They moved without a word.
No taunts, no pointless bravado like the bounty hunters before them.
These masked Root shinobi were nothing more than precision killing machines.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Secret Technique: Parasitic Insect Swarm!"
They struck with lethal coordination.
The gale fed the flames, instantly forming a raging inferno. At the same time, dense clouds of venomous insects surged from the ground, sealing every escape route.
This was Root's elite.
Cold. Disciplined. Prepared even for death.
One Root operative, his entire body wrapped in explosive tags like a living bomb, charged straight through the cover of the jutsu toward Tobirama.
Interesting.
Tobirama drew Konan behind him, a cold sneer curling at his lips.
Stronger than the earlier trash—but only barely.
"Susanoo: Second Stage!"
Boom!
Crimson chakra erupted violently. No longer just bones—the meridians and muscles of the Susanoo fully manifested.
Flames, insects, even the suicide attacker slammed into the red armor… and failed to leave so much as a scratch.
This—this is the red giant from the intelligence reports!
For the first time, emotion flickered across the Root captain's face.
The intel is wrong. Its defense is absolute!
"Otsu! Take the intel and retreat—report to Lord Danzō!"
"Everyone else—self-destruct! Hold him here!"
The order was absolute.
The remaining Root shinobi didn't hesitate, instantly triggering their suicide seals.
Trying to escape?
Tobirama's gaze locked onto the Root ninja fleeing into the forest like a snake.
No one has ever escaped my sight alive—with my intel.
His right eye snapped open fully.
"Amaterasu!"
Whoosh!
In the distance, the fleeing Root ninja let out a shrill scream as black flames ignited across his back.
Water Release—useless.
Earth Release—useless.
He rolled desperately, but the black fire clung like a curse from hell, only vanishing once nothing remained but ash.
As for those attempting to self-destruct—
"Flying Thunder God: Rasengan!"
Tobirama became a streak of crimson lightning.
Swish! Swish!
The Susanoo's massive hand crushed two heads instantly.
Flying Thunder God kunai flashed across the battlefield. Before the others could detonate their tags, limbs were severed and throats slit with surgical precision.
One minute.
That was all it took.
The battlefield was littered with dismembered corpses, Root masks scattered among the remains.
Tobirama calmly unfurled a massive sealing scroll.
With practiced ease, he sealed every corpse—tongue curse marks and all—into it.
Evidence.
And leverage.
"Master…"
Konan peeked out from behind him, her face pale.
"Aren't they… Konoha shinobi?"
"Why would they try to kill us?"
She didn't understand. Enemy ninja were one thing—but comrades?
"Because this is politics."
Tobirama put the scroll away and ruffled her hair, his gaze sharp and cold.
"Remember this, Konan.
The enemy isn't only outside the village."
"Sometimes, the ones holding knives at your back are the very people you're fighting to protect."
"This 'welcome gift' came from a rat hiding in the gutter."
He turned toward the distant outline of Konoha.
"Let's go."
"Back to the village."
Killing intent radiated from him like frost.
Master is about to… flip the table.
---
Konoha Village — Main Gate
It was a spectacle.
Word had spread that Uchiha Tobirama—the hero who crushed the Land of Rain—was returning.
Villagers flooded the gate, banners raised, flowers in hand, forming a sea of humanity.
"He's here! He's here!"
"Lord Tobirama is back!"
The moment Tobirama appeared with Konan at his side, cheers exploded.
"Lord Tobirama! You're amazing!"
"Thank you for protecting Konoha!"
Young women screamed. Children stared with shining eyes.
In an instant, Tobirama changed.
The killing intent vanished, replaced by a smile as warm as spring.
He waved—and casually pulled out stacks of banknotes from his ninja pouch.
Money.
The spoils from Hanzō's private treasury now paid dividends.
"Everyone's worked hard!" he called out.
"These are spoils of war! Konoha's glory belongs to us all!"
Whoosh!
A rain of banknotes filled the sky.
The crowd froze—then erupted into even wilder cheers.
Strong. Generous. Handsome.
What more could they want?
Standing amid the sea of people, Tobirama declared loudly:
"I am Uchiha Tobirama—and I am Konoha!"
"As long as I stand, the flames of war will never touch this village!"
"I will protect every one of you—just as I protect my own family!"
Words and wealth combined into a devastating offensive.
His reputation soared to its absolute peak.
Some villagers were moved to tears.
So this is the Will of Fire…
And we doubted the Uchiha?
---
Hokage Building — Top Floor
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the window, watching the frenzy below.
His expression was darker than thunder.
Beside him, Danzō looked like a corpse.
"Do you see it, Hiruzen?" Danzō snarled.
"He's buying hearts."
"This isn't a shinobi—it's a politician!"
"If this continues, the next Hokage will be an Uchiha!"
His single eye gleamed with venom.
"Root failed… worthless trash."
"But he's young. Arrogant."
"Hiruzen—next mission."
He leaned in, voice low and deadly.
"Send him to the Land of Lightning's border."
"I've already contacted Kumogakure's radicals—and Ōnoki of Iwagakure."
"This time, I'll lead personally. Disguised as enemy shinobi."
"We'll use everything we have… and erase him."
Hiruzen's pipe trembled.
That was a death trap.
Borrowed knives—and his own hand.
"Danzō… isn't that too—"
"Too what?" Danzō sneered.
"Remember Madara!"
"Konoha cannot allow another uncontrollable Uchiha."
Silence fell.
Hiruzen stared at the radiant youth outside… then at his own aging hands.
Finally, he turned away and took a deep drag from his pipe.
He said nothing.
Tacit approval.
Danzō's lips curled into a triumphant, sinister grin.
---
"Master… where are we going?"
Konan noticed Tobirama wasn't heading home—but straight toward the Hokage Building.
"To collect a debt."
The smile vanished from Tobirama's face, replaced by rage compressed to its limit.
At the base of the Hokage Building, Anbu stepped forward to block him.
"Get lost."
One glance.
Tsukuyomi.
The Anbu collapsed instantly, minds shattered by Mangekyō illusion.
Tobirama took Konan's hand and marched straight to the Hokage's door.
Inside, Hiruzen and Danzō were mid-conversation.
Boom!
No knock.
Tobirama's chakra-infused kick shattered the heavy oak door.
Wood exploded outward.
Half the door flew past Danzō's face and slammed into the wall, leaving a crater.
Dead silence.
Hiruzen jolted upright.
Danzō stared, unblinking.
Through the dust, Tobirama stepped in—calm, deliberate.
Konan followed, tense but composed.
Thud.
Tobirama tossed the sealing scroll onto the desk.
It unfurled.
Root corpses spilled out—masks, curse marks, undeniable proof.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi."
No honorifics.
Mangekyō Sharingan spun violently. The faint ribs of Susanoo emerged.
The temperature in the room plunged.
He pointed at the bodies. Then at Danzō.
"Is this your explanation?"
"I'm fighting on the front lines for Konoha—and you send people to stab me in the back?"
"Root interception? Suicide squads?"
"What—haven't enough people died already?"
He took a step forward.
Killing intent crushed the room.
"Or are you two old men…"
"Tired of living?"
"Do you want a civil war to erupt in Konoha—right now?"