Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, Yoru had long known that the Root organization's secret bases were never limited to just one.
Even someone like Ryoma Aburame didn't fully grasp Danzo Shimura's secrets. A man like Danzo would never truly trust anyone—not even Ryoma.
Yoru stormed into the Root base. Naturally, it was rigged with barriers, traps, and seals, but to him, they were as good as nothing.
In no time, he reached the core of the facility.
Drawing from the sins buried in Ryoma's memories, Yoru quickly pinpointed where the children were being held.
No time for talk. He swung his samurai sword, unleashing a Lightning Release: False Darkness Blade. With a deafening crash, the prison's iron gate—and the wall around it—exploded into rubble.
Inside the cell, the air was thick with despair and deathly silence.
In a corner, ragged children huddled together, clinging to one another in terror as they stared at Yoru. The oldest among them was barely ten, the youngest maybe five or six.
In another life, they'd be cherished and spoiled at this age. But in this dark, filthy ninja world—in the eyes of Root and that old dog Danzo Shimura—they were nothing more than living sacrifices.
Each child was a soul, a life, a tool for the Forbidden Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation.
They had no lives, no dreams, no hope. Only numbers.
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Yoru's eyes.
"You can come out now," he said.
A braver child, voice trembling, asked, "W-who are you?"
"Yoru Uchiha."
"Y-you're Yoru Uchiha?!"
The kids' eyes lit up, like they were staring at their hero, their idol.
"Lord Yoru! The orphanage director always told us stories about you!"
"You're so cool!"
"Is it really the Yoru Uchiha?!"
Yoru froze for a moment. He hadn't expected these kids to worship him so fiercely.
But it made sense. These children were like blank sheets of paper. Some might not even be from the Hidden Leaf. Many didn't know their true origins or parents.
Like Kabuto Yakushi, they weren't unique cases.
Because of that, whatever this world fed them, they'd become.
And Nonou Yakushi had fed them stories about him.
A thought crossed Yoru's mind: Are there still children who haven't been tainted by this world? Save them…
These kids could become followers and spreaders of his will.
"Sorry, I'm the one who told them your stories as bedtime tales," Nonou Yakushi said from behind, her cheeks slightly flushed. "They… really look up to you."
Yoru didn't respond.
"Take them away," he ordered.
"Right…" Nonou nodded, quickly taking the children's hands and leading them out of the grim prison depths.
Yoru sensed the base was otherwise empty. Without hesitation, he moved on.
He had another base to hit.
As he stepped outside, Aoki and Yamakaze had already taken care of the three or four remaining Root ninjas. They stood guard over a screaming, broken Ryoma Aburame, waiting for Yoru.
"Captain," Aoki greeted.
"Captain Yoru," Yamakaze added. "How'd it go?"
Yoru said nothing. Behind him, Nonou emerged with the children.
The two let out a sigh of relief. But this was only the beginning.
"Let's go," Yoru said, his voice dripping with killing intent as he headed for the second base.
Earlier, killing Yamato had earned him 200 merit points. The seven or eight Root ninjas after that added over 400 more. Yoru dumped them all into his eye power.
Current Mangekyo Sharingan: (5650/10,000)!
He didn't dwell on the change in his eye power. His focus was on those kids.
Cold and extreme as he was, those blank-slate children were innocent. And Yoru wanted them to become new sparks of hope.
At the second base, the Root ninja in charge, codenamed Leopard, didn't even know what hit him.
Yoru didn't bother with words. He cut down Leopard and five or six other Root members in one fell swoop.
The third base went the same way.
Nonou knew these people deserved death, but Yoru's brutality still sent a chill through her. Yet, strangely, she felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.
She tried to shield the kids from the bloodshed, but it was impossible to block it all. Still, though they were scared, their awe and gratitude toward Yoru only grew.
Small as they were, they knew who the real villains were—and who their savior was.
In less than half a day, Yoru had obliterated three Root bases, killed nearly twenty Root ninjas, and saved the captured children. He'd left Ryoma Aburame wishing for death.
But he wasn't satisfied.
One glaring question gnawed at him: Where was Danzo Shimura?
He wasn't at any of these bases.
Clearly, there were places and secrets even Ryoma didn't know about.
Aoki and Yamakaze, following their captain, fought with exhilarating fury. Root's dirty deeds had needed cleansing for far too long.
Nonou hesitated, then spoke. "Lord Yoru, I… I have a selfish request."
"Speak," he said flatly.
"Could you… escort these children back to the orphanage? And maybe stay there for a while? I'm… I'm afraid…"
Yoru understood. Killing so many Root ninjas would send shockwaves through the Hidden Leaf. Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi—they wouldn't let this slide quietly. They might even target the orphanage again.
He didn't answer, just started walking ahead.
Aoki and Yamakaze, knowing his ways, smiled at Nonou and the kids. "Let's go. The captain's agreed."
The children erupted in cheers, buzzing with excitement. Nonou, stunned for a moment, let a small smile curve her lips.
Killing seventeen Anbu in total earned Yoru over 600 more merit points, which he poured into his eye power again.
Current Mangekyo Sharingan: (6280/10,000)!
His eye power had broken past 6,000.
In that instant—
Ding!
[Host's Mangekyo Sharingan eye power has reached 6,000!]
[Host has successfully awakened the ultimate power of the Mangekyo Sharingan…]
[Susanoo!]
Yoru's heart stirred.
Susanoo!
His very own Susanoo was finally awakening.
But he felt no rush of excitement. It was simply the natural next step.
Besides, even without Susanoo, he could kill Shisui Uchiha, who had one. His strength had long surpassed the need for it.
Still, awakening his own Susanoo was something to celebrate.
He just wondered… what form would his Susanoo take? What unique powers would it hold?