Yakushi Nono, the former Wandering Miko, was one of Root's top intelligence operatives and a first-rate Medical-nin of Konoha. If the original work had continued, she would have soon met her end at the hands of Yakushi Kabuto.
After completing one of Danzo's missions, Nono chose to leave Root and became the director of a private orphanage.
However, Root wasn't an organization one could simply walk away from… especially when Nono had a weakness to exploit.
After Nono lfet Root, Danzo threatened her with the orphanage. If she refused to continue serving Root, he would cut off funding and use the orphanage's children for human experiments.
To protect the orphanage, Nono had no choice but to return to the shadows, secretly working for Root once more. Today's mission was one such task.
After Danzo obtained Shisui's eye, she would serve as the Medical-nin to transplant it.
"Sigh…"
Watching Shisui fleeing in the distance, Nono couldn't help but sigh. To protect a group of children, she had to harm another. The thought filled her with pain.
Even though Shisui was now so powerful that the thirteen of them might not be able to take him down, in her eyes, he was still just a child.
'Too naive.'
Despite his immense strength, his naive mindset made him nothing more than a pawn in the hands of Konoha's higher-ups. Before revealing his eyes, he was a tool to control the Uchiha.
After revealing his eyes, Shisui himself had lost his value as a pawn, and those eyes were now the new tool.
As a member of Root, constantly carrying out its despicable missions and witnessing various human experiments, Nono hadn't been completely brainwashed by Danzo. Instead, she had seen the true face of Konoha's leadership.
The so-called Will of Fire had long since lost its meaning. It was nothing more than a vile means for these withered branches to suck nutrients from the new leaves.
But she had no choice. She had long lost her faith and ideals. The orphanage still needed funding, and Kabuto was still in Danzo's hands.
Nono and the other Root Ninja attacked again, hurling kunai and shuriken at Shisui.
Shisui quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge, but when he reappeared on the ground not far away, he had to lean against a tree, hunched over and gasping for breath.
Losing one Sharingan, fleeing for so long, and constantly using the Body Flicker Technique had left him exhausted.
"Now's our chance!"
The leading Root Ninja stopped not far from Shisui.
"You're out of options, Uchiha Shisui."
The surrounding Root Ninja pulled out kunai wrapped with explosive tags.
"I..."
"Aim for his lower body. Don't damage his eye."
Without giving Shisui a chance to speak, the Root Ninja hurled the kunai at him.
"I still have something I must do!"
Images of the villagers and the Uchiha Clan living in harmony flashed before Shisui's vision. His previously dull eye suddenly widened, the three tomoe spinning and transforming into a single-bladed shuriken.
Boom-
A deafening explosion echoed through the forest, thick smoke enveloping everything.
The thirteen Root Ninja quickly retreated outside the smoke's range to avoid being ambushed without visibility.
Whoosh-
A sudden gust of wind swept out from the center of the smoke, spreading in all directions.
The thirteen Root Ninja shielded their faces with their arms, avoiding being blown away or caught off guard by Shisui.
"Susanoo: Tsukumo!"
From within the yellowish smoke, countless green Chakra Arrows shot out.
"Dodge!"
Many Root Ninjas were struck by the Chakra Arrows, while a few managed to leap out of the way.
"What is that?"
The remaining Root Ninja stared in shock at the scene before them.
As the smoke cleared, a massive, emerald-green giant with a red tomoe at its center appeared.
Those unfamiliar with the Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't comprehend what they were seeing.
Beneath the green giant, Shisui gasped for breath, blood tears streaming from his eyes. His body swayed, and finally he bent down, with his hands on his knees. After he lost his strength, the green giant disappeared.
"Now's our chance!"
The surviving Root Ninjas, seeing Shisui's weakened state, pulled out more explosive-tagged kunai.
But at that moment.
Boom-
A thunderous roar tore through the air, deafening everyone nearby. The Root Ninja turned to look.
The sun is rising!
No, it was a massive, sun-like white sphere of light expanding from the center of the explosion. The light illuminated the sky, turning night into day in an instant.
The shockwave, like an invisible beast, swept through the area with lightning speed, flattening everything in its path. Trees shattered and burned, turning to dust. The ground shook, debris and dirt thrown into the air, creating a chaotic haze.
The shockwave formed visible ripples in the air, spreading at an astonishing speed, uprooting trees and tearing the earth apart. Under the combined force of the heatwave and shockwave, everything in the vicinity was obliterated in an instant.
The Root Ninja stood frozen, staring at the scene in shock. Even Shisui forgot to flee.
'What kind of Ninjutsu could cause such devastation?'
They all couldn't help but think back to the night of the Nine-Tails attack.
Naruto hadn't used the full power of this technique, otherwise, these people would not be standing here in amazement, but would become familiar with each other. This time, he just wanted to test the technique's power. From the results, it seemed quite effective.
As for whether Danzo would survive, Naruto wasn't sure. Still, he hoped Danzo wouldn't die. If Danzo died and Konoha grew stronger as a result, what then?
After all, a coward like Hiruzen didn't have the guts to exterminate the Uchiha clan.
But Naruto didn't regret it. The look on Danzo's face had been quite entertaining.
'I hope you can survive, Danzo.'
"Not good! That's where Danzo-sama is!"
After the explosion, one of the Root Ninja suddenly paled. He no longer paying attention to Shisui, and rushed toward the center of the blast.
"Quick, save Danzo-sama!"
Almost all the Root Ninja left the area, leaving only Nono and Shisui behind.
Shisui also snapped out of his daze. He wanted to check the situation as well. Although Danzo had indeed ambushed him and stolen his eye, there was no way Danzo would unleash such a terrifying technique within the village. Whoever had done this had to be an enemy of Konoha!
"Aren't you going too?" Shisui suddenly noticed Nono still standing there and couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Nono's emotions were complicated. Although she worked for Root, she might have been the only one among them who secretly wished Danzo would perish in that explosion.
"My mission target is your eye."
Nono's cold, neutral voice rang out, leaving Shisui stunned.
'Wait, what?'
'Just moments ago, all of you couldn't take me down. Now it's just you alone, and you still want to come at me?'
"You can't stop me."
Shisui sighed. Although the Root ninja obeyed Danzo, Root was technically part of the Anbu and a vital force for the village. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't want to fight her.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball shot toward Nono, but to both their surprise, the fireball vanished mid-air.
'What's going on?'
The same thought crossed both their minds.
Then, beneath their feet, unseen by either, inky patterns spread across the ground like slithering snakes, enveloping them both.
In an instant, both Shisui and Nono disappeared.