"Honey," Itachi said, her voice tinged with worry, "Sarada mentioned going to Konoha Square to shop with her classmates. Doesn't that mean...?"
Mita spoke, and Itachi, seated beside her, shifted with growing unease.
"Wait for me at home. I'm going to find Sarada!"
Given the current situation in Konoha, venturing outside was far from safe.
However, around Konoha Square, the Anbu ninjas who rushed to the scene were ambushed and brutally cut down by Root operatives.
The Chunin and Genin watched in horror as even the Jonin and Anbu were effortlessly eliminated by the enemy.
For a moment, they were paralyzed by fear, unable to even twitch.
They could only stand there, too terrified to even breathe deeply.
Observing these Konoha ninjas, both Danzo and the Root operatives couldn't help but sneer in disdain.
Pathetic. Are these even worthy of being called ninjas? Hmph!
This thought fueled the Root operatives' growing contempt for Konoha as a whole.
Konoha, once a formidable power, had fallen so drastically. The village had clearly prospered economically, yet the ninjas' strength had declined so severely.
"So strong! These guys... even the Jonin-senpai couldn't stand a chance!"
"When did they infiltrate Konoha? So many of them, and we had absolutely no warning!"
"Are they Anbu too, with those masks?"
After the establishment of the Allied Shinobi Villages, the Anbu were reorganized into covert operations units, with each village forming its own division.
"No! They shouldn't be!"
While they also wore masks, the designs on their faces were far older, relics of a bygone era.
The new generation of covert operatives all wore white fox or cat masks, nothing like the varied designs of the Root operatives' masks.
"That's... Root..."
Suddenly, Kakashi and the White Fang arrived on the scene.
They surveyed the sight of these ninjas.
Kakashi found them vaguely familiar but hadn't yet placed them when the White Fang spoke up.
Root. He knew them all too well.
"Root!"
"Root operatives?!"
Kakashi was stunned. After Danzo's failed coup, the remaining Root operatives had supposedly been absorbed into the Anbu.
Well, "absorbed" was a loose term. Only a select few were permitted into the Anbu, while the rest were demoted to Genin.
By now, most Root operatives should have been dead.
So why were there so many of them here, each one possessing such unnatural strength?
As Kakashi wrestled with this, the White Fang said, "Perhaps these Root operatives, like myself, were brought directly from their own time to the present!"
Kakashi recoiled in shock.
There were at least twenty Root operatives before them. Could such a large group have crossed over together? And arrived in this world?
"...What's going on? Kakashi-senpai, are these ninjas from our village?"
Caught off guard by the question, Kakashi glanced back at the young shinobi who had spoken.
"In a way... yes, they are."
Then, from the giant screen in the square, Danzo's voice boomed.
"Since fate has brought me from the past to the present... then I shall be the one to awaken Konoha!"
"The Konoha of old was the strongest shinobi village. We never needed alliances with the other Great Nations!"
As Danzo continued his impassioned speech, the power of Kotoamatsukami took effect, subtly brainwashing those who listened.
Not only were they moved by Danzo's fervor, but under Kotoamatsukami's influence, many began to genuinely believe that Konoha would flourish under his leadership.
Their gazes became feverish as they stared at Danzo.
Meanwhile, Naruto, who had just arrived outside the village, was confronted by a group of enemies.
One of them held Himawari hostage, leaving Naruto unable to act rashly.
Though he was 80% confident he could save her...
What about the remaining 20%?
If he failed, it would be another personal loss, but Himawari could die.
"Hokage-sama, I wouldn't move if I were you."
"We know you're strong, but the moment you make a move, all our attacks will be directed at this little girl."
"We don't care if we die, but I assume you don't want anything to happen to her?"
Naruto's expression darkened. "What do you want?"
Unaware of the chaos unfolding within the village, he still assumed these were time-displaced ninjas seeking something, perhaps money.
"You'll find out soon enough, Hokage-sama."
Timing-wise, it felt about right.
Back at Konoha Square, one by one, the civilians began raising their fists and chanting.
"Danzo-sama!"
"Danzo-sama!"
"Konoha should rule the shinobi world! The other villages should bow to us!"
"That's right! We should crush the other villages and make Konoha the only shinobi village!"
The civilians grew increasingly frenzied, and the ninjas weren't much better.
This was the power of Kotoamatsukami. Even shinobi couldn't easily resist it.
Though it was essentially simple hypnosis, Kotoamatsukami's unique properties allowed it to permanently alter minds to some extent.
Of course, Danzo didn't have that level of control, but the brainwashing effect was significantly amplified.
Suddenly, Danzo vanished from the screen, then reappeared.
He felt one of the Sharingan on his arm close.
Using Kotoamatsukami at full power to brainwash the entire village was far more draining than he'd anticipated.
So he had no choice but to use Izanagi to replenish his energy.
The civilians were fanatical, the shinobi were fanatical. Danzo sensed the time was ripe.
"Come!"
"Join me in forging a stronger Konoha!"
"Under my leadership, Konoha will rise to even greater heights!"
"Far surpassing what it is now!"
With his final words, the crowd erupted, chanting Danzo's name in unison.
"Danzo!"
"Danzo!"
"Danzo!"
The deafening roar echoed across Konoha.
Outside the village, Naruto heard the cries.
Danzo? Why were so many people in Konoha shouting his name? What had that man done to incite such madness? What's happening in the village?!
Meanwhile, in the crowd, Sarada watched the spectacle before her.
"Who is this guy? How did he make so many people lose their minds so quickly?"
Even she had to admit his speech was stirring.
"Danzo Shimura, a man who nearly destroyed Konoha."
Suddenly, Itachi appeared, shielding Sarada behind him as he glared at the screen.
"He once launched a coup, trying to seize control of the village."
"But in the end... the Fifth Hokage defeated him."
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