, particularly that of the Sharingan, is something that must be controlled. And it has always been clear that they do not have the willpower to govern it properly."

He paused, watching as the Root agents absorbed his words without reaction. They did not think; they acted. That was their strength. "Kaito will soon return with a team of his best men, thinking they are embarking on a mission for the good of the village. You will also gather a team and follow them at a distance. You will eliminate them once they are beyond the village's reach."

There was no flinching, no questioning. The agents nodded in unison, awaiting the next part of the order.

Danzo's expression hardened, his mind already on the next step. "This mission will serve two purposes. First, it will weaken the Uchiha clan's influence within Konoha by removing some of their most capable members. And second…" He allowed the thought to linger, his mind drifting to the power that had always fascinated him. "Collect any valuable assets you can from the bodies, especially the Sharingan."

In Root, there was no room for morality or hesitation. His agents were weapons, sharpened to perfection, and they would carry out his orders with ruthless precision. He knew that they would deliver.

"You are dismissed," Danzo said, turning his back to them and ascending the stairs once more, leaving the agents behind to prepare for the mission. He could trust them to carry it out flawlessly. As he reached the top of the staircase, a dark smirk crept onto his face.

Kaito and his team were already walking into a trap, one they would not escape. And when the mission was done, the Uchiha would be diminished in power, perhaps not in an obvious way yet, but this was only the beginning.

In the shadows of Konoha, Danzo's plans continued to unfold, piece by piece. He envisioned a village where the unchecked power of the clans, especially the Uchiha, was no longer a threat. 'For too long, they had been a wild card, their ambitions and emotions a danger to the village's stability. The Uchiha, with their cursed Sharingan, were the greatest liability of all.'

Danzo had always known that the true path to peace required sacrifices, sacrifices that the Hiruzen and his idealistic 'Will of Fire' would never make. Hiruzen's insistence on unity and compassion was a weakness, one that blinded him to the real threats lurking within the village. True stability could only be achieved through control, and that control could not be maintained if power was left in the hands of volatile clans like the Uchiha.

The Leaf's future, in Danzo's mind, was one where such risks were purged. It would be a village led by the strong, the calculated, those who understood the necessity of making difficult decisions in the dark, far from the eyes of the public. The Uchiha's elimination would be part of that future, a future where Konoha could be united under a single, unwavering authority.

'Piece by piece, they will be eradicated. Whether through the quiet machinations of my hand or by their own hand. And when the dust settles, the Leaf will be stronger, more stable, and free from the shadow of the Uchiha.' Danzo thought as he disappeared around a corner.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Kaito made his way back to the Uchiha compound, each step heavy with the weight of the situation. The evening air did little to calm his nerves, and despite the calm of the village around him, his mind raced.

Danzo's summons had confirmed what Kaito and many of the clan's higher members had long suspected, the man was planning something against the Uchiha.

He couldn't ignore the warning signs. The moment Danzo had mentioned using Uchiha for a high-risk infiltration, Kaito had known this mission was more than it seemed. Danzo was a master manipulator, never revealing his true intentions.

The mission was likely a setup, a way to weaken the clan from within or eliminate some of its strongest members. And Kaito feared that if they weren't careful, the consequences could be catastrophic for the Uchiha.

As he approached the gates of the Uchiha compound, Kaito's thoughts turned to the men he would choose for this mission. They needed to be strong, skilled enough to handle the dangers ahead, but they also had to be familiar. He can't bring along someone he couldn't trust.

'But who could I trust with a mission like this?' Kaito thought as the compound gates came into view.

He sighed deeply as he entered the compound, the familiar sight of Uchiha homes greeting him, their lights flickering against the darkening sky. The clan was strong, proud. But beneath the surface, tension had been building for years, tension between the village's leadership, specifically Danzo, and the Uchiha.

As he made his way through the compound, his mind settled on a few names. He would choose the men he trusted the most. Kaito then created shadow clones to gather them for him.

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(A/N: Nothing too big happened in this chapter, just the build-up to this mission. I will say that this mission and another one in the future will end up being the thing that shapes Shiro's mentality for most of his teen years, so it's a pretty big deal. Did Danzo suddenly become a trusting guy or is there something darker under the surface? )