Evening.
Just like yesterday, Uzumaki Naruto followed a secluded path to the entrance of the artificial hill.
"Hmm!?"
Uzumaki Naruto frowned slightly as he looked at the sealed-off artificial hill.
"Why has the artificial hill been sealed!?"
Uzumaki Naruto felt somewhat irritated.
Fire Release was unlike other ninjutsu. Firelight was highly visible in the night, and the slightest carelessness could alert someone.
It would be one thing if it were anyone else.
But if he were caught red-handed, there would be no way for him to explain himself.
"Since it's a karst cave, there might not be only one entrance..."
Uzumaki Naruto swept his gaze over the surroundings and soon found another hole the size of a palm. He threw a stone inside, but heard no echo for a long time.
"Found it."
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!!!"
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!!!"
"Fire Release: Great Flame Eruption!!!"
"..."
At the same time.
Shimura Danzō, wrapped in bandages, had a livid expression. Enduring the searing pain, he slammed the table and cursed loudly.
"Those evil Uchiha! They actually dared to retaliate against me this way! Do they think I'm made of clay!?"
"Fire Release of that level requires at least an Elite Jonin. Do they really think I know nothing!?"
A Root ninja asked from the side, "Lord Danzo, the Uchiha Clan's ninjas may come again. Shouldn't we take some defensive measures?"
Shimura Danzō sneered and said darkly, "No need. The Uchiha Clan merely wants to give me a show of force."
"How could they possibly dare to come again—"
"BOOM!!!"
Rampaging flames burst through the door once more.
Shimura Danzō's heart-wrenching roar rang out amid the flames.
"Kill that bastard for me!!!"
"..."
"Hmm!?"
"Footsteps!?"
Uzumaki Naruto furrowed his brow, lowered his head, and pressed his ear to the grass, carefully listening to the sounds traveling through the ground.
"One, two, three... damn, a whole group..."
Without another word, Uzumaki Naruto rapidly formed hand seals. His cheeks bulged high as he forcefully spewed out a vast cloud of scorching ash.
"Scorch Release: Ash Pile Burning!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
The superheated ash swept toward the clearing in the distance like an overwhelming fiery sandstorm.
The Root ninjas pursuing him went pale.
"That high-temperature fire from yesterday—we absolutely can't take it head-on. We'll be burned alive."
"This kind of Fire Release... Quick, use Water Release."
"That'll create a huge amount of steam and make it easier for him to escape..."
"There's no time."
The next second.
The scorching ash enveloped the Root ninjas' bodies, and the pain made them scream continuously within the ash.
A cold glint flashed through Uzumaki Naruto's eyes when he heard their screams.
"So it's Root down there. Just as expected, a bunch of rats that can't stand the light."
"They deserve it!"
Uzumaki Naruto sneered. He did not have the slightest favorable impression of Root.
During the Nine-Tails Attack, Konoha's ninjas had all been risking their lives to stop the Nine-Tails' rampage, yet Root's ninjas had been nowhere to be seen.
They had completely used Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina as shields.
Thinking even more darkly about it.
Perhaps Root had leaked Uzumaki Kushina's delivery location back then, all for the sake of getting Minato Namikaze and his wife killed.
Uzumaki Naruto's eyes were cold as he released several more Scorch Release and Fire Release combination techniques in succession.
Then, taking advantage of the firelight and darkness, he quietly left.
The next day.
Hokage Office.
"Bang!"
The office door was shoved open.
Shimura Danzō walked in, his entire body wrapped in bandages, his hair burned black, as though he had crawled out of a pile of coal.
"Danzo!?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was startled.
Looking at Shimura Danzō's new appearance, Sarutobi Hiruzen hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"Why do you look like you fell into a furnace and got roasted?"
Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Shimura Danzō's face darkened further.
He slammed the table fiercely.
Shimura Danzō gritted his teeth and said, "It was all those evil Uchiha! Yesterday, the day before yesterday, every day, every day, every day, some bastard has been releasing Fire Release at Root's air vents."
"They're all B-rank Fire Release techniques, but their temperatures are terrifyingly high. Even Water Release can't extinguish them. Dozens of Root ninjas have already been seriously injured."
"This is definitely retaliation from those Uchiha bastards."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression gradually turned grave. He even stopped smoking and looked at Danzo as he asked in a deep voice.
"Can you confirm it?"
Shimura Danzō sneered. "Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning, Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation—these are Fire Release techniques kept hidden by the Uchiha Clan. How could an outsider possibly know such ninjutsu!?"
"When it comes down to it, aside from the Uchiha Clan, does Konoha have any powerful Fire Release ninja?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression became even more solemn.
Danzo was right. Looking across all of Konoha, the only powerful Fire Release ninjas were from the Uchiha Clan.
Moreover, the techniques Shimura Danzō had mentioned were all secret arts never passed down outside the Uchiha Clan.
Shimura Danzō looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen darkly, a trace of killing intent flashing in his eyes as he said coldly, "Hiruzen, let's move our plan forward."
"We must deal with the Uchiha Clan as soon as possible. We cannot give them a chance to launch a coup."
"They may have already noticed our plan. Perhaps the attacks over the past two days were a warning."
Sarutobi Hiruzen knitted his brows tightly, unable to make sense of it as he frowned. "But... how could the Uchiha Clan know about our plan?"
Wipe out the Uchiha Clan!!!
This was Konoha's highest-level secret.
Only a small number of ninjas knew the details of this plan.
Every one of them was absolutely trustworthy.
Could there have been... a traitor?
Before you continue