A cunning rabbit has more than one burrow.
Qianyu had long known that Root's secret bases were never limited to just one.
In fact, even Aburame Ryūma himself did not fully grasp all of Shimura Danzō's secrets.
A man like Danzō would never truly trust anyone.
Not even Ryūma.
Qianyu charged straight into the Root facility. Barriers, mechanisms, seals—everything was present, yet in his eyes, they were nothing more than decorations.
Before long, he reached the core area.
Guided by the sins he had seen within Ryūma's memories, Qianyu quickly locked onto the location where the children were being held.
He couldn't be bothered with unnecessary words.
Raising the katana in his hand, he unleashed a fierce Lightning Release: Pseudo-Dark Blade, cleaving forward. With a thunderous explosion, the iron prison door—and even the wall behind it—was blown apart.
Boom!
Inside the prison, darkness reigned—thick with silence and despair.
In the corner, children in ragged clothes were huddled together, pressing tightly against one another, clinging for warmth and comfort. Their eyes were filled with terror as they stared at Qianyu.
The oldest among them was barely ten.
The youngest were only five or six.
In another world, they would have been at the age most cherished and protected.
But in this filthy, pitch-black shinobi world…
In the eyes of Root—and that old dog Shimura Danzō…
They were nothing more than living sacrifices.
Each child was just a soul, a life, a body meant to be used as material for Edo Tensei.
They had no life.
No dreams.
No hope.
Only numbers.
A trace of murderous coldness flashed through Qianyu's eyes.
"You can come out now."
One of the braver children spoke in a trembling voice,
"Y-you… who are you?"
"Uchiha Qianyu."
"Y-you're Uchiha Qianyu?!"
"R-really?!"
In an instant, the children's eyes lit up, as if they had seen a hero straight out of legend.
"L-Lord Qianyu! The orphanage director always tells us stories about you!"
"You're so cool!"
"A-are you really that Uchiha Qianyu?!"
Qianyu froze slightly.
He hadn't expected such fervent admiration from these children.
But thinking about it—it made sense.
These children were still like blank sheets of paper.
Many of them weren't even necessarily from Konoha.
Some didn't even know their real origins, or who their parents were.
Yakushi Kabuto was not an exception.
And precisely because of that…
Whatever this world taught them, they would become.
And what Yakushi Nono had told them—
Were those… his stories?
A sentence suddenly surfaced in Qianyu's mind.
Children who haven't yet learned to eat people… perhaps they still can be saved.
Save the children.
These people… might one day become followers of his will—bearers of his fire.
"Sorry," a voice said softly from behind him.
"I… I treated your deeds as bedtime stories for them."
Yakushi Nono's cheeks were slightly flushed.
"They… really admire you."
Qianyu neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Take them with you."
"Yes—!"
Yakushi Nono hurriedly took each child by the hand, leading them out of the dark, horrifying depths of the prison.
Sensing that there was nothing else of value left in this base, Qianyu turned and left without hesitation.
He had to reach the next one.
When Qianyu stepped outside, Aoki and Yamato had already finished off the remaining three or four Root shinobi.
The two stood guard beside the still-screaming Aburame Ryūma, waiting.
"Captain."
"Captain Qianyu…"
"How did it go?"
Qianyu said nothing.
Instead, Yakushi Nono emerged behind him with the children.
Only then did the two finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But this—
Was only the beginning.
"Let's go."
Qianyu surged forward, killing intent overflowing, charging toward the second base!
Previously, killing Yamato had earned him two hundred merit points.
The seven or eight Root shinobi he killed afterward added over four hundred more.
Qianyu casually invested them all into his ocular power.
Mangekyō Sharingan (5790 / 10000)
He barely spared the change a glance.
His thoughts were entirely on those children.
He might be cold and extreme—but children as pure as blank paper were innocent.
And more than that—
He intended for them to become new sparks of fire.
The second base was led by a Root shinobi with the codename Leopard.
He didn't even understand what was happening.
Qianyu naturally had no interest in explaining.
He slaughtered Leopard and the remaining five or six Root members on the spot!
The third base met the same fate.
Yakushi Nono knew full well that every one of them deserved death.
Yet witnessing Qianyu's brutality still sent chills down her spine…
Even as a strange sense of satisfaction rose within her heart.
She tried to keep the children from seeing the slaughter—but it was impossible to block everything.
They were afraid, yes.
But their admiration and gratitude toward Qianyu only grew stronger.
Even at such a young age, they understood—
Who the villains were.
And who their savior was.
In less than half a day, all three bases were completely wiped out!
Three Root strongholds destroyed.
Nearly twenty Root shinobi killed.
The children rescued.
Aburame Ryūma condemned to a fate worse than death.
And yet—
Qianyu was still not satisfied.
The biggest question remained—
Where was Shimura Danzō?
He was not present at any of the bases.
Clearly, beyond these facilities, there were secrets and locations that even Aburame Ryūma had never known.
Aoki and Yamato followed Qianyu, killing to their hearts' content.
Root's filth had long deserved total eradication!
Yakushi Nono hesitated, wanting to speak.
Qianyu said calmly, "Say it."
"Lord Qianyu… I have an unreasonable request…"
"Could you escort these children back to the orphanage?"
"And… stay there for a while. I—I'm afraid…"
Qianyu understood immediately.
He had slaughtered so many Root shinobi—Konoha would inevitably erupt in turmoil.
Whether it was Shimura Danzō or Hiruzen Sarutobi, neither would let this go quietly.
To cover things up, they might very well target the orphanage again.
Qianyu said nothing.
He simply walked ahead.
Aoki and Yamato, understanding his temperament, smiled faintly and spoke to Yakushi Nono and the children.
"Let's go."
"The captain has agreed."
In an instant, the children burst into cheers, overjoyed.
Yakushi Nono froze for a moment—then smiled as well.
More than ten Anbu-like shinobi were killed afterward, granting over six hundred additional merit points.
Qianyu once again invested them all into ocular power.
Mangekyō Sharingan Ocular Power (6420 / 10000)
His ocular power had fully surpassed six thousand.
At that very moment—
Ding!
[Host's Mangekyō Sharingan ocular power has reached 6000 points!]
[Host has successfully awakened the ultimate Mangekyō power…]
[Susanoo!]
Qianyu's heart stirred slightly.
Susanoo.
His own Susanoo—finally awakening?
Yet he felt no overwhelming excitement.
This was merely the natural result of accumulated strength.
Besides—
Even without Susanoo, he had still killed an Uchiha Shisui who possessed it.
His strength had long since surpassed reliance on Susanoo alone.
Still…
Awakening his own Susanoo was undeniably something worth welcoming.
He just wondered—
What form would his Susanoo take?
And what unique power would it possess?
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