Chapter 42: Night and Root

A sudden visitor arrived at Konoha's Root headquarters.

The Fourth Hokage.

Technically, Root was not under the Hokage's direct control.

But tonight, Minato Namikaze intended to change that.

"Tell Danzo to come see me."

The Fourth Hokage no longer wore his usual gentle smile.

He was here to kill.

The Root members exchanged glances. One of them, wearing a fox mask, spoke up.

"Please wait a moment, Lord Hokage."

Minato's eyes narrowed. In an instant, he appeared right in front of the masked ninja.

"Wait? Do you think you have the right to make me wait?"

Bang!

The masked Root ninja was sent crashing into the wall.

Minato walked straight through Root's main entrance.

The moment he stepped inside, Danzo Shimura appeared, his right arm wrapped in bandages.

"What brings the Hokage to Root?" Danzo asked with a calm expression.

Minato got straight to the point.

"The rumors spreading in the village—it's your doing, isn't it? Don't bother denying it. If I didn't have solid proof, I wouldn't have come here."

Danzo's lone visible eye narrowed.

"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha Clan is extremely dangerous. Back in the Second Hokage's time—"

"Shut up."

Minato cut him off coldly.

"I'm the Hokage now. You don't get to tell me what to do."

His tone was sharp and commanding.

Danzo was caught off guard.

The Minato he knew was always calm, kind—even too soft at times.

This was completely unlike him.

Why?

Spreading a few rumors shouldn't have provoked such a strong reaction.

Surely this hadn't crossed Minato's line yet?

"Fourth Hokage, you should watch your words," Danzo said, unfazed. "This is Root. Root does not answer to the Hokage."

As he spoke, several figures emerged from the surrounding shadows, all wearing animal masks.

Minato smirked.

"Looks like I was right. It was you interfering with my efforts to ease tensions between the Uchiha and the villagers."

Even as they spoke, Minato had already made his move.

The Flying Thunder God seal had silently shifted—now positioned directly beneath Danzo's feet.

A single strike. That was all he needed.

The Yellow Flash was known for his speed and precision.

Minato knew that Danzo had a stolen arm infused with Hashirama's cells. He also knew about the Sharingan implanted in it—each one capable of using Izanagi.

Each eye meant one extra life.

Danzo wasn't unbeatable, but he was an annoying opponent.

In a battle of life and death, there was only one rule:

Fast.

Precise.

Lethal.

And Minato was the fastest of them all.

Minato had no intention of giving Danzo the chance to activate Izanagi.

In the next instant—

The Fourth Hokage vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already behind Danzo. His tri-pronged kunai slashed forward, aiming straight for Danzo's throat.

Lethal. Instant.

Too fast.

To the onlookers, all they saw was a golden flash.

But at the last possible moment—

A Root ninja threw himself in front of Danzo, blocking the fatal strike.

Danzo had been prepared.

He knew Minato was the fastest man alive. There was no way he wouldn't have been on guard.

And he knew his own weakness—he needed time to activate his strongest technique.

Back at the Five Kage Summit, he had brought two bodyguards with him.

For this exact reason.

To buy time.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"

Danzo's hands formed seals at lightning speed. A spiraling wind blade shot from his mouth.

The Root ninja shielding him was instantly bisected.

Minato flicked his kunai lightly—

And disappeared.

He reappeared beside the kunai he had thrown earlier.

The Vacuum Wave sliced through the air, carving a deep scar into the stone wall behind them.

Minato didn't seem fazed by missing his first strike.

After all, someone like Danzo—an old schemer who valued his life above all else—would never be easy to kill.

"What is the meaning of this, Fourth Hokage?"

Danzo's lone eye was filled with murderous intent.

Minato's voice was cold.

"I'm here to take your life."

Meanwhile, perched atop a stone pillar inside the Root base, someone was casually watching the show.

Ren Asakura.

A bucket of popcorn rested in his arms as he absentmindedly swung his legs.

His job was to make sure Danzo didn't escape.

And since Danzo wasn't running yet—

That meant Ren couldn't make a move.

So he was stuck here. Watching.

"Boring. My way would've been way more fun." Ren muttered to himself.

"First, an all-expenses-paid trip to Pluto. Then, a nice cremation inside the Sun's core. After that, a never-ending death loop courtesy of Diavolo's King Crimson. Finally, just for the grand finale, we extract Danzo's memories and play them on repeat across every big screen in the Shinobi World."

Ren sighed dramatically.

"What a perfect way to die."

Ren Asakura spoke softly.

Too bad the Fourth Hokage insisted on sending Danzo to meet the Sage of Six Paths himself.

But Ren wasn't the only uninvited guest lurking in the darkness.

Hidden in the shadows, unnoticed by anyone, stood Uchiha Fugaku.

His Mangekyō Sharingan coldly observed the battlefield.

He had been roped into this by Minato. Whether he chose to fight or not was up to him, but he was here to witness something important.

Fugaku had already noticed the growing tension between the Uchiha and the villagers. That was why he agreed to Minato's request.

And the thing he was supposed to witness?

Danzo's arm.

Covered in stolen Sharingan.

Any Uchiha would lose their mind at the sight.

Sasuke nearly exploded with rage when he saw it.

Ren turned his head toward Fugaku, still concealed in the darkness.

By all logic, unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan meant reaching Kage-level strength.

Fugaku was one of Konoha's rare elite fighters.

Yet, in the end, he hadn't even tried to resist.

Itachi killed him without a fight.

Ren sighed. "Man, even the kind and cheerful ones end up playing dirty, huh?"

This was Minato's plan—a perfect three-birds-with-one-stone strategy.

The first "bird" was Danzo's life. Two Kage-level fighters—Konoha's Yellow Flash and the Uchiha Clan Leader. Either one could kill Danzo alone. Together, it was a guaranteed victory.

The second "bird" was forging an alliance. If they fought side by side, it meant they were in this together. Ever wonder why criminals make sure their accomplices have blood on their hands? It keeps them bound to the same fate.

The third "bird" was power. If Fugaku stood with Minato, then winning over the Uchiha Clan would be easy. The clan had different factions, but their leader's word held weight. A little behind-the-scenes maneuvering, and Minato could bring the Uchiha fully to his side.

Those involved in the game might be blinded by it, but an outsider like Ren could see Minato's plan as clear as day.

"Politics really change people, huh?" Ren mused. "The Fourth Hokage used to be so simple."

Meanwhile, other members of the chat group projected themselves in to watch the battle.

A live stream had begun.

Watching the fight unfold below, Lu Mingfei sighed in disappointment.

"Damn, looks like I'm late. The fight already started!"

Ren responded casually, "It's just getting started. Watch closely. You're about to see what happens when two old foxes with insane battle experience go at it."

Lu Mingfei smirked, the classic keyboard warrior itching to critique.

The anime and manga had some differences.

In the anime, Uchiha Fugaku unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan.

And Shisui awakened his Susano'o with just one eye.

Not my problem, though.

Blame Danzo.

Just throw all the blame on him—it's what he's there for.

°°°

Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!

Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction

I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.