The Root of the Matter Pt. 2

A/N: Just a reminder, new chapter here officially means new chapter over on the P atreon now, where my patrons are currently voting on the future direction of this story!

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Truth be told, Naruto doesn't know why he even thinks about it for longer than a second. In the end, the answer is obvious to anyone who wasn't so far up their own ass they could taste shit.

Bowing his head respectfully towards Tsunade, Naruto makes his opinion abundantly clear.

"The grievances of the Village outweigh the grievances of the Clan. Konoha is and always will be my home, and for Danzo's crimes against it, he must pay. I leave it in your capable hands to decide how to best make that happen, Fifth Hokage. Use me as you will… but I stand with the Village, not alone."

When he lifts his head, its to see a satisfied smile on Tsunade's face as she gives him a decisive nod. As well, Ino's father Inoichi looks dully impressed by Naruto's words. Ino just looks a little gobsmacked, as if she's never seen Naruto act so mature before. When Inoichi and Tsunade both turn away at the same time, he makes sure to give Ino a wink and a grin, to let her know he's still very much a goofball.

"Inoichi, I assume…"

"Yes ma'am. I can easily get in contact with Shikaku without Danzo knowing about it. We'll need him, if you're planning what I think you're planning."

"I am, please do so. We'll need everyone we can get for this. And once you're done organizing Shikaku and the others, I want you back in this operative's mind, confirming everything she knows that will help us."

Inoichi bows low and then steps off to the side, closing his eyes and seeming to focus as his hands run through symbols at lightning speed. Ino looks on amazed, clearly not exactly versed in these secret techniques of her Clan just yet. Naruto, meanwhile, can't help his curiosity and steps closer to Tsunade.

"What's the plan? Why do we need everyone?"

Tsunade smirks as she cracks her neck from side to side and begins doing the same with her knuckles. Slamming a fist into an open palm, the Fifth Hokage, who while a healer of epic proportions is also capable of being a very tactile, frontline fighter, gives Naruto a lidded glance.

"Simple, really. This sort of security breach is unprecedented. Danzo's faith in his Cursed Seal has proven to be his undoing. Root has far less compartmentalization than most organizations like it, solely because he's convinced none of his agents can be forced or even choose to betray him. But thanks to you, that's not the case. We can finally take the fight to him… and pull his entire rotten organization out by the root."

A shiver runs down Naruto's spine. Of fear or excitement, he cannot say. Perhaps… both? Grinning viciously in the face of Tsunade's certainty, Naruto just nods.

"Sounds like a plan."

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And indeed, it was quite the plan. After handing the reins over to Tsunade, things moved insanely fast. By comparison, if Naruto had tried to take matters into his own hands, he suspected things would have gone a fair bit slower. There would likely have been some politicking involved. Maybe a meeting of the Clan Heads?

But he hadn't done so, and with the information Tsunade had, she didn't need to do any politicking. She was the Fifth Hokage, the undisputed Military Head of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The only one she even technically answered to was the Daimyo, and he wasn't here right now.

Once Inoichi was in contact with Shikaku, the Jonin Commander was able to get in contact with the rest of their forces. Thanks to what they were able to glean from Hinoto's mind, they could even dance around a few of the more well-known plants in Konoha's Ninja Forces. It wasn't like Root was completely bereft of compartmentalization, but there was enough knowledge in that one agent's mind that it was quite an advantage for Konoha's Loyalty Ninja.

And when the time came, not but a couple hours later… Tsunade led the charge into the Root Compound herself. The vast majority of Root was still there, waiting for them. Danzo's patience was something else, to be sure. Naruto could never have just sat still for hours and waited for his enemy to act before reacting.

Or maybe the old shinobi had caught wind that the Fifth Hokage was moving against him and decided his best option was to stay put. That thought put Naruto on edge if he was being honest, even as they busted Root's Main Headquarters wide open, a couple punches from Tsunade shredding a nice big hole in the ground and exposing the underground complex quite completely.

If Danzo had heard that Konoha was coming for him, he should have run, right? But Naruto had set up a wide perimeter of Nature Chakra infused clones ahead of time and should have known if Danzo did try to escape. It was a key part of Tsunade's plan in fact. That he hadn't, that he was still in the Root Compound more than likely… it spoke of a supreme confidence that unnerved Naruto ever so slightly.

