Chapter 9: Hatake Kakashi
Uchiha Douhuan raised his sword, blocking the attack, then glanced at the kunai in Aburame Ryōma's hand.
"A specially crafted glass kunai?" He chuckled. "Nice try. Useless, though."
The next second, the shuriken that had been suspended mid-air around Douhuan suddenly shot forward, targeting Ryōma.
Ryōma hurriedly used his insects to substitute himself away, but as soon as he landed, Douhuan's next strike was already upon him—his lightning-clad figure moving at impossible speeds.
Each slash was aimed to kill.
Ryōma, as an insect-user, was never adept at close combat. His only hope was to keep using substitution jutsu—but every substitution cost him an entire swarm of insects, which were instantly obliterated by Douhuan's lightning.
In mere minutes, Ryōma was on the brink of death.
Just as Douhuan was about to deliver the final blow, his vision suddenly went dark.
"Trying to use Mind-Body Switch on a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder?"
"Foolish."
Inside the spiritual realm, Douhuan's Mangekyō Sharingan spun violently.
In the real world, Yamanaka Fū coughed up blood and collapsed, his jutsu instantly broken.
Douhuan smirked.
"Catch him alive," he ordered Inaho and Saito, while continuing to pressure Ryōma.
Having lost his only real backup, Ryōma could do nothing as Douhuan's blade pierced his back.
Lightning erupted through his body.
Moments later, his charred corpse fell to the ground.
With Fū now completely incapacitated, Inaho and Saito captured him with ease.
"Saito, take him back to the clan's interrogation chamber. Keep him alive."
"Inaho, report to the Hokage. Tell them that we encountered violent resistance from Root remnants and were forced to eliminate them."
Both men nodded, immediately moving to carry out their orders.
As for Douhuan—
He entered Root's underground base alone.
As soon as Douhuan entered, the remaining Root shinobi launched suicidal attacks.
But each one fell within seconds—one slash per opponent.
From the entrance to the command center, Douhuan cut down every enemy in his path.
By the time he reached Danzo's office, over fifty corpses littered the halls.
Inside the office, ashes covered the floor.
Danzo's secrets had already been burned.
Douhuan chuckled.
"Well, at least they did half the work for me."
He pulled out a sealed scroll and extracted a set of documents.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed them into the air—
Then incinerated half of them with Fire Release.
After ensuring the documents were only partially burned, he extinguished the flames with Water Release: Wild Water Wave.
Once the paper had cooled, Douhuan gathered the remaining half-charred records.
It was much later when Inaho finally returned—accompanied by a team of ANBU led by a white-haired masked man.
Even with the mask, Douhuan immediately recognized him.
Hatake Kakashi.
Kakashi stepped into the blood-soaked ruins of Root's base and silently observed the corpses.
His brows furrowed slightly—not in sadness, but in disappointment.
These were still Konoha shinobi.
Even after Danzo's death, some of them might have reformed.
But now, they were all dead.
Kakashi turned to Douhuan but remained silent.
Douhuan, however, smiled as if greeting an old friend.
"Kakashi-senpai! So you're the one who came."
He wasn't surprised that Hiruzen didn't come personally.
Under the threat of Kotoamatsukami, the old Hokage likely wanted to avoid direct contact.
Kakashi still said nothing.
Douhuan wasn't offended.
He simply continued.
"When I arrived, Root was already burning all their records."
"Fortunately, I was able to save some."
Lowering his voice, Douhuan stepped closer to Kakashi.
"I found something… interesting."
Then, he pulled out a half-burned document.
Kakashi's pupil shrank as he read the names on the page.
Hatake Sakumo.
Kishida Keisuke.
Arima Kiyei.
And a partially burned name—only "Higashiyama" was visible.
But Kakashi immediately knew the full name—Higashiyama Ryota.
These were the people involved in the mission that destroyed his father's reputation.
And next to each name—
"Eliminated."
Kakashi's heart pounded violently.
"Alright, since you're here," Douhuan said casually, rolling up the document.
"Help clean up the bodies, will you?"
He patted Kakashi's shoulder before sighing dramatically.
"Such a shame… These were all Konoha shinobi. But Danzo's brainwashing was too deep."
"I didn't want to kill them, you know."
Then, without waiting for a response, Douhuan turned and walked away, motioning for Inaho to follow.
"Wait."
Kakashi's voice stopped Douhuan at the door.
Douhuan turned back with a warm smile.
"Something wrong, Kakashi-senpai?"
"I need to—" Kakashi hesitated.
He wanted to question Douhuan about the document.
But… something held him back.
After a long pause—
"…Nothing," Kakashi said finally.
Douhuan's smile widened.
"Alright then. Give my regards to Hokage-sama."
Then, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly paused—
As if remembering something.
"Oh, right!"
He looked back at Kakashi with an innocent expression.
"Kakashi-senpai, you should come visit the Uchiha compound sometime."
"Obaa-san Meori hasn't been feeling well lately… she's been asking about you."
Then, without waiting for a reply, Douhuan walked off into the night.
---