Chapter 33: Danzo's Scheme
"This is a Genjutsu. When?" The Root Ninja was startled. By the time he reacted, his limbs were already embedded in the tree trunk, making him unable to move.
"Of course, I released it the moment I stepped into this courtyard. You're terrible, your disguise is too clumsy." At some point, Qianye had appeared in front of the Root Ninja. Under the latter's astonished gaze, he delivered a whip kick to his lower body.
"Ah!" Amidst a scream, the Root Ninja's crotch was hit.
Under the intense pain, the Genjutsu automatically dispelled. The Root Ninja clutched his lower body, his heart tearing, blood staining the ground. His body convulsed, and he rolled on the ground, in so much pain that he wished for death.
He was no longer a man.
Qianye crossed his arms, looking down, and asked knowingly, "Quick, tell me, who sent you to infiltrate Konoha, and why did you attack me?"
"I am Dan… Ah!" The Root Ninja was about to say that Danzo had sent him to summon Qianye, but Qianye kicked him again, turning his voice into a long, sharp scream.
Uchiha Izumi, hearing the continuous screams from outside, ran out. Seeing Qianye, she breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the Root Ninja writhing in pain on the ground, and asked in confusion, "Qianye, what happened?"
"Nothing, I just caught an enemy spy. I'm going to hand him over to Hokage-sama right now." Qianye blocked Uchiha Izumi's view and kicked again. The Root Ninja's body twitched a few times, then he was in too much pain to speak.
Uchiha Izumi 'oh'ed and, not suspecting anything, urged him, "Then come back early. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Okay. I'll be back soon." As he spoke, Qianye, like carrying a chick, picked up the Root Ninja and disappeared from the courtyard, heading straight for the Hokage Building.
Before leaving, he left a Shadow Clone in the courtyard, just in case.
Inside a building not far from the Uchiha Clan Territory.
The Anbu Ninja responsible for monitoring the Uchiha Clan saw Qianye's figure through surveillance and were all startled. "Kakashi-taichou, we have a situation! Qianye seems to have captured a Root Ninja."
Kakashi's mouth twitched violently. "You all stay here and keep an eye on things. I'll go check it out."
"Yes, Kakashi-taichou." All the Anbu Ninja responded in unison. Suddenly, Kakashi disappeared from the building.
Before long, he caught up with Qianye, who had just left the Uchiha Clan Territory. "Qianye, what are you doing?"
"Oh, it's Kakashi-taichou. Perfect, I just caught an enemy spy who attacked me, and I was about to hand him over to Hokage-sama. Since you're here, it saves me an extra trip." Qianye casually threw the Root Ninja in front of Kakashi, talking nonsense with a straight face.
Kakashi looked at the Root Ninja's bloody lower body, knowing he was no longer a complete man. He silently mourned in his heart and explained, "He's not a spy, he's a Root Ninja."
"Lord Danzo's subordinate? Really? No way." Qianye feigned surprise, then asked, "But why would he attack me for no reason? He didn't say a word, and went straight for my vital points from behind. I was almost killed."
Hearing this, the Root Ninja, whose crotch was already hit, secretly groaned in his heart, thinking, "I was just greeting you, showing off, giving you a warning. Did you have to do this?"
Kakashi had once been in Root and knew what kind of people stayed there. Hearing Qianye's words, he quickly understood the whole story.
"You've never had contact with Root members, so you might not know, but this is just a basic greeting method for Root. Even when Anbu first meets new recruits, they do this kind of test. You were the only exception back then. I think it's probably because Lord Danzo wants to summon you."
At this point, Kakashi turned his gaze to the Root Ninja and asked, "Is that right?"
The Root Ninja weakly nodded. Having just been hit in the crotch, he didn't even have the strength to speak.
"Oh, you should have said so earlier. I kept asking him, but he refused to speak. Even if Lord Danzo summoned me, he should have at least said something. Look… what a tragedy." Qianye shrugged slightly, looking innocent.
At this moment, Kakashi also didn't know what to say. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. "You should know where the Shimura Clan Territory is. Lord Danzo is there. You go see him first. I'll take him to the Medical Department, and I'll explain everything to Hokage-sama and Lord Danzo later."
"Then thank you, Kakashi-senpai." As Qianye's voice fell, he vanished from Kakashi's sight in a flash.
"He runs really fast." Kakashi looked at the spot where Qianye disappeared, sighing helplessly. He got up, picked up the Root Ninja, and walked towards the Medical Department.
At the same time.
Shimura Clan Residence.
It was getting dark. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, which was covered with dark clouds.
Just like in the original story, Danzo summoned Uchiha Itachi.
Using Sasuke as a threat, he gave Itachi the mission to kill all the Uchiha, leaving only his younger brother alive.
The result was no surprise. After a painful struggle, Itachi, whose weakness was exploited, agreed.
"I am very pleased that you can make the right choice for the Village." Danzo nodded in satisfaction. "But besides the Uchiha Clan, I also need you to kill one more person for the Village."
"Who is it?" Uchiha Itachi asked expressionlessly. At this moment, his heart was almost numb. He only wanted to protect his younger brother and prevent the outbreak of civil war.
But when Danzo handed him the target's information, he was still moved.
A strong hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.
Fujiwara Chiye.
This was one of the very few men whose depth he could not fathom.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Danzo's mouth curved slightly upward. His already stiff old face cracked into a playful smile. "This person should be the easiest opponent for you to deal with, after all, your Sharingan is specifically designed to counter his Genjutsu."
"You should know that Qianye knows the truth about the Uchiha. If he leaks it, then it will be a huge threat to both you and the Village."
"No, there's no problem." Uchiha Itachi shook his head.
Although he was very wary of Qianye's strength, confident in his Mangekyo Sharingan, he still chose to accept this mission.
"Alright, the operation will be set for tomorrow night, the night of the full moon. Next, I will suspend Fujiwara Chiye's mission to monitor the Uchiha, allowing him to spend one last beautiful night with that little girl, Uchiha Izumi. Once everything is settled, I hope to see him die as a hero, protecting Konoha."
Danzo's eyes flickered, and he added, "All of this is for the Village."