"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A torrent of flame erupted, forcing Fu Yamanaka and the others to fall back.
Sasuke Uchiha slowly turned his head, his fierce gaze fixed on Danzo. His scarlet eyes burned with a deep-seated hatred. "What do you mean by that?"
"If you're willing to stand by my side, I will tell you the truth about the Uchiha clan's destruction and everything I know about Itachi Uchiha," Danzo Shimura said calmly, ignoring Sasuke's glare. "Before Itachi Uchiha defected, he was my subordinate. I am the only one who knows the full truth, and I am the only one who has been tracking his whereabouts."
As the man who operated in Konoha's shadows, Danzo was still able to evade Hiruzen Sarutobi's watch and gather information on many of the new-generation ninja. He paid particularly close attention to Sasuke Uchiha.
The hatred for the brother who destroyed his clan was a nightmare that always lingered for Sasuke. Where there was once extreme love, now there was only extreme hatred. Sasuke would never let go of anyone who could help him get his revenge.
Sasuke was deeply shaken by Danzo's offer. He couldn't help but glance at Naruto before forcing himself to lower his head. "Do you think I'll believe you? Once we defeat you, I have my own ways to get information on that man!"
"Haven't you noticed yet?" Danzo shook his head, looking at Naruto and Sasuke with a serious expression. "My subordinates never intended to kill you, only to capture you. I want you to become true shinobi, not these worthless genin."
He continued his pitch, "As long as you are willing to join my command and help me control Naruto Uzumaki, I will tell you the truth of what happened that night, regardless of the outcome. And I will grant you the power to exact your revenge."
"When the Uchiha clan was still around, I was the only one in all of Konoha who had a good relationship with them. It was I who chose the location for the current Uchiha grounds. It was I who continuously supplied the Konoha Military Police Force with their equipment."
"That is why your father, Fugaku Uchiha, had Shisui and Itachi obey my commands. He was simply wrong about his own son..."
Sasuke remained silent. He was just a genin and couldn't tell what was true and what was a lie in Danzo's words. But the equipment Itachi wore back then was indeed identical to what these enemies were wearing.
"If you wanted me to join you, you could have just said so directly." Sasuke's body trembled slightly as he asked in a low voice, "Why did you keep sending people to ambush us?"
"Root does not tolerate weakness. I also wanted to test if you have the will to become stronger, to see if you are worthy of the responsibility of avenging and revitalizing the Uchiha clan."
"Now, tell me, will you choose to join us..." Danzo raised his eyes to look at the panting Sasuke, his voice full of temptation, "Or... do you want to continue associating with wastes like Kakashi?"
"..."
Sasuke glanced at Kakashi Hatake, who was lying exhausted on the ground. He lowered his head, forced to admit that he was a little tempted.
It wasn't his fault. Their supervising jonin was always like this, as if he hadn't eaten enough each day. Every time they got into a battle, they would win, but it was never a clean victory. Sasuke was even beginning to doubt if their sensei, with his mysterious level of strength, was really Itachi's former captain.
Naruto Uzumaki rubbed his temples and said loudly, "Hey, Sasuke! This guy can't even beat me, so how can he give you the power for revenge?"
Danzo Shimura's eyelids twitched. He glared at Naruto and calmly retorted, "Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha were the two most outstanding ninjas of their clan. Both of them were once under my command..."
"This guy even injures his own comrades by mistake," the blond genin pouted, continuing to belittle Danzo. "Sasuke, look at his face. You can tell he's not a good person, right?"
"..."
Danzo's fists trembled slightly. He wished he could sew Naruto's mouth shut. He was getting older, and the trials of the years had inevitably left their mark on his face. And this Naruto Uzumaki kid was making personal attacks... To think that he, too, was once a vibrant youth!
After all, his generation was now older than Konoha itself.
"A true shinobi will do anything to achieve their goal, at any cost," Danzo said, calming himself. "Sasuke Uchiha, for the sake of taking revenge on Itachi, can you give your all?"
"..."
Sasuke fell silent again. If he could really kill that man, he was willing to pay any price, even if it meant working with Danzo. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and looked at his teammate still standing on the battlefield. "I..."
"Sasuke!" Naruto interrupted him again. "This guy has so many subordinates, and they still couldn't beat us. Doesn't that make everything he's saying sound suspicious?"
"Look around us, Sasuke! The ground is littered with his own men. You can see for yourself how incompetent they are! If the power he's offering you means leading a group like this for revenge, do you really think you can do it? Is that what you really want?"
Naruto suddenly smiled. "Besides, even if you want help, my power is clearly stronger than his. It would make more sense for me to help you, right?"
Danzo Shimura was fuming. The problem was, this group of subordinates really was a bit weak. Right now, besides himself, the strongest ninja in Root was Fu Yamanaka. That's why Danzo was so eager to recruit a few powerful new members. If he still had Shisui Uchiha by his side, capturing a single team like Team 7 would be easy.
Sasuke Uchiha was a genius. Compared to the recruits he got from the Yamanaka and Aburame clans, Sasuke's potential for growth was far higher. In the future, he could surely bear the title of the strongest ninja in Root.
Plus, there was Sasuke's identity to consider... Before, Danzo didn't dare to act because of Itachi's threat. But now that he had Hiruzen's secret support, this was a rare opportunity.
With Root having suffered such heavy losses, even if he couldn't get Naruto, he had to at least get Sasuke to stop the bleeding. What's more, if Sasuke was willing to help him corner Naruto, there was still a chance to control the Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
Although Danzo looked down on the so-called "bonds" that Hiruzen always talked about, he wasn't against using those emotions to his advantage. Hadn't he used the children of the Konoha orphanage to control Nonō Yakushi all those years ago?
Just as the Root leader was about to refute Naruto, a white bone suddenly shot out from the forest, landing and sticking upright in the ground at his feet.
Everyone's expressions grew tense. There was still another enemy lurking nearby. For both sides, this was not a good sign.
Only Danzo remained calm. He knew exactly what this was: a signal from the person responsible for intercepting Jiraiya, informing him that time was running out.
Danzo gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Sasuke, after the Uchiha clan was destroyed, I am the only one in all of Konoha who knows how to properly train the Sharingan. Only I can help you draw out its true power."
"I will give you ample time to consider."
"After you return to Konoha, I will give you a portion of the Uchiha clan's inherited scrolls on ninjutsu, taijutsu, and dōjutsu to train with. If, at that time, you still don't want to avenge your clan, you can continue to play these childish genin games... Let's go!"
After this anticlimactic ambush, Root might never get another chance to touch the Nine-Tails jinchuriki. Danzo looked down at the finger bone at his feet, his face turning colder. He turned to leave with his subordinates.
"Hey..." Naruto squinted his eyes and called out suddenly. "You worked with that Orochimaru guy. That should make you a rogue ninja. You probably won't ever dare to return to the village, right?"
"..."
Danzo Shimura didn't even bother to respond.
-----
Bonus:
Sasuke: Was our family... really on good terms with Danzo?
Itachi: Who told you that?
Sasuke: He did. He also said he has our clan's training scrolls.
Itachi: He stole them.
Sasuke: He said he did a lot for the Uchiha...
Itachi: To destroy the Uchiha, he certainly did a lot.
Sasuke: So who should I believe?
Itachi: Kill me, then go kill him. Then you won't have to worry about who to believe.
Sasuke: ???