In front of the Root base,
Kaito suddenly appeared. Two Root members immediately dropped into battle stance and demanded,
"Who are you?!"
Kaito slowly raised his head, a pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan gleaming coldly.
Seeing the Mangekyō, one of them froze in shock, hastily shouting to the other,
"Th-this... that's the Sharingan?! Hurry, go inform Danzō-sama! I—ahhh!!!"
Thud!
Both Root members collapsed to the ground. Their eyes were still wide open—stone cold dead.
The noise at the entrance alerted the others inside the base. Cloaked in black, masked Root operatives streamed out, quickly surrounding Kaito.
But Kaito didn't even spare them a glance. He said indifferently,
"Where's that old Danzō?"
"How dare you! To insult Danzō-sama!"
Several Root members brandished kunai and lunged at him, clearly intent on executing Kaito on the spot.
Kaito snorted coldly. Dark, jagged spikes suddenly burst out around his body, impaling the rushing Root members clean through.
The others immediately pulled back in fear, one of them shouting as he retreated,
"What is this jutsu? Why didn't he weave any hand signs?!"
No one answered him—because what Kaito used wasn't ninjutsu at all. It was the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
The black spikes hurled the skewered corpses away, then softened into writhing tendrils that swayed ominously behind him.
Against the backdrop of darkness, Kaito's Mangekyō Sharingan looked seductively eerie. His gaze swept over the remaining Root members.
"Just you lot... and you think you can dance with me?"
Those caught by his Mangekyō gaze froze, their minds filling with the image of those spiraling pupils, their bodies locked in place.
Kaito lifted a hand toward them and whispered,
"Dark Strangulation."
The dark tendrils behind him suddenly lashed out, piercing into the Root members.
Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!
The sound of bodies being punctured rang out. The Root operatives had no time to scream before they were shredded like paper, dying instantly.
Their blood rained down onto the ground. Kaito walked forward through the crimson shower—yet not a drop touched him, blocked by an unseen barrier.
When he finally stopped, a lake of blood had formed behind him.
Staring at the Root base before him, Kaito stretched out his hand.
"Still not coming out? Then..."
"Stop! Uchiha Kaito!"
"Hm?"
Kaito turned his head. A stormy, powerful woman stood there, with many familiar faces gathered behind her.
At the front was none other than the current Hokage—Tsunade.
Yamato and Kakashi had already told her about Kaito seeking out Danzō, and warned that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Tsunade knew instantly this was bad news. She had rallied reinforcements, hoping to stop Kaito before the situation spiraled out of control.
But when she arrived and saw the Root corpses still hanging in the air, she realized she was already one step too late.
Behind her stood the heads of several great clans—Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōza, and even Hyūga Hiashi had all come.
Tsunade knew well the terror of the Mangekyō. Uchiha Madara once fought her grandfather, the First Hokage Hashirama, at the Valley of the End with those very eyes—the battle so fierce it reshaped the land itself.
She didn't know to what extent Kaito had unlocked the Mangekyō's powers, but she knew it wasn't just fearsome ocular techniques. There was also Susanoo.
If that monster appeared, even if they managed to defeat Kaito, Konoha would likely be destroyed in the process.
That was why she had summoned the clan heads—so they could bring him down as quickly as possible.
But the best option, of course, was to calm Kaito down first and avoid a battle altogether.
With that in mind, Tsunade fixed her gaze on him and said gravely,
"Uchiha Kaito, do you even realize what you've done? Are you planning to betray Konoha?"
"Betray Konoha?"
Kaito froze for a moment, then raised his hand to his forehead and burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
His laughter grew louder and louder. His long, snow-white hair fluttered though there was no wind, sending chills down the spines of the shinobi watching him.
Tsunade's expression hardened. She shouted angrily,
"What's so funny?!"
Suddenly, a beautiful kunoichi pushed her way out of the crowd, calling out desperately,
"Kaito-senpai!"
Hearing that voice, Kaito stopped laughing. His gaze turned toward the woman, his expression chillingly cold.
"Ah, Kurenai. So—you've come with them to stop me too?"
Kurenai's eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at the figure that haunted her heart. She cried out,
"Kaito-senpai! I've never stopped thinking about you! Please, come back! I beg you!"
"Come back? And return to what? Is there still a Konoha? Is there still a Uchiha clan?"
As he spoke, Kaito opened a space with the Door Fruit, pulling Sasuke out.
Sasuke was still unconscious. Kaito grabbed him by the collar and slapped him hard across the face.
The sharp crack echoed. Sasuke's head jolted to the side as he groggily regained consciousness.
The first thing he saw were Kaito's Mangekyō Sharingan. He snapped fully awake, gasping,
"Uchiha Kaito?! Where did you take me?!"
Kaito didn't answer. He casually tossed Sasuke onto the ground.
Sasuke's hands were bound behind him with some kind of metallic restraints. Struggling to lift his head, he finally noticed the crowd of Konoha shinobi.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Sasuke gave a cold snort.
"So, you brought me back to Konoha after all? Is this so I can face judgment here?"
Tsunade frowned deeply at that. She looked at Kaito and asked,
"Uchiha Kaito, what is the meaning of this?"
Kaito sneered.
"He's one of the very few kin I still have left. He deserves to know the truth of what happened that year."
"The truth?"
Tsunade's eyes widened—then she understood at once. He was talking about the true events behind the Uchiha massacre.
Konoha's higher-ups had always left that matter in silence. It could never be revealed. If the truth ever came to light, it would shake the entire shinobi world—and Konoha's reputation would be ruined.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was utterly confused. He turned to Kaito and demanded,
"What truth? What are you trying to say?"
Tsunade had no intention of letting Kaito speak it. Negotiation was off the table now. She gave a sharp order to the ANBU,
"Stop Uchiha Kaito at once!"
Then she charged forward herself, several ANBU following close behind.
But among them, one ANBU with long violet hair hesitated—then chose not to strike.