The Great Purge

Aburame Torune wore a look of confusion, seemingly unable to grasp Yamanaka Fu's line of thinking.

He scratched his head and asked in bewilderment, "Didn't we agree to strike during the Hokage inauguration ceremony? Why choose tonight?"

Yamanaka Fu licked his lips and said, "Idiot, the security at the inauguration ceremony is so tight that even ten Root Organizations wouldn't be enough to survive it. If we really waited until tomorrow to act, we'd just be throwing our lives away. Why wouldn't we choose to strike tonight? Hmm?"

Having said that, Yamanaka Fu looked at Aburame Torune with anticipation and added, "You should want to strike tonight too, right?"

Aburame Torune remained silent for a long time.

It was true; if they waited until daylight, the few men he had left under his command would be completely insufficient.

"How many allies do we have?" Aburame Torune asked a Root Organization ninja beside him.

The ninja calculated for a moment and replied to Aburame Torune, "There are two Jonin and seven Chunin who have expressed a clear intention to support us in eliminating Uchiha Fugaku."

"That's enough." Aburame Torune took a deep breath and said, "As long as our movements are sharp and our assault is swift, the twenty-two of us are enough to kill one—"

"Very good." Yamanaka Fu stood up and said, "Then let's set off!"

Aburame Torune clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred for Konoha and the burning fire of vengeance.

As bodyguards for Shimura Danzo, he and Yamanaka Fu had served him faithfully and achieved great merit.

But now that Shimura Danzo had been killed by the Uchiha Clan, it was something no member of the Root Organization could endure.

Now, the time for revenge had finally arrived!

Late at night, two in the morning.

At the Uchiha Clan compound, only a few guards remained, patrolling the main gate.

Judging by the exhaustion and slackness on their faces, it seemed they had long since let their guard down.

Not far away, over twenty dark shadows crept through the night.

"It looks like they never guessed we would target Uchiha Fugaku tonight." A cruel grin appeared on Aburame Torune's face.

"Yamanaka Fu, it seems I really didn't misjudge you." Aburame Torune turned and patted Yamanaka Fu on the shoulder.

"Of course," Yamanaka Fu said slowly.

The group bypassed the guards and charged toward the Uchiha compound.

They stopped in front of Uchiha Fugaku's house.

"Prepare to face the fire of our vengeance!" Aburame Torune drew his ninja blade, slowly channeling chakra into it.

At the same time, several insects crawled onto Aburame Torune's cheeks, waiting for the signal.

As a member of the Aburame Clan, Aburame Torune had his own unique insights into manipulating insects.

The others also drew their blades and surrounded the house.

Thinking that Uchiha Fugaku would soon die in his sleep, everyone wore an expression of excitement.

Many of them let out low, sinister chuckles.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the air, catching them off guard.

"What are you idiots so happy about?"

The voice hit them like a bucket of ice water, sending a chill straight through their hearts.

They hurriedly looked up and saw a young man sitting on the roof, resting his chin on his hand and watching them with a playful expression.

"You... you're Uchiha Yu! How did you know we would come!" Aburame Torune's eyes widened.

Uchiha Yu didn't speak; he simply clapped his hands.

Suddenly, the door to Uchiha Fugaku's house in front of them swung open.

A small clay bird darted into the middle of the group.

Before these remnants of the Root Organization could react, the clay bird emitted a blinding white light and exploded with a deafening BOOM!

A massive pillar of fire shot into the sky, and for a moment, the entire ground seemed to tremble.

The Root Organization remnants were blasted apart, falling to the ground in a chaotic heap.

Aburame Torune scrambled to his feet and looked toward the others, only to witness a chilling sight.

"You! Yamanaka Fu! You actually..." Aburame Torune tore off his sunglasses, staring fixedly at Yamanaka Fu, his pupils trembling uncontrollably.

Amidst the dust and smoke, Yamanaka Fu slowly stood up and ripped the mask off his own face.

Beneath the skin lay a pale, snake-like visage.

"Why didn't you give me a heads-up? You ruined the carefully crafted skin mask I made." Orochimaru sneered, tossing the charred mask aside.

"The ability to dissolve a person's face and steal their appearance... the Face Copying Technique!" The ninja blade in Aburame Torune's hand trembled violently, as if he finally understood.

But unfortunately, it was too late.

"When exactly did you do it?" Aburame Torune asked through gritted teeth.

Orochimaru stretched his neck and said slowly, "Right before we met tonight, I just happened to run into Yamanaka Fu."

Afterward, Orochimaru looked up at Uchiha Yu and said, "I've finished what I promised. I've lured these people here; the rest has nothing to do with me."

Orochimaru spoke, extending his long tongue to lick his lips, his snake-like pupils fixed on Uchiha Yu.

"Thanks, Orochimaru. Leave the rest to us!" Uchiha Yu leaped directly from the eaves, coming to a halt in front of Aburame Torune.

Aburame Torune let out a cold snort, and the remaining twenty-some Root Organization ninjas stood up at that very moment.

Although the previous explosion had left them with more or less significant injuries, they tightened their grips on their ninja blades and stared in unison at Uchiha Yu.

At this moment, countless black shadows flickered in the surroundings.

Dozens of Uchiha ninjas stood atop the surrounding walls.

From within the house, several figures slowly emerged.

They were Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Deidara, and Uchiha Fugaku!

Uchiha Fugaku, dressed in his ninja attire, stood with his arms crossed, watching Aburame Torune before him.

"It is thanks to my son, Uchiha Yu, who secured the help of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, that we were able to lure you all out!"

Having said that, Uchiha Fugaku looked up at Orochimaru and said, "Mr. Orochimaru, regardless of your motives, I express my gratitude to you here."

Orochimaru smiled, standing in the shadows, and gave a slight nod.

"Damn it!" Aburame Torune's face was filled with regret. "To think we fell into your trap! No wonder Yamanaka Fu was acting so strangely today!"

After beating his chest and stamping his feet for a long moment, Aburame Torune finally composed himself and said to the group before him, "No matter what, I will make your Uchiha Clan bleed today!"

With a roar, the twenty-plus men charged toward them in unison.

Watching these people, Uchiha Fugaku smiled faintly and patted Uchiha Yu on the shoulder. "Let us fight together!"

Uchiha Yu drew his Kusanagi Sword with a backhand motion and laughed, "You provide the cover fire for me!"

He then turned to look at Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Deidara. "You three as well! I will lead the main assault! You provide the support!"

Uchiha Yu took another heavy step forward and charged straight toward the remnants of the Root Organization.