Crack!
The vermilion gate creaked open as Banzo gently pushed it, revealing a pitch-black void within the square doorframe, like an abyss so deep it swallowed all light. Compared to the torchlit corridor, the darkness ahead felt impossibly heavy.
Without sparing a glance at the others, Banzo and his two companions stepped forward, their figures quickly consumed by the shadowy doorway.
Anko, usually fearless, felt her throat tighten. Her eyes locked onto the darkness, as if some twisted, crawling beast lurked within. Her fear of the Root ran bone-deep. The fact that Danzo had been ousted by Yato and branded a traitor of Konoha only meant one thing: the new leader was likely even more terrifying.
Morino Ibiki adjusted his slightly disheveled collar, his back slick with sweat. He never imagined that pulling strings would nearly drag him into this hellish situation.
Staring into the blackened council chamber, Shiranui Genma reached into his inner pocket, instinctively searching for a senbon to chew on, only to realize halfway that his weapons had been left outside.
"I'm never coming back here," he muttered.
Anko and Ibiki nodded fervently, completely agreeing with their comrade.
Hoo~
Sasuke let out a heavy breath, his eyes glinting brightly without even activating his Sharingan. With his head held high, he strode past the trio, marching confidently toward the dark gate.
If everything was as he suspected, he'd soon become a regular here.
"You'd better hurry. Her patience isn't exactly legendary," Sasuke said with a low chuckle, his body vanishing into the doorway.
Left alone in the corridor, Anko rubbed her chilled arms, no longer daring to dawdle. Alongside Ibiki, she stepped into the heart of the Root's stronghold.
Whoosh…
The moment they crossed the threshold into the council chamber, Sasuke, Anko, and the others froze, their hands clenching their sleeves tightly.
Before them stretched an enormous stone chamber, as if a mountain had been hollowed out. The ceiling was studded with some unidentifiable mineral that emitted a faint, elegant blue glow, resembling a dim starry sky.
Beneath that starry expanse stood a towering, pyramid-like platform, its top flattened. At its peak sat a mysterious ninja, cloaked in black with a crow mask, lounging boldly on a pale throne.
The figure's eyes were like black holes, devoid of light, exuding the aura of a king who looked down upon the world.
Below the platform, countless shadowy figures stood in perfect formation, their postures rigid, gazing up at the starry ceiling.
As the group entered, a sea of cold, masked faces turned in unison to stare at them.
In the oppressive darkness, the Root operatives' black attire blended almost seamlessly with the surroundings. To Sasuke, it felt like only the eerie masks and the dark monarch seated beneath the starry sky remained.
Gulp!
Someone swallowed hard—Anko's toes curled in tension, goosebumps erupting across her arms. Her snake-like instincts, honed through body modifications, screamed in warning. Her throat was so dry she couldn't speak.
Is this the new leader of the Root?
Ibiki maintained his composed facade, but his clenched jaw betrayed him. Years ago, he'd met Danzo, the so-called "Darkness of the Shinobi," but even that encounter hadn't carried this kind of oppressive weight.
Surprisingly, Shiranui Genma, who was usually unremarkable, appeared the calmest. As a former member of the Fourth Hokage's guard, he'd seen his share of high-stakes situations. Still, as he gazed at the dark king atop the platform, he couldn't help but inwardly groan.
Using someone of this caliber as the proctor for the Chunin Exams? That's a bit overkill, isn't it?
The three stood with their own thoughts, but Sasuke lingered at the door, his heart pounding. Staring at the masked figure seated beneath the starry sky, he felt a mix of fear and exhilaration, his body trembling as if electrified. Just sensing that faint aura of dread, he knew the true identity of the dark king.
Hikari was Yato—the new leader of the Root, the monarch who ruled Konoha's shadows!
She had risen to this level without a whisper. Could he reach such heights? Could he one day sit upon a starry throne, looking down on the masses?
Beyond avenging his family, a new spark of ambition and longing flickered in his heart.
