Uncle Shinku smiled after hearing my words. "Well, the danger of the Nine-Tails is now gone. So, there is no need for all the younger generations to remain confined in the shelters. They can be freed now. I have already sent Alowa to release them. They should be free by now."
After hearing Uncle Shinku's words, I simply nodded. He gave me one final nod in return before turning around and leaving, quickly joining the other Konoha ninjas as they dealt with the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' destruction.
Even though most of the civilians had been evacuated, not everyone had managed to escape in time. The Nine-Tails' attack had been completely sudden, appearing out of nowhere inside the village after Obito summoned it, throwing the entire village into chaos within moments. As a result, there were still a few people trapped beneath collapsed buildings and piles of rubble. Somehow, some of them had survived, though they were only a small minority compared to those who had lost their lives.
Thankfully, Konoha's ninjas had reacted quickly. The village already had a proper emergency evacuation system for situations where the entire village was under threat, and because of that, the number of casualties had been greatly reduced. Otherwise, the destruction caused by the Nine-Tails would have been far worse.
I remained seated on the rooftop, silently watching the countless ninjas below carry out their respective duties. Some searched through the rubble, some escorted injured civilians, while others coordinated rescue efforts and maintained order throughout the devastated streets.
A feeling of relief slowly settled over me when I noticed Hiruzen returning from somewhere.
He was empty-handed. More importantly, there was no sadness, grief, or gloom visible on his face.
The moment I saw that, I immediately understood what it most likely meant.
This time, Minato's family had probably survived. They were fine.
I stood up and dusted off my clothes before muttering to myself, "Well, then I should also head to the shelter and meet my parents. I should tell them that I'm absolutely fine and don't even have as much as a scratch on me."
I paused for a second before glancing at my arm.
Well... aside from a slight burn from that energy beam attack of the Nine-Tails.
After saying that, I looked down at the red patch of damaged skin on my arm. The burn was not serious. With my physique, it would probably heal within a few days. Even so, the reddened skin was still clearly visible.
"Whatever," I muttered.
I was just about to jump toward the next rooftop when suddenly a masked ninja appeared beside me without any warning. His arrival was so silent that he seemed to materialize out of thin air.
I turned my head toward him and immediately assumed that someone from the Anbu had come looking for me. However, for some reason, the moment I looked at him, an unpleasant feeling rose in my chest.
A bad intuition.
And his next words immediately proved that intuition correct.
"Ryuma Hatake, Lord Danzo requests your presence. And before you refuse, your parents are also there waiting for your arrival."
The instant I heard that my parents were with Danzo, my expression darkened.
There was no way my parents had willingly gone to meet Danzo. They had definitely been taken away by Root ninjas. And that also meant the masked man standing before me was not an Anbu ninja.
He was Root.
The realization caused an intense killing intent to surge from deep within my heart. My fists clenched tightly. For a brief moment, I genuinely wanted to kill this Root ninja right here and now.
The moment my killing intent exploded outward, it was completely focused on the Root ninja in front of me. The Root ninja instantly understood that I intended to kill him.
Not only did my killing intent surge forth, but my chakra also leaked uncontrollably from my body, swirling around me like green flames dancing in the wind. The rooftop beneath my feet creaked slightly under the sudden pressure.
In a flash, I disappeared from my original position. Before the Root ninja could even react, I was already standing in front of him. My hand shot out and tightly grabbed his neck, the force behind it enough to lift him slightly off the rooftop.
At that moment, I only needed to exert a little more strength to crush his throat completely. Yet I restrained myself.
Staring directly into the holes of his mask, I asked in a cold voice, "Are my parents all right?"
Despite standing at death's door, despite the fact that I could snap his neck at any moment, the Root ninja showed no panic. No fear. No pleading. Nothing.
It was as if death itself meant absolutely nothing to him.
With his throat partially crushed in my grip, he spoke in a rasping voice, "Your parents are fine... and will remain fine... as long as you go to meet Lord Danzo, as I said before."
Looking at him, I clicked my tongue in irritation. Tch.
These puppet-like Root ninjas. No emotions. No fear. No hesitation. Just obedient tools.
Then I spoke aloud, "I will definitely go with you."
The instant those words left my mouth, my Observation Haki detected several presences rapidly approaching our location. I immediately turned my head toward the source.
A few moments later, several figures landed on nearby rooftops: Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai. The three of them had most likely sensed the killing intent I had released earlier and rushed over to investigate.
As Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma came to a stop on the rooftop opposite ours, their eyes immediately landed on the scene before them: me, holding a masked ninja by the neck.
Their expressions instantly became serious. Their eyes narrowed.
Before any of them could even ask what was happening, I spoke first.
"I don't know who this Danzo person is, nor do I know why he is so eager to meet me that he had my parents taken away just to lure me to him." I tightened my grip slightly, causing the Root ninja to grunt. "But if this person can command Anbu ninjas like him, then he must be someone important within the village."
My gaze shifted toward the three of them.
"I am going to meet him according to his demands."
The atmosphere became noticeably heavier.
"You all go and inform either Lord Third or the Hokage about this matter." I paused briefly before continuing. "And tell them this."
My voice became colder.
"If my parents are alive and well, then when they arrive on time, everything will be fine. I won't bother doing anything to that person."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
"But if something has happened to my parents..."
The green chakra around my body flickered more violently.
"...then I will completely lose it."
My grip on the Root ninja tightened even further.
"I will lose control and go on a killing spree there."
The words came out calm. Far too calm.
"And anyone who tries to stop me..." I slowly looked toward the Root ninja in my hand. "...will become my enemy."
Silence fell over the rooftops. Even the distant sounds of rescue operations seemed muted for a brief moment.
"So you'd better hurry," I said. "Go tell them to get there before something bad happens."
After saying those words, I slowly loosened my grip and let the Root ninja drop back onto the rooftop. Because despite everything, despite the anger boiling inside me and the killing intent screaming for blood, I genuinely did not want to take any extreme steps.
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