"I ran into Orochimaru-sensei earlier at the Medical Corps. It looked like he was headed to the Logistics Department. If you go now, you should be able to catch him," Takuya casually mentioned to Nawaki as he curled up with Snowy under the covers, ready to sleep.
After staying up all night, Takuya was feeling drowsy. As for Snowy, she was the perfect bodyguard, a protective charm, and a cozy little heater all rolled into one. Plus, her fluffy fur made her a comforting cuddle buddy.
The best part was, Snowy seemed to enjoy it too.
"Go give that kid a little reminder!"
It's one thing to be close to the jinchūriki, but even if you're close to her, I won't tolerate Tsunade revealing the Nine-Tails' secrets to you!
Danzo ground his teeth in frustration.
That little brat with Uchiha blood doesn't deserve to know the Nine-Tails' secret.
Tsunade's earlier concerns were spot on. Since Danzo didn't dare to touch her, he decided to take out his anger on Takuya instead. If Takuya didn't have Uchiha blood, Danzo might have been less hostile, but with that bloodline, Danzo viewed him with nothing but suspicion. Combined with Takuya's closeness to Kushina and Tsunade, Danzo was itching to bury the boy in a ditch.
"Yes, sir!"
One of Danzo's Root operatives slipped away silently.
Despite Takuya's track record—defeating Jonin and effortlessly controlling Shimura Hideitsu with genjutsu in front of several Jonin—the Root ninja still didn't take him seriously. To them, he was just a kid, not worth any real concern.
When it comes to understanding the Sharingan, who knows more than Root, aside from the Uchiha themselves?
Besides, Root's operatives didn't worry about consequences or means. Their only focus was completing the mission, no matter the cost.
Takuya slept until the afternoon, waking up leisurely to find Nawaki and Minato huddled together, chatting excitedly. Judging by their animated expressions, Takuya couldn't help but ask, "What happened? Did you guys find some money lying around?"
"Takuya," Minato grinned, proudly holding up a notebook. "Jiraiya-sensei visited me and gave me his personal notes on ninjutsu."
"Me too!"
Nawaki beamed from ear to ear. "Orochimaru-sensei gave me his own handwritten notes."
…
I thought they'd passed on decades of wisdom or something, seeing how ecstatic you two are.
Minato, I can understand. But Nawaki, can't you show a bit more dignity?
You're the young master of the Senju Clan. And you're this thrilled over a notebook? Where's your pride?
You've got your granduncle's notes at your disposal—those alone could keep you studying for a lifetime!
Even Orochimaru would be envious.
As night fell, Takuya, Minato, and Nawaki resumed their nightly duties at the eerie, deserted morgue. The place, usually populated during the day, became a ghost town at night.
"So that's how it is…"
"I've been training wrong."
"How could I be so dumb?"
Nawaki and Minato were completely engrossed in their notebooks, murmuring to themselves under the dim torchlight, alternating between self-criticism and moments of revelation.
"You two, go read inside," Takuya sighed, unable to handle their constant muttering. One minute they were berating themselves for being slow, the next they were grinning like idiots.
I just can't deal with this.
"Master, the man who came with the one-eyed dragon earlier is lurking outside," Snowy whispered from her perch on Takuya's shoulder, alerting him.
So… Root's really come for me, huh?
Takuya paused, then broke into a smile as he headed outside. Minato and Nawaki were too absorbed in their notes to even notice him leaving. Not that it mattered—there wasn't much to be on guard for during their shifts.
If an enemy could sneak into the morgue, the whole Konoha camp would be riddled with spies by now.
There were no patrols or sentries nearby, likely because the Root operatives had diverted them. Even though Root was ruthless, they had to tread carefully to avoid creating a mess. After all, Danzo still cared about his reputation—he couldn't afford to be too notorious if he wanted to become Hokage.
"Takuya Yagami, Lord Danzo requests your presence."
As soon as Takuya reached a secluded spot, the Root operatives sprang out from the shadows, blocking his path. They demanded that he come with them, claiming Danzo wanted to see him.
Yeah, right!
How many times has Root used that excuse to lure people away?
And how many of them actually came back?
"What do you think? Should I go with you?"
Takuya glanced at the Root operative wearing a monkey mask, his genjutsu, Cherry Blossom Fall, activating instantly.
The beauty of his exclusive genjutsu was that it didn't require the Sharingan to cast. He could trap someone anytime, anywhere, without them suspecting a thing.
And when people started believing that Takuya needed the Sharingan to use this genjutsu, only to realize he didn't… well, the surprise would be worth it.
"Uh…"
The monkey-masked operative froze, standing stock-still.
"Monkey? Monkey?"
The operative with the fox mask, who was blocking the path behind Takuya, panicked, whispering to his partner.
"There's no point calling him. He's already done for."
The crimson light of the Sharingan flickered as Takuya activated his, the three tomoe spinning rapidly. The fox-masked operative's heart skipped a beat. Because his partner had suddenly stopped responding, he let his guard down and met Takuya's gaze directly.
With a flash of red, the fox-masked operative's mind fogged over—he knew he'd been caught in a genjutsu. Desperate, he tried to break free, but his throat suddenly tightened in pain, and blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Why struggle?"
Takuya's voice, full of pity, echoed in the dying man's ears as the world faded to black, and his body collapsed lifelessly.
Is this really the level of Root's operatives?
One gets caught in a genjutsu from a mere glance with my Sharingan, and the other is dumb enough to fall for Cherry Blossom Fall and start doing a cringe-worthy dance.
Takuya retrieved a sealing scroll, disposing of the body inside it. He then quickly dealt with the monkey-masked operative, who was about to start his awkward dance, and sealed him away too.
"Snowy, take the scroll far away and destroy it."
Hiding the bodies in the morgue was never really an option—it was just a silly thought.
Better to dispose of the evidence entirely—no need to invite trouble for myself.
Takuya watched as Snowy, clutching the scroll in her mouth, vanished into the night. Stretching, he returned to the morgue.
Minato and Nawaki were still deeply engrossed in their notebooks, oblivious to his brief absence.
"Now that Iwagakure and Sunagakure have joined the battle in the Land of Rain, the situation here has become chaotic. Hanzo's declaration of war on both villages is actually advantageous for us. A multi-sided conflict is preferable to being surrounded and overwhelmed."
The lights in the command center burned brightly as Danzo sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the village's elite—department heads and Jonin. If you weren't a Jonin or a department head, you had no place at such meetings.
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