As if answering his thoughts, Hikari's lips curved into a slight smile beneath her mask. She beckoned to Sasuke with a hooked finger.
"Come up!"
Her commanding voice echoed through the hall, making Anko and the others' eyebrows twitch. The new Root leader was a woman!
They weren't shocked, just intrigued. In a world where chakra leveled the playing field, physical differences between genders meant little.
Few women became leaders or Kage, though, because pregnancy was a long vulnerability that enemies could exploit. Still, women had their own advantages.
All ninja power stemmed from the chakra seed in the heart, inherited from the mature chakra cores of their parents. A child absorbed power in the mother's womb, forming their chakra seed as their heart developed. Thus, a mother's influence on a child's ninja talent was immense.
Unless the father's chakra was exceptionally potent, 70-80% of a child's chakra seed came from the mother. A highly talented female ninja could birth three prodigiously gifted children.
As a result, female ninja held high status in most villages, especially those with bloodline limits, who were considered treasures—except in Kirigakure, where they hunted female bloodline ninja.
Hearing the unfamiliar yet commanding female voice, Sasuke snapped his head up toward the tall woman on the throne.
Moments ago, overwhelmed by the Root operatives and the distance, he hadn't noticed Hikari's altered appearance. Now, looking closely, he saw her figure, though cloaked, was noticeably larger than usual.
She was strikingly tall, her long legs—clad in combat boots—crossed and stretching over a meter. It was like an amplified version of Hikari, or perhaps Hikari as an adult.
Probably a transformation jutsu.
Sasuke noticed a faint glow on her fingers. Others might mistake it for starlight reflecting off the ceiling, but he recognized it as the life-light radiating from Hikari's body.
He often visited the Hatake clan grounds, partly to train in swordsmanship with Kakashi, but also because he'd discovered that basking in Hikari's life-light sped up muscle recovery after exhaustion—for free. His rapid progress owed much to this "free supplement," and even Kakashi, notorious for his adult novels, seemed less drained lately.
"Kid, the boss told you to get up there!" a Root ninja by the door whispered impatiently, seeing Sasuke hesitate.
To stand beside Lady Hikari was an honor—why was this kid just standing there? The ninja's urgency made him wish he could take Sasuke's place.
It wasn't just him. Sasuke could feel the rising anger and killing intent in the gazes around him, as if defying Hikari's command was an unforgivable sin.
What terrifying authority!
As the room's atmosphere grew heavier, Sasuke didn't dare delay further. He found the steps on the platform's left side and quickly ascended.
The countless white-patterned masks below tracked his movements, their icy killing intent toward Anko and the others fading.
Huff!
Anko finally dared to breathe loudly. Her snake-like senses had been overwhelmed by the pressure. Ibiki worked his jaw, stiff from prolonged tension.
When the room's killing intent had surged due to Sasuke's hesitation, he'd genuinely thought he'd be sliced to ribbons. This wasn't the kind of authority a newly appointed leader or a scheming usurper could command. Yato was far more terrifying than he'd imagined.
Genma, under less pressure, stepped back to stand by the door guard, leaning against the cool stone wall. If not for his different attire, he could've passed for a Root member.
From the start, Root business had nothing to do with him—he'd only been dragged along by Anko. Now that they'd met the boss, he'd leave the rest to Anko and Ibiki, the exam proctors. As a referee, he was just here to follow orders.
If Anko kept stirring trouble, he'd just say it wasn't his problem. But he doubted she'd dare—since entering the Root's hall, the brash snake-woman who'd badmouth the Third Hokage at his office door had turned meek as a kitten, a far cry from her usual fiery demeanor.
Tap, tap.
Sasuke climbed the stone steps, the dense crowd of Root ninja below growing smaller. His vision narrowed to Hikari on the throne—no, wait!
His eyes sharpened. Hidden in the shadows behind her was another ninja!
