Danzo's Wishful Thinking

"This is a genjutsu. When did you...?" The Root ninja was suddenly startled, but by the time he reacted, his limbs were already embedded into the trunk of a tree, rendering him unable to move.

"Naturally, I cast it the moment I stepped through this courtyard gate. Trash, your disguise was far too clumsy." Before he knew it, Chiya had appeared before the Root ninja, and to the latter's stunned gaze, he delivered a whip kick straight to the man's lower regions.

"Ah!" Amidst a miserable shriek, the Root ninja's manhood was utterly destroyed.

Under the influence of excruciating pain, the genjutsu automatically dissipated. The Root ninja clutched his crotch in agony, blood staining the ground red as his body spasmed and he rolled on the floor, suffering as if he were dying.

He was no longer a man.

Chiya crossed his arms, looking down from above, and asked a question he already knew the answer to: "Speak quickly, who sent you to infiltrate Konoha, and why did you attack me?"

"I am from Dan..." The Root ninja had just intended to say that Danzo had sent him to summon Chiya, but Chiya delivered another kick, causing his voice to instantly transform into a long, sharp, and piercing scream.

Inside the house, Uchiha Izumi heard the continuous screaming from outside and ran out. Seeing Chiya, she felt a sense of relief, but upon seeing the Root ninja writhing on the ground in agony, she couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Chiya, what happened?"

"It's nothing, I just caught a spy from an enemy country. I'm going to hand him over to the Hokage right now." Chiya blocked Uchiha Izumi's line of sight and kicked the Root ninja again; the man twitched a few times before the pain rendered him unable to speak another word.

Uchiha Izumi said "Oh," suspecting nothing, and urged: "Then come back early, dinner will be ready soon."

"Mn. I'll be back in a flash." As he spoke, Chiya picked up the Root ninja like a chick and vanished from the courtyard, heading straight for the Hokage Building.

Before leaving, he left a Shadow Clone in the courtyard as a precaution.

Inside a building not far from the Uchiha compound.

The Anbu ninja responsible for monitoring the Uchiha clan saw Chiya's figure through the surveillance and was shocked: "Captain Kakashi, there's a situation. Chiya seems to have captured a Root ninja."

Kakashi's mouth twitched violently: "You lot keep watching here, I'll go take a look."

"Yes, Captain Kakashi." The Anbu ninjas responded in unison, and suddenly, Kakashi vanished from the building.

Before long, he caught up to Chiya, who had just walked out of the Uchiha compound: "Chiya, what are you doing?"

"Oh, so it's Captain Kakashi. Perfect, I just caught a spy from an enemy country who attacked me, and I was just about to hand him over to the Hokage. Since you're here, it saves me an extra trip." Chiya casually tossed the Root ninja in front of Kakashi, spouting nonsense with a straight face.

Kakashi looked at the Root ninja's blood-stained lower regions, realized he was no longer a complete man, and couldn't help but offer a silent prayer in his heart. He explained: "He isn't a spy; he is a ninja from Root."

"Lord Danzo's subordinate? Really? No way." Chiya feigned surprise, then asked: "But why would he attack me for no reason? And without a word, he went straight for my vitals the moment he arrived. I was almost killed."

Hearing this, the now-castrated Root ninja lamented inwardly, thinking, I was just saying hello, posturing a bit, and giving you a show of force—did you have to go this far?

Kakashi had once served in Root and knew exactly what kind of people were there. Hearing Chiya put it this way, he quickly pieced together the sequence of events.

"You've never had contact with Root, so you might not be aware, but this is just a basic way of greeting in Root. Even when the Anbu meets a new recruit for the first time, they perform similar tests; you were the only exception back then. I imagine it's because Lord Danzo wanted to summon you."

Having said this, Kakashi turned his gaze to the Root ninja and asked: "Is that right?"

The Root ninja nodded weakly; having just been castrated, he lacked the strength to even speak.

"Hiya, you should've said so earlier. I kept asking him, but he wouldn't say a word. Even if Lord Danzo wanted to summon me, he could have at least mentioned it. Look at this. What a tragedy." Chiya shrugged slightly, looking completely innocent.

At this moment, Kakashi didn't know what to say; this was his first time encountering such a situation: "You should know where the Shimura Family Mansion is. Lord Danzo is there; you should go see him first. I'll take him to the Medical Department and will explain things to the Hokage and Lord Danzo later."

"Then many thanks, Senior Kakashi." As soon as Chiya finished speaking, he vanished from Kakashi's sight in a blur.

"He sure runs fast." Kakashi looked at the spot where Chiya had disappeared, sighed helplessly, and picked up the Root ninja to head toward the Medical Department.

Meanwhile.

Shimura Family Mansion.

The sky gradually darkened, thunder rumbled, and thick clouds gathered.

Just like in the original history, Danzo summoned Uchiha Itachi.

Using the Second Pillar as leverage, he issued the mission to slaughter the Uchiha clan, leaving only his younger brother alive.

The result was without question; after a period of painful struggle, having his weakness held against him, Itachi agreed.

"I am pleased that you can make the correct choice for the sake of the village." Danzo nodded with satisfaction. "But besides the Uchiha clan, I need you to kill one more person for the village."

"Who is it?" Uchiha Itachi asked expressionlessly. At this moment, his heart was nearly numb; he only wanted to protect his brother and prevent a civil war.

But when Danzo handed over the target's file, he was moved.

A flash of deep wariness crossed his eyes.

Fujiwara Chiya.

This was one of the very few men whose depth he could not fathom.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" The corners of Danzo's mouth lifted slightly, and his already stiff, aged face cracked into a playful smile. "For you, this person should be the easiest opponent to deal with. After all, your Sharingan is specifically designed to counter his genjutsu."

"You should be aware that Chiya knows the truth about the Uchiha. Once he leaks it, it will be a huge threat to both you and the village."

"No, there is no problem." Uchiha Itachi shook his head.

Although he was wary of Chiya's strength, based on his confidence in the Mangekyo Sharingan, he chose to accept this mission.

"Very well, the operation is set for tomorrow night, the night of the full moon. I will suspend Fujiwara Chiya's mission to monitor the Uchiha, allowing him to spend one last beautiful night with that little girl, Uchiha Izumi. When everything is settled, I hope to see him die as a hero on the path of protecting Konoha."

Danzo's eyes flickered as he added: "All of this is for the sake of the village."