The heavy footsteps echoed through the Root base corridor, followed by the sound of clashing steel and the sharp thud of bodies hitting the floor.
Izumi Uchiha and the other surviving, battle-hardened members of her clan pushed through the last line of guards, their Sharingan glowing like burning embers in the dark. While they lacked experience and were not originally that strong, the recent demise of their clan had awakened their bloodline.
Though the Uchiha were cut in half, with most of their strongest gone, those who remained had grown stronger. Such was the power of their bloodline.
It only awakened when they lost what they desired to protect. So even with half their number, the Uchiha still remained formidable.
The hallway opened into a larger chamber—Danzo's personal office and command space.
And there he was.
Danzo Shimura sat behind a low desk, his one visible eye fixed on them. His bodyguards—Root operatives still in training and a handful of more experienced shinobi—stood between him and the advancing Uchiha. His posture was straight, his hands folded in front of him, his expression calm.
But that was only the surface.
Inside, Danzo's heart was pounding. Seeing Izumi's Mangekyo in person sent a flash of both greed and dread through him. That power… he wanted it. He always had. He failed to get Shisui's Mangekyo or Itachi's. However, he would not fail this time. The Uchiha power would be his. Yet now, faced with it directly, he understood the reality of his situation.
Most of his elite Root members were gone—dead in the Uchiha extermination by someone, most likely Itachi, or still away on missions he had sent them on. The operatives here now were far from enough to stop a Mangekyo wielder and her allies.
And there was another problem.
The shinobi he had sent to alert Hiruzen still hadn't returned. No word. No backup. Nothing.
Torune too hadn't come back. Danzo had counted on him bringing the Uchiha girl—Kiyomi—so he could use her as a hostage, a bargaining chip if the situation became desperate. But the minutes kept ticking by, and there was no sign of Torune. Danzo didn't yet know that Torune was dead, and that Sukuna was already making his way toward this room.
Still, Danzo could not let his face betray his unease. He could not let these Uchiha think they had the upper hand.
"Do you understand what you are doing? Is Uchiha Clan Rebelling," he said, his voice steady, even as his insides churned. "By attacking the Root, you are betraying Konoha itself. You are proving to the Hokage that you are traitors, no different from the ones who tried to destroy this village before."
Izumi's Mangekyo spun slowly, its glow sharp and unwavering. Itachi's name from Danzo's mouth felt revolting to her. "Where is Kiyomi. We know what you've done."
Danzo leaned forward slightly, keeping his tone measured. "What I have done is protect this village, even when Hiruzen hesitate. You—your clan—are a danger. The Uchiha think only of themselves. A cursed clan. You've been planning rebellion for years. Don't pretend otherwise."
His words were not meant to convince her of his innocence—he knew she would never believe him. This was about stalling. Every second was precious. He hoped Torune would walk through the door, or that Hiruzen would send reinforcements before the situation turned fatal.
Izumi, however, was not fooled. Sukunab before launching this plan had already explain Danzo's personality to them, he knew when cornered that cockroach will try to use his authority or even try to blackmail them to survive.
She stepped forward, her Mangekyo's power pressing like a weight in the air. The other Uchiha spread out, ready to fight.
Danzo's guards tensed, kunai and short swords ready, but he knew the truth—these weren't the soldiers he needed for this kind of battle. He was cornered.
Still, he forced his expression to remain unreadable. If he let even a crack show, they'd know. And the moment they knew, the fight would shift from a battle to a hunt.
"Where is Kiyomi." Izumi asked again, this time releasing her chakra. With Mangekyo, even her chakra had an oppressive quality which pushed back most of the Root shinobi.
Danzo's eyes narrowed. He was avoiding Izumi's eyes like a plague. Without a Mangekyo of his own, looking into her eyes was a death sentence. Still, he didn't like the way these damn Uchiha were behaving.
"Its all becuase of Hiruzen." He cursed under his breath. This clan long should have been killed, if only he was the Hokage.
Upon not getting any reply, Izumi patients finally were running thin. Just as she was about to attack, a voice from behind halted her actions.
"Izumi Nee-Chan"
Everyone, even Danzo, was startled to see Kiyomi rushing towards Izumi with a masked person following her trail.
