The Assassination

Dan was already dead.

When Itachi heard the news from Danzo, his whole body trembled and his mind reeled. Then he raised his head, fixing his blood-red Sharingan on Danzo.

Danzo didn't avoid Itachi's gaze. He met it and said indifferently,

"Dan brought about his own destruction. No one could have saved him. He must have regretted it deeply before he died, but unfortunately, he can only repent in the Pure Land World now."

Itachi lowered his head again.

Was his uncle really dead?

No. That was just Danzo's side of the story. That man... wasn't so easy to kill.

From what Itachi knew of Dan, everyone who underestimated his uncle had paid dearly in the end.

Wasn't the Masked Man the perfect example?

At the thought, Itachi suddenly felt much more at ease.

Danzo had no idea what Itachi was thinking. His expression hardened as he scolded the boy kneeling before him:

"Itachi, don't forget your original purpose. You said you wanted to become strong enough to dispel the chaos within you, so I allowed you to join the Anbu. Dan is someone who will plunge you back into chaos. So whether he's dead or alive, you must stay away from him."

In Danzo's view,

once Uchiha Dan was dealt with, it was only a matter of time before Itachi returned to his control.

"I understand, Lord Danzo."

Itachi slowly rose to his feet and said calmly, "But once this is over, please at least give me my uncle's body so I can take him back to the clan for burial."

"Very well. I agree. The people I sent out should be returning any moment now."

Danzo gave a slight nod, agreeing to Itachi's request.

He had intended for Itachi to see Uchiha Dan's corpse with his own eyes. Only then would Itachi give up hope.

And so,

the old man and the boy said nothing more. They waited in silence at the Root Base.

Meanwhile,

in a remote forest outside Konoha.

After leaving the village, Dan had somehow wandered into this secluded place, whether by design or without thinking.

If anyone wanted to harm him, this was the perfect moment to strike.

Sure enough.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

A torrent of Kunai and Shuriken came flying at Dan from behind and from the side, raining down on him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several Kunai struck Dan's towering body in succession. The Explosive Tags tied to them detonated, swallowing him in flames and smoke.

"Did we get him?"

"Don't let your guard down. It can't be that simple."

"Uchiha Dan may have noticed us following him. Watch out for a trap."

At the sound of several voices, four Root Ninjas emerged from the woods. They cautiously approached Dan, taking no chances.

A gust of wind swept through, dispersing the smoke.

Dan stood right where he had been, not only still on his feet but seemingly unharmed.

The four Root Ninjas were astonished.

They had read the reports and knew Dan's body was incredibly tough, but seeing him emerge unscathed from an attack of that magnitude still exceeded their expectations.

Dan looked over the Root Ninjas before him, who varied in height and build, and frowned in displeasure.

"Why are there only this many?"

What did he mean?

The four of them froze. They were here to kill him, and he was complaining there weren't enough of them? Was he worried he wouldn't die, or did he think they weren't worth his time?

They couldn't be bothered to argue with Dan. Without a word, they spread out, forming a full encirclement around him.

"Never mind. They're Root, after all. They should be worth a lot more than ordinary ninjas."

Muttering to himself, Dan removed his Bamboo Hat and cloak and hung them on a nearby branch. He didn't want to damage them in the fight.

Just as Samui had surmised,

Dan had made a living over the years by leaving the village every so often to work as a bounty hunter. He hunted down wanted rogue ninjas and collected their bounties from the Bounty Exchange.

At the same time, he gained some combat experience.

As far as battle experience went,

Dan certainly couldn't compare to elite ninjas who regularly undertook dangerous missions and fought on the battlefield. But at least he wasn't a complete idiot who couldn't fight.

His extraordinary defensive strength also gave him plenty of leeway for mistakes, so he wouldn't end up getting killed by a single Kunai.

He was just about to run out of money.

Since these Root Ninjas had delivered themselves to him, Dan decided to play along, lure them here, and take them out.

Just then,

"Attack!" one of the Root Ninjas shouted, and all four attacked Dan at once.

But Dan struck faster than they did.

Whoosh.

His gaze flashed. His eyes met those of an enemy to his front left, and his black eyes abruptly turned into a blood-red Three-Tomoe pattern.

The man had just finished forming Hand Seals. He raised both hands to form a "frame" and fixed his gaze on Dan, preparing to cast the Genjutsu: Mind Disturbance Body Technique.

He hadn't expected Dan to get the first move.

In an instant,

the man's consciousness was dragged into the hell of the Sharingan Genjutsu. One by one, enormous, rusted iron stakes pinned his body in place, making him writhe in agony.

Demonic Illusion: Hanging Neck Technique.

This was a binding Genjutsu that required no Hand Seals and could be activated simply by meeting the enemy's gaze. It was one of the most powerful Sharingan Genjutsu.

With a thud,

the Root Ninja from the Yamanaka Clan collapsed limply to the ground.

One down.

This was the first time in Dan's twenty-four years that he had revealed his Sharingan in front of others, and he had opened with a lethal Genjutsu.

However,

the remaining Root Ninjas remained expressionless. They weren't frightened at all.

Everyone knew you should never fight a Uchiha one-on-one.

But they had four people against one. If one of them could hold Uchiha Dan up for a second or two at the cost of losing a teammate, that would give the others a chance to win.

This was the battle plan Root had prepared long ago.

Whoosh.

As Dan dealt with the first enemy using Genjutsu, two Root Ninjas charged him from the left and right.

The one on the left was a massive man, 1.9 meters tall, broad as a mountain of flesh and in the same weight class as Dan.

He roared as his entire arm rapidly swelled and grew. His fist became as large as a water barrel and came crashing down toward Dan.

This was the Akimichi Clan's Expansion Jutsu.

By contrast,

the enemy on the right was much smaller, and his attacks were far more subtle.

Rather than rely on strength, he moved nimbly and lightly struck at Dan with his palm from an odd angle.

This was the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.

Hard and soft struck together,

instantly creating a dangerous situation.

Dan didn't so much as change expression. He ignored the Root Ninja from the Hyuga Clan and drove off the ground, channeling the force of his waist through his entire body as he punched toward the Root Ninja from the Akimichi Clan.

Boom.

Their fists collided.

The Root Ninja from the Akimichi Clan, who seemed to possess boundless strength, was actually forced back more than a dozen steps by Dan. He finally stopped after crashing into a tree, his mask knocked off and his face full of shock.

The Akimichi Clan's Expansion Jutsu was a Yang Release technique that consumed a great deal of the user's body heat in exchange for multiplying their strength several times over.

Even so, he still couldn't match Uchiha Dan in a direct clash of strength.

This man was a monster of pure muscle.

But

when the Root Ninja from the Akimichi Clan was knocked back by Dan, the attacker from the Hyuga Clan seized his chance.

Thump, thump, thump.

Taking advantage of Dan's complete lack of defense, he used his Byakugan to see through the weaknesses in Dan's body with ease. Then he pressed his fingers together and struck repeatedly with his palm.

Every strike landed on one of Dan's chakra points.