Cautious Eyes: An Uchiha's Path

With a sullen face, Shimura Danzō retreated toward the Root base, flanked tightly by his loyal operatives. Unwilling rage burned inside him. He hadn't anticipated betrayal—least of all from those he once trusted most.

Danzō had always walked the shadows of the Leaf, doing what he believed the Hokage could not. His actions—steeped in secrecy and ruthlessness—were, in his eyes, necessary sacrifices for the protection of Konohagakure. He believed himself to be the true guardian of the village, the unacknowledged extension of the Hokage's will.

And yet... it was all unraveling.

He remembered how things began to collapse in the Land of Rain, during a botched operation involving the Foundation. His hand had been forced to fall back, giving up aspirations of openly claiming the Hokage seat. Instead, he turned toward an alternative plan—supporting Orochimaru's candidacy for the position of Fourth Hokage.

Yes, it was Danzō who had sanctioned Orochimaru's forbidden human experiments, providing covert clearance and resources, convinced that once Orochimaru became Hokage, he'd be rewarded with absolute control over ANBU.

With Root fully merged into the Leaf's main intelligence and assassination division, Danzō planned to bide his time and eventually wrest control from Orochimaru himself.

But that path was shattered.

The first betrayal came from his longtime rival and former friend, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Third Hokage had abruptly denied Orochimaru the position, publicly rebuking his student once word of his grotesque experiments reached the Council.

Danzō knew: once Orochimaru lost Hiruzen's backing, the plan collapsed. Without the seat of Hokage, Orochimaru was just another criminal—and Danzō's involvement was a ticking time bomb.

And then came the second betrayal—Orochimaru himself, who abandoned him completely after defecting from the village. That damn snake, the same man who had passed him data on the First Hokage's DNA, had betrayed him without hesitation.

Danzō grit his teeth. He knew where this disaster began.

Minato's rise to Hokage was the turning point. Minato Namikaze, golden boy of the village, had received "a gift"—a key lead that exposed Orochimaru's lab. That intelligence likely came from Orochimaru himself, hoping to curry favor or deflect scrutiny.

Danzō understood the implication: he was the scapegoat now. Not the man in charge. Not the Hokage. The hidden hand beneath the village—he would take the fall.

"Because I wasn't Hokage," Danzō muttered darkly. "If I had held that title, they would've protected me. Just like they always protect the name of Hokage."

As he thought, a Root ninja interrupted. "Danzō-sama, what are your orders?"

"We return to headquarters," Danzō ordered. "There's an escape tunnel under the base—unfinished, but usable. Prepare it. Burn everything we can't carry."

"Yes, Danzō-sama."

"Also—send a signal flare. Mobilize all remaining operatives. We're on full alert."

Just as the command left his lips, a kunai whistled past his face. A moment later, the sky flared white—a signal from the Konoha Military Police Force.

Danzō's heart sank. Looking down from the ridge, he spotted him: Uchiha Kai.

This was only their second face-to-face meeting, yet Danzō had already placed him among the greatest threats to the village's order. It was Kai who had discovered Orochimaru's secret lab. It was Kai who had likely exposed his alliance with Orochimaru to Minato. It was Kai who had killed Ryoma, one of his most valuable Root assets.

Danzō's eyes narrowed. "Uchiha Kai," he growled. "So it's you again."

And beside him—Kenta Imai, a formidable civilian-born shinobi, and Aya Hyuga, who had defected from the Main House's shadow.

But Danzō dismissed them. Only Kai mattered.

With a sneer, he barked, "Just the three of you? Hmph. Kill them. Don't leave a single one alive."

Before Uchiha Kai could reply, Danzō turned and continued retreating. He doesn't care to talk, Kai thought. He just wants me dead and to keep running.

Kai's expression darkened. "I guess I'll have to make sure he doesn't get away..."

From the battle with Orochimaru, Kai had learned restraint—measured aggression. Orochimaru hadn't gone all out, and neither had he. But now?

Now, it was different.

He had the manuscripts of Orochimaru in hand. His Kaleidoscope Sharingan had stabilized enough to unlock a form even Orochimaru had feared.

A surge of darkness swelled around him.

Kenta and Aya stepped back as Kai's body was engulfed in black chakra, cold and oppressive. In moments, it took shape—a skeletal giant, armor forming, wings of ethereal chakra unfurling from its back.

Danzō's men halted, stunned.

Danzō himself turned and gasped in disbelief. "That's... that's Susanoo!? No... impossible! A complete Susanoo? At his age!?"

"Nothing is impossible, Danzō."

Blood trickled from the corner of Kai's eyes as his Mangekyō Sharingan pulsed with power. The Tengu-masked Susanoo grew larger, fully armored, its glowing crimson eyes staring down the Root.

Kenta and Aya had already leapt to safety.

Kai remained calm, almost serene. He raised his hand.

"Then—go die."

Susanoo drew its obsidian blade and in one colossal swing, split the earth.

The explosion of chakra was deafening. The force ripped through the Root unit, carving a trench deep into the land. Dust clouded the sky.

Silence.

When it cleared, only Uchiha Kai remained standing.

Root ninja lay scattered and broken. Not a single enemy had survived.

From afar, Kenta and Aya stared, stunned.

Kenta whispered, "Is he even human...?"

Aya trembled, but her eyes sparkled with awe. "Kai..."