Ever since he seized the momentum and stripped Danzo of his position, Uchiha Yusuke had been thinking about one thing:
How to bring Danzo down completely.
The fall of the Uchiha clan—Danzo was the mastermind behind it.
Only by wiping out Danzo and Root in one clean sweep could Yusuke finally sleep without worry.
But taking Danzo wasn't so simple.
The Third Hokage acted distant on the surface, yet in reality the upper leadership under him was still intertwined with Danzo.
To deal with Danzo, Yusuke needed a trigger.
And now Danzo was taking a risky route—trying to strike at Yusuke directly.
For Yusuke, that was a gift from heaven.
As long as Danzo made a move, Yusuke could grab the tail and drag the whole beast out.
With Danzo's ruthlessness, the Police Force only needed a small investigation to bury him permanently.
After briefing Uchiha Fugaku on key details, Yusuke chose to leave the village alone on a mission.
He was deliberately exposing an opening—waiting for the fish beneath the surface to bite.
When Danzo received the news, he immediately couldn't hold back.
"Evil Uchiha… will become a disaster sooner or later."
"For Konoha. For the shinobi world. Uchiha Yusuke must be executed!"
Danzo was really just chasing personal vengeance—
yet he insisted on wrapping it in righteous language.
Anything without a moral line became "for Konoha."
Whether others believed it didn't matter.
He believed it completely.
In a way, Danzo was a propaganda salesman like the Third Hokage—
only his methods were far more violent.
Uchiha District — Two-Story House
Yusuke quickly checked his ninja tools and left home.
The moment he stepped out, the Root agent watching him sent a message to Danzo.
"The target has moved."
"Assassination squads—prepare."
Konoha Gate
The moon hung high, bright as day.
After showing his mission authorization to the guards, Yusuke departed.
Konoha had just fought Kumogakure, and the Third Tsuchikage Onoki had been stirring restlessly.
Yusuke's mission: gather intelligence near Iwagakure.
He traveled for a long time—
yet Danzo's men still hadn't appeared.
A hint of doubt rose in his mind.
Did that old man back off?
After thinking it through, Yusuke dismissed it.
Danzo's surveillance showed overwhelming killing intent.
If Danzo hadn't struck yet, it meant he had a deeper plan.
Yusuke continued forward, reaching the Land of Fire's border.
One more step, and he'd enter the Land of Grass.
If Root wanted to act, they had little time left.
Inside Fire Country, Danzo's people moved freely.
But entering another nation's territory in force could spark international conflict.
Grass was small, but it still wouldn't tolerate foreign shinobi coming and going as they pleased.
Crossing without notice would be treated as hostile invasion.
If Danzo caused that kind of trouble, the Third Hokage would make him pay.
Yusuke stopped at the border line and murmured:
"This is the last chance."
"Danzo won't give it up… right?"
The moment he finished—
two squads of masked shinobi burst in, enclosing him from left and right.
"By Lord Danzo's order—execute the Konoha traitor."
"Uchiha Yusuke. Surrender now."
Yusuke smiled faintly.
"So Danzo isn't hiding behind shadows this time."
"But you Root people attacking a Hokage Advisor… have you considered the consequences?"
The Root leader sneered.
"Hokage Advisor? So what."
"We uphold Konoha's order by the rules of darkness."
Yusuke said nothing.
Typical Danzo subordinates—washed clean and reassembled.
A flicker of disdain crossed his face.
"And with your motley crew… what exactly do you think you can do to me?"
The leader's expression exploded in fury.
"Enough talk—kill him!"
Yusuke shook his head.
Root weren't just ruthless.
They were also arrogant.
Even if they faced Uchiha Madara, they'd probably still believe they could "handle it."
Since words were useless, Yusuke rested a hand on his sword and said calmly:
"If you insist on dying…"
"…then I'll grant your wish."
Yusuke didn't enjoy killing.
But Root were beyond saving.
They'd been trained into task-machines loyal only to Danzo.
With one order, they'd even assassinate the Hokage.
The leader barked again.
"You think you can kill us alone?"
"Traitors die—there's no other road!"
While he talked, one of his men threw a kunai without warning.
Yusuke casually leaned aside, dodging it, and muttered:
"Silent sneak attacks… just to reach a goal."
"So this is Root."
The leader's mouth curled proudly.
"Exactly."
"Nameless ones who support peace from the shadows—that's what shinobi truly are!"
Yusuke felt a headache forming.
Arrogant.
Self-intoxicated.
Violence as "order."
And they called it peace.
Absurd.
He was done talking.
His expression hardened, and three tomoe Sharingan bloomed in his eyes.
Moonlight poured down like silk.
On the border line, Root's assassins launched their assault.
To kill Yusuke, Root had deployed two squads—four teams—sixteen shinobi.
