Seiryu left the Root base without looking back.
As for Kakashi, when he heard Seiryu mention that name, his heart trembled violently.
'Obito's grandmother…? That's right. All these years, out of guilt, I've never visited her even once… I am a failure.'
"Captain…" Seeing Kakashi lost in thought, an ANBU operative stepped forward to remind him.
"I'm fine." Kakashi returned to his senses and waved his hand. "Clean up here, then report back to the Hokage."
…
After returning to the Police Force in the Uchiha clan compound, Seiryu headed directly to the interrogation room.
The Wood Release user captured yesterday had been interrogated all day, and the newly captured Yamanaka Fu, after being brought in, had soon regained consciousness. Both were now tightly bound in the interrogation room, their chakra sealed.
However, the interrogation wasn't going well. After all, these two weren't ordinary criminals, but Root ninja. The Police Force's interrogation room, usually used for petty thieves, was inadequate for them.
"Clan Leader." When Seiryu walked in, the Uchiha clansmen in charge of interrogating paused their work and greeted him.
"How's it going?" Seiryu asked.
"They both keep their mouths shut, especially the one from yesterday. We beat him all night but he didn't say a word. We were about to call in a genjutsu expert with three-tomoe Sharingan from the clan for help," the lead interrogator reported. He was just a regular chunin with only a one-tomoe Sharingan—enough for dealing with regular criminals, but far from enough for these two.
"No need for all that. I'll handle it myself," Seiryu said, stepping forward to Yamanaka Fu.
Fu, tied to the chair and still bearing marks of a recent beating, glared hatefully at Seiryu, eyes full of murderous intent.
Seiryu smiled slightly, gazing at this unfortunate soul—so thoroughly brainwashed by Danzo. At his signal, the interrogators stepped forward and beat Fu again.
Even Seiryu shook his head at the sight—clearly, there was some personal grudge involved. After all, Root and the Uchiha had clashed plenty over the years. Now that they finally had a Root member in their custody, they weren't about to hold back.
When the beating was done, Seiryu stepped up to Fu.
"I… won't… say… anything," Fu gasped, eyes unyielding despite the pain.
Sunlight streamed through the interrogation room's window, making Fu squint. Seiryu's face, blurred by the glare, slowly came into focus as his eyes adjusted.
"I checked out your Root base—quite a scary place," Seiryu said quietly.
"Was Root trying to help Danzo become Hokage? Trying to wipe out the Uchiha?" Seiryu reached out and wiped the blood from Fu's mouth.
"Go take a look outside. Nothing's changed. The village is the same as ever," Seiryu said. His words sent a chill down Fu's spine as Seiryu's face grew clearer in the light.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter whether you talk or not. I never expected to get anything from you," Seiryu said, turning to the interrogators. "Just make sure he doesn't die."
"Inaho."
"Here!" Inaho stepped forward and saluted.
"Call up Second Squad. Come with me," Seiryu ordered.
"Understood." Inaho nodded. "Clan Leader, where are we going?"
"We're going to the Shimura compound to arrest Danzo's accomplices," Seiryu replied.
"We're just going to grab people?" Inaho was shocked, but also a bit excited. The Shimura and Uchiha clans had never been on good terms.
"It's not an arrest," Seiryu smiled, "Danzo's crimes—attacking fellow villagers and defiling the First Hokage's corpse—are already proven. And I just happened to find evidence of the Shimura clan's involvement at Root's base."
He took out a half-burnt ledger from his scroll.
"So, we're just inviting them to assist with the investigation."
Fu's eyes went wide. He could have sworn all Root's financial records had been destroyed.
Seiryu glanced back at Fu with a faint, mocking smile. Only then did Fu understand why Seiryu said his confession was meaningless.
Fu struggled desperately, trying to shout, but an Uchiha guard punched him and stuffed his mouth.
He could only watch as Seiryu led his men away.
Soon, the off-duty Second Squad assembled.
At first, the squad members grumbled about being called in during their break, but when they heard they were going after the Shimura clan, they perked up.
"Clan Leader, Police Second Squad assembled and ready!" reported Captain Uchiha En'u at the door.
Seiryu nodded.
En'u shouted, "Salute the Clan Leader!"
The Second Squad snapped to attention: "To devote your heart!"
"To devote your heart!" Seiryu returned the salute and led the squad toward the Shimura compound.
Such a commotion couldn't go unnoticed. In his office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was already nursing a headache—he'd planned to take in the remnants of Root, but this morning learned Seiryu had wiped them all out.
And Itachi, on duty with the ANBU, had reported everything from last night's clan meeting.
When Hiruzen learned Seiryu had become Uchiha clan leader, he sighed deeply.
"The only good news is that Seiryu has stifled thoughts of violent rebellion in the Uchiha. And recruiting civilian ninja into the Police Force—whatever his motives, that's a positive step," Hiruzen tried to reassure himself.