"Uchiha Yuhara, I didn't expect you to have eyes like these."
Danzo's heart already brimmed with greed, but for now, he managed to restrain himself—he was still waiting for his forces to mobilize.
Although the Root ninja responsible for relaying messages hadn't yet left, given the chaos now engulfing the base, the other Root shinobi surely had noticed.
Naturally, their first move would be to head straight for Danzo's position—and the sound of their hurried footsteps reaching him reassured him greatly.
"But have you grown too arrogant? Do you think that just because you have those eyes, you can do whatever you please?
No matter. From the moment you set foot in here, the Uchiha's coup attempt has become undeniable.
Your fate is sealed—death!"
"Is that so?" Yuhara looked at Danzo coldly, then let out a small laugh. "Do you remember what I told you last time?"
Last time? Danzo's brow furrowed, but then his face darkened.
"I told you—did you really think you were Hokage?"
Yuhara paid no mind to Danzo's changing expression; his face was full of scorn, which made Danzo's face even more sullen.
"You're nothing but a rat in the gutter, pathetic and pitiful!"
"Kill him!"
It was like a switch flipped. Danzo had no patience left for words, especially once the Root shinobi began to pour in. He immediately issued the order and moved to retreat.
"Clang!"
A metallic clang rang out—one Root ninja had already appeared behind Yuhara, his ninja blade raised against Yuhara's back. But it couldn't reach him.
A bright blue chakra enveloped Yuhara's body at some point, blocking the attack.
"Think you can just leave?"
Yuhara didn't even bother looking at the ninja behind him—or at any of the Root shinobi charging toward him. His gaze remained locked on Danzo.
In an instant, he appeared right in front of Danzo, giving the Root shinobi no time to react, his blade swinging down hard!
The speed of space-time techniques was unimaginable. Minato had become the demon of Iwagakure thanks to his Flying Thunder God.
But even space-time jutsu wasn't invincible—powerful ninja could defend or even dodge it with the right preparations. Like the Fourth Raikage brothers of Kumogakure, who'd managed to fight Minato to a standstill, even though Minato's Flying Thunder God kept them off balance.
At his peak, the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Chakra Mode made his speed nearly on par with the Flying Thunder God.
He could even dodge Sasuke's Amaterasu by sheer speed alone. But Danzo was certainly no peak Raikage.
Danzo was a formidable ninja, especially at this stage.
He knew better than to trust his subordinates completely. The moment Yuhara's chakra surged, he had already started preparing a defense.
But he'd never imagined Yuhara would use a space-time technique—giving him almost no time to react. All he could do was lean back and raise his arm.
"Slash!"
The sound of flesh and bone being cut rang out, blood spraying as a bandaged arm was sliced clean off.
"Protect Danzo-sama!"
Finally, the Root shinobi reacted, quickly forming a shield around Danzo with their bodies.
But by then, Yuhara had already vanished using 'Void Walk.' And at this point, he dared not overuse that technique.
"So even if he can't defend, he can still dodge—Danzo's a cautious one, always on guard."
Yuhara thought silently, but quickly began forming hand signs. Chakra roared within him.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball formed in front of Yuhara and then surged toward Danzo's position.
The Root shinobi reacted quickly—some dragging Danzo to cover, others launching Water Style jutsu.
But Yuhara's jet-black flame was too potent—the water was instantly vaporized.
Several Root shinobi screamed as they burned to ash in the flames, and Yuhara's fire sealed off Danzo's intended escape route.
"Some of you escort Danzo-sama out and relay the orders; the rest of you hold him off with me!"
One Root ninja shouted, and all the Root shinobi immediately mobilized, executing their commands with precision.
Their quality was indeed exceptional—even Yuhara had to admit that. But the sentiment lasted only a moment before it vanished.
No matter how impressive they were, they were his enemies. And he would eliminate them.
"Think you can just run away?"
Yuhara swung his blade lightly, chuckling softly as he shook his head.
"No matter how hard you struggle, your fate is the same—death!"
With those words, Yuhara charged. The remaining Root shinobi also charged toward him.
"What?"
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been waiting for news, could no longer remain seated as he listened to the ANBU's report.
He hadn't paid much mind to the fire in the Uchiha district.
But when he heard—and felt—that scorching chakra and intense presence coming from the Root base, he knew something was wrong.
Now that he had a clearer picture of the situation, he realized just how bad things were.
Uchiha Itachi, a Mangekyō user, had failed—and the Uchiha had launched a terrifying counterattack.
The shinobi surrounding the Uchiha district had all been wiped out. And now the Uchiha had directly attacked Root?
"Are they openly rebelling now?"
Hiruzen practically growled through gritted teeth, and the worst part was, he knew what it meant.
All the other major clans and shinobi in Konoha had surely noticed by now, and they were undoubtedly mobilizing.
The silver-haired ANBU kneeling before him remained silent, not daring to interrupt, head bowed like a statue.
Hiruzen was still the Hokage. He quickly regained his composure and, after some rapid thinking, could only shake his head helplessly.
The Uchiha had chosen their timing perfectly. They hadn't come for him—that was something Hiruzen actually preferred, since it meant the Uchiha were now at war with Konoha itself!
They had gone straight for Danzo. That way, they'd avoid being labeled traitors, and maybe they'd even uncovered some evidence.
Thinking about it made Hiruzen burn with anger.
Danzo had always pushed the limits of his authority, always scheming to become Hokage. But Hiruzen couldn't deny how important Danzo was to him.
He was Hiruzen's shadow—he had to find a way to save him!
(end of this chapter)