A few nights later—outside the walls of Konohagakure.
A lone figure stood still beneath the moonlight, completely shrouded in a black cloak and wearing a bone mask that hid his face. He waited patiently before the village's outer barrier, as though expecting someone.
Moments passed.
Then the shadow reached forward, his gloved hands pressing against the shimmering air. The invisible curtain rippled like water—and then tore open, revealing a glowing gap.
From that breach, another cloaked figure stepped out.
Her eyes—pure white.
The Byakugan.
It was none other than Hyūga Aotsuki. The masked figure waiting outside, naturally, was Uchiha Tangping.
If they were going to strike Root, there was no way he'd do it without his strongest ally.
Getting her out of the village without alerting anyone, however, was the tricky part—hence why Tangping had to personally "pick her up."
The Barrier of Konoha
Konoha's entire perimeter was protected by a sensory barrier—anyone entering or leaving without permission would be detected instantly.
People like Orochimaru or Itachi could slip in and out freely not because the barrier was weak, but because they knew its blind spots and patterns.
Tangping didn't.
But that didn't matter—because he'd mastered the Uzumaki sealing arts.
After all, the barrier itself was originally constructed by the Uzumaki Clan. With a deep enough understanding of their sealing formulas, opening a "door" in the barrier without triggering alarms was easy—
—or rather, easy for him.
That simple tear he'd just made had taken months of study and an Uzumaki clan descendant's personal guidance to pull off.
"Let's go," Tangping said quietly, tossing something toward Aotsuki. "From now on… we are the Kara Organization."
The two moved out without a sound, vanishing into the trees.
Cloaks and masks.
That would be their standard disguise.
He wasn't about to repeat the "Akatsuki Idol Group" mistake—red cloud cloaks, flashy rings, black nail polish… That was not stealth, that was stage performance.
Seriously, how could a so-called secret organization look like they were about to drop a music video?
Thus, the "Kara" mask and cloak—pure black, minimal design, all mystery.
And if things ever went wrong?
Well, it was Kara causing trouble, not Uchiha Tangping.
If anyone traced the group's existence back to him… all the better. He'd simply erase the evidence early.
The two figures leapt through the forest under the dark canopy, heading swiftly east of the village.
Root.
While the organization's headquarters was in Konoha, it also maintained an important sub-base in the eastern forest—where it handled the "dirty work" that couldn't be done within the village.
Tangping hadn't learned this from some future knowledge, but from Uchiha Shizuka.
The Uchiha clan had been monitoring Danzō for years—they knew more about Root's operations than anyone else. They didn't have exact maps, but they had locations.
After about an hour of full-speed travel, they reached the vast woodland roughly a hundred kilometers from the village. (Nearly half of the Land of Fire was forest, after all.)
Tangping turned toward his cloaked companion.
"Your turn."
The black-cloaked, bone-masked Aotsuki nodded slightly.
Her voice, build, even scent—everything had been disguised.
Then her eyes glowed faint blue, veins bulging at her temples.
Byakugan—activated.
Her enhanced sight swept across the forest like an omnidirectional radar.
Since her genetic fusion, her Byakugan had evolved—from a three-kilometer range to the full four-kilometer limit.
Nothing within that radius could escape her gaze.
A living radar system—
The ultimate reconnaissance tool.
Without the Byakugan, finding Root's underground base would've been impossible.
"Got it."
She found it almost instantly. Not luck—just the vastness of her vision. Most branch family members would've taken hours.
Tangping lowered his voice.
"When we get inside, your priority is to locate one specific item…"
He leaned closer, giving brief instructions.
This mission wasn't just about revenge on Danzō—
The real goal was to seize a divine relic.
Yes—that was the prize.
Getting even with Danzō could wait. But the chance to claim that artifact? There would only be one.
Once Danzō realized someone was targeting it, he'd lock it away forever.
So what, you ask, could be considered a "divine relic" in the ninja world's biological domain?
Exactly—Hashirama's Cells.
The legendary tissue of the First Hokage himself.
A treasure beyond imagination—more coveted than the flesh of a celestial being.
Tangping had long set his sights on it.
He just hadn't been strong—or bold—enough before.
Now, he had both.
So he was going to take it.
"Yes, understood."
Aotsuki moved forward swiftly.
"Summoning Technique!"
Tangping bit his thumb and slammed his palm to the ground.
Bang!
A surge of white smoke erupted, revealing a creature like a massive alabaster hill—Chūbimaru, the giant white lizard.
Tangping could now sustain the summon for extended periods thanks to his stronger chakra reserves—and their growing bond meant the lizard shared part of the burden.
"Let's move."
The two advanced under Aotsuki's guidance, while Chūbimaru's massive form shimmered and faded from sight—hidden by chakra camouflage.
In the ninja world, something that size moving silently wasn't strange at all.
With chakra, anything was possible.
Root's underground base, of course, had its defenses and traps.
But against the Byakugan, such measures were meaningless.
Aotsuki disarmed each mechanism flawlessly, clearing a silent passage through the forest floor.
"We're here."
Tangping saw her suddenly halt and nodded.
"Yeah."
She dropped soundlessly from the branch, kunai flashing once—
Pff, pff!
Two Root operatives—camouflaged so perfectly they blended into the terrain—collapsed without a sound.
The way she moved was like flowing water—graceful, fluid, and utterly lethal.
Elegant.
Too elegant.
Every strike had rhythm, precision, and poise.
Her Tenseigan didn't just expand her sight—it enhanced everything.
A quasi-Kage-level powerhouse—terrifying to behold.
Even if she faced Danzō directly now, she could probably win.
After all, the man had already lost one Sharingan eye and one of his prosthetic arms.
Without those advantages, he was no match for Hyūga Aotsuki, who now wielded both repulsive and attractive force.
If Tangping hadn't had her by his side, he wouldn't have dared to target Root's base at all.
But once he obtained the Hashirama Cells, he could finally begin the experiment he'd been planning for so long—
the one that could catapult him straight to the Kage level in a single leap.
With true power came influence.
With influence came peace—and freedom.
If he was strong enough, even lying flat in Konoha would be safe.
After silently disposing of the sentries, Aotsuki brushed aside the disguised entrance, revealing the hidden tunnel leading down.
Tangping's eyes gleamed.
The Hashirama Cells were right there—so close he could almost feel their warmth.
A single glance of mutual understanding passed between them.
Then, together, they descended into the darkness—
—while the massive Chūbimaru took position outside the entrance, ensuring not a single Root ninja would escape.
The raid on Root had begun.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/FicHaven786