Inside the Uchiha compound, Ryosuke had barely settled down when a clansman came rushing in to report.
"Members of Root want to take your prisoner—Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii."
Ryosuke's expression instantly darkened.
How bold. That woman was supposed to be his child-bearing vessel.
Without delay, he turned and headed straight for the main entrance of the clan compound.
Outside the gate, several masked Root operatives were already confronting a handful of Uchiha clan members.
But the Uchiha had just returned in glorious victory—they weren't afraid of Root.
Moments later, they saw a young man walking toward them from within.
One of the Root ninjas stepped forward and asked skeptically,
"Is this the person you claim can make decisions for your clan?"
They knew about Uchiha Fugaku—the clan head. Decisions like this should obviously require his presence.
But to their surprise, an Uchiha proudly declared,
"Of course. He is the one in charge."
Others might not know who deserved the most credit for this war, but the Uchiha clan knew exactly who made their victory over the Cloud Village possible: Ryosuke.
Their respect for him now even exceeded that of their official clan head, Fugaku.
And besides, the two prisoners from the Cloud—their most prized captives—had been specifically claimed by Ryosuke. Both were currently being held at his residence, sealed with Uchiha techniques that suppressed chakra, rendering them no more powerful than ordinary civilians.
The Root members didn't argue further. They waited for the young man to approach the gate, then one of them stepped forward and spoke solemnly.
"Under the direct orders of Senior Advisor Danzo, the Uchiha clan is to hand over the Two-Tails Jinchūriki to Root custody. Please turn her over immediately."
Ryosuke didn't even hesitate.
"Go back and tell your Danzo: if he wants the Two-Tails... not a chance in hell."
The faces of the Root members darkened immediately.
To outright refuse an order from Lord Danzo—and with such arrogance?
One of them snapped,
"How dare you defy the advisor's direct command? Are you Uchiha plotting to betray the village?"
Ryosuke scoffed and shot back,
"You're accusing us of betrayal? Sounds like Root's got some guts, throwing around accusations like that."
"Who gave you the courage to boss around the Uchiha clan—no, the most powerful clan in the entire ninja world? Danzo? That petty little village bureaucrat?"
The Root operatives were stunned.
Even the Uchiha onlookers were floored by his defiance.
This was the pride and dominance they missed.
They had been suppressed by the village for too long. But seeing Ryosuke now—unapologetic, unyielding—they couldn't help but feel exhilarated.
The Root ninja finally recovered and barked back,
"This is treason! Not only are you ignoring Lord Danzo's authority—"
"—You're insulting him! We have every right to suspect the Uchiha of rebellion. You're coming with us to Root for interrogation!"
Ryosuke actually chuckled in disbelief.
They wanted to arrest him in the Uchiha compound? These low-ranking dogs weren't even worth his chakra.
He turned to the Uchiha behind him and said coldly,
"Root operatives are acting up inside our clan's territory. What are you waiting for? Are you just going to stand there and watch?"
The Uchiha instantly got the message.
Each of them erupted with killing intent, furious at the idea of outsiders daring to make arrests inside the Uchiha compound.
They all activated their Sharingan—three-tomoe and two-tomoe eyes flickered to life like red flames in the night.
Their gazes locked onto the Root members like predators sizing up prey.
If Root dared to make a move, they would strike back without hesitation.
From a combat standpoint, they had nothing to fear from these masked nobodies.
The Root members started sweating under the pressure of so many crimson Sharingan eyes.
One of them, grinding his teeth, demanded,
"Are you really choosing to betray the village?!"
Ryosuke gave him a cold glare and replied,
"Big words. So refusing Root equals betrayal now?"
"Don't forget who founded Konoha. The Uchiha clan and the Senju clan. Betraying the village would be like betraying our own creation. You Root dogs are laughable."
His words silenced them completely.
The Root ninjas choked on their own outrage, unable to respond.
One older operative locked eyes with Ryosuke for a long moment.
He knew—it was this man who had incited the Uchiha to defy them.
"I'll report all of this to Lord Danzo. Word for word."
With that, they turned and left.
Despite their usual arrogance, even they knew better than to start a fight here. If they lifted a finger, they'd be swarmed by hundreds of Uchiha. That wouldn't be an interrogation—it'd be a massacre.
Only Danzo could handle this mess now.
As the Root agents retreated, the remaining Uchiha all turned toward Ryosuke with reverence in their eyes.
He hadn't shown a shred of fear in front of Root.
He had defended the clan with fire, pride, and strength.
This... this was the Uchiha way.
Read ahead with 90+ chapters now and daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus