Deep beneath Konoha, within the underground chambers of Root, Danzo sat in his chair, listening intently to the sounds of battle raging above.
"Hmph, how interesting," he muttered, a smug smile forming on his lips.
"Before long, it will be Root's time to shine."
For years, he had cultivated the organization in the shadows, molding them into Konoha's hidden blade—perfect assassins, spies, and enforcers of the village's darkest will. But this time, things were different.
Konoha was under siege.
The forces of the Hidden Sand and Sound were locked in a fierce battle with Konoha's shinobi, both sides pushing toward exhaustion. Once they were nearly spent, Root would emerge from the shadows, swiftly eliminating the remaining invaders and claiming victory.
And when that happened, who would be hailed as Konoha's savior?
Danzo!
Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen somehow survived this ordeal, the blame for Konoha's vulnerability would fall squarely on his shoulders. He would have no choice but to step down as Hokage.
Then, with his merits and standing, Danzo would finally take what was rightfully his.
Soon, Konoha would have a Hokage willing to do whatever was necessary for the village's future.
As he basked in his ambitions, a masked Root member suddenly appeared, kneeling before him.
"Lord Danzo, urgent report!"
"Oh? What is it?" Danzo asked, raising an eyebrow. Could it be? Had Hiruzen finally fallen at Orochimaru's hands?
If so, that would make things even easier.
A second masked figure stepped forward.
"Speak," Danzo commanded. "If it's good news, you shall be rewarded."
The Root operative nodded but, before a single word could leave his lips—
Shing!
In an instant, he drew his sword and lunged, aiming straight for Danzo's heart!
The strike was so fast, so precise, that even the surrounding Root operatives failed to react in time.
"You—!"
At the last moment, Danzo's right arm bulged unnaturally, twisting as a gnarled wooden branch shot forth, intercepting the blade.
Shiiik!
The sword impaled the wooden growth, stopping mere inches from Danzo's chest. Taking advantage of the moment, Danzo swiftly leaped back, creating distance.
His eyes locked onto the traitor, expression dark.
"Who are you?" he demanded, while the surrounding Root members moved to shield him.
"Lord Danzo," the masked assailant said, retrieving his sword. "I am your loyal subordinate."
But beneath the mask, Sasuke smirked.
Danzo, that old fox, had reacted quickly. If he had been a split second slower, he would be dead already.
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Hmph, every member of Root bears my curse mark. You should be incapable of raising a hand against me."
It was true—every operative under his command was bound by a powerful sealing jutsu, preventing them from betraying him.
Yet here stood an assassin with the guise of Root, unbound by that restriction.
"Who sent you?" Danzo demanded. "The Sand? Orochimaru?"
He had to know.
"Take him down!" Danzo ordered. "Now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Immediately, the elite of Root, including Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune, sprang into action.
"Mind-Body Switch Technique!" Fu formed a hand seal, sending his consciousness hurtling toward the assassin's mind.
But in a blur of motion, the masked figure vanished.
Thud!
A Root member behind Fu suddenly collapsed to the ground.
"This guy… he's fast!" Danzo observed, eyes narrowing.
Torune wasted no time. Utilizing Body Flicker, he appeared next to the assassin, his outstretched hand coated in a swarm of deadly nano-sized insects.
One touch would mean instant death.
"Got you!"
His fingers reached their target—
But the moment he made contact, a burning red chakra flared around the assassin's body, forming a protective shroud.
Torune's hand recoiled, his lethal insects unable to breach the barrier.
"What…?!"
The assassin's voice was cold.
"Chidori Nagashi!"
Crackle—BOOM!
An eruption of lightning chakra burst outward, shocking every Root member in range. They convulsed violently before collapsing, their bodies smoking from the raw electricity.
Danzo's eyes widened.
"A Tailed Beast's chakra?! Is this… Gaara?"
No, something was off. According to intelligence, Gaara's specialty was sand-based ninjutsu. This attack didn't match his profile.
"Danzo," the assassin said, stepping forward as a dark purple sphere of chakra formed in his hands. "I'll send you to meet the rest of your Root dogs."
Danzo's face twisted in horror.
"A Tailed Beast Bomb?!"
BOOOOM!
The underground base was instantly consumed in a devastating explosion, shaking the entire foundation of Konoha.
Amidst the rubble and swirling smoke, a twisted illusion took hold.
Then—
Danzo stepped forward, unscathed, emerging from the wreckage.
"Tch… damned brat." His expression was no longer calm. Gone was the composed tactician. What remained was a man seething with rage.
The elite forces of Root, painstakingly trained over the years, were annihilated in a single attack.
But what angered him even more—what truly drove him into madness—was that they had been his leverage, his key to seizing power.
And now, they were gone.
"You… you'll pay for this!" Danzo roared, his right eye spinning violently.
Mangekyō Sharingan—Kotoamatsukami!
An undetectable wave of chakra surged toward the assassin, invading his mind.
His movements faltered.
Danzo smirked.
Kotoamatsukami, the most powerful genjutsu, could manipulate an enemy's will without them even realizing it. This assassin would become his pawn, an even greater asset than the Root operatives he had lost.
But then—
Poof!
The assassin vanished in a puff of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?!"
From the darkness, another voice echoed.
"Close call, Danzo. Almost got me."
Danzo turned sharply, his blood running cold.
The real figure emerged, eyes gleaming with crimson light.
Sharingan.
"Who… who are you?"
A chuckle.
"I am the vengeful soul of the Uchiha," the assassin declared. "And I've come for your head."
Danzo's breath hitched. No… it couldn't be.
"Uchiha Itachi?! No, that's impossible!"
Who else possessed such overwhelming strength? Such familiarity with his abilities?
But Sasuke only smirked.
"You really are just a rat in the dark, Danzo."
"You should be grateful," he continued coldly. "Without Sharingan's power, you'd already be dead."
Danzo sneered. "I expected better from you, Itachi. I thought you were a true shinobi. If you've turned against Konoha, then I'll erase you myself!"
He unraveled the bandages on his left arm, revealing multiple Sharingan embedded into his flesh.
"You think you can defeat me? I wield the power of both Senju and Uchiha! I am immortal!"
Sasuke only laughed.
"You're just a fraud," he mocked. "A cheap imitation of real power."
Danzo scowled but refused to back down.
"It doesn't matter. In these ten minutes, no matter what you do, you cannot kill me!"
Brandishing his chakra-infused blade, Danzo charged forward.
Sasuke did the same, his Chidori Blade crackling with power.
Their battle was just beginning.