On the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village, Uchiha Kaede was conducting a standard patrol. Most of the time, the Police Force's duties were relatively leisurely; the security around the village's perimeter was generally excellent.
Moving swiftly through the canopy of giant trees, Kaede noticed the shifting patterns of light and shadow. Suddenly, a mysterious figure emerged from the darkness.
The figure wore an outfit strikingly similar to the Anbu, but Kaede sensed a different, more oppressive aura from them. Realizing he might be in trouble, he instinctively dropped into a defensive stance. "Who goes there?"
The mysterious operative—a member of Root—stepped forward with an expressionless face. "Uchiha Kaede. Lord Danzo has ordered you to report to Root for investigation."
Danzo's orders?
Kaede started to speak, but a sense of unease gnawed at him. Suddenly, a sharp wave of killing intent surged. Kaede ducked down violently.
At that exact moment, the Root operative's eyes turned cold. He exhaled sharply, and a massive, malevolent Wind Style gale erupted. "Ka!"
No hand seals. No visible chakra molding. The jutsu was released through sound alone!
A bizarre storm swirled around the operative—a cold wind saturated with the scent of blood and a chilling, eerie malice. It blew from all directions, converging on Uchiha Kaede!
Genjutsu?
No, this isn't a mere illusion. It's a combination of Wind Style and poison!
As a split consciousness of Shiraishi, Kaede's insight was incredibly sharp. He instantly saw through the Root operative's trick. He gathered his chakra, manifesting the turbulent, infernal fires of Purgatory in his palms.
The cold wind poured into Kaede's body, yet he appeared completely unaffected. The specialized attack of the Root assassin failed to yield any results.
The Root operative's expression remained unchanged, having expected a possible failure on the first strike. Anticipating Kaede's counterattack as he rose from his crouch, the assassin raised his right palm, aiming it like a mirror toward his enemy.
Bang!
A muffled explosion rang out as a powerful wind blade shot from his palm toward Kaede. Kaede's right arm bulged; as he stood up, he threw a punch that ignited a massive fiery blast!
Boom!
The shockwave shook the very tree they stood upon. Kaede's Sharingan activated instantly, his eyes locked onto the Root member.
"You intend to kill me?"
That combination of Genjutsu and poison proved the Root operative's lethal intent. Kaede's face darkened; he hadn't expected to be targeted by Danzo's men so soon.
"As expected, against the Sharingan, assassination techniques relying on Genjutsu are less effective."
Seeing his strike fail, the Root member flickered into numerous afterimages, hurling a volley of kunai at Kaede.
Facing the assault, Kaede didn't rush to counter. Instead, he pondered why Root was so eager to hunt the Uchiha. Was it related to the potential Uchiha Shisui displayed at the Five Kage Summit?
Perhaps Shisui's growth had accelerated Danzo's paranoia, leading Root to suppress any rising talent within the clan—especially an "outsider" like Kaede. If a marginal member showed even a hint of genius, Danzo preferred to crush it in the cradle.
What a twisted way of thinking, Kaede thought. This desperate internal strife is exactly what I hoped to see. Kaede no longer held back.
His Purgatory flames transformed into a terrifying whip of fire, lashing out in all directions. Simultaneously, he activated Flame Charge, cloaking himself in tyrannical sparks.
The Root operative countered with an even stronger, high-speed Vibrational Wind Style. An ear-piercing blast echoed through the woods.
Through his Sharingan, Kaede clearly saw his own muscles nearly tear under the pressure, his skin shredding in a gruesome display.
His Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun frantically. However, this Root operative was clearly at the Jonin level, more than a match for a "standard Chunin" like Kaede. In Danzo's view, there were only two options for Kaede: capture or death.
As the ear-piercing vibrations surged again, Kaede felt his strength and spirit being drained. A wave of exhaustion threatened to pull him into unconsciousness.
Terrifying ability... but I cannot fail here!
Driven by a surge of intense emotion and the will to survive, the two tomoe in Kaede's eyes suddenly shifted and multiplied, evolving into a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Three-Tomoe?! How is that possible!
Stimulated by the evolution of his eyes, Kaede broke free from the sensory shackles. He lunged forward, his mangled fist glowing with massive fiery power. He struck from the hip—no complex thoughts, only pure, lethal instinct.
It's either you or me!
The Root operative tried to block, but the moment the flaming fist hit his arm, the sound of snapping bone rang out. His arm twisted at an unnatural angle, but Kaede didn't let up.
He unleashed a massive wave of ocular power through his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, striking the assassin with a crushing Genjutsu.
The Root member tried to counter with high-speed vibrations, but his own illusions were utterly suppressed by the evolved eyes.
"Before these eyes, your Genjutsu is worthless!"
In a clash of raw will, Kaede's fist shattered the Root operative's head. The explosion of blood and gore signaled the end of the elite assassin.
Kaede quickly calmed himself. He pulled out a scroll to seal the corpse for evidence, then sped back toward the Uchiha Police Force headquarters to report the incident to the clan leadership.
The View from the Sand
"Lord Kazekage, is something wrong?"
Inside the Kazekage's office, Shiraishi sat holding a teacup, lost in deep thought. His assistant, Maki, stepped forward with concern.
"No, it's nothing..."
In truth, Shiraishi was shocked by the internal state of the Leaf. An intelligence department assassin could openly target a fellow villager with such ruthless, underhanded methods.
Had it not been for Kaede's Three-Tomoe breakthrough and his own combat experience, any other Uchiha novice would be dead.
Shiraishi wondered: Does Root's collection of stolen bloodlines exceed even the Leaf's official archives?
If a madman like Danzo ever became Hokage, it would actually be a boon for the Sand. He would simply consume his own village's strength from within while staying quiet on the international stage.
However, Shiraishi had no time for the Leaf's internal drama. The military strike against the Stone was about to commence, and the crisis in the Land of Vegetables showed no signs of improvement.
The energy from the Box of Ultimate Bliss was spreading; soon, it might swallow the entire country.
"Arashi should have used that ninja tool by now..."
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