Rescuing Shizune, Destroying Root

Uchiha Yoru woke early and rubbed his bleary eyes.

He rubbed them again.

Uh... was he seeing things?

He rubbed them once more!

"Orochimaru, what are you doing here?"

Orochimaru's eyes were vacant. He couldn't respond to Uchiha Yoru at all.

Uchiha Itachi walked over calmly. "I saw him lurking near the Uchiha Clan Compound. I thought he might be up to something, so I brought him here!"

"Ahem!"

"Release the Genjutsu first!"

Uchiha Yoru could only pray that Orochimaru wouldn't explode.

Trapped in a Genjutsu all night and tied up like this? One of the Sannin wasn't going to take that lying down!

"Uchiha Itachi!"

Sure enough, the moment the Genjutsu broke, Orochimaru snapped back to his senses.

His body turned into a white snake, and he spat the Kusanagi Sword straight at Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi sidestepped it. His Sharingan became a Mangekyō Sharingan as he fixed his gaze on Orochimaru.

Uchiha Yoru clutched his head. "Those two couldn't stand each other in the original story. I'm here now, so why is it still like this?"

"Both of you, stop! Orochimaru! Itachi!"

Uchiha Yoru stepped between them. If this fight got serious...

One would unleash Susanoo!

The other, the Eight-Headed Serpent!

Did they really want to tear down the Uchiha Ancestral Home?

"Itachi, Orochimaru is our partner! If Konoha is going to far surpass the other Ninja villages, we'll need him!"

"Orochimaru, if you want to change the world with your science, start with Konoha!"

Uchiha Yoru hurried to get the words out.

The two shook hands with smiles that didn't reach their eyes. At least Yoru could breathe a little easier.

"I still don't like you. But for Little Yoru's sake, I'll show you some courtesy!"

"Likewise. If not for Lord Yoru, I wouldn't have come. One day, I'll dissect you!"

"Itachi, Tsunade actually supports you becoming Hokage too. She only acted that way because Shimura Danzō captured Shizune!"

"Tonight, we're not just bringing Shizune back. We're destroying Root!"

Uchiha Itachi agreed without a moment's hesitation.

It seemed even a good man like Itachi had had enough of Shimura Danzō's dirty tricks. He was ready to take the bastard down!

As night fell, crows cried now and then around Root's headquarters, lending the place an eerie air.

"Tsunade! Did you kill Uchiha Yoru?"

"No."

Tsunade spread her hands and answered without a trace of shame.

According to Uchiha Yoru, Shimura Danzō had Ninja from the Hyuga Clan at his side. Even if she brought a fake corpse, they would spot it. She might as well be frank.

She needed to buy time for the others to find Shizune.

"That's fine too!"

Two masked Root Ninja emerged from the shadows behind Shimura Danzō, escorting someone between them.

"He's Uchiha Yoru and Itachi's younger brother!"

Shimura Danzō tossed her a Kunai. "Kill him with your own hands, and you can take Shizune back!"

How vicious, Shimura Danzō!

If Tsunade killed Sasuke Uchiha, she would become Uchiha Itachi's enemy. And Uchiha Yoru would undoubtedly go mad.

But if she killed herself, her standing in Konoha meant Uchiha Itachi's position would be shaken. The Jonin under him would surely have their doubts.

"Go on! Shizune is Dan's niece. You don't want her to die, do you?"

Shimura Danzō smiled, certain his scheme had worked.

Tsunade picked up the Kunai and walked toward Sasuke Uchiha, trembling!

"Stop!"

"I'm here, Shimura Danzō!" Uchiha Yoru appeared beside Tsunade, directly across from Shimura Danzō.

Human nature was the one thing he couldn't afford to test. He couldn't be sure Tsunade wouldn't kill Sasuke to save Shizune.

Rather than risk that, he had stepped forward himself.

"I knew it wouldn't be that simple!"

"Uchiha Yoru, you humiliated me in front of all Konoha. Now you'll pay with your life!"

"Kill yourself, and I'll return Sasuke to you!"

The choice now rested with Uchiha Yoru. With a hostage in Shimura Danzō's hands, he couldn't act recklessly.

"Is all this really necessary? You need a trick like this to deal with one lowly Jonin, Lord Danzo?"

Uchiha Yoru sounded helpless, his face showing nothing but contempt for Danzo's caution.

"With your Uchiha Clan, no amount of caution is too much!"

"Honestly, Danzo, I really, really, really hate you!"

Uchiha Yoru revealed a Mangekyō Sharingan in one eye.

"Kamui!"

The arms of the Ninja holding Sasuke twisted and were severed in an instant.

Fighting through the pain in his eye, Uchiha Yoru scooped Sasuke up.

What does Shizune matter? How could she be more important than Sasuke? Uchiha Yoru thought.

"You have the Mangekyō Sharingan too?!"

Shimura Danzō couldn't tell what Uchiha Yoru had done. The arms hadn't simply been twisted off. They had vanished.

"I'm angry, Danzo!"

"And now I don't think I have a reason to spare you." Uchiha Yoru smiled, sending a chill through everyone present.

Until now, Uchiha Yoru's smiles had always been easy and carefree. They might not have felt like a warm spring breeze, but they had been pleasant. This smile was terrifying.

"Genjutsu: Release!"

Sasuke Uchiha opened his eyes.

"Yoru, why are you here? Who captured me?"

"You can leave if you want. Or you can stay and watch me kill everyone who hurt you," Uchiha Yoru told him softly.

"I'd believe Itachi could do that. You? Not so much!" Sasuke Uchiha retorted haughtily, heedless of where they were. For some reason, Uchiha Yoru's presence put him at ease. He no longer felt so tense.

"Get them!"

Shimura Danzō glared at the two of them. What did they think Root was, a place to bond as brothers?

A Root Ninja in a fox mask rushed in with a flying kick!

It seemed Uchiha Yoru had killed off nearly all the Root Ninja with bloodline abilities or secret techniques. Now Danzo could only send in trash like this.

Uchiha Yoru caught him with one hand and slammed him into the ground, leaving a massive crater.

Even Tsunade's eyelids twitched at the force. That blow had been delivered entirely without Chakra. Uchiha Yoru's physical strength had reached an absurd level.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

Seeing that no one could stop Uchiha Yoru, Shimura Danzō gathered an enormous sphere of wind in his mouth and fired it at him.

"You think that thing can hit me?"

Uchiha Yoru moved to dodge, but black markings suddenly crawled up from the ground and covered him, leaving him unable to move.

"Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal!"

The seal could be set in advance, its markings binding an opponent's movements.

Shimura Danzō had clearly anticipated this.

Just as Danzo thought he had finished Uchiha Yoru, a brilliant blue light appeared before his eyes.