The Root Organization's New Leader

The eastern sky turned pale. The first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds, illuminating the streets of Konoha, the prosperous ninja village, and dispelling the darkness.

For ordinary people, this was just another ordinary day.

ANBU had already cleaned up the battlefield near the Uchiha Compound and established a security perimeter around its outskirts.

Without orders from the higher-ups, ANBU could not yet clear out the Uchiha Compound. However, ANBU operatives had already infiltrated the area, standing atop wooden houses to survey the scene and establish tight defenses.

On the Uchiha Compound's main street, Itachi carried Sasuke on his back and walked toward the compound's exit, while the ANBU elites simply turned a blind eye to them.

Itachi looked dazed as he tried to make up one excuse after another to fool Sasuke, only to reject every one of them in his heart.

According to his plan, Sasuke should not have fainted ahead of time.

"Stop right there!"

A familiar voice rang out.

Itachi looked up and saw a fox-faced mask, along with two familiar figures.

Two ANBU blocked his path.

Itachi looked past them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other two were walking toward Itachi. Their gazes were indifferent, carrying the imposing air of those in high positions, as though they could not see the corpses of Uchiha civilians scattered across the street.

"Stand down," Sarutobi Hiruzen said coldly to the two ANBU who had stopped Itachi.

Before the fox-masked ANBU left, Itachi reached out to stop him and handed over the sleeping Sasuke. "Kakashi-senpai, please look after Sasuke for me for the time being."

Kakashi froze for a moment, then sighed softly. He took Sasuke and withdrew with Yamato at his side.

Only four people remained on the entire street.

Utatane Koharu got straight to the point. Taking a step forward, she said unhurriedly, "Uchiha Ingetsu exterminated the Uchiha clan and fled Konoha with a group of Uchiha Rogue Ninja. Itachi, you do not need to leave the village."

Itachi's scattered thoughts gradually came together. He raised his head to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen beside the old woman.

He understood their meaning at once.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze was calm as he looked directly into Itachi's questioning eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Itachi. In the end, I still failed to find a better solution.

"As for staying in Konoha, what are your own thoughts?"

To these three Konoha higher-ups, the Uchiha clan could have been exterminated by Itachi, or by Ingetsu.

And now, Sarutobi Hiruzen preferred the version in which it had been done by the defected Uchiha Ingetsu.

The two Hokage Assistants were right.

Konoha was in desperate need of manpower.

Seeing Itachi remain silent, Utatane Koharu spoke bluntly.

"The truth about tonight is known only to the three of us, you, and the dead Danzō."

"Danzō is dead?"

Itachi abruptly raised his head. His black eyes, streaked with bloodshot veins, stared fixedly at Utatane Koharu. The news exploded in his mind.

Shimura Danzō, who had pushed for the Uchiha clan's extermination... was dead. How had he died?

Itachi immediately thought of an implausible answer.

Uchiha Ingetsu killed him!!

Utatane Koharu narrowed her eyes. Her breathing stopped, and her body trembled slightly.

The eyes of the Uchiha boy before her seemed to contain kunai forged from Killing Intent. In that brief instant, they had dealt her a fatal stab.

Utatane Koharu nodded without concealing it. "Uchiha Ingetsu killed him!"

Hearing this, Itachi's pupils contracted and his thoughts fell into chaos once more. He took a deep breath to steady his emotions and reassessed Uchiha Ingetsu's level of danger in his heart.

Itachi raised his head to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen. Word by word, his voice faintly trembling, he said, "Before I made my move, the Uchiha Police Force had already been dealt with by Uchiha Ingetsu."

At those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura were once again shaken to their cores.

In other words, after Uchiha Ingetsu wiped out the Uchiha Police Force within the compound, he had turned back and killed Danzō as well!!

Someone capable of killing the entire Uchiha Police Force.

Plus the Uchiha who assassinated Danzo.

He was absolutely qualified to be classified as an S-Rank Rogue Ninja!!

The last rogue ninja of that caliber in Konoha had been Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin.

"This..." Utatane Koharu's pupils constricted. She swallowed, then swallowed back the words that had reached her lips.

This was simply absurd!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was the first to regain his composure. Counting all the ninja in Konoha Ninja Village, he feared only his three disciples could accomplish such a feat.

Even if Uchiha Ingetsu had awakened the Mangekyo, he could not have committed the crimes in succession.

Wiping out an entire Uchiha Police Force—

His Chakra would surely have been exhausted.

Not to mention assassinating Danzo afterward!

Others might not understand Danzo's strength, but the three of them knew it best. Even if the Legendary Sannin joined forces, they could not instantly kill Danzo.

The scene fell into dead silence.

Itachi broke the stalemate.

"Sorry, Lord Hokage. For Sasuke's sake, I cannot remain in Konoha. I will find a way to deal with that Uchiha rogue ninja squad for the village. Sasuke... I leave him in your care."

Konoha's three higher-ups gathered their thoughts.

Having occupied high positions for many years, the three of them swiftly pulled their minds away from the matter of Ingetsu destroying the Police Force before assassinating Danzo.

What they needed to do now—

Was persuade Itachi to stay!

The Uchiha clan was already gone. Since an Uchiha rogue ninja squad could take the blame, Itachi truly had no need to leave Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not surprised by Itachi's response. He then narrowed his eyes at Utatane Koharu.

The two exchanged a brief look and conveyed everything they needed to say.

Utatane Koharu continued her persuasion.

"Itachi, we understand how you feel. But first, listen to the terms we are offering.

Danzo is dead.

Konoha's underground intelligence division and ANBU training division—the Root Organization—urgently need someone to take over.

There is no one more suitable for this position than you.

As long as you stay in Konoha, you can look after Sasuke yourself and raise him to adulthood.

Itachi, think more about your younger brother.

Of course.

If you insist on leaving the village, we will honor our promise and take good care of Sasuke for you."

Uchiha Itachi swiftly weighed the pros and cons in his heart before slowly raising his head to look at the Third Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed.

"None of us wanted to see this happen to the Uchiha, but the times and circumstances were what they were. Once one entered the game, the situation forced people to make choices they did not wish to make.

What I'm about to say may sound harsh.

But you upheld the Will of Fire and made an outstanding contribution to Konoha's peace. You are Konoha's hero.

You should not live in the darkness.

Itachi, stay. In the name of the Hokage, I implore you."

Two days into their escape.

Land of Fire Border.

Mount Kikyo.

Like a silver ribbon, a stream wound through the bleak autumn valley, flowing quietly outward.

Splash—

Ingetsu stood upstream, bent down, and scooped up a pool of living water in both hands to wash the blood from his face. His feet stood in the crystal-clear riverbed, with water rising past his ankles.

The late-autumn stream water was piercingly cold.

Beneath the sunlight, the water reflected Ingetsu's appearance: tousled short hair, sharp brows and bright eyes, clearly defined features, white robes, and an elegant bearing.

The other Uchiha were also near the stream, washing the grime from their bodies.

They had long since changed into ordinary clothes.

Now, they looked like a group of native villagers living in the nearby mountain villages—just exceptionally good-looking ones.

At that moment, Uchiha Izumi furrowed her delicate brows, carrying her ninja shoes in her right hand as she walked over through the water from downstream.

Representing the other Uchiha, she came before Ingetsu, who had not spoken to them for two days, and asked softly:

"Captain In... Ingetsu, should we take the water route and go around Mount Kikyo next, or enter Mount Kikyo and pass through Kikyo City? I... I personally think that although the water route is a bit farther, it can erase our tracks."

PS: Two chapters tomorrow. They'll be great!