Kazuki made a slight downward motion with his hand.
Instantly—
Thick wooden roots tightened.
Yamanaka Fū was completely wrapped this time.
No escape.
No substitution.
The vast forest withered at visible speed.
Massive trees dried, cracked, and collapsed into splintered wood, leaving only ten tightly bound Root operatives hanging in place like oversized rice dumplings.
Dust settled.
Silence fell.
Kushina Wakes
"…Mmm…"
Kushina's eyelashes trembled.
She jolted awake from the nightmare.
Her first sight—
Kazuki.
Alive.
Unharmed.
"Kazu!"
Her hands ran over his shoulders, his chest, his arms.
Her eyes were red.
She threw herself into him tightly.
"Are you okay?!"
In the illusion, she had watched him collapse—bleeding, pierced, motionless.
It felt real.
Too real.
Memories flooded her mind—
Meeting him on the road from Uzushiogakure.
Entering the Academy together.
Graduating together.
Him coming to rescue her.
And just now—
Almost losing him.
In that moment, Kushina understood something clearly.
She cared about him far more than she realized.
Kazuki gently stroked her long red hair.
"Hey… don't cry, silly."
Kushina buried her face against him.
"I'm so stupid… I fell for genjutsu…"
Before he could respond—
A dry cough came from behind them.
"Ahem."
Kushina instantly pushed Kazuki away, face burning.
Mito Uzumaki stood there.
Hiruzen Sarutobi beside her.
Minato slightly behind them.
Kushina instinctively ignored Minato's existence entirely.
Mito shot Hiruzen an irritated glance.
The young couple finally had a moment and the old man just had to interrupt.
Hiruzen sighed internally.
If he hadn't spoken—
The Root Ten might have suffocated.
Reinforcements Arrive
Uchiha Fugaku arrived with several Uchiha clan members.
He stared at the destruction.
"…This was Kazuki?"
Hiruzen spoke firmly.
"Fugaku. Establish a perimeter. No civilians beyond this point."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The Uchiha moved immediately.
Hyūga scouts were stopped.
Ino–Shika–Chō were halted outside the cordon.
This scene would not spread uncontrolled.
Confrontation
Hiruzen turned to Kazuki.
"Kazuki… release them."
Kazuki tilted his head slightly.
"Hokage-sama, do you know who they are?"
Hiruzen opened his mouth—
But footsteps interrupted.
Danzo Shimura.
Flanked by Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Danzo walked forward stiffly.
"They are my subordinates."
"Kazuki, release them."
He masked his shock well—
But inside, he was shaken.
Ten elites.
Defeated.
So quickly.
A mistake.
A major miscalculation.
Before Kazuki responded—
Kushina's eyes widened.
"Danzo-sama…?"
The air turned cold.
Mito's Wrath
Golden chakra erupted.
Violent.
Primal.
A Nine-Tails chakra arm shot forward and grabbed Danzo by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
Gasps echoed.
"Shimura Danzo."
Mito's voice trembled—not with weakness—
With rage.
"It was your people who attacked him?"
"What are you trying to do?"
Danzo clawed at the chakra arm, unable to form seals.
The Nine-Tails' chakra suppressed him completely.
"I… have always acted… for Konoha…"
"Everything… is for the village…"
"Kazuki's actions that night… were suspicious…"
"I only intended to invite him for questioning…"
"It was an accident…"
His feet kicked uselessly in the air.
He hadn't expected Mito to act.
Not after decades of silence.
And certainly not with this much power.
This is the Nine-Tails' strength…
Homura and Koharu stepped forward nervously.
"Lady Mito… please calm down."
"Yes, Danzo is acting for Konoha. There must be some misunderstanding."
Mito's chakra flared brighter.
"The Uzumaki fell in war."
"The Senju declined."
"My grandson died."
"I endured all of it."
"But now—"
She glared at Danzo.
"The last pure Senju bloodline is attacked inside Konoha."
"And you dare call that an accident?"
Her killing intent filled the air.
"If you want the Senju exterminated—"
"Say it clearly."
No one breathed.
Not even Hiruzen.
He knew—
If Mito crushed Danzo right now—
There would be no stopping the political fallout.
Konoha could fracture.
Yet—
She wasn't wrong.
He turned to Danzo slowly.
"…You crossed a line."
The Balance
The entire village was watching from beyond the perimeter.
Uchiha.
Hyūga.
Clan heads sensing tension.
If this turned into internal collapse—
The other villages would strike.
Hiruzen stepped forward.
"Old Lady Mito."
"Please."
"I will personally handle this."
Silence.
Several long seconds passed.
Then—
The golden chakra arm loosened.
Danzo dropped to the ground, gasping violently.
Mito's voice was cold.
"If Kazuki is harmed again…"
"I will not restrain myself."
Kazuki
Throughout the entire exchange—
Kazuki remained calm.
Eyes observant.
Learning.
Measuring.
Power wasn't the only battlefield in Konoha.
Politics was just as dangerous.
He looked at Danzo.
Then at Hiruzen.
Then at the bound Root operatives.
A faint smile touched his lips.
This wasn't over.
It was only beginning.