And one thing was for certain, that confidence wasn't in the ninja of Root. No, as Naruto slams his Rasengan into yet another Root Agent, he reflects that… as good as the ninja of Root are, they're nothing before the combined might of Konoha and its Fifth Hokage. Tsunade has already given the ninja of the Root the opportunity to surrender, and after they rejected it, she's ripped through any of them that have gotten in her way.

The rest of Konoha's Ninja Forces, including the heads of multiple clans, are doing quite well as well. There haven't been no losses on the Loyalist Side, but Root… Root is not holding its own. In the end, creativity and independence shine through. Danzo's methods might create tools that allow themselves to be wielded by his hands and his hands alone, but they're mediocre at best… and always will be.

They-

"Enough."

A sudden stillness falls over the battlefield, and Naruto stiffens, his eyes widening as Danzo suddenly makes his presence known. The man is focused on Tsunade and the other Clan Heads, which is why Naruto has half a second to react to the altogether shocking appearance of a transplanted Sharingan Eye in the right socket of Danzo's normally bandaged face. Just before Danzo activates it, Naruto slaps a hand onto his arm, activating a seal of his own.

"Kotoamatsukami."

Everything stops as the Sharingan activates. Everyone stops. Naruto might not know exactly what that technique does, however… he knows it must be powerful, given the way even the Fifth Hokage herself goes still. Indeed, every ninja in the chamber abruptly stops moving, meaning they've been caught in an incredibly powerful dojutsu genjutsu. Every ninja… save for Naruto himself.

"I'm quite vexed with you, Tsunade. Moving against me? After all I've done for Konoha? Forcing me to use this technique? Still, I suppose I should be grateful that you brought all of the Clan Heads into my place of power for me. I would not be able to do this otherwise."

Oh great, and now he was monologuing. Naruto's eyes narrow, as Danzo suddenly pulls off the rest of the bandages covering the right half of his body. They then widen, at what Naruto witnesses there. Danzo's arm is undamaged… if one ignores the self-mutilation that the old bastard had committed upon his own flesh. Ten Sharingan eyes sit in Danzo's pale right arm. It wasn't enough that the man had apparently stolen a fully matured Sharingan at some point. Oh no… he'd gone even further than that. The Massacre…

Tch, as Danzo faces off with a trapped Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage seemingly unaware of what the old man is even saying to her, Naruto slowly crouches down… and begins to draw.

"Now then. What narrative should we set, hm? I am loyal to Konoha. I have always been loyal to Konoha. But you… I cannot say the same for you. You abandoned Konoha. You should never have come back. That you did… clearly, you intended to betray us again, yes? But in what way…"

As Danzo ponders how he's going to apparently reorganize reality for everyone in the room so that Tsunade is the bad guy and he's Konoha's savior, Naruto's lips thin out and he picks up the pace a little bit. It's risky, moving too fast in the presence of eleven Sharingan eyes, but with Tsunade's life and sanity on the line, he can't afford to fail.

"Ah, yes. That will- what are you doing."

Naruto stiffens, as Danzo finally catches him. Immediately standing up and stepping in front of what he was doing, the blond throws a carefree grin Danzo's way.

"Oh, just tying my shoe."

The monstrous old man stares blankly at Naruto for a moment, before his gaze slides down to Naruto's sandal clad feet. Naruto just laughs.

"Made you look!"

And then, with a flick of his ankle, Naruto kicks off his sandal right into Danzo's face. The improvised projectile doesn't make it all the way to the old monster of course, cut from the air with an impressive display of concentrated Wind Chakra. Naruto is forced to lean out of the way of the slice of wind as it cuts through everything in its path, but that's just fine… it lets him put his bared foot back without seeming too conspicuous.

"You… absurd… child! What was the POINT of that?! No, rather… how are you not caught in the Mangekyou Sharingan? You of all people… this was designed for you!"

Danzo holds up his arm, covered in Sharingan Eyes and paler than the rest of his body by a wide margin. It's not Danzo's own arm, is it? No… it's a replacement, hidden away by bandages all this time to make the old man look like a cripple when he was actually anything but.

More than that, Naruto could imagine what Danzo meant by that. He had done this, all of this… for the purposes of being able to control the Nine-Tails. Kurama was weak to the Sharingan, always had been…

Playing up the role of a brat some more, Naruto places his hands behind his head and grins cheekily, further downplaying the threat he poses to Danzo. He just had to keep the old man talking for a little while longer.

