A figure crouches among the trees overlooking the Uchiha compound, where flames have flickered and died, casting eerie shadows.
"Sir, there's a rebellion within the Uchiha clan."
A masked shinobi, disguised with an animal-themed mask, whispers to his superior: "Sir, the Uchiha are in internal chaos."
They're part of Root—a covert faction under Danzo. Tonight, 135 elite Root operatives stand watch, each with chakra comparable to high-level chūnin. Their mission: exterminate the Uchiha clan completely if Itachi fails.
"From now on… seal off the entire Uchiha compound," the leader orders. "Don't let any survive. If there's even one escapee… execute them immediately."
But the forest feels unnaturally silent. Not even insects chirp.
One shinobi, codenamed Night Owl, narrows his eyes:
"Something's wrong… I can't sense any chakra."
In the ninja world, chakra is everywhere. If someone has none, they're either long dead or… something else entirely.
He's cut off mid-thought when suddenly—
"Crack!"
The sound of a twisted neck.
All at once, the masked Root commander's body is hoisted up by the neck, dangling from a tree branch. No one heard him die—just the snap, then silence.
Panic flares. One by one, nearly half of the Root operatives vanish from contact. No radio—nothing.
Then… a figure in a hooded cloak emerges.
It's silent, still. It emits zero chakra.
Another agent whispers: "N-ninja… no chakra at all."
The attacker steps forward. At their feet appears a white-white orb of light. People recoil…but the shinobi are gone before they can react.
No sound. No bodies. Just… gone.
One by one, Root ninjas begin dropping—not to stealthy kills but sudden vanishings, like they evaporated.
A few break, bolting toward Konoha, panic in their steps.
They only make it a hundred meters before a flash in each of their eyes—and they're back in the forest. Teleportation jutsu.
White light. They're back—and they see the hooded figure again.
"No escape."
Another orb appears, and the shinobi disintegrate.
A few seconds later, the forest is littered with grey ash and blown apart root guards.
Root's elite… extinguished.
Then… a voice from the cloak:
"'Naruto, your power… is this a kekkei genkai?'"
It's Minato, beside the figure.
"No," Naruto replies quietly, pulling off the hood and revealing his face… masked.
"It's more like… a stepping stone. Not on par with your legend."
Minato's expression is unreadable. He says nothing, but his posture speaks volumes.
The hooded figure stands amidst the ruins of Root's elite squad—victory, complete and total.
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