The Naive and Weak Root

"Lord Danzo, should we take this opportunity to... kill Uchiha Rekka?"

After Uchiha Rekka was taken away, the two Root ninja knelt on one knee, their voices cautious.

Danzo merely shook his head slightly, his voice low.

"No need. Seal off the Uchiha Clan according to plan. As for Rekka... leave him to Uchiha Itachi."

He paused.

"Itachi is my sharpest blade."

The two ninja nodded silently, but before they could rise, their bodies suddenly toppled to the ground like a stack of tiles, collapsing without a sound. Their eyes were unfocused, their breathing gone.

The air froze in an instant.

"Hm?" Danzo raised an eyebrow, his eyes sharp as blades as he abruptly looked toward the darkness.

"Uchiha Itachi." He slowly uttered the name, his displeasure unmistakable. "You've been keeping well out of sight these past few days. Finally decided to show yourself?"

Footsteps sounded slowly from deep within the darkness.

"Itachi" emerged from the shadows, wearing the standard Anbu vest. His face was cold, and his scarlet Sharingan turned slowly, its Three-Tomoe clearly visible.

"I just went to think some things over," he said calmly, though his steps were resolute. "Then I figured out how to change Konoha."

Danzo sneered. "You figured it out? You're nothing but an Uchiha. You think you can talk about changing Konoha?"

"Itachi" looked at him, his expression unchanged. "You told me to massacre my clan for the sake of the village, but I found a better way."

"What I gave you was the best way!" Danzo's voice rose sharply. "Don't forget who saved your life, and who kept your younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, safe!"

He advanced step by step, his tone icy. "You have only two choices—

"First, deal with the Uchiha Clan yourself and spare your brother's life;

"Second, let Sasuke live forever in darkness, becoming a traitor to Konoha."

"Itachi" was silent for a moment, then suddenly gave a quiet laugh.

"I don't want either of those choices." "Itachi's" voice was soft, yet sharp as a steel needle.

"What did you say?" Danzo narrowed his eyes, killing intent stirring in his presence.

"If you're willing to die for Konoha, all conflict can end, can't it?" "Itachi" spoke softly, his tone colder than usual.

"Easy for you to say." He paused, a mocking smile appearing on his face. "The so-called 'Will of Fire' you speak of is nothing but an excuse to eliminate those who oppose you."

Danzo's eyes narrowed. "Are you questioning me?"

"I'm not questioning you," "Itachi" said, shaking his head. "I'm telling you that you have no right to utter the words 'Will of Fire.'"

The air grew heavy as iron, as if even their breath carried the stench of blood.

"The Will of Fire isn't a fairy tale. It's the iron law of the Ninja World." Danzo's voice was low. "A ninja should give up everything for the village, including himself."

"Itachi" fixed his blazing gaze on him. "Then why are we always the ones who have to give things up? Why do those in high positions never sacrifice themselves?"

He advanced step by step. "When you get down to it, you're just a selfish politician who treats sacrifice and loyalty as tools, yet never dares to face his own corruption."

"Enough!" Danzo could no longer hold back. He sprang to his feet and shouted furiously, "Who do you think you are? Even your ancestor, Uchiha Madara, failed to change anything and died alone!"

"Itachi's" voice was low and cold. "You're wrong. As far as I know, many people once chose Madara and the path to peace he pursued. You just don't dare admit it."

"The Will of Fire you speak of is nothing but violence dressed up as sacrifice and wealth stolen in the name of loyalty. You use the Uchiha's eyes to prop up your rotten beliefs."

He slowly raised a finger and pointed at Danzo. "Your Root has rotted."

"Even the Second Hokage trusted Kagami Uchiha. He was an Uchiha who died for Konoha. And you—though you're alive, you live only for power."

"You want to sacrifice others? Then start with yourself. I want you dead, buried beneath this rotten ideology. Then I'll offer my loyalty to the Konoha that truly deserves it."

"From this day on, the Uchiha Clan has only one enemy: you."

Danzo's face flushed red, his fury erupting like a volcano. He roared, "You're asking for death!"

He abruptly formed Hand Seals, his hands blurring—

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"

A furious gale burst from his mouth like a roaring beast. One wind bullet after another shot through the air with a shrill whistle, tearing toward "Itachi."

"Itachi" didn't retreat. He stepped forward, moving like a streak of shadow.

In the blink of an eye, he was right beside Danzo, his Sharingan gleaming red.

"How are you—so fast?!" Danzo's heart shuddered, and his reaction lagged by half a beat.

Smack!

The crisp sound echoed through the silent space.

"Itachi" slapped Danzo hard across the face, sending him stumbling backward.

"You're too ugly," "Itachi" sneered. "Now you look much better."

"You're dead!" Danzo formed Hand Seals again in a fury. "Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

"Die, Uchiha wretch," Danzo said in a low, venomous voice, his eyes boiling with killing intent.

But—

"Smack."

The Wind Blades passed through his body, but only cut through a shadow.

"An Illusionary Shadow?" Danzo's pupils contracted.

