Orochimaru!!

Just as Danzo let out a sinister laugh, preparing to order the slaughter.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Dozens of Flying Thunder God kunai shot through the air, easily severing the Wood Release branches that were suppressing Kakashi and the others.

"Danzo!"

Minato Namikaze's voice was not loud, yet it exploded within the base like a thunderclap.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had appeared at some point, standing on the rafters high above their heads.

Behind him followed a dense throng of Anbu members.

"Am I late?"

Kakashi looked at Minato Namikaze, who had appeared before him in a flash.

"No, you're just in time, Lord Hokage."

Minato Namikaze's gaze swept over the few Wood Release users, finally fixing on Danzo's grim, sinister face.

"It seems that I, as Hokage, have been too merciful."

Danzo looked at the Anbu ninjas behind Minato, "Minato Namikaze..."

"What do you think you're doing, breaking into my Root base in the middle of the night? And you, Kakashi, as an Anbu captain, you have trespassed into a restricted Root zone. What is your defense?"

"No."

Minato raised his head, his azure eyes devoid of any warmth.

"Kakashi and the others were acting under my orders to investigate your Root."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze burning like a torch.

"As for me, I am the Fourth Hokage of the village. My actions require no explanation to you."

Looking at the various pieces of incriminating evidence collected in Kakashi's hands, Minato said in a deep voice, "Effective immediately, Danzo is relieved of all duties and shall be taken into custody for investigation by the Anbu!"

He then raised his hand, pointing it directly at Danzo.

"Anbu, take your positions."

"Yes!"

Countless figures leaped from the shadows, and a dense swarm of Anbu ninjas surrounded the entire hall, leaving no room for escape.

"I only want Danzo. Any other Root members who dare to resist will be treated as traitors to the village."

Seeing this, Danzo's expression finally changed.

He had not expected Minato to be so resolute this time, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.

"Hmph!"

Danzo's eyes shifted, and his left hand rapidly formed an extremely subtle gesture. It was a unique tactical hand sign of the Root, signaling them to leave the village immediately.

Yamato and the other Root members received the order. Though they were unwilling, their obedience was absolute.

They instantly transformed into streaks of black shadow, retreating like ghosts toward the rear, preparing to use the complex underground tunnels to escape.

In the blink of an eye, the empty hall was left with only Danzo, standing there all alone.

On the outskirts of the village, the night was thick.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi and his companion, having just finished settling the affairs of the Iburi Clan, were preparing to return.

Suddenly, they saw dozens of black shadows on the rooftops, fleeing rapidly toward the village perimeter.

"Something's wrong!"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi's heart tightened, guessing that some incident must have occurred within the village. He just didn't know if it was related to their mission today.

He instinctively shielded Yukimi, who was by his side.

Just then, a figure stumbled and fell from the high rooftop, crashing heavily onto the ground in front of them.

It was a ninja wearing a Root uniform.

His aura was faint, and the wound on his abdomen, pierced by an unknown ninjutsu, was still constantly oozing blood.

"Watch out!"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi instantly activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, locking his gaze firmly onto the fallen Yamato.

The fallen Yamato's breathing was chaotic, and he coughed violently twice; it was clear that he had sustained quite a few injuries from fighting Kakashi and the other members of Anbu Team 6 alone earlier.

Yamato had just tried to struggle to his feet, but the wound on his abdomen, pierced by the Chidori, left him unable to move, forcing him to stare back at Uchiha Yatsuhashi with equal vigilance.

Just as the two were locked in a standoff, Yukimi poked her head out from behind Uchiha Yatsuhashi.

"Brother Yatsuhashi," she said, looking at Yamato's pale complexion, unable to help herself, "he looks like he's not going to make it..."

Uchiha Yatsuhashi's brows were tightly locked, and he did not relax his vigilance.

"Don't go over there."

Uchiha Yatsuhashi warned in a low voice, but Yamato's breathing was indeed growing weaker and weaker.

In the split second that Uchiha Yatsuhashi hesitated, Yukimi's figure flickered; she actually turned into mist and dove directly into Yamato's body.

"Yukimi!" Uchiha Yatsuhashi was startled.

