"Hmm?"
Enkai's head turned sharply at the thunderous roar echoing from the Chūnin Tournament Arena. His curiosity piqued, he strolled toward the window of the circular chamber he was in, eyes narrowing as he peered in the direction of the arena.
To his surprise, a monstrous creature, an ox like octopus, dominated the arena. Its massive form was accompanied by a white bird, circling the Bijuu in an eerie dance.
Enkai stood on the second floor of the building, observing the unfolding chaos in the Chūnin Tournament Arena. The villagers below were gripped by fear, their faces etched with the memories of the night the Nine Tails had ravaged their village.
A malicious chuckle escaped Enkai's lips, his amusement fueled by the villagers' terror. He always felt a pang of pity for Naruto, the innocent soul outcasted, and demonised by these heartless people in the original timeline.
Yet, this fear, he believed, was the perfect taste of the retribution they deserved. Enkai's twisted smile widened at the thought; he wouldn't mind if Pain obliterated the entire village once he was done with it.
With a sinister satisfaction, he turned away from the window, his gaze fixating on the room he was in.
"Where are you, my Scroll of Seals..." Enkai muttered, frustration etched in his voice as he meticulously searched the Hokage's room. Ten minutes had passed, and the elusive scroll remained hidden, evading his relentless scrutiny.
He dismissed the possibility that the white-haired manipulator who had coerced Naruto into stealing the scroll had already absconded with it. Such a brazen theft within the Hokage's office seemed implausible especially during peace time where the hokage is always near his office.
"There's no way it's gone. It must be hidden," Enkai pondered aloud, his eyes scanning the room's shelves, scrolls, and books. He meticulously examined every inch, looking under the carpet and above the ceiling, but his efforts bore no fruit.
"Perhaps it's near the Hokage's desk," he mused, his sharp Sharingans fixating on the worn, bruised wooden desk that stood prominently in the room. He scrutinised it from various angles, spending minutes studying its surface before noticing a small protruding piece of wood.
His fingers delicately touched the wooden protrusion, attempting to pull it out, but it resisted. Undeterred, he pressed the tiny piece, hoping for a reaction. However, disappointment gnawed at him when nothing happened. Perplexed, he surveyed the room once more, his Sharingan detecting a peculiar detail.
Unlike the other furniture in the room, which retained its old, yet pristine condition, the Hokage's desk appeared weathered, as though it had been moved multiple times thus sustaining damage. Enkai's mind whirred with speculation. Why was the desk the only piece showing signs of relocation?
An epiphany struck him like a lightning bolt. Acting on impulse, he heaved the desk aside, revealing a minuscule red button with the word 'fire' etched on it. Its size was nearly imperceptible to ordinary eyes, but the keen gaze of Enkai's Sharingan caught it, unravelling the scroll's hidden sanctuary.
Without hesitation, he pressed the button, setting off a chain reaction that sent a scroll flying from the library shelves.
Curiosity piqued, Enkai seized the scroll, his eyes scanning its contents. It bore the markings of a B-rank fuinjutsu, a formidable technique in its own right.
Eager for any clues, he started reading through its contents, hoping to find something enigmatic, a hidden message or a cryptic clue.
To his surprise however, there was no such thing. It was more simple than that, at the scroll's very end, he discovered a summoning fuinjutsu circle inscribed with the name – The Sacred Scroll.
Intrigued, he channelled a fragment of his chakra into the circle, and the next moment, with a swirl of smoke, the long-sought Scroll of Seals materialised before him, its secrets finally within his grasp.
Enkai held the Scroll of Seals in his hands, marvelling at its significance, but another puzzle gnawed at his thoughts: how did Naruto manage to get it?
A sudden realisation dawned on him, and his expression transformed into one of understanding and revelation. It was possible that the white-haired villain had informed Naruto about the scroll's location, guiding Naruto to this very scroll. It seemed like a logical explanation in Enkai's mind.
His gaze briefly flickered to the array of scrolls on the shelves, each one potentially concealing other unforeseen dangers and treasures. However, he dared not approach them, his sole focus fixed on the Scroll of Seals.
"Alright, now it's time to get out of here!" Enkai declared, securing the Scroll of Seals in his left storage glove. He left the Hokage's office, his casual blue kimono billowing behind him.
As he exited the Hokage's building, he watched as the chaos reigned. Panicked villagers dashed around, their screams filling the air.
Yet, none of this turmoil concerned Enkai. With a secret map of Konoha in hand, detailing both hidden and non-hidden routes, he murmured, "Next target, Root headquarters," his eyes glinting with determination as he set his sights on his next destination.
______
Enkai pressed on through the shadows of Konoha, following the intricate pathways outlined on the Hokage's secret map. The absence of any trace of Root's headquarters didn't deter his determination; if anything, it fueled his resolve.
Even Hiruzen, the village's revered leader, remained oblivious to Root's resurgence after he disbanded it, so there weren't any clues about its base on the map. However, with the map as a reference guide, Enkai meticulously explored every conceivable location where Root could have clandestinely established their base.
His pursuit echoed through silent alleys and concealed corners, a relentless quest driven by the conviction that through the process of elimination, he would eventually unveil the elusive headquarters.
However, during his search, he came across an oddity. Turning into a corner alley, he witnessed an unusual scene: Jōnins, a considerable number of them, were guiding civilians with an eerie precision. Enkai's brow furrowed in confusion. Why would so many elite ninja gather in one specific area while the rest of the village descended into pandemonium?
Intrigue deepened into suspicion when he realised the jōnins and civilians were not what they seemed. They vanished not in the typical flickering manner of ninja, but as if they were mirages dissipating into thin air. Enkai's keen perception unveiled the truth: a powerful genjutsu, potent enough to ensnare even his senses when he least expected it.
