**Konoha, Hokage's Office**
Hiruzen was working through the pile of papers on his desk.
At that moment, Kakashi and his team entered to report on their mission.
Sarutobi looked up, surprised. Along with them was a strange ninja.
"Hokage-sama, this is A, a former member of the Root," Kakashi explained quietly.
"Root?" Sarutobi asked, confused. "You went on a mission and brought a member of the Root with you?"
Something felt off. Sarutobi's instincts told him there was more to this situation than it appeared. He sat up straighter, his expression turning serious as he listened carefully to Kakashi's report.
"..."
Kakashi continued, methodically recounting everything that had happened.
"I see." Sarutobi was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I didn't expect so much to happen on this mission. How much has Danzo been hiding from me over the years?"
Light and darkness are inherently coexistent. This was something Sarutobi understood deeply. It was the reason he had tolerated Danzo for so long. After all, both were working for Konoha's benefit.
But Sarutobi now realized that Danzo's recent actions were going too far.
Thinking about this, Sarutobi slowly shifted his gaze to A.
This was the child who had been hidden.
The Wood Style.
Konoha lacked this kind of power. With Naruto now six years old, the Nine-Tails would soon become a serious concern. The Wood Style was one of the only forces that could suppress the Nine-Tails' rampages.
"A?" Sarutobi said, his tone softening. "You will be the root of Konoha from now on."
"In that case, you should have a name."
"'Yamato'," he said thoughtfully. "Harmony means peace, balance, and unity. It represents small harmony, neutrality, and great harmony. How about the name Yamato?"
Yamato.
Hearing the origin of the name, A's heart was filled with a complex emotion. He nodded silently, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Satoru, standing aside, casually observed A's change in mood and shook his head.
This old man has a way with words, he thought. No wonder he's Hokage. He knows how to speak to people.
---
A few days later, Satoru walked to the meeting place with a three-color ball in his mouth.
"I said, new guy, why are you so slow?" a ninja in a standard uniform asked impatiently. He had a woolen roll around his arm and was clearly irritated.
This was Naoya Kuchigi, the captain of the mission.
Originally, Kuchigi had been skeptical about Satoru's presence in the Anbu Division. An eight-year-old child? It was already impressive for a child to become a ninja at such a young age. But what qualifications did he have to be here in the Anbu Division? This was a place of real danger, not a child's playground. Kuchigi hoped that Satoru would be sensible and not slow them down.
But to Kuchigi's frustration, Satoru had been late on the first day of the mission. His impatience was only growing.
"Don't be in such a hurry, it's just the right time," Satoru said slowly, clearly annoyed.
He took the last bite of his three-color ball and let out a sigh. Was this really what he had signed up for?
Seeing this, Kuchigi's face darkened.
"This is a mission now! You'd better be focused!" Kuchigi snapped.
The Anbu Division had never seen someone like him.
Kiyota Sato, who was standing beside Kuchigi, smiled and tried to smooth things over.
"You haven't explained the mission details yet?"
While the rest of the team knew the mission's contents, Sato asked to divert Kuchigi's attention.
Kuchigi pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to hold back his irritation.
"Our task is... In short, this task isn't very difficult, but everyone should be cautious," Kuchigi said, adding a final comment to boost morale.
Once he finished speaking, the team nodded in agreement.
At this point, Satoru fell in line with the rest of the group.
However, Kuchigi couldn't help but notice the stark difference in height and appearance between Satoru and the other members of the Anbu Division. He couldn't shake the feeling that Satoru would be a problem.
Let's hope this mission goes smoothly, Kuchigi thought with a heavy sigh.
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 90 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
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