Aoki and Yamafū were in the midst of pursuing the two fleeing Root operatives.
Suddenly—
From the direction of the Root base entrance, a furious roar thundered across the area.
"STOP!"
The voice carried overwhelming authority and rage. Even in the chaos of battle, it inspired instinctive fear and pressure.
However—
Aoki and Yamafū exchanged a glance.
In each other's eyes, there was only resolve.
Kill.
Slash!
Slash!!
Their blades fell without the slightest hesitation.
The two Root shinobi were cut down on the spot.
Qianyu watched calmly and gave a slight nod.
It seemed that the two of them had truly grown under his command.
He was satisfied.
But in the distance—
The black-cloaked figure erupted with boundless fury, an anger so intense it felt as if it could incinerate the earth itself.
"Bastards!"
The figure shot forward at terrifying speed.
From his palms, arms, shoulders—his entire body—countless black shadows burst outward, surging toward Aoki and Yamafū like a living tide, swallowing the air itself.
"This is—"
"The Aburame clan's parasitic insects?!"
The two were startled and instantly activated their Sharingan, preparing to defend.
But in the next moment—
Qianyu appeared.
He stepped in front of them in an instant, shielding them completely.
Lightning erupted across his body, violent and dazzling, as if a thunder god had descended.
BOOOOM—!
The swarm of insects was annihilated in an instant.
Crackling lightning tore through the black cloud, reducing every last parasite to ash.
"Uchiha Qianyu! So it really is you!"
The figure had already arrived.
Behind him stood more than a dozen elite Root shinobi.
The man at the front wore a black cloak and hood. His eyes were hidden behind pitch-black goggles, his entire presence sinking into darkness.
A curse-like marking ran across his pale face, his expression twisted with rage.
Qianyu recognized him immediately.
Aburame Ryūma.
The second-in-command of Root.
In the original timeline, Ryūma had little screen time—but Qianyu never underestimated him.
Back when Root was at its peak, Ryūma's partner had been none other than Orochimaru himself.
Both men were Danzō's right and left hands.
Anyone acknowledged by both Danzō and Orochimaru was unquestionably formidable.
After Orochimaru defected, Aburame Ryūma became Danzō's most trusted subordinate.
Though not the most favored.
That title had belonged to—
"Kinoe."
The man who possessed Wood Release, personally trained by Danzō, and regarded as Root's ultimate trump card.
And now—
He was dead.
Killed in broad daylight.
Right in front of Root's base.
Worse still, even after Ryūma arrived, Qianyu's subordinates had continued their slaughter without hesitation.
How could Ryūma possibly accept this?!
"Uchiha Qianyu! Even as Captain of the Police Force, you have no authority over Root!"
"And yet you dare kill people right in front of our base?!"
Qianyu replied indifferently.
"I've already explained once. I won't repeat myself."
"Anyone killed by the Police Force deserved to die."
Ryūma exploded in fury.
"What crime did Kinoe commit?!"
Before Qianyu could answer, Aoki spoke loudly.
"Grave robbery. Theft of corpses. Desecration of the dead. Insult to the living."
Ryūma's heart skipped a beat.
They already knew?!
Impossible.
Danzō had ordered absolute secrecy. Even the Hokage was not to be alerted.
Kinoe was young but capable—meticulous, efficient. He should not have left a single trace.
So how—
But then Ryūma looked at Qianyu.
If it was this man…
Then nothing was impossible.
Even so, Ryūma did not retreat.
"Even if he did such things—which he didn't—that kind of crime does not warrant death!"
Yamafū sneered.
"Then what about human experimentation?"
"A sin so vile that it's unforgivable anywhere in the shinobi world."
Ryūma's expression changed completely.
"You have no proof!"
Qianyu answered calmly.
"My Sharingan is proof."
"You—!"
"Uchiha Qianyu! You're going too far!"
"Just because you say so, you think you can condemn Root and kill people at will?!"
"I have a witness."
"A witness?" Ryūma barked. "Where?!"
Qianyu raised his hand and pointed behind him.
"Her."
Everyone turned.
Behind Ryūma stood a cloaked figure, face mostly hidden.
But the moment Qianyu saw the faint outline of her face—
He knew exactly who she was.
"The head of Konoha's orphanage," he said coldly.
"Yakushi Nono."
The woman's body trembled.
Aoki and Yamafū froze.
The orphanage director?
Why was she with Root?
Qianyu already knew the answer.
Yakushi Nono had once been Root's elite intelligence operative—known as the Wandering Shrine Maiden.
But she could never sever her emotions completely.
Danzō despised that.
Eventually, she was pushed out and became the orphanage's caretaker.
Not because Danzō relented.
But because—
Root needed children.
War orphans with no identity.
Perfect material for brainwashing.
Perfect future killing tools.
Nono had resisted.
But resistance was meaningless against Danzō.
Yakushi Kabuto was proof of that.
Danzō had used them to threaten each other—forcing Kabuto into espionage, and Nono into silence.
And now—
Qianyu understood everything.
Root wasn't just stealing corpses.
They were using orphans as living sacrifices.
Edo Tensei required more than the dead.
It required the living.
Danzō wouldn't touch death-row prisoners—they were too visible, too close to Hiruzen.
So he used children.
Children with no one to protect them.
Disposable.
Silent.
Perfect.
Qianyu slowly inhaled.
Using war orphans—children who had already lost everything—as material for forbidden jutsu and human experiments—
This was beyond evil.
This was a crime against humanity itself.
From this moment on—
Shimura Danzō and the entire Root organization…
Had forfeited the right to exist.
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