Naruto: reborn as an Uzumaki

As they sat on the Hokage Mountain, holding hands, Akane leaned into Kenshin's arm, allowing herself to finally feel the loneliness that had been eating away at her for the past eight years. She lifted her head, smiling softly as she kissed him again.

"Mmm, you need to be more careful though. You're a terrible kisser," Kenshin teased, though his tone was playful, filled with sarcasm.

"Says the brat whose first kiss was his own sister," Akane shot back, resting her head on his shoulder. The stars stretched out above them in the clear night sky, and the full moon's light bathed them in a silvery glow.

Suddenly, both of them activated their Sharingan.

"You sense it, right?" Kenshin asked, his expression unreadable.

"I do. I might be a genin, but that's only because of my teammates. I'm just as good as Lee-kun in taijutsu," Akane said confidently, standing up alongside him.

"So? It's not like I'm a genin because I lack skill either," Kenshin replied, shifting his gaze toward the shadows. His voice grew firm as he called out, "Come on out. We already know you're here."

Kenshin's right hand, concealed behind Akane, tightened around four kunai. Slowly, more than twenty Root shinobi emerged from the darkness, each one prepared for battle.

'They're high-chunin or jonin level,' Kenshin calculated, assessing the chakra levels of their opponents. 'Even with shadow clones, this won't be an easy fight. And I still haven't fully grasped my left Mangekyo ability.' The tension between both sides thickened as they sized each other up.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Kenshin created twenty shadow clones, one for each Root shinobi. "Aka—"

Before he could call out to her, a smoke bomb exploded at their feet. In the sudden confusion, Akane felt serpentine restraints coil around her body, immobilizing her. Normally, she could've easily broken free, but there were too many of them. When the smoke cleared, Kenshin saw her captured.

"Hold on! Let's talk this out. Let her go," Kenshin said, raising his hands as if surrendering. Inside, however, he was calm. 'Everything's going according to plan,' he thought.

"Kenshin, you little wuss! They caught me and you're just giving up?! What the hell?!" Akane yelled, her voice filled with frustration as she struggled in vain against the restraints. Her chakra flow had been disrupted, making escape impossible for now.

"Calm down, Nee-san. You're my priority. I can't risk you getting hurt," Kenshin said with feigned concern, keeping his tone steady. Then, addressing the Root shinobi, he added, "Let me guess. Lord Danzo wants to see me?"

"Yes. If you come with us, we'll let the girl go," one of the shinobi answered coldly.

Kenshin nodded, letting them bind him as they led him away. Two of the Root shinobi stayed behind to take Akane elsewhere.

"Wait! What's going on? You said you were going to let me go," Akane protested, seeing she was being dragged toward the dense forest behind Hokage Mountain.

"You'll see," one of the shinobi replied tersely.

[At Danzo's Hideout]

Kenshin was led into the dimly lit chamber where Danzo sat, his face set in a displeased frown.

"You took too long," Danzo said coldly.

"Lord Danzo," Kenshin began, his voice steady, "I believe there's been a misunderstanding. I have no desire to harm the Leaf. I only came here to have my mother treated."

"I'm aware of your reasons," Danzo replied, his tone measured. "But you possess something dangerous. Something that, as the protector of the Leaf, I cannot allow to run free."

"Surely, we can negotiate," Kenshin offered, his demeanor calm. "There's no need for conflict."

Danzo's expression turned smug. "Negotiation? And what leverage do you think you have over me, boy? What could you possibly know that would interest me?"

Kenshin smiled confidently. "For starters, I know about your cooperation with Hanzo of the Hidden Rain in dismantling a peacekeeping organization. I'm sure I don't need to remind you which one."

Danzo's eye twitched ever so slightly, but his composure held. "Is that all?"

"I also know you took Shisui Uchiha's right eye to acquire his Mangekyo Sharingan," Kenshin continued, his tone sharp. "The very eye you keep hidden behind those bandages. And let's not forget your right arm, containing multiple Sharingan, not to mention the cells of the First Hokage, courtesy of Orochimaru."

Danzo's calm facade cracked for a moment. 'How does this boy know all of this?' he wondered, though his face quickly regained its usual sternness.

"How did you come by such information?" Danzo asked, his voice low. "You seem quite certain."

"I have my ways," Kenshin answered smoothly, his smile never faltering. 'Still on track,' he thought.

Danzo narrowed his eyes. "It would be a waste to kill someone with such talent for gathering intelligence. However…" He began unwrapping the bandage covering his right eye, revealing Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan. In an instant, he attempted to cast Kotoamatsukami on Kenshin.

But Kenshin slammed his head into the floor and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Danzo's eyes widened. 'A shadow clone?!'

[At the Hokage's Office]

"Hokage-sama, I've confirmed it. Danzo does indeed possess a Mangekyo Sharingan in his right eye," Inoichi Yamanaka reported to Tsunade. "And if that's true, Kenshin's other claims may be valid as well."

Tsunade clenched her fists. "That bastard! Arrest him immediately. Guy, Kakashi, you two are our best shot at neutralizing someone with Sharingan. Go, now!"

"Yes!" Both Kakashi and Guy responded in unison, swiftly departing to apprehend Danzo.

[In the Forest Behind Hokage Mountain]

Akane's chakra flow was still disrupted, and she couldn't use any jutsu, but she wasn't defenseless. 'I can still rely on hand-to-hand combat, but I need to be careful,' she thought, analyzing her captors.

The shinobi behind her was short enough for a quick headbutt, and the one in front left his legs just wide enough for a well-placed kick to the groin.

'I can't wait for anyone else. Nobody knows Danzo has us,' Akane realized, preparing herself mentally. 'If I want to save that wuss, I'll have to do it myself.'

Bracing herself, she moved, ready to take control of her situation.

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