The mission Uchiha Douhuan received was to head to the northwestern border region and eliminate the spies from the Land of Earth.
After the three left the village, they accelerated toward the mission area.
However, before they could reach the destination, masked figures wearing various animal masks appeared from all directions, surrounding them in an instant.
"Anbu?" Uchiha Inoka's expression tightened as he looked at the newcomers.
"No, not Anbu. It's Root." Uchiha Douhuan replied calmly as he drew the long blade from his back. "Get ready for battle."
"Damn it! What does the village mean by this? Are they actually attacking their own ninja?" Uchiha Zaidō said angrily as he pulled out his kunai.
"Traitor of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Douhuan—today, I shall eliminate this source of instability for the village."
Danzō's sinister voice echoed, but despite looking around, Douhuan did not see Danzō himself.
"Hiding like a rat in the dark, and yet you dare shout so arrogantly?" Douhuan said with disdain.
"Uchiha Douhuan, save your tricks. You want to force me out so you can use that eye technique you stole from Uchiha Shisui on me, don't you? Unfortunately for you, Shisui has already confessed everything. Your plot to seize his eyes and rebel has already been fully revealed to the village. Are you still not going to surrender?"
"Douhuan… what does he mean by that?" Inoka asked in confusion.
"This is not the time for explanations."
Lightning crackled around Douhuan's body, thunder exploding around him.
"Let's deal with this pack of rats first."
"Understood!"
Inoka and Zaidō nodded and stood back-to-back with Douhuan. Both formed hand seals at the same time:
"Katon: Gōka Ryū no Jutsu!"
Two massive fire dragons roared forth toward the encroaching Root forces. The explosion of heat instantly consumed several Root operatives charging in from the front.
Although Danzō had brought only his elites, Inoka and Zaidō were among the most outstanding young Uchiha—both prodigies who awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan before the age of twenty.
As for Douhuan, he was even more straightforward—nine condensed spheres of blue lightning, pulsing with terrifying chakra, formed at his side and then flew in different directions, crushing everything in their path.
Raiton: Lightning Sphere—a basic lightning-style jutsu so simple even Chūnin-level shinobi could use it effortlessly—now wielded overwhelming destructive power in Douhuan's hands.
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen Root operatives were swallowed by the lightning, leaving not even bones behind. But Root, long stripped of humanity under Danzō's brainwashing, showed no hesitation. Their comrades' deaths did not deter them; instead, they continued charging forward without fear.
Wind- and water-style users among them released jutsu, attempting to suppress the trio through elemental advantage.
"Killing Anbu operatives… Uchiha Douhuan, are you planning to betray the village?" Danzō's voice echoed again.
His answer came from above—several pillars of lightning the width of tree trunks fell from the sky with terrifying accuracy, striking where Root operatives clustered. The explosive thunder instantly harvested more lives.
The wind and water jutsu aimed at them were melted away by six spinning azure lightning orbs, swirling rapidly around Douhuan like a protective shield.
"You still refuse to show yourself, Elder Danzō?"
Douhuan's voice was calm and cold.
"Or do you actually think they alone can stop me?"
"Uchiha Douhuan, stop your delusions. You think you can control me? Foolish." Danzō sneered.
"Elder Danzō, you think far too highly of yourself."
Douhuan continued cutting down Root operatives with ease as he spoke with a small, mocking smile.
"You're nothing but a sewer rat, crawling in darkness, discarded by Sarutobi Hiruzen whenever convenient. You're unworthy of a divine technique like Kotoamatsukami."
Just then, massive wooden pillars shot out of the ground, gathering into a giant wooden hand descending from the sky toward the three.
All prior attacks had merely been to drain their chakra.
This—this was Danzō's true killing move.
"Wood Release!?"
Inoka's expression twisted in shock. Even a Uchiha could instantly recognize this terrifying technique.
Both Inoka and Zaidō instinctively unleashed jutsu to block the descending wooden hand, but their attacks didn't leave even a scratch on it.
At that moment, Douhuan spoke quietly:
"Stand behind me."
In an instant, the tomoe in Douhuan's eyes spun rapidly, transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Pitch-black ocular power surged outward, covering the three of them—and then erupting into a massive black armored warrior covered in glowing azure markings.
Susanoo.
Douhuan's ocular power fused with the violent lightning chakra in Susanoo's hand, forming an enormous sword of blue light.
With one swing, it cleaved the giant wooden hand cleanly in half.
"Elder Danzō—are you done making trouble?" Douhuan's voice was icy.
"Do you know why I didn't use the Uchiha clan's ultimate power from the start? Because I intended to bury all of you here."
As he spoke, the sky above them had already darkened.
The steam from earlier collisions of fire and water had risen into the air, forming thick clouds saturated with chakra.
Every Root ninja who looked up felt only primal terror.
Emotionless as they were, the instinctive fear of nature's wrath was unavoidable.
"Raiton: Kirin."
Douhuan's soft voice named the jutsu.
And then—
A faint spark flickered beneath every Root operative's foot.
Small enough that even a civilian would only feel mild pain, yet in this moment, it became the herald of their doom.
A colossal blue thunder beast tore down from the heavens.
The entire area was swallowed in blinding lightning.
Root operatives had nowhere to run—
Except for one corner, where layer after layer of Mokuton: Wood Locking Wall rose desperately to block the onslaught.
Minutes passed before the thunder finally subsided.
Rain began to pour, washing away the metallic scent of blood lingering in the air.
In the corner protected by the Wood Walls, the final layer collapsed with a rumble—revealing two figures inside.
One was a masked man who fell limp to the ground, still frozen in the posture of forming hand seals.
The other stood with a cane in one hand… and his other arm wrapped entirely in bandages.
"I've found you, Elder Danzō."Within Susanoo, Uchiha Douhuan smiled brightly.