Not an Execution, but a Trial
Naruto cracked his neck, the bones making a crisp sound, "Go to the Land of Lightning, uproot the tree."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than three dark figures suddenly sprang up from the edge of the square.
"Release Danzo!" Three Root loyalists wearing animal masks quickly Hand Seals and desperately rushed towards the Anbu holding Danzo.
"Stubborn to the end." Shikamaru didn't even look up, just flicked his finger upwards.
Whoosh! Several dark figures darted along the ground like venomous snakes, instantly wrapping around the ankles of the three men. Their forward-moving bodies suddenly froze.
"Shadow Imitation Technique, successful." Shikamaru yawned, looking annoyed by the trouble.
Neji Hyuga stepped forward, his palms flashing. With three muffled thuds, he precisely severed the three men's Chakra pathways. The three men collapsed to the ground like rag dolls without uttering a sound.
Danzo, dragged along by the Anbu, had blood streaming from his mouth, yet he stubbornly held his head high. His single, murky eye stared intently at Tsunade and Naruto, a harsh, cold laugh escaping his throat, "You think... Hidden Leaf will be at peace without me? How naive! Where the sun doesn't shine, someone has to do the dirty work!"
Naruto took a step forward and stomped on a piece of Wood Release that Danzo had dropped on the ground, smashing it to pieces. Wood chips flew everywhere.
"Old dog, stop patting yourself on the back." Naruto looked down at him, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire plaza. "Doing dirty work doesn't mean using your comrades as experimental subjects, much less colluding with outsiders to sell out the village. From today onwards, Hidden Leaf will not use living people to fill pits."
Danzo's facial muscles twitched violently a few times, as if he wanted to retort, but he was suffocated by the terrifying Yang Release pressure emanating from Naruto. The two Anbu didn't give him a chance to talk nonsense, roughly picked him up, and dragged him like a dead dog to the deepest, most High-Security Prison.
Strip him of all power and ban him from contacting Chakra for life. This is worse than killing him.
Tsunade, draped in her Hokage Haori, strode onto the high platform. Without uttering a single long, pointless word, she directly raised a heavy bundle of scrolls stained with blood.
"This is the secret technique to undo the seal that severs the Root of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, as well as all the assassination orders." Tsunade casually grabbed a torch from the brazier next to her and lit the scroll.
The flames quickly engulfed the papers covered with names, Kakkō countless bewildered faces below.
"From this moment on, Root is officially disbanded!" Tsunade threw the ashes of the scroll on the ground, her sharp gaze sweeping over the disarmed Root ninjas. "Those who were coerced, those who haven't shed their own blood, will be investigated and incorporated into the regular army. The stubborn ones, they'll go to the dungeon with that old dog!"
After saying that, she waved her hand and slammed a heavy tin box onto the table with a loud bang.
"These are all the evidence of Danzo's Danzo with Orochimaru and his persecution of the Hyuga Clan and Uchiha." Tsunade glanced around at the heads of the various clans, her voice resounding, "The evidence will remain here, jointly supervised by all clans, and reviewed at any time. From now on, Hidden Leaf's power will be exposed to the light of day!"
There was a two-second silence, followed by a burst of hushed discussion.
Hyuga Hiashi stared at the box of files, his back ramrod straight, letting out a long breath. Kakashi pulled down his Forehead Protector, covering his left eye which lacked Sharingan, and a slight smile curved his lips.
This village, which had been a breeding ground for filth and corruption for decades, has finally turned a new page.
At the edge of the plaza, Sasuke stood quietly, clutching the glass petri dish containing Shisui's eye.
Logically, he should feel relieved to have his enemy captured. But seeing Danzo's miserable state, like a defeated dog, Sasuke only emptiness in his heart.
"Everything I've done is for Hidden Leaf..." Danzo's roar still echoed in his ears.
Sasuke gripped the glass dish tightly, his fingertips scraping against the hard surface with a harsh sound. If scum like Danzo could wipe out the Uchiha under the guise of protecting the village, then what was the man who bore the stigma of missing-nin and slaughtered his entire clan hiding back then?
"If you can't figure it out, go fight." Naruto had somehow gotten close and casually tossed over a can of chilled soda he'd salvaged from a freezer in the ruins.
Sasuke caught it with his backhand, and the condensation on the outside of the can dripped down his palm.
"You just said you were going to the Land of Lightning?" Sasuke pulled the tab, and the bubble hissed.
"That bastard Obito didn't manage to snatch the eye here, he'll definitely go back and force-feed that rotten tree." Obito tilted Naruto head back and gulped down a large mouthful of soda, his Adam's apple bobbing. "The big secret he's holding onto definitely includes all those old, stale secrets of your Uchiha. Go raid his hideout, and all the truth will be revealed."
Sasuke didn't reply, but simply tilted his head back and drank the soda in one gulp. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he crushed the empty aluminum can into a thin metal disc with a "crack" and threw it into the nearby ruins.
"Go." Only one word, swift and decisive. Yet, the killing intent was already palpable.
Ten minutes later, Team 7 had assembled at the Konoha Gate.
Sakura Haruno carried a sealing scroll wider than herself, filled with high-level medical supplies. Unlike before, she didn't hide behind the two of them, but stood side by side. On her forehead, the diamond-shaped mark of the Strength of a Hundred Seal was faintly glowing.
Kakashi reorganized his ninja tool bag, casually stuffing the tattered copy of "Icha Icha Paradise" into his pocket, his right eye, the only part of his eye visible, gleaming with sharpness.
Konan emerged from the shadows on one side, and the countless pieces of paper gathered into a solid form at her feet.
"According to intelligence from Hidden Rain, the spatial Coordinates of Obito's escape with Black Zetsu did indeed land on the coast of the Land of Lightning." Konan handed over a hand-drawn sea chart, her pale finger pointing to a red circle in the center of the sea. "There's a giant, moving sea turtle there. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path frantically absorbing the Leyline energy, even forcibly altering the undercurrents in that area."
"You sure know how to pick your spots, you really think you're some kind of sea turtle." Naruto rolled up the sea chart and stuffed it into his pocket, then turned to Tsunade standing on the city wall. "Old woman, the house is yours now."
"Stop giving orders, get the hell out of here, and come back alive." Tsunade crossed her arms and cursed, but her eyes held an undisguised expectation.
A night wind suddenly rose, carrying the lingering smell of burning from the ruins.
Just as Naruto was about to Hand Seals the Flying Thunder God, a hoarse and extremely abrupt bird cry suddenly came from above the sky.
"Dumb--"
A large black Crow pierced through the thick clouds, swooping down in the cold moonlight. Completely ignoring Naruto and Kakashi, it flew straight towards Sasuke and landed steadily on his shoulder.
The Crow's feathers were disheveled, and its left wing was stained with large patches of undried dark red blood.
Its scarlet eyes rolled around, and it opened its sharp beak, spitting out a miniature scroll bearing the Uchiha Clan Crest.
At the same time, a deep, hoarse voice, which made Sasuke's heart stop instantly, exploded in the minds of everyone present.
"Sasuke... don't go to the Land of Lightning... it's a trap."
Sasuke's body jolted violently, his eyes snapping open uncontrollably. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly as he stared intently at the bloodstained Crow on his shoulder.
The fluctuation of Chakra, the cold tone tinged with weakness.
He will never admit his mistake in his entire life.
Itachi Uchiha!