Raiding the Root's Lair

Fugaku was about to step forward, but was blocked by the Anbu behind the Third Hokage.

In that instant, Danzo finally bared his fangs.

He intended to kill Shin-getsu with his own hands!

Yet, instead of retreating, Shin-getsu advanced.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan locked onto the blade's trajectory.

[Causality Perception] captured the dangerous point of impact.

A half-step to the left.

Lowered head.

Shifted shoulder.

Danzo's short blade grazed Shin-getsu's cheek, slicing off only a few strands of black hair.

Shin-getsu's right hand shot out, clamping onto Danzo's wrist.

Of course, he could not overpower Danzo's strength.

But he did not need to overpower him.

He only needed to make contact.

The next instant, lightning erupted.

"Lightning Release!"

Zzzzt!

Lightning Chakra surged into Danzo's wrist.

Danzo's right arm went numb, and his movements stalled.

That was the moment.

Shin-getsu whipped out a steel wire from his sleeve, binding Danzo's wrist.

Tekka roared and lunged forward with a Body Flicker.

"Get lost, you old bastard!"

Bang!

Tekka kicked Danzo square in the chest.

Danzo was sent stumbling back half a step.

At the same time, Shisui dealt with the Root members blocking his path and slashed horizontally with his short blade.

Squelch!

A deep gash was carved into Danzo's right arm.

The entire scene erupted in an uproar.

A Konoha advisor, the darkness of the Hokage.

He had actually been forced back and wounded by the Uchiha in front of the Hokage Building!

Danzo's expression turned grim, murderous intent roiling in the depths of his eyes.

He suddenly gritted his teeth and formed hand seals with his left hand.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"

Shhh!

A wind blade swept across.

Tekka and Shisui retreated simultaneously.

Shin-getsu, however, had already ducked in advance.

The wind blade whistled over his head, slicing through a stone pillar behind him.

Boom!

Debris flew everywhere.

The situation had spiraled completely out of control.

The Third Hokage roared:

"Everyone, stop!"

A powerful burst of Chakra exploded outward.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was finally getting serious.

"Enma!"

Poof!

A cloud of summoning smoke burst forth.

The Adamantine Staff lay horizontally in the Third Hokage's hands, slamming down violently between Danzo and the Uchiha.

BOOM!

The ground split open.

Everyone was forced to a halt.

The Third Hokage looked at Danzo with icy eyes.

"Danzo, you have crossed the line."

Danzo's chest heaved.

He knew that if he continued to fight tonight, he would gain nothing.

Shin-getsu had activated his Three-Tomoe.

Shisui was present.

Fugaku was present.

The entire Uchiha Police Force was present.

The Third Hokage could no longer pretend not to see.

He had to retreat.

But before retreating, he had to protect himself.

Danzo suddenly said in a cold voice:

"This matter was an unauthorized action by the remnants of Root."

"This old man was not aware of it."

Everyone was stunned.

Tekka cursed out loud:

"Bullshit!"

Shin-getsu, however, narrowed his eyes.

Here it comes.

Severing the tail to survive.

Danzo said coldly:

"After Root was disbanded, some former members did indeed go rogue."

"They acted on their own, attempting to provoke the Uchiha."

"My intervention just now was to clean up the house."

"As for the poison needles, the deployment orders, and the Curse Seal, everything can be investigated."

"This old man is willing to cooperate with the Hokage's investigation."

These words were shameless to the extreme.

But they were also very Danzo.

As long as there was no direct order, he could push everything onto the "remnants of Root."

The Third Hokage's expression was grim, but he did not immediately refute him.

Because he knew that Danzo was providing a way out for both sides.

If they continued to tear each other apart, the internal strife among Konoha's high-ranking officials would be completely exposed.

Shin-getsu, however, smiled.

"Cooperate with the investigation?"

"Fine."

He raised his hand and pointed at Danzo.

"Then first, relieve yourself of all duties."

Danzo's single eye turned cold.

"What did you say?"

Shin-getsu's voice was not loud, but it was incredibly clear:

"First, suspend your position as a Konoha advisor."

"Second, seal all Root bases."

"Third, hand over the roster of all Root members."

"Fourth, a joint investigation by the Hokage's direct Anbu and the Uchiha Police Force."

"Fifth, you yourself are not permitted to leave the core area of Konoha."

He looked toward the Third Hokage.

"Lord Hokage."

"If Lord Danzo is truly innocent."

"He wouldn't refuse, would he?"

Danzo's expression shifted violently.

This brat wasn't asking for an explanation.

He was going straight for his throat!

The Third Hokage remained silent.

Everyone present was watching him.

The Uchiha were watching.

The Anbu were watching.

The Konoha ninja were watching.

If he refused, it would be tantamount to shielding Danzo.