The figure's upper face was covered by a black mask, leaving only the mouth exposed. Clad in a black combat outfit with gloved hands, they seemed like a formless shadow. The wide chairback and height difference had concealed them from view at the entrance—only from the platform's side could Sasuke spot them.
"That's Yune Torune, your future mission teammate," Hikari said, noticing Sasuke's gaze shift. She gestured to the ninja in the shadows, who gave a slight nod in greeting.
Sasuke stared at the tall woman on the throne, a thousand questions swirling in his mind, but this wasn't the time. Suppressing his curiosity, he stood beside Hikari, joining her in overlooking the sea of pale masks below.
He'd never experienced such a commanding perspective—it was thrilling!
"Sasuke, say hi to everyone," Hikari prompted.
Unfazed, Sasuke stepped forward, his eyes blazing crimson with the Sharingan as he addressed the Root members below.
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. As of today, I'm officially joining the Root."
A ripple of unrest spread through the crowd. Almost everyone present had been involved in the Uchiha massacre, making them all too familiar with the clan's sole survivor.
Their gazes turned strange.
Many had bloodied their hands with Uchiha lives, yet here was Sasuke, who should've been the Root's sworn enemy, announcing his membership in front of them all.
It felt… bizarre.
Some shared Arashi's view: the Uchiha and the Root were both victims of Danzo's schemes. Sasuke joining to hunt Danzo made sense. Regardless of their thoughts, their gazes softened.
Unaware of the crowd's musings, Sasuke coolly introduced himself with his Sharingan active, then stepped back to stand beside Torune, flanking Hikari's throne like two guardian deities.
With that, Sasuke was officially part of the Root. Hikari nodded in satisfaction.
Once she captured Danzo and "interrogated" him for the truth behind the Uchiha massacre, she could reveal it to Sasuke. Years of built-up trust, plus the gratitude for vengeance, would ensure his loyalty.
Naruto was her loyal follower, but his personality couldn't handle the darker tasks. Sasuke's addition to the Root filled that gap perfectly.
With Indra and Asura under her command, she had an extra layer of security, even if she couldn't defeat Kaguya.
"Back to business," Hikari continued. "Banzo, you'll monitor the Water Country ninja. Butterfly, Wind, your sensory team will coordinate overall defense and link the surveillance squads."
Banzo, Butterfly, and Yamanaka Wind bowed in acknowledgment.
This major meeting of all Root members wasn't called for Sasuke—it just happened to coincide with his arrival.
That morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen had announced the Five Village Joint Exams to Konoha's jounin.
Hikari had received orders from Suzaku: with so many ninja attending the exams and the Anbu stretched thin, the Root needed to step in to maintain Konoha's security and monitor foreign ninja.
Protecting Konoha was the Root's core mission, and with three forbidden jutsu from Hiruzen as payment, Hikari had to ensure the Chunin Exams ran smoothly.
She delegated her Flying Thunder God training to a shadow clone and called this meeting to organize the village's defense. Then, her main body informed her that Sasuke had been lured with a thunder blade and the Mangekyo Sharingan, signing a "contract" to join the Root and retrieve the blade.
Before she could process Sasuke's recruitment, perimeter guards reported that Anko and her group had arrived to discuss exam matters.
Being the King of Darkness was busy!
As time ticked by, Hikari meticulously arranged defense, surveillance, inspections, and patrols. The Root meeting neared its end.
"The number of foreign personnel is uncertain, so we're working with rough estimates for now. We'll adjust dynamically based on actual numbers," Hikari said, gripping the armrests and scanning the crowd. "Any questions about your assignments?"
No one spoke. Satisfied, she nodded.
"Dismissed!"
"Yes!" the Root ninja replied in unison. A flurry of smoke erupted as they vanished with Body Flicker, leaving only Anko, Ibiki, and Genma by the door.
Relieved the long meeting was over, Ibiki stepped forward with a scroll, ready to speak. But before he could, the mysterious Root leader raised a hand, silencing him once more.