"Obedience to orders is the foundation of the ANBU!"
"I won't kill unarmed villagers—but the moment a Root member or ninja picks up a weapon, they become my enemy!"
Uchiha Itachi moved. Wherever he went, no one could last more than a single exchange. His blade rose and fell like a plague of locusts—each strike a kill.
Ninja fell one after another at his hands. Blood soaked the earth, shocking the demonstrators into silence.
Seeing Itachi in action, the elite shadow guards hidden nearby clenched their teeth—and joined the fight, targeting the Root shinobi.
"Kill!"
Boom!
Bang!
Explosions and the sounds of slaughter filled the air, echoing endlessly.
The villagers, watching Itachi transformed into a Shura, and Root members collapsing left and right, were left dumbstruck.
They never expected ANBU would really kill.
Some faint-hearted ones went pale and collapsed to the ground, weeping in terror.
Others pissed themselves and bolted, cursing their parents for not giving them more legs.
"Th-The ANBU are killing people! Run!"
A villager, blood spattered across his face, stood dazed. None of them had expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to actually order the ANBU to act. It was completely beyond their expectations.
Even the Root ninja were stunned.
Only when they saw Itachi approaching, his blood-dripping blade in hand, the cold glint of his mask and emotionless Sharingan staring them down, did they finally snap to their senses.
They had just assaulted the Hokage.
And the Hokage—he was the highest authority in Konoha.
The ANBU under him were ruthless devils in human form.
Especially Uchiha Itachi—cold, merciless, infamous for slaughtering his own clan alongside his father. Would he hesitate to kill outsiders?
Earlier, they had lost their minds, following the mob without thinking.
Now came the reckoning.
They regretted it.
"No, no—I'm innocent!"
"It wasn't me!"
"Run! Hurry! The ANBU are killing people!"
Strike after strike, Root ninja dropped to the ground.
This time, the ANBU weren't holding back—corpses littered the streets. The bloody scene was horrifying.
The crowd of villagers scattered in panic, leaving behind only a few petrified civilians and some defiant ninja clinging to their sense of justice, weapons still drawn. A handful of villagers, unarmed and trembling, stood frozen, their fear eclipsed only by their stubbornness.
They survived only because Itachi had deliberately spared them.
At that moment, the villagers' image of the Hokage shattered completely.
The leader they once admired and respected... had ordered a massacre.
Some of those killed were unarmed villagers—the very foundation of Konoha.
And with just one command, their lives were wiped out.
They hadn't died on the battlefield—they were killed by their own people. Looking at their fallen neighbors, many villagers found it impossible to accept.
No grief is deeper than the death of faith. Their spiritual pillar had crumbled. And that, to them, was worse than death.
"Lord Third... how could you order this?" a few villagers sobbed, desperate for an answer. "They were innocent! Couldn't this have been settled peacefully?"
They couldn't accept it.
The Hokage they revered wouldn't do this—not to them. This couldn't be real.
"Traitors must die—every last one!" Hiruzen thundered.
"The title of Hokage must never be tarnished! Any insult demands death!"
"They were all guilty!"
"They couldn't tell right from wrong!"
"They were deceived by Danzo—lunatics with no grasp of justice!"
"Why keep them alive? So they can cause more chaos in Konoha?"
Pointing at the corpses of the fallen Root members, Hiruzen howled at the stunned villagers, "You think I wanted this?! You think I enjoy killing?!"
"This was never my choice!"
"Danzo forced my hand!"
"If these Root shinobi weren't acting under Danzo's orders, where did they get the nerve—the insanity—to lead you in a public revolt against me?"
"This is all Danzo's conspiracy!"
"Once I capture him, the truth will be revealed! And I will give justice to the fallen—to all of you!"
With that, Hiruzen turned and left with his elite guards and Itachi. Yamato stayed behind with a few ANBU to protect Naruto.
As the saying goes: the most dangerous place is often the safest.
Naruto had just been attacked—it was unlikely Root would strike again so soon.
Besides, Hiruzen had confirmed it: Danzo couldn't undo the Eight Trigrams Seal on Naruto's stomach. If he could release the Nine-Tails, he would've done so already. There was no need to try reanimating Minato with Edo Tensei.
The Nirvana Temple Jutsu was a curious thing.
Outside, the fighting raged.
Inside, the children slept peacefully, undisturbed by the carnage.
Understanding the severity of the situation, Iruka had already informed the students' parents—classes would be canceled for the rest of the day.
They were now just waiting to pick up their children.
As for Naruto, he would personally escort him home.
After all, Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage—a hero's legacy.
As for those whose parents died in the Nine-Tails' attack—Iruka cast a cold glance toward the distant Root agents.
That was Danzo's doing, he thought. And I believe in the Hokage's words.
"You went soft, Itachi. On the battlefield, that's a deadly mistake," Hiruzen said.
Itachi had only killed Root members and armed shinobi. When it came to villagers—even those who charged at him with weapons—he'd merely knocked them out, never striking to kill.
But on a battlefield, where things change in an instant, showing mercy could cost you your life.
That kind of compassion couldn't be tolerated.
So Hiruzen couldn't help but chide him.
"Apologies. I've disappointed you," Itachi replied calmly.
"It's not disappointment—I just don't want anything to happen to you. Later, you and Kakashi will lead a team to shut down Root and the propaganda offices. If they resist, kill them on the spot. Did you hear me? Kill them on the spot! No exceptions."
The bloodlust in Hiruzen's voice was unmistakable.
Danzo wanted to use public opinion to force him to step down?
Hmph. You're still too green, Danzo.
I am the Hokage. What I give, you may have. What I do not give—you cannot take.
Root was mine to grant. And now, I will reclaim it—or destroy it.
Without me, Hiruzen Sarutobi, you, Danzo... are nothing.
This time, Hiruzen was flipping the table.
There would be no mercy.
"Understood," Itachi replied, a chill running through him. He knew Hiruzen was displeased with him for sparing those villagers.
And he now fully understood—Hiruzen truly meant to kill Danzo and dismantle Root.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have repeated the order to kill without exception—twice.
Before long, Kakashi's squad of ANBU joined up with Itachi.
When Kakashi heard that Itachi had spared several villagers during the earlier skirmish, he was surprised.
Back when they were on the same team, Itachi had always been ruthlessly efficient.
No matter the mission, after the initial kill, Itachi would always deliver extra strikes to ensure no enemies survived.
Now, Itachi had shown mercy?
Kakashi hadn't seen that coming.
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