Near the entrance of the Uchiha compound, bodies were scattered everywhere. These war-hungry radicals had at least managed to fight Hatake Satoru before dying.
Up ahead, the ground was marked with large, web-like craters, and some corpses were even smashed into the earth.
Each body looked like it had been hit by a powerful force of gravity.
But could someone really cause such destruction in just a moment?
The Root members who rushed over quickly scanned the scene. Blood was everywhere, and the thick smell of it filled the air, making their hearts sink.
They had guessed this was about the time Itachi would start the massacre.
But for some reason, a civilian with a Sharingan had suddenly gotten involved.
And the scene before them—brutal and messy—didn't feel like something Itachi would do.
Itachi was known for being careful and precise.
So who was it?
Who had the power to kill so many people in the blink of an eye?
Calling him a walking weapon wouldn't even be enough.
And then, not far from the gate, they saw Hatake Satoru walking slowly into the Uchiha compound.
Or more accurately, they saw the familiar mask he wore.
It still had fresh blood on it, and under the pale moonlight, it looked terrifying.
"If you see that man, kill him."
Danzo's order was still echoing in their ears, but their feet felt frozen to the ground. None of them could move.
This man didn't even have to look at them—just walking under the moonlight was enough to send out a clear and crushing killing intent.
And for some reason—
Even though Root was always known for staying hidden, every single one of them felt completely exposed.
Their usual stealth meant nothing. If that man wanted to, he could kill them all instantly.
A heavy pressure weighed down on them like never before. Everyone felt like they couldn't breathe.
A flash of bright blue light came from behind the mask, and Hatake Satoru vanished into the Uchiha compound.
The Root members collapsed onto rooftops and branches, gasping for air.
In that moment, they had truly thought they were going to die.
"This is bad. We need to report to Danzo-sama right away!"
A few of them scrambled to their feet and used Body Flicker to hurry back.
Whoever—or whatever—that was, it wasn't something humans could deal with.
The fact that they were still alive after seeing that person was already a miracle.
But Hatake Satoru hadn't done it to scare Root. He'd only looked that way because Kakashi was crouching nearby.
Anbu hadn't joined the bloodbath. Their job was to watch. No matter what happened, they were only allowed to report back.
They couldn't step in.
Because anything they did would mean that Hiruzen was interfering directly.
Kakashi wasn't just standing there the whole time—he was more focused on the fight going on with Shisui.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, that "civilian" without a headband moved and fought like a trained ninja—one who had probably seen real war.
As for the one who caused the explosion at the gate, Kakashi had only caught a glimpse of the back of his head before the man vanished.
Itachi was now standing at his front door, waiting for Shisui and Hatake Satoru to come.
His mind was still on the man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara.
He hadn't been able to break away earlier, so he'd sent a crow to deliver a message.
But there was no reply, and the man never showed up as promised.
Maybe he saw the crow, though.As soon as he saw the two of them walking back from opposite sides, Itachi quietly felt relieved. Things must've gone according to plan.
Right now, the entire Uchiha district had fallen into a strange, eerie silence.
Hatake Satoru pulled off his mask with one hand and let out a deep breath, then casually shook off the blood that had built up on it.
"You're amazing, Satoru. I figured you were strong, but that impact really caught me off guard."
"I didn't expect you to use something that powerful. I always thought you were just... uh, holding back."
There was admiration in Shisui's eyes, but nothing over the top.
Living with Hatake Satoru, he'd already gotten a good sense of how this guy usually acted.
Today was just the first time he saw it with his own eyes—what Satoru was really capable of.
He'd heard Satoru brag so often about being unbeatable and the strongest that it didn't feel as shocking anymore.
Hatake Satoru clicked his tongue and gave Shisui's leg a little kick.
"If you're gonna praise me, at least make it sound real. That half-hearted stuff won't cut it~"
Itachi had also heard that deafening explosion earlier. He glanced at Hatake Satoru with mixed feelings.
He might always act like a goof, but Hatake Satoru really *was* strong.
"Stealing Danzo-sama's eye, and pulling off an explosion like that..."
"How many more secrets are you hiding?"
Hatake Satoru stuck out his tongue and made a silly face at Itachi.
"You'll have to find out little by little. Gotta keep some mystery, you know?"
"With a flashy explosion like that, are you *really* trying to stay mysterious?"
Shisui laughed and shook his head, clearly a little exasperated.
Hatake Satoru just shrugged innocently, not bothering to argue.
Shisui's hair was a mess from the fight, and the bandage on his face had soaked through with blood and lost its use.
All his features were now fully exposed—his true identity was clear as day.
Itachi kept looking him over, and Shisui gave a sheepish smile.
This *should've* been one of those tear-jerking "my best friend came back to life" moments.
But the problem was, before Shisui "died," he had left behind a whole bunch of final words and emotional goodbyes.
Now seeing Itachi again, all those words kept replaying in his head, and it was just... embarrassing.
Not to mention, the two of them used to believe that if one had to die to save the rest, then so be it.
Yet somehow, they both ended up hopping aboard Hatake Satoru's crazy train, which went completely against everything they used to stand for.
Plus, they *did* actually meet again at Shisui's own memorial... though back then, Shisui hadn't revealed who he really was.
There were all kinds of issues and unanswered questions, but by that point, Shisui had already joined up with Hatake Satoru.
If Satoru had some weird plan and didn't want Shisui to show his face, that would've made sense.
"No matter what, I'm just glad you're still alive, Shisui."
Seeing the two of them about to launch into an emotional Uchiha-style heart-to-heart, Hatake Satoru quickly stepped between them, clapping a hand on each of their shoulders and popping his head in the middle.
"Hold up—you two can save the emotional reunion for later~"
"If everything goes as expected, you'll have *plenty* of time to talk after becoming rogue ninjas."
"But right now, we've still got serious business to take care of."
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