The alarms shrieked across Konoha, crimson lanterns flooding the streets in warning. Shadows darted across rooftops—masked figures, silent and efficient. Root had returned, not as whispers from the past, but as knives drawn in the present.
Kiyoshi's body moved before his thoughts caught up. He sealed Hideo's chamber with a surge of chakra and shouted to the medics:
"Don't break formation! If they breach here, it's over."
But the medics were already scattering. Panic ran faster than orders.
The first intruder struck. A Root operative slipped through the window with a blade curved for silence. Kiyoshi twisted, his blood hardening mid-air into a crimson shard that deflected the strike. The clang echoed against the sterile walls.
The masked shinobi said nothing, only pressed forward, movements sharp, precise. His chakra flared in bursts—not wild, but calculated. Kiyoshi parried again, but his eyes narrowed.
This isn't an assassin… he's here to test me.
Before the next clash, the wall behind them shattered.
"Guess we found the party," Daiki said, dango stick still between his teeth, blood running down his arm. Rei stepped in behind him, her hands already weaving seals, her eyes glowing faintly with focus.
"You two—!" Kiyoshi started.
"Tsunade-sama sent us," Rei cut in firmly. "We're your squad now, aren't we?"
The Root operative tilted his head. "So this is your answer, Chinoike… building trust with strays." His voice was muffled, but the disdain was clear. "Let's see how long that lasts."
He blurred forward. Daiki rushed to intercept, fist cocked. The punch cracked the floor, but the Root shinobi flowed past him like water, blade whistling toward Rei.
Blood surged. Kiyoshi's Ketsuryugan flared. His tendrils intercepted the strike inches from Rei's neck. The red glow in his eyes deepened, threads of his chakra weaving tighter around the enemy's blade.
The Root operative paused, just for a breath. "So it's true. The cursed eyes live again."
The room filled with killing intent.
Hideo groaned weakly from the chamber, his eyes half-lidded, whispering only one word—
"Run…"
But Kiyoshi did not move. His jaw tightened, his voice steady.
"No. This time, we fight."
Rei and Daiki flanked him, unsteady but resolute. The masked intruder straightened, blade gleaming in the dim light.
Steel, blood, and shadows collided. The battle for Konoha had begun.