ITN’s Naruto Museigen Ch. 36: Every Tree Has Roots!

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-ˏˋNaruto Museigen Ch. 36´ˎ-

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ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹Every Tree Has Roots◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

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Meanwhile at the Hyuga Compound

Neji walked through the dimly lit halls of the Hyuga Main House, his expression neutral, but his mind racing. Hinata wasn’t in her usual place. He was about to turn and leave when he heard the soft creak of a sliding door. Standing there was Natsu Hyuga, her posture stiff, her hands neatly folded in front of her. “Neji,” she spoke carefully, her voice low but firm. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Neji turned to her fully, frowning. “Since when?”

Natsu hesitated before replying, “Lord Hiashi no longer wishes for you to enter the Main House.” His eyes narrowed, but he sighed.

“ I see,” he said, tension in his voice. “And yet… you’re still allowed in?”

Natsu sighed, sensing the anger behind his words. “I am Hanabi’s caretaker. That is my duty as a branch member.”

“ Of course. It’s always about duty for you. You’re a puppet for them to use. You rather take care of Hinabi than me?” He turned on his heel, ready to leave, but paused at the doorway. Without looking back, he spoke: “You’re a disgrace to the Branch House.” A sharp silence followed. Then, without another word, Neji left. Natsu stood frozen in place, his words hitting deeper than he could ever know. Her fingers trembled slightly as she brought them to her lips.

“…Neji…” she whispered as a single tear slid down her cheek. Because no matter how much he resented her, she could never stop loving him.

Back at the ANBU Facility

Naruto barely dodged a kunai aimed for his throat before countering with a Rasengan. The masked ninja in front of him disappeared in a blur, avoiding the attack entirely.

“ Kiba!” Naruto called out. Kiba was struggling against two Root at once, Akamaru snarling beside him. The masked shinobi weren’t even using jutsu—just brutal, efficient taijutsu, striking at his pressure points with terrifying accuracy.

“ They’re not going down easy!” Kiba growled, wiping blood from his mouth. Sakura, breathing heavily, barely dodged an incoming strike before parrying with her enhanced strength. Her fist connected with the Root ninja’s ribs, sending him crashing into the wall, but even that wasn’t enough to keep him down for long.

“ They fight like they have no hesitation, no fear,” Sakura muttered, sweat dripping down her face. “They won’t stop until we’re dead.” Amidst the chaos, Ino and Hinata stood back-to-back, both breathing hard, their sensory abilities stretched to the limit.

Ino reached out with her mind’s eye, searching for patterns in the enemy’s movements. Then her heart stopped. “…No way…”

Hinata activated her Byakugan, scanning their opponents—and what she saw made her go pale. “Ino,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Their chakra signatures… They’re—”

“ I know.” Ino’s expression darkened. “They’re from Konoha’s clans.” Hinata’s breath hitched as her eyes darted around the battlefield, confirming Ino’s words. The way they moved, the subtle shifts in their chakra… These Root weren’t just random shinobi.

“ There are some Hyuga, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, Aburame, Inuzuka, even Uchiha.” Hinata clutched her fists. “Danzo’s been training them in secret… turning them into weapons.”

Ino grits her teeth. “This is bad. If they’re from Konoha’s strongest clans, then they know exactly how to counter us.”

Sasuke’s voice cut through the tension. “So what?” He wiped the blood from his lip, his Sharingan spinning. “Doesn’t change the fact that we’re getting Kakashi out of here.” Naruto clenched his fists, his blue eyes burning with determination.

“ We’re not backing down. No matter who they are.”

Kiba, panting, cracked his knuckles. “Damn right. If they wanna kill us, they better be ready to die trying.” The Root shinobi didn’t react to their words. Sakura’s fists tightened as she dodged another attack, her mind racing.

” Something was wrong.”

Sakura’s inner voice proclaimed. They had infiltrated this facility to rescue Kakashi, but despite the entire ANBU facility being on high alert, they had yet to see him.

” No signs of his chakra. No signs of a prison cell. Nothing.”

