Danzo Didn't Dare Do It, but Root Did!

Outside Konoha, the setting sun slanted across the sky, casting a golden-red glow over the quiet pond and making its surface shimmer.

Uchiha Rei stood quietly by the pond, his gaze passing through the sunset and settling on a utility pole in the distance.

Uchiha Itachi crouched high above like a crow, silent and wary.

Rei didn't act right away.

Uchiha Itachi alive is more valuable than Uchiha Itachi dead, Uchiha Rei thought.

With the situation in disarray, he still needed Itachi as a card to shift the tide. Even so, he had no intention of giving up control over Itachi.

His pupils turned slightly as his Mangekyō Sharingan quietly opened. He raised a hand and drew a lustrous Tomoe from his mental space: the Yasakani no Magatama.

It was one of the Uchiha Clan's legendary Three Sacred Treasures, capable of casting powerful Genjutsu over long distances. The Tomoe floated gently in his palm, trembling faintly as though it were alive.

Uchiha Rei quietly formed Hand Seals, calmly aiming at Uchiha Itachi above.

"Genjutsu Mark."

A faint stream of Genjutsu light emerged from the Yasakani no Magatama and silently struck Uchiha Itachi. At the same time, a Genjutsu Mark quietly appeared on the vest he was wearing.

"As long as he comes within a thousand meters of me, I'll be able to sense where he is." Uchiha Rei smiled faintly. "Like strapping a radar with a time bomb to him."

Only after the mark was complete did he slowly lower his hand. Then, with a calm expression, he walked toward Sasuke by the pond.

Before he had taken more than a few steps, Uchiha Itachi raised an eyebrow atop the utility pole, as if sensing something. His figure flickered, and he vanished in an instant.

Uchiha Itachi knew full well he wasn't a match for Uchiha Rei. If he were discovered and they clashed, he probably wouldn't even have a chance to escape.

But he had also realized that this clansman wasn't a villain like Danzo.

He wouldn't make a move against Sasuke lightly.

Even if he did, Itachi couldn't stop him.

If Uchiha Rei knew what he was thinking, he'd probably grit his teeth in anger. Good people were supposed to have guns pointed at them; good people were supposed to do good deeds.

"Sasuke, let's go back. The village... and everyone else, they're waiting for you."

At the pond, Uzumaki Naruto had finally persuaded Sasuke. The two stood up and brushed the dust off their pants.

Uchiha Rei walked over slowly, his gaze gentle. "Sasuke, Uchiha Yue asked me to bring you home."

Sasuke shook his head slightly. "I... I want to find my brother and convince him to come home."

Uchiha Rei didn't argue. He simply looked up at the empty utility pole and said mildly, "I think once you go home, Uchiha Itachi will come back soon too. Maybe he's looking for you right now."

Sasuke fell silent, then gave a slight nod.

Dusk deepened, and the setting sun stretched the three of their shadows long across the ground. Uchiha Rei took Uzumaki Naruto by one hand and Sasuke by the other, and the three of them slowly walked toward the village in the fading light.

Outside Konoha, the wind blew through the trees, making them rustle.

Sasuke kept his head down, weighed down by his thoughts. Where could his brother be?

Naruto, meanwhile, looked dazed. The day's events felt like a dream to him: someone had taken him for ramen and ice cream, and someone had held his hand so he wouldn't be left behind...

No one's ever spent time with me like this before, he thought. Is this really... not a dream?

At a crossroads on Konoha's streets, Uchiha Rei stopped and looked at Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto, we'll part ways here."

Naruto froze for a moment, a trace of reluctance in his eyes. He slowly let go of Uchiha Rei's hand, hesitated, then glanced at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you have to come to school tomorrow... Everyone misses you."

Hearing that, Sasuke lowered his head and clenched his hands. He wasn't used to expressing his feelings, so he simply bowed his head even lower.

"Sasuke," Uchiha Rei said gently but with a hint of sternness as he reached out and nudged him, "show some Uchiha Clan dignity."

