Two Root shinobi, moving stealthily, slipped out of Konoha through a secret exit in the barrier instead of using the main gate. Their suspicious behavior made it clear they were up to no good.
Remembering how Root had once targeted Takuya, even attempting to assassinate him, along with Danzo's threats, Snowy couldn't help but feel irritated.
In an instant, she vanished into a streak of white light.
The two Root operatives, carrying orders and a letter from Danzo as a sign of goodwill to Orochimaru, headed toward the Land of Rivers battlefield. They were moving quickly when something suddenly slammed into the back of their heads.
The force was immense. Their vision blurred, and before they knew it, both had rolled their eyes back and collapsed.
Not wanting to leave any chances, Snowy quickly dislocated their limbs with her tail to ensure they wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
"Ahhh!!!"
The searing pain made the Root ninjas cry out, but Snowy wasn't in the mood for mercy. Another thump to the back of their heads, and they were out cold once more.
Using her tail as a makeshift hand, Snowy rummaged through their gear, pulling out several items. Among them were some standard shinobi tools and two scrolls—one of them was encrypted.
The encrypted scroll needed a special code to be unlocked; without it, the scroll would self-destruct. After a brief moment of thought, Snowy destroyed the encrypted scroll and took the other one with her as she returned to the village.
Having snagged a scroll, Snowy couldn't immediately return to Takuya's side.
Not long after she left, a pack of shadowy figures with glowing green eyes appeared at the scene. They grinned menacingly as they looked at the unconscious Root operatives.
To maintain secrecy, both ANBU and Root often used hidden exits when conducting covert missions, and these entrances were usually in remote areas. Wild animals in these locations weren't uncommon, so no one would suspect anything if trouble happened.
"Master."
Back at home, Snowy curled up in Takuya's lap, her voice soft and sweet.
"Snowy? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Takuya groggily rubbed his eyes and switched on the light.
"I was out wandering around when I noticed two Root shinobi sneaking out of the village. So, I knocked them out and found this." Snowy handed Takuya the scroll, wrapped delicately in her tail.
Root operatives? Sneaking around? Takuya thought for a moment. Could they have been unlucky enough to cross paths with Snowy while on a covert mission?
Those two were really out of luck. Snowy had no love for Root or ANBU, especially the Root agents.
They were fortunate she hadn't killed them on the spot.
"Did you kill them?" Takuya asked as he unsealed the scroll. "And did they realize it was you?"
Snowy's cheerful expression faltered. She hadn't wanted to cause a mess, so she hadn't gone for the kill.
In hindsight, she probably should've finished the job.
"I only knocked them out. There's no way they could know it was me," Snowy explained, sounding a bit dejected.
Takuya laughed, rubbing her head in reassurance. "It's fine. As long as you weren't seen, it's no big deal. Even if they figure something out, Danzo won't dare challenge us."
Takuya was confident. After being put in his place several times already, Danzo wouldn't risk provoking him again—unless he wanted things to get messy.
Besides, with Snowy's abilities, knocking out a couple of Root shinobi was child's play. The chances of her being discovered were slim, and she was clever enough to cover her tracks.
If anything, this incident would give Danzo something to stew over, which Takuya found rather amusing.
"Let's see what these Root operatives were carrying," Takuya said, unrolling the scroll.
The moment he saw the contents, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Is this… chakra metal?"
Takuya stared at the glowing stones that tumbled out of the scroll. For a second, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
How could Root shinobi be transporting this much chakra metal?
The amount was staggering, enough to forge several high-grade chakra weapons. But how had Root gotten their hands on so much chakra metal?
Takuya was suspicious. Even Konoha didn't have this much chakra metal in stock. The material was rare and extremely valuable. If it weren't for Konoha's size and influence, they wouldn't have been able to procure what little they had.
This stuff was nearly impossible to buy, even if you had the money.
Takuya picked up a chunk of chakra metal, channeled some chakra into it, and watched as it glowed brightly. His face lit up with a wide grin, tears of laughter welling up in his eyes.
"Snowy, you've hit the jackpot!"
"Yay!" Snowy cheered as Takuya scooped her up, planting a kiss on her head.
Snowy froze, her pale fur blushing a bright shade of red beneath the white, though Takuya didn't notice—he was too busy laughing in pure joy.
Regardless of where this chakra metal had come from, it was his now. He had just scored a fortune, and if it drove Danzo mad in the process, even better.
Who could've guessed that Snowy's little adventure would lead to such an incredible windfall?
This was a massive win.
That said, where had Danzo gotten so much chakra metal? Could it have come from Konoha's supply?
Takuya recalled Tsunade mentioning that Konoha had recently purchased a batch of chakra metal from outside the village. It had cost a fortune and required pulling some major strings.
If this stash was part of that batch… Takuya chuckled to himself, imagining the fallout when it was discovered.
Danzo was a high-ranking official, but he didn't have the authority to requisition large amounts of supplies from Konoha's logistics department, especially not something as critical as chakra metal.
So how had it ended up in Danzo's hands?
And why had he ordered Root to quietly transport it out of the village? Was he planning to sell it? Hoarding it didn't make sense if it was just going to leave the village.
Danzo was definitely up to something shady.
"Great job, Snowy. I'll treat you to something special tomorrow," Takuya said, giving her an affectionate pat on the head.
While tailed beasts were essentially living masses of chakra and didn't need to eat for nourishment, they could still enjoy the taste of food. Snowy, in particular, had a fondness for grilled meat.
In a strange quirk of history, the Land of Lightning had once tried to capture the Nine-Tails, and two of its shinobi, the Gold and Silver Brothers, were swallowed by the beast. They had survived by eating the Nine-Tails' flesh from the inside, eventually gaining its chakra.
This raised an odd question: If tailed beasts were made entirely of chakra, where did their flesh come from?
Thrilled at the thought of a special meal and her master's praise, Snowy curled up in Takuya's arms, drifting off to sleep. In the back of her mind, she was already plotting her next move—keeping an eye on more Root operatives and swiping whatever else she could. If she brought back more loot, her master would be even more pleased with her.
Meanwhile, over at Konoha Hospital, Danzo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his nerves tingling with unease.
Late at night, two ANBU operatives returning from a mission approached the secret exit where Snowy had attacked the Root shinobi, intending to pass through the barrier to reenter the village.
"Something's wrong," one of the ANBU whispered, sniffing the air.
There was a heavy scent of blood nearby. The two operatives approached cautiously, and when they saw the scene in front of them, their eyes widened in alarm.
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