Her regular thoughts continued as for once both of her voices were on the same page. And now Root was overwhelming them. It clicked. “Wait—” Sakura gasped, stepping back as a masked shinobi swung a kunai at her throat. She barely ducked in time.

Sasuke noticed her hesitation. “What?”

“ We need to get out of here.”

Kiba growled, flipping away from his opponent. “What?! We haven’t found Kakashi yet!”

“ That’s because he was never here.” Sakura’s emerald eyes burned with realization. Everyone froze.

Naruto, panting, looked at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Sakura clenched her fists. “Think about it! If Kakashi was really being held here, why haven’t we seen any sign of him? No cells, no restraints, not even a guard post. Plus Hinata’s Byakugan nor Ino’s sensory link could sense him.”

Sasuke’s Sharingan spun dangerously. “…You’re saying Danzo tricked us?”

“ Yes! He lured us in here to kill us. This was never a rescue mission. It was a trap.” Hinata’s Byakugan flared again for reassurance as she scanned the building. Her breath caught.

“ Sakura’s right,” she whispered. “Kakashi isn’t here. And the exit…” Her eyes widened in horror. “They’ve sealed it off.”

Naruto’s stomach dropped.

” We aren’t just outnumbered. We’re trapped.”

Sakura gritted her teeth. There was no time to argue. If they didn’t escape now, they wouldn’t make it out at all. She closed her eyes. Then she weaved her hands into a familiar seal. “Kai.” A pulse of chakra spread across the battlefield causing Root shinobi to pause. The walls around them blurred and the entire room shattered like glass. Naruto and the others gasped as the facility around them twisted and distorted, their enemies vanishing into mist.

“ A Genjutsu…?” Sasuke murmured.

Sakura opened her eyes, her pupils glowing faintly. “Not just any genjutsu. A high-level escape illusion.”

“ Damn, forehead. Didn’t know you had that in you.” Kiba grinned, with Akamaru barking.

Sakura rolled her eyes. “We don’t have time for compliments. Move.” She had woven an illusion so subtle that even the Root had unknowingly fallen under it. Now, as the world around them faded into a haze, the team slipped through the illusion’s gaps, their bodies vanishing into the shadows. The Root shinobi didn’t even realize they were gone.

As they continued to fight phantoms, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others sprinted through the now-open corridors, heading for the nearest exit. Hinata exhaled, Byakugan scanning ahead. “We’re almost clear—” The ground shook violently interrupting her and a deep voice echoed through the corridors.

“ You really thought you could escape from me?” The team froze as Danzo was waiting at the exit. He stood at the only open exit, his single visible eye narrowing as he gripped his cane. His presence alone made the air feel heavier as if the entire facility was pressing down on them. “You should have known better than to interfere in matters beyond your station,” Danzo said, his tone cold and measured.

Naruto, still catching his breath, clenched his fists. “Where’s Kakashi-sensei?!” Danzo ignored the question. His bandaged arm twitched slightly, and the Root shinobi who had been chasing them suddenly materialized behind him, silent and deadly.

“ You lured us here to get rid of us.” Sasuke’s Sharingan spun furiously.

Danzo’s lips barely moved. “You assumed you were acting in secrecy. But every step you took was anticipated. I have eyes EVERYWHERE.” He said holding his bandaged arm with a smirk.

Kiba snarled. “So what, you were gonna kill us just for trying to save Kakashi?!”

Danzo exhaled as if explaining to a child. “You do not understand the weight of the decisions made for this village.” His grip on his cane tightened. “You six were never meant to leave this facility alive.” Sakura’s stomach twisted while hearing this.

” This wasn’t just about Kakashi. This was elimination.”

He thought as the tension snapped like a kunai slicing through the air. Danzo flicked his fingers, and his Root shinobi surged forward in perfect synchronization. Naruto barely dodged a kunai aimed at his throat, countering with a Rasengan. Sasuke weaved through attacks with precise Sharingan-guided movements. Hinata whirled midair, her Byakugan pinpointing weak spots in her attackers’ stances. With a palm strike, she sent one flying. Kiba and Akamaru fought as one, their movements a blur of claws and fangs. Ino and Sakura fought side by side—Ino’s sensory abilities allowed her to read their opponents’ attacks before they happened, while Sakura countered with deadly precision. Even with their skill, they were outnumbered. And Danzo had yet to move.