In that instant, Uchiha Itachi's figure blurred and vanished like rippling water, never having been real. The next moment, a chill suddenly closed in beside Danzo.

"Too slow."

The voice was low and cold, devoid of warmth. "Itachi" had appeared behind Danzo without warning. His palm shot out like lightning, striking the other side of Danzo's face.

"Thud!"

Danzo flew backward like a rag doll and slammed into the rock wall behind him with a resounding crash. He spat blood; one side of his face was caved in, and his face had turned deathly pale.

"How is this possible... That speed..." Danzo struggled to push himself up, his eyes filled with shock.

"That can't be Taijutsu! No one can move that fast with Taijutsu!" Danzo roared.

He abruptly swung his right hand. Chakra surged, and he quickly sent out a signal.

Four shadows rushed out from the darkness of Root. They were elite Root ninja.

Without a sound, they formed a square around Uchiha Itachi, trapping him in the center.

"You think I have no experience dealing with the Mangekyō?"

Danzo's voice was cold, his gaze as vicious as a snake. "Inside Root, your Mangekyō has long since been rendered useless!"

He shouted:

"Sealing Technique: Four Pillars Sealing Formation!"

The four Root ninja formed Hand Seals simultaneously.

Four beams of light surged up, trapping "Itachi" inside a chakra-sealing space. It was a restraining barrier powerful enough to disrupt perception and weaken Genjutsu.

At the same time, the four Root ninja attacked together. Ninja swords, Kunai, and venomous insects flew through the air as they coordinated flawlessly, striking at "Itachi" all at once.

"Itachi" remained cold and expressionless, his voice calm. "Let me show you the true power of the Uchiha."

His fingers flew through the Hand Seals at incredible speed.

In just one second, the four ninja froze. Their eyes suddenly went vacant, as if their souls had been ripped away and plunged into endless darkness.

Their bodies went limp and crumpled to the ground, their consciousness trapped in an illusion.

"You..." Danzo was enraged, chakra erupting from his body once more.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Ball!"

Danzo roared. A massive ball of air hurtled toward "Itachi" with the force of a rocket.

"Itachi" shifted slightly, and the wind bullet grazed past him—

"Boom!"

The wind bullet pierced the four Root ninja, still trapped in the Genjutsu, and blew them apart on the spot, spraying flesh and blood everywhere.

"You actually... killed your own men!" "Itachi" said coldly.

"They died for the Will of Fire!" Danzo roared through gritted teeth.

"Is that so? Did the Root ninja die for you, or for your filthy lust for power?" "Itachi's" gaze grew colder. "I'm sick of hearing your 'Konoha above all' rhetoric."

"Now, I'll show you the Uchiha's true flames."

His eyes slowly turned, the Mangekyō Sharingan glowing red. In the next instant, countless black flames ignited in his pupils, becoming inextinguishable fire that completely engulfed Danzo.

The flames needed no air and were unaffected by the wind. They seemed to have a will of their own, clinging tightly to Danzo's body.

"Argh—damn it!" Danzo roared. A Sharingan on his right arm abruptly closed.

"Izanagi!"

His figure twisted in an instant. The moment of his death was rewritten, and he returned to reality.

"I have no choice but to use my trump card..." Danzo panted, raising his right eye. The Mangekyō Sharingan in its socket spun wildly.

"Kotoamatsukami!"

A silent Genjutsu surged forth and entered "Uchiha Itachi's" mind in an instant, enveloping him in a flash of golden light.

"Uchiha Itachi" abruptly stopped moving. His gaze was empty, as though Kotoamatsukami had taken control of him.

"Did it... work?" Danzo approached, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

But—

"You think... I'd let you see my real body?"

"Uchiha Itachi" slowly smiled, then abruptly turned his head a full 180 degrees, the movement utterly bizarre.

"Roar..."

His body exploded on the spot. Chakra burst apart, flames flew everywhere, and Danzo dodged with all his might, but the blast of fire still knocked him to the ground.

He struggled to his feet, only to find that the world had quietly changed.

The battlefield was unfamiliar yet familiar, filled with flashing blades, blood, and deafening cries of battle.

"This is..."

"Shimura Danzo." An old voice sounded behind him.

He turned around and saw a ninja in armor, silver hair falling straight, standing behind him with a ninja sword in hand.

"Teacher... Senju Tobirama?" Danzo's mind reeled.

Tobirama's face was full of sorrow.

"I once thought you were my most loyal student... Sadly, I was wrong."

"You have no Will of Fire. You're nothing but a selfish man hungry for power."

Before the words had even faded, the blade fell, slashing toward Danzo's neck.

"No!" Danzo cried out. He abruptly came to his senses, only to find himself still where he had been.

"Again..."

The next moment, Senju Tobirama drew his sword again and approached him.

The scene repeated, again and again.

Every slash was a rejection of him.

"I'm the one who truly has the Will of Fire!" he roared, trying to break free, but he couldn't move.

In reality, Shimura Danzo knelt on both knees, his eyes vacant and his body trembling. The Root really was naive and weak!