Uchiha Dohan left the Root base without looking back.
Behind him, Kakashi stood frozen, his mind shaken by the name Dohan had casually mentioned.
Obito's grandmother…? Of course. After all these years… all because of guilt, I've never once gone to visit her...
I really am… a failure.
"Captain…"
One of the ANBU operatives approached, snapping Kakashi out of his thoughts.
"I'm fine," Kakashi replied, waving him off. "Clean up this place. Then head back and report to Lord Hokage."
---
Back at the Police Force headquarters in the Uchiha compound, Dohan made his way straight to the interrogation room.
The Wood Style user captured yesterday had already been interrogated for a full day. The other prisoner—Yamanaka Fū, brought in just today—had regained consciousness shortly after being detained. Both were tightly restrained and had their chakra sealed.
However, progress had been slow. These weren't petty thieves from around the village; they were trained Root shinobi. The Police Force's interrogation chamber—built for low-level crooks—was proving inadequate.
"Clan Head," the interrogators greeted respectfully as Dohan entered the room.
"How's it going?" Dohan asked.
"They're both tough," one Uchiha Chūnin explained. "Especially the one from yesterday. We worked on him all night—still nothing. We were just about to call in a three-tomoe Genjutsu specialist from the clan to help."
This interrogator himself only had a single tomoe Sharingan—enough to handle the average petty criminal, but clearly not enough against a trained Root shinobi.
"No need for that," Dohan said, stepping forward. "I'll handle it personally."
He walked over to Yamanaka Fū.
Fū was bound to a chair, visibly bruised from repeated beatings. When he saw Dohan approach, his expression twisted with hatred. His eyes seemed to burn with the desire to tear him apart.
Dohan met his gaze with a calm smile—this unfortunate soul, so thoroughly brainwashed by Danzō, was already beyond saving. He waved his hand, signaling the others to continue.
What followed was another brutal round of beatings.
Even Dohan had to shake his head. This wasn't just professional—there was clearly some personal resentment involved. Root and the Uchiha had clashed plenty in the past. Now that they finally had a Root operative in custody, no one was going to pass up the opportunity.
After a while, Dohan finally stepped forward again.
"I… I won't tell you… anything," Fū rasped, struggling to stay upright, his defiance undimmed.
Sunlight streamed into the room through the window, making it hard for Fū to keep his eyes open. Dohan's face, illuminated by the light, blurred in his vision.
"I took a little tour of your Root base," Dohan said softly. "Creepy place."
"You wanted to help Danzō become Hokage? Eliminate the Uchiha?" He reached over and gently wiped the blood from Fū's mouth.
"Step outside. Take a look around. The village hasn't changed. Everything's exactly the same," Dohan said. His face gradually became clearer to Fū as his eyes adjusted—but his words sent a chill down his spine.
"Honestly, your confession doesn't matter. I never expected to get anything useful out of you anyway."
With that, Dohan turned to the other Uchiha in the room.
"Watch him. Just don't let him die."
"Inabi."
"Sir!" Inabi quickly stepped forward.
"Gather Second Squad. We're heading out."
"Understood," Inabi nodded. "Clan Head, where are we going?"
"To arrest the remaining collaborators of Shimura Danzō—at the Shimura compound."
"An outright raid?" Inabi blinked, stunned. But there was a trace of excitement in his eyes. After all, the Shimura Clan and the Uchiha had never exactly gotten along.
"Raid? What a harsh word," Dohan replied with a smile.
"Danzō attempted to assassinate fellow villagers and desecrated the First Hokage's remains. The evidence is irrefutable. And as luck would have it, I discovered records of financial dealings between Danzō and the Shimura Clan—right in Root's base."
As he spoke, Dohan pulled out a mostly-burned ledger from a sealing scroll.
"So we're not arresting them. We're just bringing them in for questioning."
Fū's eyes widened in shock from his seat. He clearly remembered—Root's financial records had all been incinerated.
Dohan glanced back at him and smiled faintly.
And in that moment, Fū finally understood why Dohan had said his confession was irrelevant. The evidence had already spoken.
Fū thrashed violently in his restraints and tried to shout, but a nearby Uchiha promptly punched him in the gut and shoved a cloth into his mouth.
He could only watch helplessly as Dohan turned and left with his squad.
---
Before long, Second Squad of the Police Force had assembled.
At first, some grumbled about being called in during off hours. But once they learned the mission involved cracking down on the Shimura Clan, every Uchiha present perked up with enthusiasm.
"Clan Head, Second Squad is assembled and ready!"
Their captain, Uchiha En'u, called out from the front of headquarters.
Dohan nodded.
"Salute the Clan Head!" En'u shouted.
Snap! The squad snapped into salute.
"Loyalty!"
Dohan couldn't help but chuckle.
Ever since he impulsively saluted Hiruzen yesterday, this "Loyalty" salute had gone viral across the clan.
"Loyalty!" Dohan returned the salute and led the squad toward the Shimura compound.
---
With such a major movement, the village couldn't help but take notice.
Back in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was already dealing with a headache. He had originally planned to absorb what remained of Root into the village proper—but this morning, he received news that Dohan had wiped Root out completely.
And now, according to Uchiha Itachi's report, Dohan had been named clan head during yesterday's meeting.
Hiruzen sighed deeply.
"At least the good news is… he's suppressed any talk of violent rebellion from the Uchiha. And recruiting civilian shinobi into the Police Force—whatever his reasons may be—is, on the surface, a positive thing," he muttered, trying to console himself.