"Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Why were you so ruthless?!"
The ANBU operative who had just arrived stepped forward, animal mask tilted toward the corpse.
"The Root shinobi are your comrades. Yet you killed him without hesitation?"
His voice was stern, laced with indignation.
The relationship between ANBU and Root had always been tangled. Some Root members were former ANBU. Missions overlapped. Personnel shifted.
Seeing a fellow operative die so brutally stirred instinctive hostility.
The surrounding ANBU glanced at the torn body on the pavement.
Blood pooled beneath it.
Even under their masks, expressions tightened.
In Konoha, the "Will of Fire" had been drilled into every shinobi for years.
Protect comrades.
Value bonds.
Naruto's actions did not align with that ideal.
The purple-haired ANBU leader stepped forward.
Tall.
Poised.
Her mask concealed her face, but her eyes were clear and steady.
"Uzumaki Naruto," she said calmly.
"Root claims you killed one of their operatives. Do you deny it?"
Naruto met her gaze without hesitation.
"They used the Transformation Technique to impersonate my friend."
"They lured me here."
"They attacked first."
"If I were weaker, I'd be the corpse on the ground."
His tone sharpened.
"Should I let someone stab me and smile politely?"
"Should I beg the Police Force to handle it after they throw kunai at my heart?"
The surrounding ANBU shifted.
He wasn't wrong.
Root had a reputation.
The purple-haired woman remained silent for a moment.
She had dealt with Root before.
Their methods were… extreme.
Rumors of human experimentation were not uncommon.
Behind the mask, her brows knit faintly.
Another ANBU spoke harshly.
"Even so!"
"You could have subdued him!"
"You chose to kill!"
"No wonder the villagers call you a monster!"
Naruto's eyes flickered.
Across from him, the remaining Root operative sneered.
"If we targeted you, perhaps it's because you're the problem."
For a moment, silence fell.
Then—
Within the sealed space—
Kurama's laughter echoed.
"Fufufu… You see?"
"Your precious village. Your bonds."
"They condemn you the moment blood spills."
Red chakra seeped through the Four Symbols Seal.
"Let me out, brat."
"Kill them."
"Tear them apart."
[System Notification]
[Option 1: Join Kurama. Slaughter all present.Reward: Adamantine Sealing Chains]
[Option 2: Do nothing.Reward: Massage Technique (Comedic Skill)]
Naruto's pupils contracted.
Adamantine Sealing Chains.
The Uzumaki clan's supreme sealing technique.
The very chains Kushina used to restrain Kurama.
Tempting.
But massacring ANBU inside Konoha?
He would become an S-rank missing-nin instantly.
Even the Five Great Nations would hunt him.
Nagato had the Rinnegan and still hid in the Rain.
Naruto ignored Kurama's provocation.
Then—
A flash.
A blade of pale moonlight cut through the night.
The Root operative staggered.
His mask split in two.
A thin red line formed across his throat.
Blood followed.
He collapsed.
The purple-haired ANBU stood with her sword lowered.
Her voice was icy.
"Everyone knows what Root does."
"Root initiated unauthorized action."
"Uzumaki Naruto acted in self-defense."
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
She was framing the incident deliberately.
Reducing political damage.
"Secure the Root operatives," she ordered.
"I'll report directly to the Hokage."
Then she turned to the ANBU who had accused Naruto.
"Mu."
"I know your family died during the Nine-Tails' attack."
"But that does not justify transferring your hatred."
"I will report your conduct."
Her authority was unquestionable.
Naruto studied her.
Purple hair.
ANBU.
Strong swordsmanship.
Uzuki Yūgao?
That would explain it.
Then—
Crows.
Dozens of black crows swirled overhead.
They converged into a single figure.
A young ANBU wearing a jōnin-class uniform.
No mask.
Calm eyes.
Uchiha Shisui.
Even the Root operatives stiffened.
Shisui's reputation needed no introduction.
He surveyed the scene quietly.
"The Hokage is aware," he said.
"He ordered me to handle this."
He nodded toward Yūgao.
"Well done, Kei."
Then his expression grew solemn.
"The Hokage has ruled."
"Root acted without authorization."
"Uzumaki Naruto bears no fault."
The words settled heavily over the street.
Even the remaining ANBU stood straighter.
Naruto watched Shisui closely.
The famed Shisui of the Body Flicker.
One of the strongest in Konoha.
And tragically—
One of the most loyal.
Too loyal.
He had entrusted his Mangekyō Sharingan's ultimate genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami—to the wrong political structure.
And paid for it.
Shisui's eyes flickered briefly with sorrow.
"Konoha shinobi should not kill one another."
But reality was rarely so simple.
The night wind passed through the silent street.
And beneath the moonlight—
The political game had only just begun.