Curiosity piqued, he swiftly ascended a nearby building, seeking a vantage point. There, in the distance, he discerned the silhouette of a woman.
His thoughts raced, contemplating the identity of the genjutsu's wielder. "Perhaps it's that one girl, who is Hokage's son's girlfriend and has red eyes?" Enkai mused, considering the possibility of Kurenai's involvement. He entertained the idea of probing her memories, intending to unravel the secrets behind her formidable genjutsu technique and perhaps make it his own.
However, as he closed the distance, his expectations shattered. The figure wasn't Kurenai, nor any high-ranking ninja. It wasn't even a chūnin. The name that escaped his lips was laced with disbelief and confusion: "S-Sakura???" The sight of Sakura, a genin, controlling such a potent genjutsu left Enkai utterly perplexed, marking one of the most baffling moments he had experienced since arriving in this world.
Enkai found Sakura's character in the original timeline incredibly perplexing. Her unwavering obsession with Sasuke, despite seeing Naruto's consistent support and affection, left him baffled. He couldn't comprehend why Sakura failed to recognize Naruto's genuine feelings and instead fixated on someone who didn't even care about her.
In Enkai's eyes, Sakura's choices seemed irrational. He saw Naruto's deep affection for her and the countless moments they shared, far more than Sasuke and Sakura ever did. Enkai believed that Sakura's obliviousness to Naruto's devotion was a testament to her lack of understanding of true companionship and love.
However, he neither had any rights nor interests in her love life, all he wanted to know is how did she change so much from the original timeline when Enkai never even interacted with her.
Enkai speculated that, in the worst case scenario, there would be another person from the fourth wall who is here.
If that was the case, then he envisioned a multitude of challenges. Competing interests, conflicting ideologies, and unpredictable powers could turn this situation into a chaotic struggle for control. The dynamics of this world might shift dramatically with the arrival of every outsider, and Enkai knew he needed to be prepared for any eventuality.
With that in mind, Enkai slowly started tailing Sakura. He wanted to see where she was luring them. However, after a few minutes of stalking he reached his limit. He couldn't afford to waste more time here, even though it was an important thing.
Enkai stood at the precipice of uncertainty, his mind a battlefield of options. "What should I do?" he questioned, torn between engaging with Sakura or maintaining his covert surveillance. His eyes, tinged with the flickering glow of the sharingan, revealed his inner turmoil.
"There has to be some other way to do it..." Enkai's gaze grew troubled as he pondered the situation. His mind churned with possibilities until a daring idea sprouted from the recesses of his consciousness.
"What if I try to enter the genjutsu and extract information there?" The notion hung in the air. The prospect of delving into the very fabric of Sakura's illusions without dispelling it was daunting, yet he felt a surge of resolve, his sharingan ablaze with newfound purpose.
Enkai pondered his options, considering the complexities of invading a genjutsu while grappling with the risks involved. His sharingan afforded him certain advantages, but delving into someone else's mental realm was no simple feat. Yet, time pressed on, urging him to take action.
With a determined glint in his eyes, Enkai steeled himself for the challenge. He knew he needed a plan, something to anchor him within the genjutsu while he sought the information he desired. Concentrating his chakra, he entered into one of the genjutsu stuck civilians and entered the collective genjustu by using the civillains conscious plane as an anchor to reality.
Ding.
Enkai observed the genjutsu world unravel before his eyes, the illusionary scene mirroring reality with uncanny accuracy. The sound of a bell echoed through the air, and in an instant, he found himself back within the confines of Sakura's genjutsu. The familiar sight of jōnins guiding civilians greeted him, but this time, he approached the illusion with newfound insight.
He leaped onto a nearby pole, granting him a broader view of the genjutsu world Sakura had meticulously crafted. "As expected," Enkai muttered, his sharp eyes dissecting the illusionary landscape where thousands of jōnin diligently ushered civilians toward the nearest safe zone in their respective districts.
Amidst the orchestrated chaos, Enkai's ears caught a familiar exchange of words. "Sakura, stay close to me, okay?" a voice resonated, drawing his attention diagonally.
To his surprise, he witnessed Sakura hugging a woman who bore no resemblance to her. The woman seemed to be a motherly figure, her presence exuding warmth and security.
Knowing that this illusionary world was not bound by the constraints of reality, Enkai made a calculated decision. Channelling his own mastery of illusion, he cast a genjutsu within Sakura's genjutsu, transforming his appearance into a different state of being altogether.
In this altered state, his demeanour, complete with a touch of vulnerability, mirrored that of a scared and lost boy. Approaching the mother-daughter duo, he mustered a timid voice.
"O-bāsan, can I come with you?" Enkai asked, his eyes reflecting innocence as he played his role flawlessly.
"Sure, but where are your parents?" Sakura's mother inquired, her concern evident as she leaned down to the child's level.
Enkai hung his head low, his voice laden with sorrow. "They... They became stars when the nine tails got angry at the village," he replied, his words tinged with a heartbreaking sadness.
Sakura's mother appeared momentarily taken aback before composing herself. With a compassionate smile, she gently pushed Sakura forward. "Oh, poor you. Don't worry, you're not alone. See, my husband, her father, also became a star when the nine tails got angry at the village."
Enkai, keeping a close watch on Sakura, noticed her suspicious frown directed at him, not the transformed child, but at Enkai himself. A surge of surprise and resistance coursed through him, but before he could react, the genjutsu shattered, abruptly pulling him back to reality.
As the illusion dissipated, Enkai found himself sprawled on the ground, met by Sakura's intense glare and her stern voice cutting through the air.
"What are you doing?" Sakura's anger laced her words, demanding an explanation from the bewildered Enkai.