Shisui's eyes narrowed slightly.
Perhaps the old Shisui would never have dared say such a thing.
But now it was different.
As the saying goes, those who keep close to vermilion grow red; those close to ink grow black. After spending time with Uchiha Kai, he'd picked up a certain shamelessness.
Putting on labels like that was now something he could spit out without hesitation.
Danzō: "..."
Looking at Shisui's respectfully bowed face, he felt as if he might vomit blood from rage.
Spies in Root?
What a load of crap!
Never mind the fact that Root selects its operatives from among the elite of the great clans — hardly from the common folk — which makes it absurd to think some enemy could seed spies through the clans.
Even if the enemy were that capable, Root is not like other departments.
Once you join Root, you're brainwashed.
Before you actually undertake missions, they implant seals that cut off the tongue and conscience!
Spies?
A joke.
Though his anger boiled over, he had no patience to argue with Shisui.
He understood perfectly well that Shisui wouldn't have dared to act like this unless instructed by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
For a proud Konoha elder and Root commander like himself to bicker with a small pawn like Shisui was beneath him.
So with a cold snort, he strode away.
If he wanted to pick a fight, he'd take it up with Hiruzen — not this lackey.
"Shisui, are we going back?"
"There are two more bases. Let them die first."
Shisui answered calmly.
His thinking had diverged entirely from the original path. Guided by Uchiha Kai's teachings, he now understood what it meant to eradicate evil, to know friends from enemies.
Since he and Danzō were already enemies, and the blade was already drawn, why stop until the benefits were maximized?
Why sheathe the sword early?
If it weren't yet time to utterly sever ties, he might even have dared to storm Root's main camp.
"…"
Many of the Uchiha were bewildered.
They didn't fully understand — Danzō personally intervening and yet this decisive action felt odd.
But they had no choice. Shisui was their leader and they stood behind the Hokage. Having chosen to follow, they had burned their bridges.
Half an hour later, after Shisui had wiped out the village's last two Root bases, the group returned to the ANBU station.
Meanwhile, Danzō did not go to confront Sarutobi Hiruzen; he returned to Root headquarters instead.
In the past, he might have gone straight to Hiruzen to argue. But now… what use?
Hiruzen would likely protect Shisui — after all, Danzō had killed Hiruzen's eldest son before. A bit of payback was to be expected, and smoothing things over to focus on joint action against the Uchiha mattered more. Sequence mattered.
Still, he was not the sort to swallow the blow quietly.
But actually going toe-to-toe with Hiruzen? He was reluctant.
The current Konoha F4's priority was to cooperate against the Uchiha. Mess up the order and everything could collapse.
While Danzō wrestled with his thoughts, a Root operative entered and knelt on one knee.
"Lord Danzō! After your return, the ANBU did not stand down. The remaining two Root bases have now been completely cleared by the ANBU."
He spoke evenly.
Those Root members had long since been brainwashed; they felt little. Only numbness remained. So losing a few comrades or having bases taken didn't mean much. Even their own lives were trivial to them.
Danzō: "..."
Hearing the report stunned him.
What the hell!
He, an elder, had personally shown up — and Shisui still dared to act!?
It meant he hadn't been taken seriously at all.
Blood drained from his face as fury shook him. In a fit of rage he slammed his fist through the desk.
Unlike the brainwashed Root, Danzō could not accept such humiliation.
It wasn't merely about the bases. What stung most was that an elder of his rank had personally intervened — and Shisui's actions were a slap in his face.
If he didn't strike back, who in Konoha would continue to treat Danzō, Root's commander, with any respect?
The more he thought, the more his expression twisted into a snarl.
"No. Absolutely not!" he hissed.
"Hiruzen — you old dog, are you trying to undermine my prestige?"
"Fine. Very fine. I'd originally been willing to swallow this loss. But if you persist in shamelessness — then don't blame Danzō for being ruthless!"
His voice chilled to the bone; killing intent hung in his eyes.
He hadn't even considered that today's events were Shisui's independent action — Hiruzen himself looked just as bewildered. But such confusion was natural: under normal circumstances, Shisui wouldn't have dared without Hiruzen's approval. Thus the misunderstanding had formed.
Danzō's resentment festered and grew. He turned to the kneeling Root agent and barked coldly,
"Mobilize everyone. Abandon all other tasks and return to the village immediately.
Every ANBU post, every Root outpost — kill on sight!
Reason: root out spies.
Also, fetch a thousand explosive tags — blow the ANBU to hell if you must!
I want Hiruzen to know that Danzō is not someone to be trifled with.
Hurry!"
Danzō waved a massive hand.
Yes. Since ANBU had dared take action, why should Root be afraid? He would make sure everyone knew how dangerous Danzō could be.
The kneeling Root operative nodded calmly and left the office without emotion.
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