Danzo's body stiffened, his brain understanding the implication. Torune was dead. However, it wasn't Kiyomi's presence that stunned him—it was Sukuna's.
"You..." He remembered Sukuna. Or at least the masked man who attacked him and took Shisui's eye.
"Kiyomi, are you alright. Did they did something to you." Izumi immediately embraced Kiyomi in a hug, her raging heart finally calming once she saw the girl safe.
"I'm fine, Su..I mean that masked man saved me." She hesitated, then pointed at the direction where Sukuna was lazily walking in with both hands in his trousers pockets.
Masked still on, but the sleeve of his top gone from one arm, he looked completely nonchalant for the situation, which unnerved most there.
"I'm surprised, you guys haven't ripped this bastard into pieces already." He slowly walked up to Izumi and gave Danzo a quick lookover before saying.
"Where were you ?" Izumi eyes narrowed with irritation. While the Uchiha were a force of their own, they couldn't take down the entire Root base by themselves, even with Izumi's Mangekyo. They were expecting help from Sukuna. He was supposed to bring Kiyomi to them before they reached Danzo.
He was late.
"Hey hey... Its not my fault that you guys are too fast, one might thing that it would take time for you guys to break open from the entrance and make your way in here. Not to mention, this girl here, he was completely knocked out when I get there, had to pull out my secret weapon to wake her up and then carry her fine ass to here unscathed." Sukuna shrugged.
Earning a glare from Kiyomi. She knew something was wrong with the way she woke up. He did something, didn't he?
"You're the one who attacked me." Before any reply could come from Izumi, Danzo broke the conversation. He glared bloody murder at Sukuna—or at least at his masked disguise—with bloodshot eyes.
"I should have known, you're one of the Uchiha. That cursed clan. All demons.
Do you know what you have done boy, you have attacked an elder of the village. Konoha will stop at nothing to eradicate your clan now..." Danzo, in rage, started to babble.
Sukuna didn't bother replying. Talking with enemies was a waste of time. While he played around other times, when it came to enemies, his motto was clear: A good enemy is a dead enemy.
Without hesitation, he shot his hand up, launching a powerful dismantle attack. Only the Uchiha with their Sharingan active were able to see the invisible attack, flickering into reality for just a heartbeat before vanishing.
It was like a shadow, an invisible blade.
The next second, blood spilt. Multiple Root shinobi standing protectively around Danzo were decapitated. However, even their sacrifice wasn't enough to ensure Danzo's survival.
This time, Sukuna didn't hold back on his output. It not only cut through everything in its path but even left a deep gash on the wall behind.
*Thud...
Danzo's head fell to the ground. Blood splattered into a puddle as all the bodies collapsed.
Silence fell. None dared speak. Everyone was dumbfounded. This boy had just killed the Darkness of Shinobi without hesitation. So easily?
And then, like a floodgate opening, chaos began.
"Attack... kill all Uchiha. Revenge Danzo Sama."
All the remaining Root shinobi rushed at them like a surging tide.
The Uchiha, who had been suppressed until now, snapped from their daze and rushed at the Root shinobi with a war cry, Sharingan flaring.
Izumi remained with Kiyomi still close, watching the chaos with stunned expressions. She hadn't expected this.
'Was it really that easy to kill that old man. Why hype him so much if he were to go down that easily?
No, its not him. Its this guy here.' Her eyes fell on Sukuna. A tremor ran through her when she saw that attack. Even Uchiha who saw it found it nearly impossible to dodge because of its ridiculous speed. It was an extremely lethal attack most shinobi would have no response to.
A feeling of powerlessness surged in her. Despite having one of the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan, she felt inferior when she saw how easily that annoying little boy behind the mask killed Danzo.
'What if he was their enemy. What if he one day go against the Uchiha clan or the village?' All sorts of thoughts rose inside her.
Kiyomi was better in this regard. She had seen worse at this point.
Neither realized that danger was coming for them.
Space seemed to hum quietly, and a figure began to manifest out of thin air, directly in front of Izumi.
Izumi was shocked. She hadn't even felt any chakra disturbance.
Before she knew it, a hand shot right at her, fingers appearing in front of her eyes, reaching straight for her Mangekyo.
Her eyes widened in horror. She didn't have time to dodge or defend. This was too fast.
It happened out of nowhere.
xxx
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