If he agreed, Danzo's Root would be crippled.

The Third Hokage took a deep breath.

Finally, he spoke.

"Danzo."

"During the investigation, you are suspended from your duties as an advisor."

Danzo snapped his head toward the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen!"

The Third Hokage's gaze was icy.

"This is an order from the Hokage."

Danzo stared at him intensely.

A moment later, he suddenly laughed.

His laughter was cold and sinister.

"Very well."

"This old man will cooperate."

But the moment he finished speaking, Shin-getsu suddenly moved.

He raised his hand and flung a kunai.

It wasn't aimed at Danzo.

It was aimed at the sleeve of a Root Ninja standing behind Danzo.

Clang!

The sleeve tore open.

A small Communication Talisman fell out, already half-burned.

Everyone's expression changed.

Shin-getsu sneered.

"Cooperating with the investigation?"

"Then what is this?"

The Root Ninja's face drained of color, and he turned to flee.

Shisui arrived in a flash, knocking him unconscious with the hilt of his blade.

Tekka stepped forward to pick up the Communication Talisman, and after a glance, his face lit up with joy.

"It's a destruction order!"

"Sent to the Root Southeast Outpost!"

The entire crowd was stunned.

A Root outpost!

Shin-getsu looked at the Third Hokage.

"Lord Hokage."

"If you had hesitated for even a second longer."

"The evidence in that Root outpost would have been burned to ash."

The Third Hokage's expression darkened completely.

"Anbu!"

"Seal off the Root Southeast Outpost!"

Shingetsu immediately commanded:

"The Uchiha Police Force will go as well."

The Third Hokage glanced at him.

This time, he did not refuse.

"Granted."

Tekka drew his blade in excitement.

"Brothers!"

"We're raiding the Root's nest!"

The Uchiha Police Force erupted in an instant.

Dozens of figures charged into the night.

Danzo stared fixedly at Shingetsu.

At this moment, he finally understood.

From the very beginning, this brat never intended to rely solely on witness testimony to suppress him.

What Shingetsu wanted was to force his hand.

To force Root to issue a destruction order.

And then, by following that destruction order, to seize the outpost directly!

One link after another.

Fast.

Ruthless.

Precise.

Danzo gritted his teeth, the killing intent almost overflowing from his single eye.

"Uchiha Shingetsu..."

Shingetsu looked back at him, his Three-Tomoe slowly spinning.

"Don't be in such a rush."

"Tonight is only the beginning."

"I will pull out your Root, one by one."

The System Prompt boomed.

[Host has publicly forced the suspension of Advisor Danzo's duties.]
[Root Southeast Outpost exposed.]
[Cracks have appeared in the Konoha high command's control over Root.]
[Obtained Causality Points: 6000.]
[Current Causality Points: 6700.]
[Night of the Clan Massacre Deviation increased.]
[Current Deviation: 15%.]

Konoha's Southeast District.

An old underground warehouse.

On the surface, this was a long-abandoned wartime supply point.

The wooden doors were rotten, the plaster was peeling, and weeds grew in abundance all around.

Yet, deep underground, it concealed one of Root's peripheral outposts.

At this moment.

The outpost was in chaos.

"Hurry!"

"Destroy all mission scrolls!"

"Burn all experimental records!"

"No names can be left behind!"

"The Uchiha and Anbu are already on their way!"

The Root Ninjas moved with extreme speed.

They did not panic or scream, nor did they waste any words.

The moment the destruction order was received, everyone began disposing of the evidence.

Scrolls were tossed into braziers.

Glass jars were smashed to pieces.

Hidden compartments were sealed shut.

Corpse after corpse, preserved in ice, were dragged toward the Underground Incineration Room.

This was not the core base of the Root.

Yet, it still harbored many things that could not see the light of day.

Especially the surveillance records targeting the Uchiha from these past few years.

If these items fell into the hands of the Uchiha, things would become troublesome.

The person in charge of the outpost wore a gray mask, his eyes cold.

"Move faster."

"Danzo has been temporarily held up by the Hokage."

"We must clear everything out before the Anbu and the Uchiha arrive."

A Root Ninja spoke in a low voice:

"There are still three crates of scrolls in the Armory that haven't been processed."

The person in charge replied coldly:

"Burn them."

"There are two test subjects left in Room B."

"Dispose of them."

"Yes."

The Root Ninja turned and left.

But just at that moment.

BOOM!

The ground shook violently.

Dust rained down from the ceiling of the entire underground hideout.

The person in charge looked up sharply.

"What is happening?"

The next instant, a Root Ninja rushed in.

"The entrance has been breached!"

"The Uchiha Police Force is here!"

The person in charge's pupils constricted.

"So fast?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a wild, furious roar erupted from outside.

"You Root curs!"

"Your Grandpa Tekka is here!"