Naruto: Get Stronger by Spoiling My Sister

Beneath Konoha, Neji stood silently amidst the ruins of the Root base. Looking at the devastation, he couldn't help but sigh. He had no way of knowing what kind of impact his actions might have on this world or its future.

But this had to be done. Only by eliminating Danzō and uprooting Root entirely could he proceed with his next plan without restraint.

Now, the once-secret base lay completely in ruins. Stones were strewn across the ground, and the air was thick with blood. In some places, streams of crimson seeped through the cracks, foaming as they flowed. The collapse had spared no one especially the Root operatives, who had been bound and helpless.

Only Neji, with his mastery of Rotation, could emerge unscathed from such destruction. Still, he looked rather disheveled his clothes torn in several places, deep scratches marking his arms.

Even so, everything was within acceptable limits. After all, that single move had wiped out nearly every last member of Root.

"Haah... haah..." Neji panted heavily, surveying the wreckage around him. A rare trace of a smile tugged at the corners of his otherwise emotionless face.

"It's finally over. All that's left is to find Danzō. Tonight's objective is nearly complete," he murmured, eyes flickering with a cold glint.

After catching his breath for just a moment, he continued forward.

"Danzō really knows how to bide his time," Neji muttered. "Then again, to him, everyone in Root is nothing more than a disposable tool. Why would he care?"

The area was silent, save for the occasional clatter of loose stones tumbling down.

Despite the sheer destruction, one room remained perfectly intact amidst the rubble.

Neji stood before its brown double doors, his expression frosty as he whispered to himself, "Of course the most valuable things are always hidden in the most secure place."

He stepped forward, hand reaching for the door. But just before he could touch it, a blade of wind tore through the air toward him, aimed precisely at severing his hand.

"So, you finally decided to show yourself." Neji's hand paused midair as he stared coldly at the incoming wind blade. Without flinching, he turned his right arm to stone hard as iron and reached out to grab it.

Clang!

The blade stopped in his grasp. Neji's lips curled into a smirk as he flicked his arm, sending the blade hurtling back in the direction it came from.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

A distant shout rang out. A barrage of sickle-shaped blades whistled through the air, each one razor-sharp. Even a light graze left deep gashes in the ground.

They were incredibly fast barely visible to the eye and reached Neji in an instant, slicing him into three pieces. But the very next moment, the three chunks of Neji's body exploded into wooden logs.

"Substitution Jutsu!"

From the shadows, Danzō's heart skipped a beat. He quickly scanned his surroundings until he spotted Neji above.

There, Neji hovered in midair, both hands gripping kunai, Byakugan wide open, veins bulging around his eyes as he stared down at the figure below swathed entirely in bandages.

"Danzō!"

With a furious cry, Neji plunged toward him, kunai aimed with deadly precision. Danzō merely sneered and drew his own blade, channeling wind chakra into it.

Instantly, the kunai in Danzō's hand glowed with swirling wind. Its cutting edge extended outward, making it resemble a blade forged by the gods themselves.

"Heh... I was cutting down enemies on the battlefield when you were still crawling."

Danzō made no attempt to dodge. He swung his enhanced kunai with practiced ease, shattering Neji's weapon midair.

"How dare you destroy the Root I built from the ground up... and waste the precious cells I struggled to extract. Anyone who dares to obstruct me must die."

He let out a growl, rage flooding his voice. His wind-coated blade slashed again, its range and sharpness intensifying, threatening to slice Neji cleanly in two.

Neji could feel it. The power of a Kage-level ninja. That piercing wind chakra so sharp that even stone wouldn't stop it.

But he didn't flinch.

He knew Danzō's every tactic. From the moment this battle began, the outcome had already been decided.

At the critical moment, Neji weaved a quick series of hand signs. A wooden clone burst from behind him, leaping forward to block the incoming strike.

The moment the clone was struck, its body split in two but in the same instant, thick wooden tendrils erupted from its shattered form and coiled tightly around Danzō's weapon.

"This is... Wood Style?" Danzō's eyes went wide, disbelief written all over his face. Only I and Yamato should be able to use this...

Who was this boy, really?

How could a member of the Hyūga clan wield the Senju's Wood Release?

A thousand thoughts raced through Danzō's mind. His breathing grew heavier, his old, murky eyes gleaming with a terrifying ambition.

If he could uncover the secret behind this power... he could surpass his current limitations. He might even overcome the side effects of Hashirama's cells and truly revive the Wood Style.

At that point, the Five Great Nations no, the entire shinobi world would fall under Konoha's shadow. And at its head would be him, Shimura Danzō, ruler of all.

A mad glee twisted his features. He no longer wished to kill Neji. He wanted to capture him alive, erase his existence from the records, and exploit his secrets just like he had done so many times before.

Hiruzen, watch closely... The one who will lead Konoha to the pinnacle of the ninja world will be me, Shimura Danzō.

But in the next instant, the wooden tendrils had snaked up his kunai, closing in fast.

An intense sense of danger jolted him back to reality. With a sudden burst of wind chakra, Danzō shattered the vines clinging to his blade.

But by then, Neji was already upon him.

"Damn it!"

Boom!

Danzō was sent flying by a devastating punch. He crashed through a wall of stone and left a human-shaped crater in his wake, dust billowing in every direction.

"You lost focus during a fight, Danzō. That's exactly why you'll never become Hokage," Neji scoffed.

If it had been Hiruzen Sarutobi instead, even if he had been shocked by the appearance of Wood Style, he would never have let his guard down. Neji might not have held much respect for Sarutobi, but his combat discipline was undeniable.

Shimura Danzō, on the other hand, was far inferior in that regard and this encounter proved it.

"Heh... I'll admit, your strength is impressive," Danzō coughed, struggling to rise. "But you should never underestimate a Kage-level shinobi..."