Chapter 89: Root, Self-Immolation
Chapter 89: Root, Self-Immolation
In a dimly lit chamber, a man named Danzo Shimura leaned on his cane, his uncovered left eye radiating an intimidating chill as he stared at Tobirama Senju. "Who is Sosuke's true identity?" he asked coldly.
As if stared down by a terrifying beast, the recently awakened Tobirama's body trembled.
Recognizing the visitor, Tobirama, with a foreboding sense of doom, took a deep breath and calmly said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I demand to see the Hokage! If there's to be an interrogation, it should be done by the Torture and Interrogation Force."
"Root has the authority to arrest and interrogate any ninja who poses a potential threat to Konoha," stated a masked Root ninja standing beside Danzo.
Stepping closer to Tobirama, the ninja continued in a monotonous tone, "We've been observing you for some time. For over two decades, you had no contact with Sosuke, but recently, you've made multiple unexplained visits to the Konoha Hospital, secretly observing Sosuke, and an hour ago, you met with him at the Memorial Stone."
"What are your intentions? Who is Sosuke?"
This was Konoha, and with Root's capabilities, they could easily uncover everything that happened in the village day by day.
Their primary investigation target had been Sosuke, who had recently risen to prominence in the medical field.
To outsiders, this was a testament to Sosuke's accumulated efforts bearing fruit.
However, to Root, operating in the shadows, every matter was assessed from an extreme and cautious perspective.
Initially, Root had simply followed standard procedures to investigate Sosuke, as they would with any other case.
If he was clean, they would leave him be.
But if there were minor issues, they could use them as leverage to coerce him into secretly joining Root, contributing to Konoha's prosperity.
However, during their investigation, they unexpectedly discovered that another person was also secretly observing Sosuke—Tobirama Senju.
The sudden intersection of these two unconnected individuals meant something significant, and the experienced members of Root were well aware of its implications.
Given Tobirama's sensitive position within Konoha's intelligence division, Root had immediately prioritized investigating him.
And that had led to the current situation.
As a member of Konoha's intelligence unit, Tobirama was all too familiar with Root's style and methods, and at this point, he had given up any hope of a lucky escape.
"I don't know anyone by the name of Sosuke," Tobirama stated, his face betraying no emotion.
As he spoke, he secretly activated the unique seal of the Feather Cloak Clan within his body, and in his heart, he silently apologized:
'I'm sorry, Clan Leader. It's my fault that you're involved in this.'
'And... I'm sorry, my son.'
"Wind, read his mind," Danzo ordered.
Noting the look in Tobirama's eyes—a mix of apparent panic and unwavering determination—Danzo knew that Root had hooked a big fish this time.
Ordinary torture would be useless on this man, so they would go straight to the source and forcibly extract the information from his brain.
Leaning on his cane, Danzo gently tapped his fingers on the armrest.
He was eager to see what kind of rat they had caught this time.
A spy from one of the other Great Shinobi Villages?
Or perhaps a secret agent of Orochimaru?
Hmph!
"No one is allowed to set foot in Konoha without my permission!" Danzo thought coldly as he glared at Tobirama.
Hearing Danzo's command, Fu Yamanaka, who had been standing beside Tobirama, removed his mask. Placing one hand on Tobirama's head, he prepared to use the Yamanaka clan's secret technique to extract information from Tobirama's brain.
At that moment, Tobirama suddenly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the thick walls as if reaching out to his distant home.
Whoosh!
Tobirama activated the Hatake clan's unique seal, a combination of a hammer and sickle.
In an instant, bright red flames ignited all over his body, fueled by his chakra.
'Clan Leader, let's go!'
With this final cry in his heart, Tobirama's vision was completely engulfed by the flames.
There was no time for outsiders to intervene. In the blink of an eye, the man known as Tobirama disappeared from this world without a trace, leaving nothing behind.
"Hmph!"
Danzo Shimura tapped his cane sharply on the ground and coldly huffed,
"Chakra self-immolation, similar to the methods used by the Anbu for suicide. Indeed, he was a big fish!"
"Immediately arrest Cangjie!"
"Also, arrest everyone closely related to Tobirama!"
"Yes!"
All the Root ninjas present, including Fu Yamanaka, kneeled and took their orders. Then, in a flash, they sprang into action.
In the secret chamber, only one person remained—Danzo Shimura—anticipating the outcome of this incident.
However, not long after—
BOOM!
A loud rumble echoed from the ceiling.
Danzo frowned:
"What's going on?"
The Hatake clan's unique seal, a sickle and hammer, was originally created by Hagoromo Otsutsuki specifically for the clan's intelligence agents. It served as a last resort for those walking the thin line between life and death, allowing them to end their lives and prevent the torture and leakage of critical information.
Additionally, the seal had a warning function.
Once fully activated, anyone with the same seal within a five-kilometer radius would receive a warning, alerting them that the seal had been activated.
This ability was designed to prevent the entire intelligence network from being compromised due to a single exposed agent.
Later, during the period when the Hatake clan split into different factions, the elders at the time specifically applied this seal jutsu to the entire clan so that members could recognize each other and maintain their sense of identity as members of the Hatake clan. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation ever since.
Just like Samui, Tobirama also bore the Hatake clan's seal.
At this moment, as the seal was fully activated, signaling the death of Tobirama, Hagoromo, the developer of the seal and located within the Leaf Village, paused and turned his gaze towards a remote forest in the west.
That area was not where the residents of Konoha lived.
Given the short time since their separation, even if Tobirama wanted to end his life immediately, he would not have chosen such an obvious method of suicide for a spy, considering his son's future.
Therefore, there was only one possibility.
Something unexpected must have happened to Tobirama, forcing him to activate the seal and protect the secrets in his mind.
There was also a warning for himself to leave quickly.
Tobirama had managed to stay undercover for over two decades, and the fact that a problem occurred at this particular time clearly indicated that there was a personal reason for it.
"Leave? Heh."
Hagoromo shook his head.
To push Tobirama to the point of suicide in such a short time, this ruthless and reckless approach could only have come from one family in Konoha.
"At least he called me 'Clan Leader' before his death. Although he was a 'disobedient son,' he still maintained his bottom line in the end."
"If I ignored the death of my clansman right before my eyes and only cared about myself, then what kind of clan leader would I be?"
Hagoromo looked in the direction of Tobirama's last known location and, with a swift movement, disappeared from sight.
"Rest in peace."
"The Clan Leader will take care of everything for you."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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