Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Fallout
Kakashi didn’t flinch as he stared at what remained of Elder Danzo Shimura’s corpse. The scene before him was gruesome, but it lacked the pang of pity he usually felt for the dead. This man had built a legacy of pain and manipulation, and his end felt less like a tragedy and more like an inevitability.
He deserved it.
Whoever assassinated Danzo had been fast, efficient, and utterly silent. ROOT-level precision, Kakashi noted. That fact alone raised questions: How had they bypassed Danzo’s precautions? He was known to place intricate seals on his agents to prevent betrayal.
The Uchiha Police Force swarmed the hidden base, their sharp eyes scanning the room and taking photographs of the carnage. Kakashi felt a wave of bitter nostalgia as he stood amidst the chaos. He had been here before, years ago, when he rescued Tenzou—code-named "Yamato"—from Danzo’s grasp. Back then, the Third Hokage had supposedly ordered ROOT disbanded. Kakashi had foolishly believed that was the end of it. But ROOT had continued in secret, and Danzo had grown more monstrous with every passing year.
He watched as an Uchiha officer, his Sharingan glowing faintly, unraveled the bandages from Danzo’s grotesque arm. The officer’s stoic face darkened when the truth was revealed: Sharingan eyes embedded into the flesh, evidence of children tortured or desecrated to obtain them.
Kakashi’s stomach churned, but his face remained impassive.
Behind him, medical ninja worked tirelessly to treat the ROOT victims rescued from the base—children and teenagers, their faces blank and devoid of emotion. Their lifeless gazes told him everything he needed to know. They’d been stripped of their identities, broken down and rebuilt as tools.
Kakashi turned to a cabinet nearby, rifling through files. The thick folders were marked with Danzo’s personal seal. He opened one, its pages filled with cryptic writing. The text seemed indecipherable until he lifted his headband, allowing his Sharingan to analyze the script.
Log Day: 3001
Project DNA Transfer
Goal:
Inject every test subject with clan genes to transform clanless children into clan members. Use orphans and abduct children from clans. Death certificates will be forged and stamped with silencing seals on the youngest to prevent information leaks. Operate covertly and ensure no further exposure.
Subjects will be stripped of their names and all attachments to their past to ensure loyalty and effectiveness as tools for Danzo-sama. Upon passing the "test" by Danzo-sama, they are to be branded with the ROOT tattoo and assigned missions.
Second Goal:
Mix various DNA to create hybrids. Refer to Project "Chimera" for additional details.
DNA Reference Required:
Uchiha, Senju, Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, Hatake, Sarutobi, Hyuga.
Missing Samples: Shiranui, Kurama, Morino. Acquisition required.
Project Lead:
Operative 03, "Petal." Daily reports to Danzo-sama are required.
The writing style tugged at Kakashi’s memory, but he couldn’t quite place its author. He flipped through more pages, his unease growing with each entry. Each file was worse than the last—a catalog of horrors documenting experiments on children, brutal conditioning, and genetic tampering.
“Tenzou,” Kakashi called, his voice steady but low.
The ANBU operative approached, his wooden mask obscuring his face. Kakashi handed him the file. A muffled sound escaped Tenzou’s lips—a mixture of anger and disgust.
“Bastard,” Tenzou muttered, flipping through the pages.
The list of DNA sources was staggering. From the Yamanaka to the Aburame, even the Hyuga had been targeted. Kakashi glanced at the rows of children being treated by medics, their blank expressions making them indistinguishable from one another.
Did Danzo take from the Hatake clan, too? The thought made Kakashi’s blood run cold, but he shook it off. Speculating wouldn’t help these kids now.
By evening, the victims—those who could walk and understand basic orders—were assigned to clans whose DNA had been spliced into their bodies. Most were orphans or civilians, children without memories of their original names or families. They were weapons now, raised with no identities beyond ROOT’s conditioning.
Kakashi patted Tenzou’s shoulder, a quiet gesture of solidarity. They’d both seen too much today.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha officers worked tirelessly to dismantle the base, cataloging evidence and sending Danzo’s remains to the morgue. The files unearthed from the cabinets filled box after box, a chilling testament to Danzo’s twisted ambition.
Kakashi lingered for a moment, his eyes drifting to the children as they were escorted away. He knew the damage done to them couldn’t be undone with a warm meal and kind words.
As he left the base, snow began to fall. Each flake seemed to muffle the world, burying the horrors of the day beneath a cold, white blanket. But Kakashi knew better.
The fallout of Danzo’s actions would linger, just as the scars of ROOT lingered on every child he’d warped.