The Root base was enormous, sprawling through layers of underground chambers, each meticulously purposed. The uppermost level was composed of vast training grounds, armament storage, and rotating rest quarters, all subtly masked beneath unassuming terrain within Konoha. Below that were the main residential cells, a war room, and more critically— the high-security research and experimental sectors that few even within Root had access to.
Today, Uchiha Yue's target lay within those lower levels— specifically, the sealed-off laboratories and archives that housed Danzo's most classified research.
"This chakra signature… so vibrant and unruly… is this it?"
Avoiding the patrolling Anbu Root personnel with calculated precision, Uchiha Yue entered a dimly lit, chakra-sealed chamber far more fortified than the ones he had bypassed. His Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life, locking onto the green glow of a large cylindrical culture tank. Floating within was a writhing mass of fleshy tissue— visibly pulsating with life.
"The original Hashirama Cells… Danzo truly managed to preserve a viable sample," Yue thought, awe and intensity dancing in his gaze. "With this, my path to true evolution can accelerate."
Without hesitation, Yue extended his right palm, allowing his unique illusory-world chakra to unfold. From his skin, a phantasmal ripple expanded, like a genjutsu leaking into the physical world. It wrapped around the culture tank's contents, slowly absorbing the cells into the fabric of his illusion-reality domain.
Unlike his initial attempts during Chapter 6, his present control over his dojutsu powers made the process swift and fluid, honed by countless hours of isolated training and combat trials. However, despite his precision, the high-level containment seals around the tank flared in alarm the moment the sample vanished.
"Tch. As expected—triggered."
Not even blinking, Yue casually retracted his arm, his expression unshaken. There was no panic—only efficiency, as he swept the rest of the chamber with his eyes.
The room, he realized a, wasn't just a lab. It was a vault.ddssszs
High-tier scrolls lined the far wall, meticulously labeled with advanced ninjutsu, dd one bearing the crest of the Second Hokage—likely techniques Tobirama once authored or Danzo pilfered. Several display cases contained specialized chakra blades and armor pieces infused with forbidden seals. Yet what drew Yue's fury wasn't the weapons or scrolls, but a smaller tank in the corner.
Inside floated a pair of Sharingan—both fully matured, the tomoe configuration unmistakable.
"Damn you, Danzo…" Yue snarled quietly, standing before the display. "You've been stealing from my clan longer than anyone knew. How many of our people did you butcher to get these?"
A Rasengan, compressed to surgical precision, formed in Yue's palm. With a swift motion, it obliterated the glass, sending the culture fluid cascading down the pedestal. The Sharingan dissolved into his illusory world before another step could be taken.
"You bastard! Step away from there!" came a furious roar from beyond the sealed entry.
With a thunderous blast, the reinforced door was wrenched open. Shimura Danzo stood flanked by elite Root agents, his chakra flaring darkly, one eye already gleaming red beneath the bandages.
"Tch. You show up faster than expected."
Yue's voice was calm, disdainful. In the same breath, his illusory world—like a collapsing star—expanded instantly, wrapping the entire room in an inverted reality only he could manipulate.
"What is this?" Danzo's fury turned to caution, immediately retreating toward the exit as his bodyguards rushed forward to block Yue's technique.
"Can you stop it?" Yue said coldly, eyes gleaming. "Die."
Dozens—no, hundreds—of spectral kunai materialized midair. They blitzed across the room like a metal storm, impaling all present without hesitation. The walls were painted with blood. Even Danzo, who had attempted to evade, was skewered multiple times, blood bursting from his mouth.
Yue's gaze settled on the lifeless body.
"You're not dead. Not yet."
As he spoke, the impaled Danzo shimmered—then vanished, replaced by a haze of fading chakra. Izanagi. Yue's Sharingan glinted as a second Danzo emerged at the far entrance, breathing heavily, glaring in fury and disbelief.
"Who are you? What's your purpose here?" Danzo snapped, blood-streaked but alive.
"Heh. Don't play dumb," Yue replied, mocking. "Didn't Itachi already report to you? You knew someone like me existed."
"So it was Itachi…" Danzo muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Then I was right not to trust him. But what does that make you? Another Uchiha deluded into thinking you're Madara?"
Yue chuckled darkly. "Your opinion means nothing, old man. Call me what you want. Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Yue—either way, you'll see me again. And next time, I'll make sure you don't get another chance to rewrite death."
With those words, Yue raised his hand. Space twisted and collapsed into a spiraling vortex—identical to the Kamui technique used by the real Uchiha Obito.
As he vanished into the Uzumaki, Danzo's lone eye trembled with realization.
"Space-time ninjutsu… It is similar to that masked man. But who the hell is this boy? Is he really Madara…?"
Danzo's thoughts spun in turmoil—only to be halted the moment his gaze swept the room.
Gone. Everything. The Hashirama cell culture. The Sharingan samples. The scrolls. All the secret weapons and tools accumulated over years. The chamber was stripped bare.
Danzo's face twisted—rage, humiliation, and fear clashing across his features.
His trembling hand clenched into a fist. "You… you'll pay for this!"
But in that empty silence, only the faint swirl of distorted space remained—mocking him with the echo of a phantom who had slipped in, stolen everything, and disappeared like a god of illusion.