Shimura Danzō didn't want to hear another word from Obito. He was afraid if the brat kept talking, even his last shred of dignity would be stripped away.
That little Uchiha punk was born evil—such a menace at such a young age. What would he become in the future? He had to be crushed. No mercy.
Danzō decided on the spot: Obito would be dragged off and subjected to instant refinement—Foundation style. Torture, hypnosis, mind reading, even soul tampering—nothing was off-limits for Root. They had ways to pry open Obito's mouth and extract every scrap of intel.
This wasn't some fairy-tale nonsense. Root operated on coercion and cruelty to the bitter end.
Shiranui Ibiki could confirm that. Two months ago, he'd been secretly taken by Root and forced into research work. Now, he was under house arrest deep within their labs, watched 24/7 by at least four Root shinobi and forced to run experiments nonstop.
Ibiki hated it. A man who once fled Konoha to chase "truth" and enjoy "freedom" in the outside world now had his freedom ripped away.
Still, it wasn't all bad. From a scientific perspective, the research environment was outstanding—rare materials, forbidden knowledge… stuff he never dreamed of having access to.
Like Hashirama's cells. Ibiki only learned about them after being captured. Root had been researching them for over a decade.
It turned out this project originally started under the Hokage's direct orders but was shut down by Hiruzen due to heavy casualties and non-combat deaths. But Danzō? He simply moved the research underground.
Ibiki didn't know the full extent of their progress yet—he was still new—but he believed that if he kept his head down and worked hard, one day he'd gain access to the deepest secrets of Root. Even without freedom, that prospect made him giddy.
Because from the moment he laid eyes on Danzō, he knew—this was a man who didn't care for life, only results.
To normal people, that made him terrifying. To someone like Ibiki—a fellow madman—it made him the perfect boss.
Right now, Ibiki, accompanied by two Root shinobi, was returning to the lab with a stack of files when he spotted Danzō escorting Obito for interrogation.
Ibiki respectfully greeted Danzō, then turned a curious eye to Obito. "Danzō-sama, who is this child?"
Danzō replied coldly, "A brat from the Uchiha clan. Born evil like the rest of them. Opened his Sharingan with three tomoe in one eye and two in the other."
Ibiki's eyes lit up. "Danzō-sama, he—"
Danzō cut him off. "I have intel to extract first. Once I'm done with him, he's yours."
Ibiki smiled. In his white coat, looking more like a boy than a man, he bowed deeply to Danzō and thanked him, throwing in extra flattery and promises to devote his life to Danzō's cause.
A model of servile loyalty—like a bootlicker with no shame.
Danzō didn't care if Ibiki truly admired him. He only needed results. The seals and binding techniques on Ibiki's body were enough to ensure his loyalty.
With that, Danzō offered a few words of encouragement and moved on with Obito.
Obito said nothing the entire time.
Not because he was quiet by nature.
But because Danzō, the shameless old snake, had struck him with the Tongue Cursing Seal—rendering him speechless.
Obito had already exposed too much. Danzō, shaken and enraged, couldn't risk letting him speak another word.
Now, all Obito could do was glare with fury and helplessness, wishing his eyes could kill Danzō on the spot.
Meanwhile, outside the Root compound, the aged Uchiha Madara stood at a distance, staring at a towering tree.
It looked no different from the others—except perhaps healthier. Yet beneath it was Root's main base.
"So this is the 'Root'… a decaying rot built beneath a towering tree. They claim to protect it, but in truth, they leech its nutrients. And now, the rot threatens the tree itself. If this corruption isn't severed, it will one day consume the entire tree, turning it into a stinking, withered corpse."
Madara spoke slowly, like a poet, weaving metaphor into reality. This was how he saw Konoha.
Just then, a white figure popped up beside him from the forest floor.
It was Tobi—White Zetsu's avatar.
"Old man Madara, I'm here! I'm here! So what's up? Are we going in? That sounds dangerous, right? Very dangerous?"
He babbled, shattering the heavy mood with his usual idiocy.
Madara sighed. For a moment, he regretted summoning Tobi.
But it was too late to change things now. He just wanted to finish this operation and get back to dancing in his favorite game.
So...
"Let this new Mangekyō Sharingan shine its light upon this world for the first time."
His eyes shifted—tomoe twisted into the pattern of the Mangekyō.
Its power flared.
This Mangekyō had only one ability—one born from the depths of Madara's desire when he awakened it during an intense moment while playing "Escape."
He had named the technique… Inari Ōkami!
Like his other abilities, it followed the naming conventions of Shinto mythology—in this case, the deity of harvest and renewal.
The name fit. Upon activation, the elderly Madara visibly reversed his age—reverting to his prime, around his mid-thirties. He looked just like he had during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Even Tobi was stunned. "Wh-wh-what?! Old man Madara?! What happened?! Why are you suddenly young again?!"
Madara scoffed. "Quiet, Tobi. It's just the new power of my Mangekyō. But time is short. I must act."
His self-reference even changed from "old man" to "I." The transformation was complete.
But like all Mangekyō techniques, the stronger the ability, the harsher the cost.
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi? Powerful but usable. You might go blind, but at least you could spam them.
Kotoamatsukami? Once every decade.
This new power was like the latter—extremely limited. The rejuvenation lasted less than five minutes. After that, the eyes would enter a six-month cooldown.
And worse—the energy used would be repaid by the body afterward. Without the system's cola and "gamer fuel," Madara wouldn't dare use it. The rebound could kill him.
With the support of those miracle drinks, however, the technique became viable. A perfect fusion of ancient power and modern junk food.
Still, five minutes wasn't long. If the duration were longer, Madara's pride would never allow him to act in secret. He'd go full berserk mode, reclaim his Rinnegan, capture every Tailed Beast, and activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
But Mangekyō was still just Mangekyō. No matter how absurd the ability, it wasn't invincible.
Now, with his youthful form returned for a fleeting time…
"Let this Root of Konoha…
…dance with me!"
BOOM——
A thunderous blast shook the tree outside Root's HQ, instantly obliterating the guards stationed there.