Yakushi Nonō

Yakushi Nonō, once a Wandering Shrine Maiden, had been one of Root's top intelligence agents and one of Konoha's finest medical ninja. If the original plot continued, she should have died at Yakushi Kabuto's hands before long.

After completing Shimura Danzō's mission, Yakushi Nonō chose to leave Root and became the director of a private orphanage.

But Root was not something one could simply leave, especially after Yakushi Nonō gained a weakness.

After she left Root, Shimura Danzō used the orphanage to threaten her. If she refused to continue serving Root, he would stop providing funds to the orphanage and use its children for human experiments.

To protect the orphanage, Yakushi Nonō had no choice but to return to the field and secretly serve Root once more. Today's mission was one such assignment.

After Shimura Danzō obtained Uchiha Shisui's eye, she would transplant it for him as a medical ninja.

"Haah..."

Watching Uchiha Shisui flee in the distance, Yakushi Nonō could not help but sigh. To protect a group of children, she had to hurt another child. It filled her with pain.

Even though Uchiha Shisui was now so powerful that more than a dozen of them might not be able to capture him, he still looked like a child in her eyes.

Too naïve.

He clearly possessed immense strength, yet his naïve way of thinking had always made him a pawn in the hands of the Konoha Higher-ups. Before those eyes were exposed, he had been their pawn against the Uchiha.

After those eyes were exposed, Uchiha Shisui himself had lost his value as a pawn. Those eyes had become their new tool.

As a member of Konoha's Root, Yakushi Nonō had spent years carrying out Root's disgusting missions and witnessing all kinds of human experiments. Not only had Shimura Danzō failed to completely brainwash her, she had instead seen the Konoha Higher-ups' true faces.

The so-called Will of Fire had long since changed. It was nothing more than a despicable method used by these withered branches and fallen leaves to draw nourishment from new leaves.

But she had no choice. She had long lost her former faith and resolve. The orphanage still needed funding, and Kabuto was still in Danzo's hands.

Yakushi Nonō and several nearby Root ninja attacked again, throwing several Kunai and Shuriken at Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Shisui hurriedly used the Body Flicker Technique to evade them. But when he reappeared on the ground nearby, he could not help grabbing a tree beside him, hunching over as he panted heavily.

Having lost one Sharingan, fled all the way here, and repeatedly used the Body Flicker Technique, he was already nearing exhaustion.

"Good chance!"

The leading Root ninja stopped not far from Uchiha Shisui.

"You have no chance left, Uchiha Shisui."

The Root ninja surrounding him each took out Kunai wrapped with Exploding Tags.

"I..."

"Aim for his lower body. Don't damage the eye."

Without giving Uchiha Shisui a chance to speak, the Root ninja hurled their Kunai at him.

"I still have something I must do!"

The image of villagers living in harmony with the Uchiha surfaced before Uchiha Shisui's eyes again. His previously vacant eyes abruptly widened. The three tomoe in his eyes spun, and a single-bladed Shuriken appeared within them.

Boom—

A massive explosion rang through the forest, and thick smoke shrouded everything around them.

The thirteen Root members quickly retreated beyond the smoke's reach, avoiding a sneak attack without visibility.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

A fierce gale suddenly rose, sweeping outward in all directions from the center of the smoke.

The thirteen Root ninja hurriedly raised their hands before their faces, both to avoid being swept away by the wind and to guard against Uchiha Shisui's attack.

Susanoo-Nine!

Countless green Chakra arrows shot out from the yellowish-brown smoke.

"Dodge!"

Many Root ninja were sent flying by the Chakra arrows. Only a few managed to leap aside and avoid the barrage.

"What is that?"

The remaining Root ninja stared blankly at the sight before them.

As the smoke dispersed, a giant entirely green, with a red tomoe at its center, appeared before them.

Anyone unfamiliar with the Mangekyō Sharingan could not possibly understand what they were looking at.

Beneath the green giant, Uchiha Shisui panted heavily. Bloody tears had already streamed from the corners of his eyes. His body swayed before he finally bent over, bracing his hands on his knees. Once his strength gave out, the green giant vanished as well.

"Good chance!"

Seeing Uchiha Shisui's weakened state, the Root ninja who had avoided the attack once again took out Kunai tied with Exploding Tags.

But at that moment—

Rumble—

A deafening roar that seemed to shatter heaven and earth tore through the air, as if it would burst everyone's eardrums. Startled, they all turned to look.

The sun was rising!

No, a huge blazing-white sphere of light, like the sun itself, spread outward from the center of the explosion. Its radiance lit up the sky, as though the sun had risen from the ground, turning night into day in an instant.

Like an invisible beast, the shockwave swept through the surroundings with lightning speed, flattening everything in its path. Trees shattered under the immense pressure, burned, and turned into dust. The ground trembled as dirt and debris were thrown into the air, forming a chaotic cloud of dust.

The explosion's shockwave formed visible ripples in the air. These ripples spread at an astonishing speed, uprooting trees and tearing apart the earth. Under the combined force of the heat wave and shockwave, everything nearby was destroyed in an instant.

Several Root ninja stared dumbly at the scene. Even Uchiha Shisui had forgotten to flee. What kind of ninjutsu could possess such terrifying power?

They all thought of Nine Tails Night again.

Naruto had not used this ninjutsu at full power. Otherwise, they would not be standing here in stunned silence; they would have all become cooked corpses together. He merely wanted to test this ninjutsu's power, and judging by the results, it was quite effective.

As for whether Shimura Danzō would die, he did not know. Still, he rather hoped the man would not die. What if Konoha became stronger because Shimura Danzō died? That coward Sarutobi Hiruzen did not have the nerve to wipe out the Uchiha clan.

But Naruto did not regret it. Danzo's expression just now had been pretty interesting.

I hope Shimura Danzō survives.

"Oh no, that's Lord Danzo's location."

After the explosion, one Root ninja's expression abruptly changed. Ignoring Uchiha Shisui, he hurried toward the center of the blast.

"Quick, save Lord Danzo!"

Almost all the Root ninja immediately left the area, leaving only Yakushi Nonō and Uchiha Shisui behind.

Uchiha Shisui came back to his senses as well. He also wanted to go over and see what had happened. Although Shimura Danzō had indeed ambushed him and stolen his eye, there was no way Danzo would unleash a ninjutsu of that terrifying level within the village. Anyone who used such a ninjutsu in the village could only be Konoha's enemy!

"Aren't you going?" Uchiha Shisui suddenly noticed Yakushi Nonō still standing where she was and could not help feeling puzzled.

Yakushi Nonō's feelings were complicated as well. Though she worked for Root, she might have been the only person in Root hoping Shimura Danzō would die in that explosion.

"My mission target is your eye."

Yakushi Nonō's cold, neutral voice rang out, leaving Uchiha Shisui somewhat stunned.

Seriously?

All of you together couldn't handle me just now, and now you're the only one left. You're still coming at me?

"You can't stop me."

Uchiha Shisui suddenly sighed. Though Root ninja obeyed Shimura Danzō, Root was still part of the Anbu and an important force belonging to the village. If not for that, he truly would not have wanted to attack her.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

A massive fireball flew toward Yakushi Nonō, but to both their surprise, it vanished into thin air midway through its attack.

"What happened?"

The same thought appeared in both their minds.

Then, beneath their feet where neither could see, streaks of black patterns spread and flowed across the ground. Like slithering little snakes, they wrapped around both of them.

Then Uchiha Shisui and Yakushi Nonō vanished at the same time.

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