Chapter 160: Sasuke is Stunned

After handing over Kisame to the Anbu, Kazuki returned to the Gekko Clan.

He didn't expect to run into those two people by chance, nor did he expect them to be so unguarded around him.

In the end, they didn't last even ten minutes against him.

If he had been more serious, it might have taken him less than a minute to finish the battle!

"With those two gone, Konoha should stabilize for the time being. If Itachi can help Sasuke awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, just how strong would that be, multiplied by a hundredfold?"

Kazuki wasn't sure how strong it would be, but he was confident that unless someone knew his true abilities and specifically prepared for him, he could defeat anyone in the current Shinobi world!

In the Root, Sasuke was still searching for Itachi's whereabouts when Kazuki suddenly appeared in front of him, throwing a man at his feet.

"Kazuki?"

Sasuke was momentarily stunned.

He was surprised to see Kazuki, especially since it had been some time since they last met.

Then his eyes fell on the man Kazuki had brought.

"Itachi?!"

"That's right, I knocked him out. He's yours now," Kazuki's clone said nonchalantly before disappearing.

Sasuke stood there, shocked by Uchiha Itachi's sudden appearance.

Looking at the motionless figure on the ground, Sasuke hesitated for a moment before stepping closer to examine his face. After confirming it wasn't a transformation jutsu, he finally believed that this was the real Itachi.

But he still couldn't believe it, so he called over one of the Root members and sliced off the man's arm with a single strike.

"Does it hurt?"

The man, not expecting such a thing, was delayed in his reaction, only letting out a scream after a moment.

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

"It seems it hurts. This isn't a dream."

"..."

Hearing those words, the man fainted on the spot, unsure if it was from pain or from shock.

"This shouldn't be a genjutsu either, right?"

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, carefully sensing the situation. There was no sign of genjutsu.

This bizarre situation left Sasuke standing there in silence for a long time before he finally remembered to deal with Uchiha Itachi.

"Take him to the dungeon and tie him up."

"Yes!"

"Wait a moment!"

Sasuke stopped them and, looking at Itachi's emotionless face, suddenly drew his sword and swung twice!

With the sound of blood spraying, Uchiha Itachi's hands were severed!

"Alright, now take him away. Let me know when he wakes up."

The pain of losing both hands did not wake Uchiha Itachi, which left Sasuke with a trace of disappointment.

However, to prevent Itachi from escaping when he woke up, Sasuke decided to sever his hands first!

Then, he arranged for numerous Anbu guards to watch over him.

"Sasuke-sama, what about that other person?"

An Anbu pointed to the assistant who had lost an arm and asked.

"Send him to Orochimaru. Doesn't he need more test subjects?"

"This… yes!"

Sasuke's methods were quite cruel, even harsher than what had been seen during Danzo's time. Many were worried about whether Sasuke might abandon them one day.

The older members of Root were more composed; they had seen much worse, and after Danzo's brainwashing, they were mentally prepared to sacrifice for Konoha. They didn't hold much resentment toward Sasuke.

But the newer members of Root found it difficult to accept. Late at night, many often found themselves questioning everything.

The oppressive nature of Root was too much for these newcomers. They wanted to escape, but Root wasn't like the Anbu.

It wasn't a place one could enter or leave at will!

As long as Sasuke didn't let them go, there was only one way out of Root — death!

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The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg