Wrecking The Past

23

"I'm surprised you have such an amicable relationship with the Fire Daimyo," Hiruzen stared at Naruto like he was a viper waiting to come out and bite him.

"There was a mission in Danzo's black book to eliminate him," Naruto lied easily. "I merely marked the date and ensured to send a shadow clone to handle the Root shinobi. I used that opportunity to build a relationship with him and clean out the eyes and ears Danzo had in the Daimyo's palace." 

Tsunade hissed her teeth, glaring at Danzo who was now having his power sealed by Kushina. "Not even the Daimyo was free from his clutches." 

"He was having those specializing in seals to have a mind-altering one placed on the Daimyo. My guess is when the assassination of Hiruzen was successful he would make the Daimyo put him in the Hokage's chair. It was a solid, crude plan but would have been effective had I not interfered," Naruto finished aloud. 

'But I'm stealing it. I don't need to have the Daimyo under my thumb, my achievements and public love of me would be enough but it's always reassuring to have a back-up plan. If the Daimyo had named me the next Hokage in the meeting they would no doubt be suspicious and doubt some of the contents of Danzo's black book. Danzo would also use it to say I cooked up a ridiculous scheme to pull the chair from under Hiruzen.' 

"I can see why he was deeply angry but your-" 

"Enough sensei," Jiraiya was the one who spoke up, he had been watching Naruto Uchiha ever since he first came to Konoha. Something about him made him uneasy but he couldn't place it no matter how often he's observed the shinobi. "Yes his actions could be considered treason but the results far outweigh the crime. If Danzo had been left to continue his actions we would be weakened to a pitiful state." 

'Like you were in my former timeline. Looking back on it now we were so lacking. Only the threat of the Nine-Tails kept the Leaf propped up,' Naruto thought. 

Hiruzen sighed at the outcome and turned to leave. Once he was gone Tsunade turned to Naruto with a hard stare. She had always wondered what her sensei saw to be wary of Madara's grandson and the longer she looked at Naruto a deep chill went down her spine. Naruto's the spitting image of Madara, his hair, his height for his age, and those soulless eyes when looking at an enemy. Did he consider them his enemy? She decided to ask him. 

Naruto chuckled at the question. "No, you guys aren't enemies. Just don't expect me to be willing to save you in a tricky situation." 

"We're shinobi from the same village," Orochimaru sneered. 

"Yeah and yet you three have treated me as the enemy because your sensei inherited the disgusting ways of prejudice against the Uchiha. None of you have been wronged by a Uchiha so color me surprised when I see you glaring at me at every opportunity," He casually rolled his shoulders. "So I'm not inclined to be helpful partly because I know you'll all leave me dead in the field." 

****************

Naruto Uchiha strolled through the cold, dimly lit halls of the abandoned Root organization, his steps echoing through the silence. The place reeked of forgotten ambition and cruelty. Shadows clung to the walls like memories, too stubborn to fade, and the only other sound was the gentle clink of his bloody katana as he flicked it clean. It was a crimson reminder of the Root operative who had tried to stop him from retrieving the prize.

The children were gone, rescued, and sent to Konoha Psychiatric Hospital. Their stories of abuse and mind control had shocked the village, but Naruto wasn't here for them. He wasn't here to save anyone—he had his agenda. Danzo had left behind something valuable, something secret. Something Konoha had no right to claim.

Naruto chuckled under his breath as he reached the door to Danzo's office, sliding it open with casual ease. The room was musty, filled with papers scattered across the floor, left behind in the rush of Root's disbandment. He stepped in, eyes scanning the space. It wasn't much, but it had history, a den of deceit. The place where Danzo had played his shadowy games, where he'd plotted, killed, and manipulated.

Naruto moved toward the desk, flipping the chair around before dropping into it with an almost mocking grace. His fingers brushed the wooden surface for a moment before they slipped underneath, feeling for the mechanism he knew Danzo had hidden there. A small smirk tugged at his lips. He concentrated, letting his chakra flow into the activation space, carefully manipulating the seal. There was a faint click.

The desk groaned, and a hidden compartment slid open with a soft hiss, revealing three scrolls. Naruto's eyes gleamed as he pulled them out, one by one.

The first scroll was labeled Forbidden Techniques, bound tightly with an ominous black string. Its contents pulsed with danger, techniques so twisted and lethal that even Orochimaru had avoided them.

The second scroll was heavier in weight, marked simply with the kanji for Contacts. It listed Root's network of spies—operatives embedded in the highest echelons of the five great nations, information worth more than any jutsu.

The third scroll was the most personal of them all. Danzo's ambitious plans were meticulously crafted for the day he would seize control of the Leaf and become Hokage. Naruto unrolled it slightly, smirking at the arrogance of it all.

"Always thought too far ahead, old man," Naruto whispered to himself, shaking his head.

He gathered the scrolls and tucked them into his cloak. Konoha didn't need these. Not now. The village thrived too much on false hope and order. Let them stumble in the dark a little longer. Naruto had no interest in giving them the advantage, not when it was far more entertaining to see how they would struggle without knowing what threats lurked beyond their walls.

Rising from the desk, Naruto turned toward the exit. As he reached the doorway, he stretched his hand behind him, feeling the dormant chakra in the seals scattered throughout the base. Destruction seals, placed by Danzo himself, are meant to trigger should his secrets ever be compromised.

Naruto's fingers twitched, sending a ripple of chakra through the air.

The seals awakened.

A low rumble began, growing stronger as the foundations of the hideout started to collapse. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling, cracks splintering the walls. The once-unbreakable stronghold of Root, Danzo's monument to control, would soon be reduced to nothing but rubble.

With a final glance back, Naruto chuckled once more, a dark amusement flashing in his crimson eyes. He had gotten what he came for, and the rest—well, the rest was just ashes now. Naruto vanished into the night, leaving behind only the crumbling remains of Root, swallowed by the darkness that had birthed it.

A/N- Don't think I forgot about this! Been super busy with starting my new endeavor. Back in college and have been swamped. Working out a new schedule but thought you should be in the know now when I have a moment. Thank you for waiting, love the patience. 

Hugs and Kisses!