"Yato?"
The moment that unfamiliar name was spoken, three enormous question marks seemed to pop up over Anko, Ibiki, and Genma's heads.
There were plenty of jōnin in Konoha, especially if one counted the tokubetsu jōnin, numbering well into the hundreds. But someone qualified to serve as chief proctor for this unprecedented super Chūnin Exam could not possibly be a tokubetsu jōnin on the same level as them.
At the very least, that person had to be a jōnin. More likely, an elite jōnin.
A fighter of that caliber would normally have clawed their way up from a mountain of corpses and blood. It made no sense that none of them had ever even heard the name. And the name itself did not sound like a normal one either. It sounded more like a codename.
Could it be some hidden expert from the ANBU?
All three turned to look at Hiruzen, only to find him calmly nodding, confirming that Konome's words were true.
"I've never heard of this person. Where exactly are we supposed to find them?"
Realizing they were not going to get a direct answer from Hiruzen, Anko lowered her gaze to Konome instead. Barely concealed curiosity shone in her eyes.
She had heard of this legendary genius for a very long time.
Elite jōnin was a dream she might never reach in her lifetime, yet for Konome, killing one had merely been a minor milestone back when she was still in her first year at the Academy.
And that had been five years ago. It was hard to imagine how strong she must be now.
Yet compared to the inhuman nature of her combat record, her appearance was no less abnormal.
It was not that her features were especially exotic. Rather, she radiated a kind of brilliance that was difficult to describe.
Her lips were rosy, her teeth white, and her skin smooth and luminous. Even standing in shadow, she seemed to emit a faint glow of her own. It was hard to explain exactly what that radiance was, but anyone who saw it would feel an instinctive sense of ease.
Facing Anko's somewhat heated gaze, Konome replied as calmly as ever, "If you want to find Yato, go to the ANBU Training Department."
She was already used to this kind of gaze.
Ever since she had begun cultivating Reverse Eight Gates, the life force inside her had become so abundant that even though it could not escape the restraints of her cursed seals, it still caused her entire body to give off visible light.
The glow was very faint, like a flashlight on the verge of dying. Most people would not notice it unless they paid attention.
Her Yang Release clone had named it the Light of Life, or in simpler terms, life radiation.
It was not just a visual effect either. The potted plants in her home and the trees in the Forest of Death had both grown with unnatural vigor under its influence. Even birds and beasts could not help being drawn toward her, as though they could gain some sort of benefit from that life radiation.
Of course, most of them eventually ended up drained dry and reduced to yellow soil in the Forest of Death.
The ANBU Training Department?
That was Root.
All three were startled, their thoughts immediately drifting to that group of deathly, gloomy shinobi.
Anko's face darkened at once, faint traces of disgust and hatred surfacing. Genma looked wary, clearly reminded of something unpleasant. Ibiki, though surprised, remained as cold and expressionless as ever, evidently holding no particular grudge against Root.
None of them had ordinary backgrounds. Root was something most people had never even heard of, yet all three of them had crossed paths with it before.
As Orochimaru's direct disciple, Anko had been "invited" by Root many times after Orochimaru defected.
Everyone knew what Root's "invitations" were like.
Threats, temptations, coercion, imprisonment, forced detention. They would use any method available. If not for Hiruzen's protection, she would have long since been dragged under Danzō's command.
That was why, although she called him "the old man" and sounded disrespectful, she genuinely acknowledged him as her grandmaster in her heart.
That kind of title carried a certain closeness.
Genma, who seemed ordinary at first glance, was anything but. As one of the Fourth Hokage's personal guards, he had even received partial instruction in Flying Thunder God. It was only natural that he had heard of Root's reputation.
The calmest among them was, without question, Ibiki. As head of the Torture and Interrogation Force, he often cooperated with Root shinobi. Their ruthless methods and efficient brutality actually left him with a favorable impression of them.
Taking in their differing reactions, Konome quietly committed them all to memory.
In the coming Chūnin Exam, she would be working with them under the identity of "Yato." Learning their personalities in advance would make things much easier.
At that thought, she could not help glancing at the old man beside her.