By Yusuke's knowledge, Root had roughly seventy members, similar to ANBU.
Sending out a quarter of their force meant Danzo had paid a steep price.
These weren't weaklings.
Even the worst among them were around special jōnin level.
Facing sixteen elites at once, Yusuke didn't underestimate them.
"Fire Release Chakra Mode."
His body shifted into elemental flames.
Against Danzo, secrecy was pointless—Root would have prepared counters.
Even a lion must hunt the rabbit with full force.
Yusuke had no intention of ever dying from a careless mistake.
Elemental flame form was offense and defense together.
He chose to hold his ground and see what "cleverness" Root had brought.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Shuriken from all directions!"
Their attacks looked crude—just ninja tools hurled wildly.
A thick cloud of dust burst up from the ground.
Elemental Yusuke didn't need to dodge.
Even standing still, he wouldn't be harmed.
When the dust cleared—
kunai and shuriken covered the earth.
Yusuke stood untouched.
The leader grimaced.
"So that's the 'Flame Demon' physical immunity…"
"What a nuisance."
He raised his arm and signaled.
"Everyone—execute Plan A."
At once, eight Root members threw another wave of kunai.
Yusuke still didn't move, letting the weapons pass through him.
The leader's lips curved into a cold smile.
"Heh. Caught you."
Two black chakra blades slipped through and pinned themselves into Yusuke's shadow.
Yusuke's body stiffened.
In an instant, he lost mobility.
The leader crowed:
"Didn't expect that, did you?"
"The same attack—hiding a trap."
"You've been hit by Shadow Imitation Shuriken. You're finished."
Realization flickered in Yusuke's eyes.
"So that's it."
"You have a Nara among you."
The leader smiled.
"And not only Nara."
"Deer—your turn."
A Root member called "Deer" stepped forward.
Hands forming a reverse triangle seal—
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Yusuke's eyes widened slightly.
So even the Yamanaka had someone under Danzo.
The technique landed.
Yusuke lost control of his body.
The leader chuckled again.
"Uchiha Yusuke is under control."
"Retrieve the chakra blades."
Kill him, then harvest the Sharingan.
Mission complete.
He'd expected a brutal fight—
yet Yusuke had "fallen" into their trap.
Shadow paralysis to restrict movement—
then Mind Transfer to seize the body.
Even if Yusuke had power beyond Kage-level, he would now be helpless.
The leader gave a cold command to "Deer":
"Control him."
"Make Uchiha Yusuke… end himself."
Yusuke instantly recalled the scene after the Five Kage Summit—Yamanaka Fū using the same method on Ao.
So Danzo really had prepared.
Nara binds.
Yamanaka hijacks.
Perfect teamwork.
But killing Yusuke with that?
Far too naive.
"Deer" forced Yusuke's body to leap from height, throat aimed at a blade.
At the last second, "Deer" released the jutsu and escaped.
Yusuke's body continued by momentum—
and was "beheaded" on the spot.
BOOM!
But there was no blood.
The severed body burst into roaring flames.
"Deer," back in his own body, froze in confusion.
"I removed his elemental ability… it shouldn't—"
The leader reacted first.
"Bad!"
"Fire Release shadow clone!"
"We've been fooled!"
He was right.
Inside the first dust cloud, Yusuke had already created a clone.
Root had just spent two elite clan techniques—
to kill one clone.
Both squads erupted in rage.
"Damn it!"
"That bastard—where did he go?!"
Right then—
Yusuke erupted from the earth beneath them.
Three-tomoe Sharingan gleamed, dark red and merciless.
"One-Sword Style: Wave Cut!"
His blade swept.
A flying slash tore across the line.
Two Root members nearby couldn't evade in time—
and were cut down grievously.
The squad leader's eyes sharpened with ruthless resolve.
"Plan B—everyone, attack together!"
With his command, Root's elites formed their strongest assault formation.
"Parasitic Insect Jutsu!"
"Fang Passing!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A storm of techniques—some with terrifying destructive power—
crashed toward Yusuke.
But Fire Release Chakra Mode was overwhelmingly dominant.
He could ignore most of it outright.
"Uchiha Yusuke—die!"
The leader roared and charged in personally.
He specialized in taijutsu and swordplay, with exceptional endurance.
If he could pin Yusuke down, the others might land a genjutsu.
They knew Yusuke well.
Using genjutsu against an Uchiha was a weak option—
but at this point, they had no choice.
"Move!"
The leader fought with everything he had to restrain Yusuke.
And the genjutsu specialist seized the opening.
"Nirvana Temple Technique!"
White feathers drifted across the sky.
Yusuke's eyes flashed once—
and illusion shattered instantly.
A soft laugh followed.
"Heh. Not a bad idea."
"But this level of genjutsu…"
"…won't work on me at all."
To read 40+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554