"Damn it! Who the hell are you people?! What are you trying to do?! Where's Rin?! What did you do with her?!"
Inside a Hidden Leaf Foundation prison cell, Uchiha Obito clutched the iron bars and roared in fury. He gripped them tightly, trying to force the metal apart.
Unfortunately, it was pointless. Several sealing techniques had been placed on his body, completely suppressing his chakra.
His physical strength—comparable to that of a typical chunin—was now unusable. In fact, he was weaker than an average person. After all, he was just a ten-year-old boy. With no access to his shinobi abilities, he was no more than a powerless child.
The two masked Foundation shinobi standing before him gave no reply, remaining stone-faced and indifferent.
However, after a moment of silent staring, both turned their gazes behind Obito—toward the ground.
Obito instinctively turned around.
There, in the corner of the cell, lay the girl he had been desperately worried about—Nohara Rin, unconscious and curled up. She hadn't responded to any of his yelling.
Obito's eyes had been uncovered the whole time. He'd been fully conscious when they brought him in. How had he not seen Rin? What was he, blind without his Sharingan?
A strange and awkward silence filled the air.
Obito, completely unaware of the awkwardness, quickly rushed to Rin's side and called her name in concern and agitation. Then he turned and glared at the two speechless Root shinobi.
"Damn you! What did you do to her?! Why is she still unconscious?!"
After a brief pause, one of the two finally answered, "She was simply used to lure you here. And since she must not learn the secrets of this place, unconsciousness is sufficient."
Obito didn't grasp the implication. He only grew more enraged. "You bastards! How dare you treat Rin like this?! I'll never forgive you!"
And so Obito, already furious… got even angrier.
Indeed, Root's sealing techniques were extremely effective against Uchiha. After all, their leader was always looking for ways to wipe them out.
The two Root shinobi, fortunate to be wearing masks, restrained themselves from saying aloud, "Do you *want* us to let Rin see everything and then kill her to keep her quiet?"
Yes, as extreme as Shimura Danzō was—willing to target fellow villagers and act against the Uchiha—he didn't actually intend to harm Nohara Rin.
First, she was just an ordinary kunoichi whose only connection to the Uchiha was being Obito's teammate.
Second, she was Namikaze Minato's student—Minato being, by now, Hokage's right-hand man. Danzō's real goal was to find evidence of Uchiha's "evil" so he could justify renewed suppression of their clan.
So, no, Danzō wouldn't touch Rin.
Say what you will about his ruthlessness—Danzō still understood cost-benefit analysis. He knew that crossing certain lines would only turn the Foundation into traitors instead of Konoha's protectors.
Danzō would never defect. He'd die with the Will of Fire—or at least dragging someone down with him. Even if it meant sealing a single bridge, he would perish as Shimura Danzō of the Hidden Leaf.
The Root shinobi didn't know exactly what their great leader planned, but they knew he didn't want to hurt Nohara Rin. So hearing Obito scream and curse like this felt incredibly frustrating.
If this had been a real hostage situation, Obito's outburst would've gotten Rin killed.
Just then, an old man wrapped in bandages with a cold expression entered.
The Root of the Root. The king of the Root. Its ruler—Shimura Danzō.
The two masked shinobi immediately knelt on one knee. "Danzō-sama!"
Danzō grunted in acknowledgment. Obito spotted the old man. Their eyes met. Disgust flared in both.
Obito barked, "Old man! You're their leader, right?! I'm telling you now—let me and Rin go! Or else you're in big trouble! Our sensei is none other than the Yellow Flash himself! My mentor is Uchiha Kei! And Kei-senpai has close ties to Lord Third and the Legendary Sannin!"
"And both Rin and I carry sensei's Flying Thunder God markings. If you know what's good for you, let us go right now—or you'll regret it!"
Obito even played a little trick by mentioning the Flying Thunder God markings.
Normally, that information would be classified, but since he and Rin had been captured for a while and Minato hadn't arrived yet, Obito feared something might happen to them first. So he revealed it to scare the enemy.
After all, Minato had said only those who knew the technique could remove the marks. Anyone else was helpless against them. Obito doubted anyone here knew the jutsu.
Also, for someone who usually respected elders, Obito's calling Danzō "old man" showed just how terrible his first impression was.
Upon hearing the threat, Danzō's expression darkened.
The names Obito mentioned were all people Danzō resented or envied. He replied coldly, "Little Uchiha brat. You truly are a pack of ungrateful mutts. So emotional. Even in front of me, you yell and shout. What a detestable clan."
Obito froze—then let out a disbelieving laugh.
Seriously? Danzō kidnapped them, and now he was accusing *them* of being disrespectful? Calling the Uchiha ungrateful for reacting with anger?
Was this what Kei-senpai meant by 'villains who accuse others first'? Obito hadn't understood it before—but now, witnessing it firsthand, he understood completely. Damn it!
And suddenly—Obito's "brilliant deduction" kicked in.
"I see it now! You're the kind of guy Kei-senpai warned me about! You're jealous of the Uchiha! That's why you're trying to harm us and steal our power!"
"You kidnapped me using Rin, all to get at the Uchiha, right? No… if it was just about the clan, you'd have captured someone else."
"Which means… there must be something about me you want. I get it now! It's about Kei-senpai! You're targeting him!"
"You're trying to use me—his student—to get at him, right? So shameless! I won't let you succeed! You hear me?! I'll never let myself become your tool to harm Kei-senpai!"
Obito's eyes flared with determination. His anger was clear—but so was his resolve. He looked like he was ready to die on the spot.
Of course, he was still a child. Despite the fire in his eyes, there was fear—raw, instinctive fear of death.
To Danzō, Obito's speech made his already sour mood even darker.
Because… the brat had basically guessed everything correctly.
These damn Uchiha… even their kids were naturally suspicious. Born to distrust. Born to see through darkness.
They really were a cursed clan.