The war was over, or so they thought.
Satoshi and Kaori Uchiha sat by a small bonfire, the crackling of the wood the only sound in the peaceful night. The 200 other Konoha shinobi were asleep or on light patrol.
"It's finally done," Satoshi smiled, poking the fire. "When Ren gets back, we can go home."
Kaori nodded, organizing her scrolls. "I hope he's eating properly. That boy forgets to eat when he's thinking."
From the shadows of the medical tent, Kato Dan watched them. He knew a physical confrontation would be messy; Satoshi was a speedster, and a fight would alert the camp.
He needed total control, instantly.
"Spirit Transformation Technique."
Dan's body went limp. His spirit, invisible and intangible, shot across the clearing like a phantom bullet.
Before Satoshi could even sense the drop in temperature, Dan plunged into Kaori's chest.
"Gah!" Kaori gasped, her eyes rolling back. Her body went rigid, dropping the scrolls.
"Kaori?" Satoshi stood up, alarmed.
"Don't move," Kaori's voice said, but the tone was cold and alien.
"Who are you?" Satoshi snarled, his Sharingan spinning to life. "Get out of my wife!"
"I am Kato Dan," the voice replied through Kaori. "Surrender immediately. If you take a step, I will shred her soul from the inside."
Satoshi froze. Kaori was trapped in her own body.
He couldn't risk it.
"Fine," Satoshi whispered, his voice breaking. "I surrender. Just... don't hurt her."
He dropped his katana and raised his hands. Root agents emerged from the shadows, instantly restraining him with chakra-suppressing cuffs.
"Good," Dan's spirit said. "Now, to secure the vessel."
But inside, Kaori fought.
She felt the foreign soul violating her mind, trying to chain her will. She screamed internally, pouring every ounce of her spiritual energy into rejecting him.
GET OUT!
The resistance was too violent. The spiritual backlash tore through Kaori's mind.
"Argh!" Dan's spirit was forced out, expelled by the sheer force of her rejection. He flew back to his body in the medical tent.
Kaori collapsed into the dirt.
"Kaori!" Satoshi screamed, struggling against the Root agents.
Dan walked out of the tent. He looked at Kaori's motionless body. He analyzed her chakra flow.
'The connection between body and soul is severed. She is... gone. A vegetative state.'
"What did you do to her?!" Satoshi roared, tears streaming down his face.
Dan looked at Satoshi.
"She is merely unconscious," Dan lied smoothly. "The possession was taxing. She will wake up soon."
Satoshi stopped struggling, clinging to that false hope. "She... she'll wake up?"
"Yes. Provided you cooperate," Dan said coldly. "Take them away."
As the Root agents dragged them off, Dan narrowed his eyes. He needed to report to Danzo immediately.
The Convoy
The Hokage's carriage moved slowly through the desert night.
Ren was resting his eyes, leaning against the window. Hiruzen, Sakumo, and Danzo were sitting in silence.
Suddenly, Ren's eyes snapped open.
"Ren?" Hiruzen asked, sensing the sudden spike in pressure.
Ren stood up violently. The carriage shook.
He turned to face the three men. Slowly, he lifted his head.
Hiruzen gasped. Danzo's eye widened.
Ren's eyes were blood-red. The three tomoe were gone. In their place was a complex, geometric design with three arrows extending outwards, spinning ominously.
The Mangekyo Sharingan.
"You..." Ren whispered. The sound was not human.
"Ren, your eyes..." Sakumo stood up, his hand on his tantō. "What happened?"
Ren didn't answer Sakumo. He looked directly at Danzo, then at Hiruzen. The killing intent radiating from him was heavy enough to crush a normal man.
"If anything happens to them..." Ren said, the Mangekyo spinning faster. "I will burn Konoha to the ground. I will kill every elder, every counselor, and every ninja. I will hunt down your clans, your children, and everyone related to you. I will leave nothing but ash."
"Ren!" Hiruzen stood up, chakra flaring. "That is treason! Explain yourself!"
Ren didn't explain. He crouched.
BOOM!
The carriage disintegrated. The roof was torn off by the sheer force of the launch. Ren launched himself like a missile, shattering the sound barrier instantly.
A streak of blue light tore across the night sky, disappearing toward the camp in a heartbeat.
Minutes later.
Hiruzen, Sakumo, and Danzo were running at full speed across the dunes, followed by their ANBU guard. They were desperate to catch the boy before he did something irreversible.
Suddenly, a blue translucent figure appeared in front of them.
It was Kato Dan's spirit.
Dan stopped, hovering in front of the Hokage. He looked frantic.
"Hokage-sama! Danzo-sama!" Dan called out.
"Dan?" Hiruzen skid to a halt. "What is happening at the camp?"
"I just secured Ren's parents," Dan said quickly. "But... there were complications. His mother became a permanent vegetable."
Hiruzen turned slowly to look at Danzo. His face was a mask of pure fury.
"Secured the parents?" Hiruzen roared. "You ordered this?!"
Danzo didn't flinch. "It was necessary, Hiruzen."
"Necessary?!" Sakumo stepped forward, disgusted. "Kidnapping the family of a loyal shinobi? A boy who also possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Exactly," Danzo said, his voice hard. "Don't you see? He has already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and he didn't tell the village about it. The Uchiha are definitely planning to launch a coup. If we control his parents, we control Ren. We have unlimited access to his Healing Tags. And now... now we have a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan at our disposal. It is the ultimate asset for the village."
"You fool!" Hiruzen bellowed. "You haven't gained an asset. You've created a monster! He just threatened to slaughter the entire village!"
Danzo paused, his face hardening. "He won't do anything as long as we have his parents hostage. But now that his mother has become vegetative, he will definitely take vengeance on the Leaf. Hiruzen, we can't go back. Either we control him, or we kill him."
Hiruzen didn't speak. He stared at the sand, his internal conflict raging.
Danzo understood the silence. He turned to Dan.
"Check their memories," Danzo ordered ruthlessly. "Find Ren's weakness and his Mangekyo abilities. Take his parents to a secondary location and deploy anti-sensing barriers. Don't let him find them."
Dan hesitated. "That may damage Satoshi's soul too."
"That won't make a difference," Danzo countered. "His mother is already a vegetable. And if Satoshi knew Kaori's condition, he might awaken a Mangekyo himself. It's better to deal with one pair of eyes than two. You stay at the camp. When Ren arrives, threaten him. If he does not surrender, his parents will die."
Hiruzen still didn't speak. He closed his eyes, acquiescing to the darkness.
"Understood," Dan said and disappeared.
Hiruzen signaled the Anbu, his voice heavy with resignation. "We have to reach the camp as soon as possible."
"Move!" Sakumo ordered, though he looked sick to his stomach.
The group rushed forward, sprinting toward the camp with everything they had.
But deep down, Hiruzen knew.
They were too slow.