Continue Kicking

"Who are you people? What exactly do you want?!" Obito finally felt fear. He realized the surroundings were deathly silent; there wasn't a soul in sight. Although this spot was a bit secluded—a perfect place for peeping—it wasn't far from the main street. If he shouted this loudly, someone should have noticed, or at least the Military Police Force should have caught on. Yet, there was absolutely no movement?

A barrier? A genjutsu?

Who is Danzo?

Are they spies?

A series of questions flooded his mind.

Thud!

Another muffled sound rang out. Obito felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and the next moment, he lost consciousness.

A Root ninja stepped forward, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and glanced around. He exchanged a look with the other two Root ninjas, but just as they were about to leave, everything went black before their eyes.

Darkness, endless darkness surged forth, swallowing every ray of light in the vicinity.

Genjutsu: Darkness Technique

Thud, thud, thud...

Three muffled sounds echoed as heart-wrenching pain shot through their minds. The next moment, three more thuds followed, and all three collapsed to the ground.

The darkness dissipated, and Uchiha Suifeng and Rin appeared at the street corner.

"Obito, th-this, what is going on?!"

"It looks like someone tried to kidnap Obito!" Uchiha Suifeng said with a grave expression. "They might be spies from another village!"

"Spies from another village!?"

"Yes, these people are exactly the same as the ones who pretended to be Anbu and attacked me during the last Chunin Exams. Damn it, it seems these spies have set their sights on our Uchiha clan!"

"Then what do we do now?!"

"I've already notified the Military Police Force. Hmph, this time we must expose the true faces of these spies!" Uchiha Suifeng said, his face filled with righteous indignation.

The Military Police Force arrived quickly. Leading them was a jonin from the Uchiha clan whom Uchiha Suifeng recognized: Hideichi, the older brother of Hideki.

When they arrived and saw the three unconscious Root ninjas on the ground, their expressions turned ugly.

"What is going on here?!"

"These three spies tried to kidnap Obito, and I just happened to run into them!" Uchiha Suifeng said.

"Their target is Obito?!" Hideichi was stunned for a moment before he understood. Although he didn't think much of Obito, the boy had recently awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan and had gained some fame within the clan. It wasn't unreasonable for Danzo to target him, but to kidnap someone in broad daylight on the streets of Konoha was to show complete disregard for the Uchiha clan.

Did they really think the Uchiha clan was a pushover?

"Take them away!" Hideichi said in a cold, hard voice. "Let's see what Danzo has to say for himself!"

"Yes!" The three officers grabbed the Root ninjas from the ground, each hoisting one over their shoulder, and prepared to leave.

"Stop right there! Hand them over!"

Just then, several more figures rushed in from all directions, blocking them at the street corner.

"No way, has the village been breached? Why are there so many spies? Are spies this bold now, daring to block our Military Police Force on the streets of Konoha?!"

Uchiha Suifeng hung his mouth open, looking incredulous.

"They aren't spies; they are Root ninjas!"

"Root ninjas? What Root ninjas? Why have I never heard of them?!" This single sentence seemed to pique Uchiha Suifeng's curiosity. Although the Great Elder had mentioned the Root to him, the details were vague, so he had simply acted as if he hadn't heard anything.

"Th-this, what is going on?!" At this moment, Obito finally woke up. "Suifeng, Rin, Big Brother Hideichi, why are you all here? Huh? How did they... how did they become so many people?"

"Suifeng, you take Obito and the others and leave first. I...!"

"No need, Big Brother Hideichi. Since they're already here, let's just take them all back to the Police Force!"

"What?!" Everyone was shocked, and the next moment, darkness descended.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud...

A continuous series of kicking sounds rang in everyone's ears. A few breaths later, the darkness receded. The Root ninjas lay in a heap on the ground, all clutching their groins in a uniform posture, unconscious.

Thinking of the sound of those kicks and looking at their positions, every man present, including Hideichi, instinctively crossed their legs and subconsciously took two steps away from Uchiha Suifeng.

"I don't care if they're Root or not. Kidnapping a student from the Ninja Academy on the streets of Konoha is a malicious act, and they must be brought back to the Police Force for interrogation. Isn't that right, Big Brother Hideichi? This is the duty of the Police Force!!"

"Right, indeed. This is indeed the duty of the Police Force!"

Watching the pile of Root ninjas, Uchiha Hideichi's mouth twitched a few times. He waved his hand and said, "Take them all away!"

Things had reached this point, so there was naturally no room for compromise. If Root ninjas were kidnapping Uchiha clansmen on the street and they didn't provide a corresponding retaliation, the enemy would only become more arrogant. Whatever; the people were beaten by Uchiha Suifeng anyway. Even if there was pressure from above, it wouldn't fall on him.

The Uchiha of today did not fear the Root!

...I am a separator line...

Bang, bang, bang...

In the Root headquarters, inside Danzo's office, a series of crashing sounds echoed. The two Root ninjas standing guard outside remained motionless, as if they had heard nothing.

"How bold, how bold, what incredible audacity!!" Danzo gritted his teeth until they nearly shattered. The image of Uchiha Suifeng appeared in his mind. "Uchiha Suifeng, you have some nerve!"

He had always been extremely hostile toward the Uchiha clan, but hostility was one thing; he always knew where to draw the line. He had conducted many things in the shadows and had never clashed with the Uchiha clan head-on. The occasional secret conflicts had always been resolved quietly. Never before had it been like this: ten Root ninjas, in broad daylight on the streets of Konoha, under the eyes of the public, being dragged into the Uchiha clan's Police Force.

Those unaware of the truth assumed the Military Police Force was apprehending a spy, but those who knew the reality would surely mock him.

Yet, he was currently unable to voice his grievances; he had instigated this conflict, and the cause—that Root intended to target the Uchiha clansman Obito—was already confirmed!

Not only that, but that old fox Uchiha Haruki had not only reported the entire sequence of events to the Third Hokage immediately, but had simultaneously notified every ninja clan in Konoha, placing himself firmly on the side of righteousness.

It was precisely this notification that caused the attitudes of many ninja clans in Konoha to become ambiguous.

Regardless of whether they had held grudges against the Uchiha clan in the past, this time, these clans were vaguely standing on the side of the Uchiha.

There was no helping it; over the years, Danzo had used various means—coercion and bribery—to force the children of many ninja clans into Root. Once these children entered Root, most of them vanished without a trace. There was no need to think twice about their ultimate fate, and this had long since left these ninja clans dissatisfied.

The Uchiha clan held the Military Police Force firmly in their hands and was the only clan that did not give a damn about Danzo. The notification this time had also made it very clear: Uchiha members were absolutely forbidden from joining Root. If Danzo could abduct an Uchiha clansman on the street today to force them into Root, he could abduct their clansmen tomorrow. Once such a precedent was set, the future consequences would be endless.

With this simple and direct move, he had forced Danzo into a corner. How could he not be furious? How could he not be filled with hatred?!

What he loathed and feared most was Suifeng. Among the ten Root ninja, six were Jonin, and the remaining four were elite Chunin, yet they had all been killed in an instant by Suifeng. When had this brat's strength become so formidable? If things continued like this, what possible way remained to keep him in check?