Unlike Tenzō, Yukimi had not been implanted with Hashirama Cells.

However, while stabilizing her body in the laboratory, she had learned quite a bit of medical knowledge through osmosis, even though she was not a professional medical ninja.

Yet, combined with the unique mist-transformation ability of the Iburi Clan, she was effective.

At this moment, bursts of green light were emerging from Yamato's body, and the horrific wound on his abdomen was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Shortly after, Yukimi's mist-formed body re-condensed in front of Yamato.

Yamato let out a muffled groan; he looked at the strange girl before him, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes, followed by his face flushing red as he took a step back.

"Oi, I am a member of the Hokage direct-controlled Anbu Team 6. You are from Root, right?"

Uchiha Yatsuhashi stepped forward, the pressure exerted by his Three-Tomoe Sharingan making Yamato afraid to make any rash moves.

"I am Yukimi."

Yukimi, standing to the side, also answered timidly.

Yamato could clearly feel the pure goodwill radiating from Yukimi.

He glanced at Yukimi and lowered his head. "Thank you, Yukimi..."

Then, his figure flashed, and within a few leaps, Yamato disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

Uchiha Yatsuhashi slowly retracted his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, looking in the direction Yamato had left, lost in thought.

"Let's go, Yukimi. It's not safe here anymore."

Since returning from the Land of Water, Uchiha Yatsuhashi had been renting a quiet room alone.

He did not want to bring unnecessary trouble to his parents because of the unspeakable secrets he carried.

The night was deep, and after settling Yukimi into what was originally his room, Uchiha Yatsuhashi returned to this rented room alone.

Just as he pushed open the door, Uchiha Yatsuhashi's spine stiffened slightly.

"Who?!"

He let out a low shout and abruptly retreated half a step, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan flickering in the darkness.

In an instant, he locked onto the figure in the shadows.

"Snap."

The lamp was lit.

Under the dim firelight, the figure standing in his room was revealed.

The person was neither a colleague from Anbu nor an assassin from Root, but that familiar purple-clad figure.

"Anko?"

Yatsuhashi froze, his taut nerves relaxing slightly.

Anko Mitarashi rubbed her hands together awkwardly, her cheeks flushed a faint red.

Her gaze drifted restlessly, not daring to meet Yatsuhashi's eyes.

"I... I heard from your aunt that you moved out, so... so I came to check on you."

Her voice grew quieter, as if she were making excuses.

"Besides, your aunt said you brought a girl home today..."

The indescribable, sour feeling in her heart had driven Anko to impulsively ask Uchiha Uruchi for his address.

She had rushed over in a hurry, only to find Yatsuhashi gone, and ended up foolishly waiting in the dark room for half the day.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Yatsuhashi looked at the Anko before him.

She was no longer the decisive, ruthless ninja from their missions; at this moment, she was just an ordinary girl, a bit willful and a bit concerned.

Yatsuhashi gave a light cough. "That girl is named Yukimi, she's from the Iburi Clan..."

"I arranged for her to stay in my old room, and I plan to bring the rest of her clan over tomorrow."

Hearing this, the worry on Anko's face faded by more than half, replaced by a sense of relief.

Immediately realizing she had been too uncomposed, she said in a panic.

"I, I wasn't thinking anything!"

"Since you have serious business to attend to, I'll be going now. I won't disturb you!"

She walked toward the door without even daring to lift her head.

As she passed by Yatsuhashi, she didn't even dare to glance at him.

Just then, "Heh."

A frivolous, chilling laugh drifted eerily from outside the window.

"How truly disappointing, Yatsuhashi-kun."

A tall figure was leaning against a tree branch outside the window, appearing out of nowhere.

Orochimaru looked at the two in the room with a playful expression.

"You know, tenderness is fleeting."

Hearing that familiar, raspy voice, the hair on Yatsuhashi's body stood on end.

He stepped in front of Anko, his chakra circulating frantically within him.

If Orochimaru made even the slightest move, he would immediately activate his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Orochimaru?!"

Facing her former teacher, now a rogue ninja, Anko entered a combat stance instantly after a brief moment of shock.

With a flash of cold light, several senbon appeared in her hands.

In the cramped rented room, the atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.