Chapter 61: Hunting Danzō!

Just as Yamana Haiichi was about to call for his clan members to begin their work, two sudden figures burst into the Yamanaka Clan’s compound and blocked his path.

"...Root?!"

The distinctive masks worn by the Root ninjas were instantly recognizable to Yamana Haiichi. Their bizarre, intricate patterns sent an immediate chill through him.

He narrowed his eyes. His guard instantly rose.

"Why are you here without invitation?" Yamana Haiichi asked flatly, his expression unreadable. He had no desire to get involved with Root—especially not with Danzō, whose ambition for the Hokage position was as well-known as it was dangerous.

Danzō’s desire to seize the Hokage title was no secret—just like the Uchiha clan’s covert plans for a coup. Both were widely suspected, whispered about behind closed doors.

The Yamanaka Clan stood firmly behind the Hokage. Naturally, they resented Danzō’s treacherous ambitions.

Of course, they also wanted to keep their distance from the Uchiha—yet that wasn’t possible. Every few days, Uchiha Iizumi sent Investigation Corps members to deliver corpses, forcing Yamana Haiichi to perform postmortem examinations, whether he liked it or not.

At that moment, the Root ninja on the left spoke, his voice cold and devoid of emotion:

"Headmaster Haiichi, these eight bodies are all members of Root. The Yamanaka Clan has no right to probe the secrets within their minds."

The one on the right added:

"You are not to touch these corpses. Our people will come to collect them."

Yamana Haiichi’s pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

All eight bodies were Root ninjas? Had Uchiha Iizumi clashed with Root again?

"Fine," he replied, suppressing a sigh. If Danzō wanted to clean up this mess, he wasn’t about to refuse the favor—especially not when it meant avoiding trouble for himself.

...

Not long after, more Root ninjas arrived at the Yamanaka Clan’s compound.

And Yamana Haiichi was startled to see their leader—Shimura Danzō—standing at the front.

Danzō stood beside Yamana Haiichi, silently staring at the eight corpses covered in white sheets.

A gust of night wind slipped through the air, lifting the cloth from one of the faces.

The face beneath revealed a familiar visage—one Danzō recognized instantly.

Danzō inhaled sharply.

"U—Chi—Ha—Ii—Zu—Mi!"

The name tore from his clenched teeth, each syllable forced out like a curse.

Yamana Haiichi could feel the boiling rage simmering beneath Danzō’s calm exterior.

Then, without warning, Danzō turned and glared at him.

Yamana Haiichi: ???

"I haven’t even started examining their memories," he said coldly, feeling unjustly accused. The resentment flared in his voice.

As he spoke, his gaze flickered to Danzō’s left ear—and noticed it was missing.

Danzō locked eyes with him, his expression unreadable.

Once I take over the Monkey’s seat, he thought, every single member of the Yamanaka Clan will be branded with the Root Purge Seal. Only then can I trust them.

They knew too much.

Of course, he kept those thoughts to himself.

Watching as his Root ninjas carried the corpses away, Danzō turned and walked out of the compound.

But then—something felt off.

"Wait!"

Danzō’s brow furrowed. He barked the order, stopping his subordinates mid-step.

His sharp gaze swept across the darkness around them.

The Root ninjas tensed instantly, weapons drawn, forming a protective circle around their leader.

Tap… tap… tap…

The soft, rhythmic sound of footsteps approached from the distance.

Danzō and his men locked their eyes on the inky blackness ahead.

One by one, the Root ninjas dropped the corpses and drew their swords, surrounding Danzō.

As the figure stepped from the shadows, their face emerging under the pale moonlight, Danzō’s expression darkened.

He clenched his jaw and spat out the name.

"Uchiha Iizumi!"

...

"Daddy... why’s it so noisy outside?"

Ko Ino, wearing a cute nightgown and clutching a stuffed doll, rubbed her eyes and shuffled barefoot from her bedroom.

Yamana Haiichi had been startled by Danzō’s sudden, almost hysterical shout of "Uchiha Iizumi."

But then he saw his daughter—disoriented, half-asleep—standing in the doorway.

Understanding dawned instantly.

"Ino! Back to your room—no, go straight to the underground vault!" Yamana Haiichi’s voice was grim, urgent. "No matter what you hear—don’t come out!"

"...Huh?" Ino blinked, confused.

"Now!" Yamana Haiichi snapped.

Startled, Ino’s eyes welled up with tears—but she didn’t argue. She turned and fled toward the hidden passage.

"Phew..."

Yamana Haiichi exhaled, half-relieved, half-terrified.

What a nightmare night...

If he wasn’t mistaken, Uchiha Iizumi had anticipated Danzō’s arrival.

He hadn’t just come to reclaim the bodies.

He’d been waiting—outside the Yamanaka compound—for Danzō to show up.

He wasn’t just confronting Root.

He was hunting Danzō.

Yamana Haiichi knew Danzō and Uchiha Iizumi had clashed before—last time, it had taken the intervention of Hokage-sama to stop them.

Maybe... in Iizumi’s eyes, the entire Root organization is nothing but filth to be purged?

This is bad. I have to warn the Hokage—now.

...

Danzō’s face was like stone, his body tense. The wound on his left ear—long since healed—now throbbed with a dull, familiar pain.

He remembered clearly.

It was Uchiha Iizumi who had exposed his secrets to the Monkey.

Because of that betrayal, he’d lost several of his Three Tomoe Sharingan.

And worse—he’d been forced to hand over precious Sharingan data to the Hokage.

That vile Uchiha brat... After what happened last time, you dare stand before me alone? With your Molten Release power, you think you’re untouchable? The arrogance of your entire clan is unbearable!

Cold fury burned in Danzō’s eyes. Around him, his Root ninjas shifted uneasily, hands on their weapons.

Uchiha Iizumi’s gaze met Danzō’s in the moonlight.

"I’ve been waiting for you... over two hours, Danzō Lord."

His voice was calm, emotionless—like ice.

Danzō let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

"You’re setting a trap for me?"

Iizumi’s finger dripped molten lava. The orange-red glow flickered across his face, casting shadows.

"I couldn’t have you crawling out of the sewers of Konoha if I didn’t lure you out first."

Crack—

The ground beneath Danzō split with a sudden fissure.

He knew Hiruzen Sarutobi had warned him not to provoke Uchiha Iizumi again.

But Danzō also knew—if he didn’t kill this fanatical Uchiha now, Konoha would never be safe.

And he’d never sleep again.

"Kill him!" he snarled.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end