As Naruto clashed with another Root ninja, his instincts screamed at him. He noticed something was off. Naruto whirled around—just in time to see Danzo directly behind him. A gnarled hand shot forward. Naruto felt a horrifying pressure slam into his stomach. His chakra was disrupted instantly. He then had a foot on his head and a sword to the back of his neck.

“ Wha—?!” His body crumpled, vision spinning.

Sasuke turned. “Naruto!”

Danzo finally stepped forward, his cane tapping against the ground. “It’s time you learned how powerless you truly are.” Sasuke rushed him, lightning crackling in his palm—only for Danzo to sidestep with unnatural ease. His bandaged arm shifted slightly.

Sasuke’s Sharingan flared. He saw something.“…Impossible,” Sasuke breathed, but before he could process what that was Danzo vanished. Pain then exploded in Sasuke’s side as Danzo reappeared behind him, driving his cane into his ribs. Sasuke stumbled forward, coughing blood.

“ You are nothing like your brother.” Danzo’s voice was like ice. Hinata shouted in alarm, but just as she moved to defend Sasuke, an explosion of chakra erupted at the entrance. A new voice cut through the chaos.

“ That’s enough.” The entire battlefield froze seeing the smoke of the destroyed exit, Tsunade stepped into the facility. Her golden eyes burned with fury as she cracked her knuckles.

Danzo’s expression darkened. “…Hokage.”

Naruto groaned, barely able to lift his head. “Granny Tsunade?” Tsunade’s gaze swept across the battlefield, lingering on her battered genin. Then she locked eyes with Danzo.

“ You’ve gone too far this time.” Danzo didn’t react, but his Root shinobi subtly shifted into defensive positions. Tsunade rolled her shoulders. “Attacking genin under false pretenses? Framing Kakashi? I’ve had enough of your scheming, Danzo.”

Danzo remained calm. “You speak as though you understand the sacrifices required to protect this village.”

Tsunade’s eyes narrowed. “You almost killed my son,” she said, her voice dangerously low. The entire room tensed. Naruto’s eyes widened because she had never said it out loud before. He was her son. Danzo, for the first time, looked mildly surprised.

“…So you truly see him as yours?”

Tsunade’s chakra surged violently, cracking the stone beneath her. “I won’t let you take another step against him.”

Danzo remained silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, he exhaled. “Very well.” With a flick of his wrist, his Root shinobi vanished into the shadows.

Sasuke tensed. “He’s backing off?”

Danzo glanced once more at Tsunade before turning toward the exit. “For now,” he murmured. “But you will regret interfering, Hokage.” With that, he disappeared into the darkness. The tension lingered long after Danzo left. Tsunade turned to the team, scanning their injuries with a critical eye.

“…Idiots,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “Do you even understand how reckless this was? The only reason I’m here is because Tenten was eavesdropping after Naruto finished training. And Shikamaru confirmed her testimony.”

Naruto, still struggling to stand, grinned weakly. “We couldn’t just let Kakashi-sensei take the blame…”

Tsunade sighed. “We’ll deal with that later.” She glanced at Sasuke, then at Hinata. “You both led this mission, didn’t you?” Sasuke and Hinata hesitated before nodding. Tsunade studied them for a moment, then— “…Good work,” she said softly. The team blinked in confusion.

” Huh?” Ino questioned as she thought they were in trouble.

”…Y-you’re not mad?” Hinata asked a bit worried. Sakura and Sasuke then helped Naruto and Kiba up.

Tsunade exhaled, shaking her head. “Come on, before I regret saying that. Let’s get you all patched up.” As they limped out of the ruined facility, Naruto couldn’t help but feel that even though they had survived the night… Danzo wasn’t done with them yet.

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