The run-in with Tsunade soured Uchiha Jin's mood.
He lost any desire to wander and left the barbecue shop with a bag of beef, heading home.
No sooner had he left the district than his pace quickened. A flash of scarlet slid through his eyes.
"Brat, looks like you have tails," the Holy Master rumbled in his ear, clearly using his daily hour to watch the outside.
"Just three little mice. I saw them a while ago."
Jin's face did not change. He slipped into a quiet alley.
On the rooftops behind him, several figures kept their distance and shadowed his path.
When the market noise dwindled, Jin reached a dead end. Sunlight was cut off by tall walls and the lane fell dim.
He turned, amused, and looked back the way he came.
Several shadows dropped soundlessly from the eaves and formed a triangle around him.
The leader wore an animal mask. His voice was cold. "Uchiha Jin, Lord Danzō requests your presence. Come with us."
"Who is Danzō? Never heard of him."
Noting the Anbu-like getup, Jin let a shade of mockery color his tone.
"He is Lord Danzō, the Hokage's adviser."
The Root shinobi took the bait and snapped the correction.
"Oh, the bandaged mummy of an old man."
They were Root drones, trained and brainwashed. Jin did not bother with more talk and went straight for Danzō's half-ruined body.
"Impudent!" all three barked as chakra flared.
"Disable him. Drag him back if you must," the leader ordered.
WHISTLE! Six kunai ripped in from six angles, each aimed to kill.
Jin did not move. When the blades were about to strike, the shadow at his feet twisted and rose as six black tendrils, swallowing every kunai with precision.
"Nara shadow arts," the left-hand ninja blurted, baffled that an Uchiha used a Nara technique.
"No. Nara shadows do not devour," the right-hand ninja said, catching the difference.
"Fresh power and you lab rats walk in to test it. How thoughtful of Danzō."
Jin's voice came from behind them.
"Perfect for trying a new toy."
They spun. He was at the mouth of the alley, sunlight pulling his shadow long.
"Wind Release - Beast Wave Palm!"
"Wind Release - Wind Cutter!"
"Wind Release - Net!"
True to Root, they needed no chatter. All three signed in sync.
Savage wind chakra tore through the lane. Palm gusts, slicing blades, and a woven net sealed every path.
The walls scored deep with cuts. Stone chips flew.
The dust cleared. No one was there.
"Above!"
They looked up. Shadow spread like a web, its ends anchored to the walls.
Jin stood on that net, looking down.
"That speed is wrong," the leader muttered. Wind was fast, the range was close, the space narrow. Jin should not have had time to dodge.
"What are you surprised about?"
His voice sounded at their ears. All three stiffened and looked to the side together.
The boy who had been in midair now stood next to them like a ghost.
"Genjutsu Release!"
Fixing on the impossible, they fell to the obvious answer and tried to break an illusion.
"Idiots."
Jin lost interest. His form blurred.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
They hit the walls before they could react, masks cracking to show faces twisted with shock.
"Just the Rabbit talisman's speed does this much. Even I am a little impressed."
He nodded at his handiwork.
"Only stolen from my power," the Holy Master sniffed.
Jin ignored him. His shadow shivered and three tendrils dragged the barely breathing men into the dark.
Then he remembered the takeout and beckoned. The bag of beef floated up from the shade.
"Good. Not a stain."
He weighed it in his hand and walked out of the alley.
...
Deep beneath the Leaf, in Root's hidden base.
Shimura Danzō stood in the center, ringed by dozens of animal-masked elites.
Dim light threw grim shadows across his bandaged face.
"Lord Danzō!" A ninja hurried in and dropped to one knee.
"Where are they?"
Seeing someone other than the squad he sent, Danzō's face darkened.
"The team has lost contact. The target has returned to the Uchiha compound."
"Trash." Danzō smashed the stone table beside him. Chips flew. "All of you are trash."
His single eye glinted with cold. Fury twisted the line of his bandages.
"Lord Tobirama was right. The Uchiha are all ravenous wolves. A child not yet seven dares strike at Anbu. And that fool Hiruzen still indulges them."
No one dared speak.
Danzō drew a slow breath. His right hand under the bandages rubbed the wrap over his right eye. "Keep this up and another Uchiha Madara will rise..."
He waved, sending everyone away.
Alone in the hall, he whispered to the dark, "I cannot let this continue."