The next day.
Uchiha Gen was on his way to Training Ground Seventeen. A new jōnin instructor was scheduled to arrive today, and after a few days of coordination and training, they would be sent to the battlefield.
Swish.
A sudden breeze swept across the path.
Uchiha Gen halted.
A masked ninja appeared before him without warning.
The moment he recognized the mask—plain white, marked with abstract, multicolored patterns—Gen's expression changed.
Root.
The night before, after speaking with Uchiha Fugaku, Gen had gained a deeper understanding of the village's shadowed undercurrents.
For instance, the difference between ANBU and Root.
ANBU wore animal-themed masks and answered directly to the Hokage.
Root, however, answered to Danzō Shimura alone—and their masks bore cold, expressionless patterns devoid of individuality.
Fugaku had also mentioned unsettling rumors: "disobedient" shinobi being sent on missions from which they never returned. While there was no concrete evidence, too many talented clan members—especially those with outstanding potential—had died under suspicious circumstances. Entire teams had even been ambushed mid-mission.
The Uchiha Clan was arrogant—but not foolish.
Secrets repeated often enough always left traces.
And many within the clan suspected Root's hand behind those deaths.
"Uchiha Gen," the masked ninja said coldly, "Lord Danzō wishes to see you."
Gen lifted his head, his brows furrowing as he examined the man before him.
"Danzō?" he scoffed. "Who's that? I've never heard the name. Somebody tells me to go see him, and I'm supposed to obey?"
He snorted disdainfully.
"I have no interest in meeting a cowardly rat."
Gen deliberately exaggerated the arrogance typical of the Uchiha.
A sharp killing intent burst forth.
The Root ninja's single visible eye behind the mask turned icy.
"How dare you," he barked. "To disrespect Lord Danzō—"
Before the sentence finished, a violent gust of wind tore forward.
Bang!
Gen was blasted backward, his feet carving two long trenches nearly twenty meters across the ground.
He steadied himself, lowering his right arm.
Moments earlier, he had barely managed to block a flying side kick.
That kick hadn't been a warning.
If he hadn't reacted in time, his bones would have shattered.
The Root ninja's aura didn't waver in the slightest.
Fixing Gen with a chilling gaze, he spoke flatly, like an emotionless machine.
"Uchiha Gen. Come with me. Lord Danzō will decide your punishment for your disrespect."
Gen locked eyes with him for several seconds before curling his lips into a smug smile.
"Fine. Looks like I don't have much of a choice."
He crossed his arms casually.
"Still, this is Konoha. No one would dare lay a hand on an Uchiha."
Under Root's escort, Gen was led to a secluded area in the northwest of the village.
Suddenly, two more masked figures appeared atop the rooftops ahead.
The leading Root operative stopped.
"Lord Danzō wishes to see him."
Gen felt two icy gazes snap onto him.
In that instant, it felt as though venomous snakes had coiled around his body. Any abnormal movement would invite instant slaughter.
The next moment, the two Root shinobi vanished—only to reappear at Gen's sides.
"Close your eyes," a cold voice whispered near his ear.
Gen glared at them, irritation flashing across his face.
"Hey," he snapped. "On second thought, I don't want to see your Lord Danzō anymore."
He turned to leave.
But before he could take a step—
Figures flickered across the rooftops.
Over a dozen Root shinobi emerged, encircling him in silence.
A dense killing intent flooded the area, pressing down like a suffocating weight.
Gen scanned his surroundings, then let out a mocking chuckle.
Slowly, deliberately, he closed his eyes.
A cloth bag was pulled over his head.
Two hands gripped his shoulders, and they leapt.
After several abrupt changes in direction, they finally stopped.
The hands released him.
"Lord Danzō," someone said calmly, "Uchiha Gen has been brought."
The bag was removed.
Gen blinked, his expression tense and confused as he surveyed his surroundings.
He stood within a vast, underground chamber, deep and hollow, its emptiness oppressive.
At the far end, upon a raised platform, stood an old man leaning on a wooden cane. Half his body was wrapped in bandages, and a single sharp eye observed Gen with chilling indifference.
One Root ninja knelt before him, whispering a report.
Gen suppressed the unease creeping into his chest and replaced it with exaggerated arrogance.
He shouted, "Hey, old man! Are you the 'Lord Danzō' these lackeys keep talking about? Why'd you drag me here?"
The temperature seemed to plummet.
Cold gazes emerged from every direction.
Killing intent flooded the chamber.
Danzō snorted, disgust flashing in his eye.
"Insubordinate brat," he said darkly. "As a genin, you dared to strike a guiding jōnin. That alone is a serious offense."
His voice grew colder.
"You openly sympathized with Sakumo Hatake, a disgrace to the village. That reveals your dissatisfaction with Konoha itself."
"And your disrespect toward me," he added, slamming his cane against the floor, "only compounds your crimes."
Bang.
The killing intent intensified until it felt almost tangible.
Gen clenched his fists, resisting the oppressive pressure.
"I'm an Uchiha," he shouted back. "Whether I'm guilty or not is for my clan to decide—not you."
"The Clan Head already told me," he continued boldly, "that the village hasn't punished me in any way."
Danzō sneered.
"What an ignorant fool."
In his eyes, Gen was nothing more than a child intoxicated by the prestige of the Uchiha name.
"If I were to kill you here and now," Danzō said coldly, "your clan would not dare utter a single word. In Konoha, the Uchiha do not decide everything."
Gen fell silent.
Fear flickered in his eyes as he glanced at Danzō.
Perfect, he thought. The act is flawless.
Danzō watched him closely. Seeing that fear, disdain and mockery surfaced in his gaze.
"However," he continued, "you defeated a special jōnin using taijutsu alone."
His eyes narrowed.
"In taijutsu, you are a genius."
"I appreciate talent," Danzō said calmly. "So long as you join Root, you will be exempt from punishment."
---
Visit patreon.com/MexxyWave to get access to 30+ chapters