"Mm..." Sasuke nodded. After hesitating for a while, he gave Naruto a small wave.

"Goodbye, Naruto," he said softly, like a breeze.

After saying goodbye, the two continued toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Night had fully fallen. The Uchiha Clan Compound had long since become the heart of Konoha's political struggles.

That afternoon, when Uchiha Rei first brought Uzumaki Naruto there, he had sensed several icy gazes, as if they concealed murderous intent.

Everyone knew what it meant when the Sharingan and a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki came together.

The beginning of another Nine-Tails' Rampage. As the night deepened, the houses on either side of the street gradually disappeared into shadow. Not a soul was in sight.

As they walked along the street and neared the heart of the Uchiha Clan Compound, the once-bustling district grew quiet. An oppressive unease seemed to settle in the air.

They were only two intersections away from the heart of the Uchiha Clan Compound, but Uchiha Rei suddenly stopped.

"Wait." His gaze sharpened and his brow furrowed as a familiar, malevolent chakra rushed toward them.

"They're here."

A few seconds later, a squad of Root ninja dressed in black appeared without a sound.

"Uchiha Sasuke." One of them stepped forward, ignoring Uchiha Rei and addressing Sasuke directly. "Lord Danzo wants to see you. Come with us."

His tone left no room for discussion.

Uchiha Sasuke stood frozen for a moment, then looked up at Uchiha Rei, his eyes full of panic and pleading.

He knew what Root was, of course. He knew who Danzo was.

Even a genius like his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, could only bow his head when facing Root.

Danzo, the leader of Konoha's Root and a power-holder second only to the Third Hokage.

And Uchiha Rei was just an "ordinary" Jonin. What could he do against Root, against Danzo?

"Looks like you really don't take me seriously." Uchiha Rei spoke slowly, the corners of his mouth lifting without a trace of a smile.

The Root Captain's gaze sharpened. "We know who you are, Uchiha Rei."

His voice was low and cold. "You can't disobey Lord Danzo's orders."

"Oh?" Uchiha Rei chuckled, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "I'm following orders too. My mission is to get Uchiha Sasuke home safely. Isn't a ninja's duty to complete their mission?"

The air froze. There was no wind, yet a chill seemed to sweep through the area.

"Get ready." At the Root Captain's command, the Root ninja behind him drew their weapons in unison and formed a battle formation, positioning themselves with precision and blending their auras into one.

They weren't afraid of Uchiha Rei.

According to their intelligence, he was nothing more than a Jonin who hadn't recovered from severe injuries, barely clinging to life thanks to medicine bestowed by the Third Hokage. His strength was now only that of a Konoha Genin.

"Attack." If the other side dared to interfere, they would strike.

But this was a sensitive time. Relations between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan were already on the verge of open conflict. The slightest misstep could trigger an all-out clash. If Root's actions escalated tensions or even sparked a fight now, that was likely not what Danzo wanted either. After all, every move Root made represented Danzo's will, and Danzo's will was Root's creed.

"Uchiha Rei, I'll give you one last chance." The Root Captain's gaze was cold as he said solemnly,

"You have two choices."

"First, hand over Sasuke."

"Second, face Lord Danzo's wrath."

Silence fell for a moment.

"I want neither."

Uchiha Rei's voice was soft.

Yet in the stillness, it seemed to drown out everyone else.

Sasuke stared in surprise, looking up at Uchiha Rei beside him.

At that moment, he felt a sense of security unlike anything he'd ever known, one that... even surpassed the sense of safety his older brother gave him.

Uchiha Rei actually dared to openly defy Danzo and reject Root's orders. He dared to defy the man even Uchiha Itachi had to bow before.

Even his older brother had to bow.

"I didn't expect..."

"After awakening the Mangekyo, I'd be worse off than before."

"Even a puny Root dares to make me choose?"

"Danzo doesn't dare make me choose, but Root does!"

"I've got a hard time making choices. Since you're making me choose... then I'll choose neither."