Chapter:4 Roots

Sasuke left after an hour. No one knew what he and Hyuga Hiashi had discussed; only the two of them were privy to the contents of their conversation.

When it was time for Sasuke to leave, Hyuga Hiashi personally escorted him to the door.

"Go home and get some rest. Don't overthink things. If you run into any difficulties, remember to come to me," Hiashi said.

"Understood, thank you, Uncle Hiashi," Sasuke replied.

The two Hyuga clan ninjas guarding the door exchanged astonished glances. When had the head of their family become so approachable, especially to an Uchiha? It was... surprising.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, felt the same way when he heard the news. But his thoughts ran deeper.

Was it an alliance? An exchange of interests? What was Sasuke planning? And what was Hiashi's agenda?

With limited information, Hiruzen suppressed his curiosity, opting to observe for the time being before making any moves.

But over the next two days, Sasuke visited several other clans in the village, including the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi families, all of whom had traditionally aligned with the Hokage.

Now, Hiruzen could no longer sit still. He summoned Shikaku Nara, making some subtle inquiries. Shikaku's response was that it was "just a general social visit."

The Third Hokage trusted Shikaku, believing he wouldn't lie. However, this only deepened his doubts. Sasuke didn't seem like the type to do anything without a reason.

If there was some hidden agenda, Hiruzen couldn't yet discern it.

He could ask Shikaku about it, but he couldn't exactly question Hiashi.

For now, he decided to wait and see.

However, while the Third Hokage could afford to wait, others could not.

As Sasuke was on his way home after visiting the Aburame clan, two figures suddenly appeared, blocking his path from the front and rear.

This was a small park on the outskirts of Konoha, a remote area rarely frequented by people.

Sasuke was walking along a quiet side path. If he were stopped here, it was unlikely anyone would hear him call for help.

He looked at the attire of the two men. Their uniforms resembled those of ANBU, but the masks lacked animal motifs.

"Root?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, Danzo-sama wishes to speak with you. Please come with us," said the ninja in front, confirming Sasuke's suspicions.

"Danzo?" Sasuke replied, feigning ignorance. "I don't know who that is. Besides, I'm not a village ninja yet. ANBU doesn't have the right to control me, do they?"

Of course, Sasuke knew exactly who Danzo was—one of the masterminds behind the Uchiha massacre. But under normal circumstances, Sasuke shouldn't be aware of Danzo's role, so he played dumb.

ANBU and Root typically handled assassinations, surveillance, intelligence-gathering, and rogue ninjas. Their jurisdiction was primarily over ninja matters.

For civilians, it would be the police force that dealt with such issues.

Oh, right. The police force was wiped out.

"We suspect you have connections to spies from other villages. We're merely bringing you in for questioning. Cooperate quietly, and don't force us to use violence," said the ninja behind him as he moved closer.

"Tch," Sasuke clicked his tongue.

He had thought staying in the village would be safer, but it seemed he'd miscalculated. He hadn't expected Danzo to act so brazenly. To think he would dare to make a move under these circumstances—wasn't he afraid of retaliation from the other clans?

Well, perhaps Danzo didn't care. After all, he operated in the shadows, under the Hokage's protection. Even if he were caught, Hiruzen could smooth things over.

Of course, Danzo wouldn't kill him—that much was certain. But he would no doubt try to bring him back to Root for interrogation and perhaps a little torture.

Fortunately, Sasuke had a trump card. From the beginning, he hadn't relied entirely on the Third Hokage for his safety. Now was a good opportunity to test the powers he had acquired.

"Alright, let's see how this goes," Sasuke muttered, drawing a kunai and holding it in a reverse grip.

Taking a deep breath, he gathered his strength into his legs. In an instant, his body surged forward with a burst of speed, the sound of thunder accompanying his movement.

Breath of Thunder: First Form—Thunderclap and Flash!

Rumble!

Thunder echoed through the air as Sasuke's figure vanished in a flash of lightning.

"So fast!" The Root ninja's eyes widened in shock as he instinctively raised his sword in defense.

Clang!

Sparks flew as Sasuke's kunai struck the ninja's blade with such force that he nearly lost his grip on his sword.

"Attack!" the ninja shouted.

Before the command was even given, the ninja behind Sasuke had already moved, using the Body Flicker Technique to position himself behind the boy. He reached out, intending to grab Sasuke's arm and subdue him.

Sasuke smirked.

Chidori Stream!

Lightning erupted from his body, catching both ninjas by surprise and sending a paralyzing shock through their bodies.

"Not good!" the Root ninja's heart raced as he struggled to break free.

Sasuke, however, was already in motion. He leaped into the air, forming hand seals.

Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!

Three fireballs shot from Sasuke's mouth, morphing into the heads of fiery dragons as they flew toward their targets with terrifying speed and heat.

This technique had been mastered by Sasuke during his three months in the Demon Slayer world. The combination of his past life memories had strengthened his mental power, allowing him to learn new ninjutsu with ease.

The same applied to his mastery of Chidori, a technique his father had left behind in a scroll that contained Kakashi's signature move, secretly obtained by the Uchiha clan.

It wasn't difficult for Sasuke to not only learn Chidori but to develop his own Chidori Stream.

"Dodge!" the Root ninja yelled.

Boom!

The dragons hit the ground, and the resulting explosion echoed throughout the park. Debris flew into the air as smoke billowed from the blast site.

Sasuke landed a short distance away, observing the scene. A large crater had been formed, with scorch marks still smoldering.

One of the Root ninjas lay on the ground, his back severely burned. The other knelt near the crater, his left hand burned from the impact.

"Damn it… this kid…" he muttered. How could a child, barely in the academy for a few years, unleash such a powerful ninjutsu? Even most chunin couldn't perform such techniques.

His mind raced, but Danzo's orders left no room for hesitation. He adjusted his stance, sword in hand, and lunged at Sasuke.

He was confident. After using such chakra-intensive techniques, Sasuke couldn't possibly have the stamina to continue fighting. He was just a child, after all.

The advantage is mine, the Root ninja thought.

But across from him, Sasuke grinned.

With a flick of his wrist, lightning surged along the length of his kunai, transforming it into a blade of pure electricity.

Just as Sasuke was about to strike, three figures suddenly appeared, their coats billowing as they landed.

One of them stood in front of Sasuke, shielding him from harm. The other two positioned themselves beside the Root ninja, freezing him in place with their presence.

They were from the Aburame clan.

Sasuke recognized them immediately.

Of course, this park wasn't far from the Aburame compound. With all their insects monitoring the area, they would've detected any disturbance. It was even possible that they had been watching over him from the shadows.

It seemed the battle would end here.

Sasuke sheathed his kunai, satisfied.

At least he had confirmed his abilities.

If he fought seriously, he could definitely defeat a Root ninja.

His "golden finger" was truly remarkable. Though only one night had passed in the ninja world, he had trained for three full months in another world.

Not only had he learned the Thunder Breathing Technique, but he had raised his power to chunin level.

The only downside was that his golden finger had a cooldown period, meaning he would have to wait another three months before using it again.

(End of Chapter).