Naruto: The Fifth Hokage [9]

Chapter 9: Uprooting the Root

Makoto drew his sword and effortlessly blocked the attack. His gaze fell on the kunai in Ryoma's hand, and he chuckled. "A specially made glass kunai? Unfortunately, it's useless."

The next second, the shuriken that had been hovering around Makoto shot toward Ryoma in an instant.

Ryoma hurriedly used an insect substitution to evade, but the moment he landed, Makoto was already upon him. Lightning crackled around Makoto's entire body, enhancing his speed to an almost untraceable level.

The continuous barrage of slashes was deadly, leaving Ryoma barely able to react. As an insect master, close combat was his greatest weakness. He could only rely on his insect substitution to dodge, but each time he did, another batch of his insects was annihilated by Makoto's lightning.

Within minutes, Ryoma found himself pushed to the brink. Just as Makoto was about to finish him off, his vision suddenly went black.

"Using this trick against an Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan? You're courting death."

In the spiritual realm, Makoto's Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life. Yamanaka Fuu, who had been hiding in the shadows attempting a sneak attack with the Mind-Body Switch Technique, let out a pained groan, coughed up blood, and collapsed.

"Go capture him alive," Makoto ordered calmly as he forced Ryoma into another insect substitution with a single precise strike.

"Little mouse playing with bugs… Now that I have a better catch, this is over."

Makoto's blade pierced Ryoma's back, and in an instant, a surge of lightning coursed through his body. The next moment, only a charred corpse remained.

On the other side, Inabi and Zaito had easily subdued Fuu, who had lost all ability to resist due to the backlash of his clan's secret technique.

"Zaito, take him back to the clan's interrogation room and treat him well. Don't let him die. Inabi, head to the Hokage Building and report that we encountered violent resistance from the remaining Root forces during the investigation, and we had no choice but to take emergency measures. The perpetrators have all been eliminated."

"Yes!" the two responded in unison before heading off in different directions.

Meanwhile, Makoto strode toward the underground Root base alone.

As soon as he stepped inside, the remaining Root members fearlessly attacked one after another. However, he dispatched them effortlessly with a single stroke each time. He cut his way through the base, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. In just ten minutes, dozens of corpses lay scattered across the ground.

When he entered Danzo's office, the first thing he saw was ashes covering the floor. It was clear that all of Danzo's secrets had been burned. Seeing this, Makoto chuckled, then pulled out a sealed scroll and retrieved a handful of documents.

"The Root's efficiency is quite impressive. I thought I'd have to help clean up the mess myself."

He tossed the documents into the air and, with a simple Fire Release jutsu, ignited them. However, after letting about half of them burn, he made a hand seal.

"Water Release: Light Drizzle—"

A mist surged from his hands, condensing into water droplets that rained down on the burning papers. Steam rose as he picked up the half-burned documents one by one.

...

A while later, Inabi arrived with a team of Anbu led by a masked man with striking white hair—Hatake Kakashi.

Upon stepping into the Root base and seeing the sea of corpses, Kakashi frowned. Not out of pity, but because these ninjas had once been part of Konoha. After Danzo's death, there had still been a chance for them to reform. But now, they were all dead.

"Kakashi-senpai, you're the one they sent?" Makoto greeted him with a smile, unsurprised that Hiruzen had chosen not to come in person. Under the looming threat of Kotoamatsukami, the so-called 'strongest Hokage' likely preferred to avoid a direct confrontation.

Kakashi remained silent behind his mask. Unbothered, Makoto continued speaking.

"When I arrived, the remnants of Root were in the middle of destroying the evidence left by Shimura Danzo. Fortunately, I made it in time to preserve some of it."

He stepped closer to Kakashi and lowered his voice. "I found something interesting among the documents. I think you'll want to see this."

Makoto pulled out a partially burned file and held it up for Kakashi to see.

The names listed on it made Kakashi's pupils contract: Hatake Sakumo, Kishida Keisuke, Arima Noriya, and Toyama Ryota.

These were the shinobi involved in the mission that had ruined his father's life.

Next to each name, a single chilling word was written—"Silenced."

Kakashi's hands clenched involuntarily.

"Well, since you're here, I'll leave the cleanup to you," Makoto said as he put away the document and patted Kakashi on the shoulder. He sighed and added, "It's a shame. They were all Konoha ninjas, but Danzo's brainwashing left them like this. I didn't want to kill them."

With that, he turned and gestured for Inabi to follow.

"Wait!"

Makoto, who had already reached the doorway, stopped and turned back with a warm smile. "What's wrong, Kakashi-senpai? I still need to organize the remaining evidence and interrogate the captured Root members."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing. "...It's nothing."

"Then I'll take my leave. Be sure to pass my regards to the Hokage." Makoto turned and started walking away before pausing as if remembering something.

"Oh, right. Kakashi-senpai, if you have time, drop by the Uchiha compound. Grandma Miori hasn't been in great health lately, and she's been thinking about you."

With that, he disappeared into the darkness, leaving Kakashi standing among the bodies, clutching the half-burned document tightly in his hands.