"I would think you of all people would figure it out immediately. After all… you were the one who put my dad on the path of this particular seal, all those years ago."

Danzo's normal, natural eye widens at that, the old man realizing what Naruto is talking about. It was in Minato's notes, the ones Jiraiya had given him when he'd begun to surpass the Toad Sanin. Minato Namikaze, shortly before becoming Fourth Hokage, had been approached by one Danzo Shimura about creating a seal that would block the effects of dojutsu-based genjutsu.

"He finished it?!"

"Nah. I did."

Naruto's grin widens, as Danzo's shock becomes palpable. It was the truth though. Minato had never finished the work… mostly from lack of trying. The vast majority of the Elemental Nations' dojutsu users were Konoha Ninja after all, so there really wasn't any point in developing a weapon against their own loyal shinobi and kunoichi, now was there? And then Minato had become Hokage, and he'd been far too busy to devote time to such a silly little project.

But when Naruto had found his father's notes on the subject… well, he'd known for a fact that he would have to go after Sasuko eventually. More than that, he'd known that Itachi Uchiha was still out there, and still very much a threat to him. So, one might say he was… quite motivated, to complete his father's research.

Danzo's gaze actually softens a fraction of an inch, as he accepts the truth of Naruto's words.

"Hm. It would seem I underestimated you, boy. You might have more value than I thought. If you are willing to bow your head here and now, then we can perhaps come to an arrangement."

Naruto cocks his head to the side, a little surprised to hear Danzo offer something like that. But to be fair… it's so obviously a trap, it's not even funny.

"Gee, thanks Mister Shimura. You got some candy to offer me as well, to get me to go into that dark back alley with ya? Man, I grew up with nobody, had to learn plenty of shit the hard way. You think I can't see a nasty old man perving on me from a mile away?"

Danzo's face contorts in rage, but before he can respond, Naruto cuts him off.

"Besides. Don't you remember? There were two seals that you asked my father to look into. Surely you didn't think a Sealing Prodigy like me only developed the one, right?"

THAT gets another reaction, and a forceful one at that. But it's already too late. Even as Danzo's eyes dart down to Naruto's feet again, even as he finally realizes Naruto has been using his toes to finish up the seal he was drawing on the floor just behind him, Naruto is putting on the finishing touches. Danzo reacts speedily, with another arc of wind chakra seeing as his Sharingan don't work on Naruto, but Naruto slams his bare foot down into the sealing array and channels chakra into it at the exact same time.

The effect is instantaneous as every dojutsu in the room is disabled instantly. Danzo's arm of stolen Sharingan eyes, as well as the eye in the right side of his head… reduced to completely worthless in a heartbeat.

Of course, in doing so, Naruto can't get himself out of the way of the wind chakra in time. But then, he doesn't have to. Tsunade is suddenly there, punching through the slicing wind like it's nothing. As well, the rest of Konoha's Loyalist Forces are no longer caught up in Danzo's memory-altering genjutsu. Freed, they turn their eyes to the man who tried to trap them in a lie, who attempted to alter their reality.

Naruto, unfortunately, can't take part in the ensuing battle. He's gotta stay where he is and continue channeling his chakra into the sealing array at his feet. Perhaps if Danzo had had more time, he might have realized this and aimed for Naruto. But as it is, he finds himself beset on all sides by a very pissed off Fifth Hokage, and some equally pissed off Clan Heads.

It doesn't end easily. Even without the stolen Sharingan, Danzo is a monstrous old man with some powerful tricks. But it does end eventually, and Danzo is cut down, his stolen arm cut from his body, his stolen eye plucked from his skull, and his corpse fallen to the floor like so much trash.

It's over. The battle is done, and Root is no more.

Naruto can't help but smile tiredly, as he steps off of the Sealing Array and damn near collapses to his knees right then and there. It's been a long time since he's experienced anything close to Chakra Exhaustion… but in this case, disabling every dojutsu in an area like he'd just done, even for the five minutes of fast-paced combat it took for them to put Danzo down… was not easy.

Tsunade is in front of him the moment he collapses, holding him up and cradling him.

"Dun' worry… just… tired. Gonna sleep it off… kay?"

"Of course, Naruto. Rest now. Everything will be taken care of, I promise."

Smiling, trusting Tsunade with all his heart, Naruto bobs his head up and down in agreement before finally letting his eyes drift shut.

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