reborn as Sakumo Hatake

The silence that followed Tanaka's death was suffocating. The room felt colder, as if the very air had been sucked away by the unnatural events that had just transpired. The once-prisoner's body lay crumpled on the floor, his face frozen in an expression of terror. There was no sign of the power he had wielded moments ago, no clue as to what had caused the violent transformation. Sakumo's mind raced, a thousand thoughts competing for his attention.

"What the hell just happened?" Kakashi's voice was filled with disbelief, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of the unnatural forces that had twisted Tanaka. His Sharingan was still active, but even Kakashi seemed at a loss for what had occurred.

Sakumo stepped forward cautiously, his gaze fixed on Tanaka's body. His hand hovered over the fallen shinobi, his senses trying to detect any remaining chakra, any trace of the power that had been unleashed. But there was nothing. It was as if Tanaka had been a vessel, emptied of all life and energy in an instant.

The ANBU agents, who had been standing at the edges of the room, seemed just as unsettled. The leader of the group, a tall man with dark eyes, stepped forward slowly, his gaze never leaving Tanaka's body.

"What do we do now, Sakumo?" he asked, his voice low, a mixture of uncertainty and concern.

Sakumo clenched his fists, his heart heavy with frustration. "We need answers. Tanaka didn't die like this on his own. Something—someone—caused this. We can't let his death be in vain."

Kakashi nodded. "The truth is out there. We just have to find it."

Before Sakumo could respond, the door to the interrogation room swung open. Danzo entered, his usual cold composure unwavering. His single visible eye glinted with curiosity as he surveyed the scene.

"I see you've had some… complications," Danzo remarked, his tone clinical.

Sakumo shot him a sharp look. "You knew something like this was going to happen, didn't you?"

Danzo's lips curled into a thin smile. "I've seen these things before. It's not unusual for shinobi to be manipulated or coerced into dangerous situations. Tanaka was weak-minded, and he succumbed to whatever force was pulling the strings. You, of all people, should know how easily a person's will can be bent in this world."

Sakumo's eyes narrowed. He knew Danzo had his own agenda, but now was not the time to focus on that. He had a more pressing question on his mind.

"Who's behind this, Danzo?" Sakumo asked, his voice low but filled with an edge of urgency. "Who's been controlling Tanaka and others like him?"

Danzo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he moved closer to Tanaka's body, his gaze lingering on the lifeless figure for a moment before he turned back to Sakumo.

"I'm afraid you already know the answer," Danzo said softly, as if the truth were already evident to everyone in the room. "It's someone who has always been lurking in the shadows. Someone who has been manipulating events for years."

Sakumo's heart skipped a beat. His mind raced back to the earliest days of his time in the village, to the hidden machinations that had always seemed just out of reach. He could sense it now, the feeling of being on the edge of something enormous, something terrifying.

"No," Sakumo whispered, his eyes widening as the realization hit him like a physical blow. "It can't be…"

Danzo's smile grew wider, almost predatory. "It's inevitable, Sakumo. The village is not as pure as you'd like to believe. There are forces within it that have always worked in the dark, pulling the strings, shaping the future according to their vision."

Sakumo's fists clenched at his sides, his mind reeling with the implications of Danzo's words. He had always suspected that something was wrong, that there were people within Konoha who didn't play by the same rules. But to hear Danzo confirm it, to hear the smugness in his voice as if he were fully aware of the depths of corruption—it was enough to make Sakumo's blood boil.

"Who?" Sakumo demanded again. "Who's behind this?"

Danzo paused, then stepped back, as if savoring the moment. "The one who wears the mask, the one who has been manipulating shinobi like Tanaka… He is a product of this hidden darkness. But even he is not the true mastermind. No, the true architect of all this chaos is someone much closer to home."

Sakumo felt a cold shiver run down his spine. His thoughts raced, trying to piece together the puzzle. The masked figures, the manipulation, the puppet master controlling everything—it was all leading to one conclusion.

"It's you," Sakumo said, the words coming out in a near growl. "You've been the one pulling the strings all along. This was your plan, wasn't it?"

Danzo's eye gleamed with a cold, calculating satisfaction. "You always were quick to catch on, Sakumo. But you're too late. The pieces are already in motion. There's no stopping it now."

Sakumo's mind raced as he processed the full weight of Danzo's words. If Danzo was truly behind this, then everything made sense—and nothing at all. The village, the Hidden Leaf, had always been a place of stability. But what if that stability was nothing more than an illusion, built on a foundation of manipulation, deceit, and hidden agendas?

"You'll never get away with this," Sakumo said, his voice filled with determination. "I won't let you."

Danzo's smile didn't falter. "You have no choice, Sakumo. The game has already been set in motion. And now, it's your move."

Before Sakumo could respond, the room was filled with a sudden, powerful surge of chakra—a presence so overwhelming that it left Sakumo gasping for air. His body tensed, his instincts screaming at him to react, to fight. But it was too late.

From the shadows of the room, a figure stepped forward, his face obscured by a mask—one that was both familiar and terrifying. Sakumo's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the figure standing before him.

"The Masked Man," he whispered.

The figure's voice was low, almost a hiss. "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long, Sakumo. But now… it's time for the final act."

The figure's presence seemed to warp the very air around him, and Sakumo felt a wave of dread wash over him. The battle had just begun, but this time, it wasn't just about Tanaka. It was about everything they had worked for—the future of Konoha itself.

And Sakumo realized, with a sinking heart, that this was only the beginning.