Ever since he seized the opportunity to strip Shimura Danzō of his position, Uchiha Yusuke had been considering one thing:
How to crush Danzō completely.
The downfall of the Uchiha clan in the original timeline—Danzō had been one of the prime movers.
Only by eradicating Danzō and the remnants of Root in one sweep could Yusuke truly sleep in peace.
But eliminating Danzō would not be simple.
On the surface, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared to be keeping Danzō at arm's length—
Yet in truth, the upper leadership still shared the same interests.
Yusuke needed a trigger.
And now?
Danzō was preparing to gamble everything and strike first.
To Yusuke, that wasn't a threat—
it was an opportunity delivered straight to his hands.
As long as Danzō acted, Yusuke could seize the initiative.
And with Root's track record?
The Police Force wouldn't even need to dig deeply to ensure Danzō never returned.
After briefing Fugaku on the key arrangements, Yusuke deliberately chose to leave the village alone on a mission.
A flaw—on purpose.
A hook cast into dark waters.
Root Takes the Bait
The moment Root's surveillance confirmed Yusuke had departed, the message was sent upward.
"Target has left the village."
"Assassination squad, prepare."
Danzō could not restrain himself any longer.
He would justify it as "for Konoha," "for the ninja world," "for peace."
In reality, it was revenge wrapped in righteousness.
Konoha Gate — Under a Bright Moon
After presenting his travel authorization to the guards, Yusuke left the village.
His mission was legitimate: intelligence reconnaissance toward Iwagakure, as Ōnoki had shown signs of movement following the war.
He traveled far.
No ambush.
No movement.
For a brief moment, doubt crossed his mind.
Had Danzō changed his mind?
Yusuke dismissed the thought almost instantly.
A man who had already placed eyes upon him would not suddenly grow cautious.
If Root had not attacked yet, it meant only one thing—
they were waiting for the optimal location.
Soon, Yusuke reached the border of the Land of Fire.
One more step forward and he would cross into the Land of Grass.
If Root intended to eliminate him cleanly, this was their final window.
Within Fire Country, Root could move with fewer complications.
Across the border, any large-scale engagement risked diplomatic fallout.
Yusuke stopped at the boundary line and murmured softly,
"This is the last chance."
"There's no way Danzō lets this go."
The Ambush
The moment his words faded—
two masked squads burst from the darkness, flanking him from both sides.
"By Lord Danzō's order—execute the traitor of Konoha!"
"Uchiha Yusuke, surrender!"
Yusuke smiled faintly.
"So you're announcing yourselves this time."
"But attacking a Hokage Advisor… have you considered the consequences?"
The Root captain sneered.
"Hokage Advisor? So what."
"We obey the rules of darkness to protect Konoha's order."
Yusuke did not argue.
They were indoctrinated too deeply.
He merely asked, tone calm and almost amused,
"With trash like you… what exactly do you think you can do to me?"
"Kill him!" the captain roared.
Yusuke's hand rested upon the hilt of his sword.
"If you insist on dying…"
"Then I'll grant your wish."
Sixteen Elites
Root had come prepared.
Two squads. Four teams. Sixteen operatives.
And these were not expendable pawns—each was at least Special Jōnin level.
Even Yusuke did not underestimate such a force.
His gaze turned cold.
The three-tomoe Sharingan spun into motion.
Then—
Fire Release Chakra Mode activated.
His body shifted into elemental state—offense and defense fused as one.
He waited.
Observing.
Plan A — The First Trap
"Shadow Clones!"
"Shuriken from all directions!"
A storm of kunai and shuriken descended, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
Yusuke did not move.
The weapons passed through his elemental form.
When the dust cleared, the ground was littered with steel—
and Yusuke stood untouched.
The captain clicked his tongue.
"So this is the Flame Demon's intangibility…"
"Troublesome."
He raised his hand.
"Execute Plan A."
More kunai were thrown.
Yusuke still did not dodge.
That was precisely what they wanted.
Two black chakra-infused blades pierced through him—
not to wound flesh,
but to anchor his shadow.
Yusuke's body stiffened.
He froze in place.
The captain grinned.
"Didn't expect that, did you?"
"Shadow Binding Shuriken."
"You're finished."
Yusuke narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So there's a Nara among you."
The captain's smile widened.
"Not just Nara."
"Elk—your turn."
A Root operative stepped forward, hands forming a seal.
Mind Transfer Jutsu.
Yusuke's expression flickered—brief, but genuine.
So even Yamanaka blood had been absorbed into Root.
The Mind Transfer struck.
Yusuke's bodily control was seized.
The captain exhaled slowly.
"We have him."
"Retrieve the shadow-binding blades."
Then came the final order.
"Control his body."
"Make Uchiha Yusuke… end himself."
"Killed"…?
Under Mind Transfer control, "Yusuke" leapt—
his own blade drawn toward his throat.
At the final instant, the Yamanaka operative withdrew, escaping the backlash.
Yusuke's head separated.
A clean execution.
Except—
there was no blood.
Only flame.
The "corpse" burst into a roaring fireball.
The Mind Transfer user staggered backward in shock.
"How—? I sealed his elemental ability—"
The captain's expression changed instantly.
"This is bad."
"Fire Release Shadow Clone."
"We were tricked."
The Real Yusuke
From beneath the earth, Yusuke emerged like a phantom.
His Sharingan glowed beneath the moonlight.
"One-Sword Style: Wave Sever."
A crescent slash cut through the night.
Two Root operatives near the front failed to evade—
blood sprayed as they were sent crashing to the ground, combat capability crippled.
"Plan B!" the captain barked.
"All units—engage simultaneously!"
Chaos erupted.
Destruction insects swarmed from Aburame operatives.
Inuzuka-style fang assaults charged in.
Summoning beasts materialized.
Layered ninjutsu attacks overlapped into a lethal web.
Yet Fire Release Chakra Mode proved merciless.
Most attacks simply passed through flame or dispersed against it.
The captain personally engaged in close combat, attempting to restrain Yusuke long enough for their genjutsu specialist to strike.
"Move!"
"You won't get past me!"
Then—
"Nirvana Temple Technique!"
White feathers drifted down from above.
A large-scale sleep-inducing genjutsu.
Yusuke's eyes flickered once.
The falling feathers turned hollow.
The illusion shattered instantly.
He laughed softly.
"An interesting attempt."
"But that level of genjutsu…"
"…won't affect me."
Under the moonlight, flames danced around him as the battlefield tilted further in his favor.
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