It Was You!

Root is always a place hidden from the sun, shrouded in eternal darkness.

The pitch-black corridors, the cramped rooms, and the faint, indistinct sounds of screaming echoing from somewhere unknown... it made it impossible to tell whether this place was reality or a ghost realm.

Danzo sat cross-legged on the faded tatami, his hunched back like a rusted blade.

A single lamp on the table flickered like a bean, casting dim light across him and pinning his shadow to the wall, where it clawed and gestured.

Half of his face was veiled in shadow, making his emotions impossible to discern. His single eye was half-closed, glowing with a murky light in the darkness, much like a crocodile lurking in a swamp.

A ninja stood at the edge of the lamplight like a withered tree, devoid of any aura of the living. Only the occasional rustling from the insect jar on his back betrayed his status as a living being.

Even in such dim surroundings, he still wore dark goggles, half his face covered by a mask. He wore the standard Root attire, with only the unique insect jar on his back revealing his origins in the Aburame clan.

"Are you certain it wasn't someone from our Root?" Danzo asked in a slow, drawn-out tone.

"Yes, Lord Danzo." Aburame Torune kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, his voice devoid of inflection, as cold as any other member of Root. "I have accounted for all Root members and confirmed their locations at the time of the incident. None of them could have committed the act."

"Furthermore, Root is absolutely loyal to Lord Danzo. We do not have independent thoughts of our own. Without Lord Danzo's orders, it is impossible for anyone to attack the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Is that so!" Danzo sighed as if chanting, lifting his head. A fierce light glinted in his single eye. "In other words, I have been framed by the enemy this time!"

"This is truly a rare occurrence!"

His withered, branch-like fingers tapped against his knees. There was not a hint of frustration or anger in his voice; instead, there was a touch of excitement.

"As expected, the enemy has finally realized that to destroy Konoha, they must first eliminate me and Root!"

"It is only hateful that Hiruzen is old and muddled, failing to see as clearly as the enemy!"

"Sigh!" Danzo let out a breath, saying with feigned heartbreak, "Since the Hokage-sama is incompetent, we in Root must simply put in more effort!"

"Nara Shikaku is a smart man; he will only pursue the matter of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and won't ask about anything else, but it is still inconvenient to let him know too many of Root's secrets."

"You go handle him. Take Yamanaka Fu and lead a team to track down the whereabouts of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

After a moment of hesitation, he added:

"Once you have identified the enemy, report the intelligence to our incompetent Hokage-sama immediately. Then, before the people sent by the Hokage-sama can arrive, bring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki back."

"Understood!" Aburame Torune bowed and vanished with a Body Flicker, leaving Shimura Danzō alone, stroking the eye beneath his bandages with high spirits.

Ah, everything is finally starting to look up!

The evil Uchiha have finally been purged, and that old fool, the Monkey, has finally committed a mistake that cannot be covered up.

Next, all I need to do is turn the tide, capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, reveal the truth to the public, and fan the flames to stir up the emotions of the victims' families. Even if the Monkey wants to continue clinging to the position of Hokage, it will be impossible!

Heh heh...

Hokage... it's finally my turn!

Danzo laughed with immense satisfaction, as if he could already hear the rustling of the Hokage cloak.

That dry, raspy laughter echoed through the room, but it was quickly swallowed by the corridors of Root, unable to spread any further. It was just like all the ambitions he had devoured over the years—ultimately buried deep within this sunless underground.

On the other side, Uchiha An was sprinting through the forest while carrying Naruto. Watching the clusters of trees flash past his sides, his heart remained as still as stagnant water, without a single ripple.

Only the bloodstains on his sleeves indicated that his journey had been anything but peaceful.

The Land of Fire was the strongest major power of the current era, and Konohagakure was the strongest hidden village. Even within the country, security remained tight; patrol squads were everywhere to prevent enemy surprise attacks from reaching their doorstep.

Although Uchiha An knew the village's defensive forces like the back of his hand and could easily bypass them, he was well aware that his window of time was only a few hours. Once Konohagakure discovered that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had gone missing, they would inevitably pursue him.

Therefore, to save time, he traveled in a straight line, not taking a single detour.

The result was that he inevitably ran head-on into Konohagakure patrol squads.

Along the way, he had already killed several waves of patrols.

Although the patrols were led by, at most, a Chūnin and were no match for him, they didn't fight head-on. Instead, they used various traps and poisons to stall for time, employing a dizzying array of ninjutsu that delayed him, if only slightly.

Furthermore, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had an overly powerful recovery ability; he would wake up suddenly from time to time, making a ruckus and acting recklessly, causing him nothing but trouble.

If the time weren't premature, he would have wanted to hack this brat to pieces!

He had to kill the patrols to silence them while simultaneously suppressing the brat, all while being careful not to strike too hard and accidentally kill the Jinchuriki, which would release the Nine-Tails.

With so many factors pulling at his attention, his travel speed was inevitably affected.

As he ran, Uchiha An's ears twitched slightly. A faint rustling sound came from the woods on his left, and the weight in his palm suddenly shifted—the Jinchuriki had begun to struggle restlessly again.

"Ah, seriously, what a troublesome brat..."

Uchiha An stopped abruptly, his knuckles tapping precisely onto the back of Naruto's neck to prevent him from waking up suddenly and causing chaos while he was in the middle of a fight.

Too light and he would wake up; too heavy and he would release the monster—this balance was more dangerous than walking a tightrope.

Then, carrying Naruto in his left hand, he formed hand seals with his right, his speed so fast it left afterimages. The firelight surging in his throat illuminated the killing intent in his eyes.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, the heat distorting the air as it flew rapidly toward the forest on the left.

With a thunderous boom, trees shattered and collapsed, and raging flames soared into the sky. However, six black figures vaulted out from the exploding canopy, lining up in front of the forest, completely unscathed.

Upon seeing the familiar attire on these six individuals, An knew that his window for a safe escape had finally vanished.

"Ah, the pursuers have finally caught up!"

"It looks like Konohagakure is as quick to react as ever!"

An curled his lip, his gaze sweeping over the group. From their demeanor, he instantly identified who they were.

"What is this? It's not the Anbu who came, but the Root?"

"As expected, Shimura Danzo really is Sarutobi Hiruzen's true love, isn't he?"

"Even after his own grandson was killed, he still trusts him this much?"

"Can Sarutobi Hiruzen really let Danzo take charge of something like hunting down the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"Or did Shimura Danzo suppress the news again and send his own men to carry out the mission in secret?"

Faced with An's attempt to fish for information, the five men ignored him completely.

Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Ryoma exchanged a glance, then tacitly spread out into formation, closing in on An while shouting:

"You are not Hatake Kakashi. Who exactly are you? Which village are you from?"

"By doing this, are you trying to declare war on Konohagakure?"

"Heh..." An let out a strange laugh and formed a hand seal. With a poof, he transformed his appearance once again.

The Konohagakure headband, the Uchiha Gunbai, the blood-red eyes, and that familiar face made Yamanaka Fu stop in his tracks, shouting in shock:

"It's actually you!"

"Uchiha Itachi!"