He really was playing things extravagantly. He had her announce her own appointment as chief proctor in place of the Hokage, while the two examiners, the proctor, and the referee below her would all technically be her subordinates, and on top of that, she herself would still be entering the exam as a participant.
Absolutely unbeatable.
"Why Root of all places…"
Anko could not hold back any longer. She turned to question Hiruzen, only to find him suddenly startled, frantically shaking his head and darting his eyes toward the silver-haired girl standing beside him.
What was that supposed to mean?
Anko blinked, then understood.
It had to be that Hiruzen did not want Konome to know the truth about Root.
After all, that dazzling girl was everything bright and clean. Of course someone like her should not be exposed to the darkness hidden within the village so early.
"Understood, Lord Hokage. We'll take our leave."
Fury rose inside her, but there was no way to vent it here. With a cold face, Anko gave a terse farewell and disappeared in a cloud of smoke without another word.
Genma had not expected her temper to flare that violently and looked awkward at once.
Hiruzen, who knew the full truth yet could no longer speak properly, could only look helplessly at Konome's unreadable expression, silently praying that Anko would not do anything reckless.
"You two…"
He tried to dismiss Genma and Ibiki as well, only to stumble over his own tongue again. In the end, he could only wave them away.
"Yes, sir." *2
Seeing what Hiruzen meant, the two men bowed and left the office as well.
In the blink of an eye, the lively room fell silent again.
"Anko and Orochimaru… they have bad blood with Root."
Patting Konome on the shoulder, Hiruzen finally managed to force out a few broken words, though they were still hardly smooth.
"You don't need to worry. Whatever happened between them and Root has nothing to do with me."
Konome already understood what Hiruzen was trying to say. She could also guess that Root had probably tormented Anko quite badly.
That was perfectly normal.
When Root had invited her, they had used Chihaya Tōru as bait, sent twelve jōnin to besiege her, and Danzō had even opened with Kotoamatsukami without warning. If Root could treat her that way, then what they had done to Anko was easy to imagine.
Anko's current attitude was already quite restrained.
But Root was hers now, and it was no longer the same Root that had existed under Danzō. She had no intention of wearing the black pot he had left behind.
Debts had owners. Grudges had owners.
Anko, or anyone else for that matter, could settle whatever score they wanted with Danzō himself, but they had better not come looking for trouble with Yato. And if they insisted on dumping Danzō's filth onto her head, then she would simply send them to the Pure Land first and send Danzō after them later so they could sort things out on their own.
Hiruzen knew her well enough to understand that Konome was not someone who would take a loss quietly. He could only feel another wave of worry for Anko.
"Black Thunder has already been fully recorded into the Scroll of Seals. I should get going now."
Konome had no desire to remain here as the old man's mouthpiece any longer. With Flying Thunder God now in hand, she was genuinely impatient.
"Wait. Don't forget your duty…"
Hiruzen forced the reminder out as best he could.
The Four Kage would be arriving in Konoha soon. If anything went wrong and the situation erupted into a fight, then with Danzō gone, he alone would no longer be enough to keep the village safe. Even if he were thirty years younger, he might be able to take one or two of them down at most if he fought desperately.
Now that Danzō had defected, Konoha had even fewer people it could rely on. The reason he had used this chance to hand the Scroll of Seals to Konome was because every bit stronger she became meant that much less danger for the village.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Strengthening the floor beneath her feet as she went, Konome only left Hiruzen a casual wave and a retreating back.
Watching her leave, Hiruzen let out a long sigh. He still did not know whether giving her access to the Scroll of Seals had been the right decision. All he could do was hope she would not become another Orochimaru.
At that moment, faint voices drifted in from outside the door.
"Take care."
"Thank you. Sensei's experiments left his speech a little impaired. Could you go in and help…"
The moment he heard the concern in Konome's voice, Hiruzen's smile returned. Though her obsession with research bordered on madness, at least she had not forgotten to take care of her teacher. None of his three other disciples had ever been so attentive.
Much of his worry melted away. Stooping slightly, he turned toward the Scroll of Seals on the desk, now one line heavier than before.
But the voices outside continued.
"Help with what?"
"It's hard to explain. Just say that to him. He'll understand."
The words drifting in through the door made Hiruzen's footsteps come to an abrupt halt. The awkwardness in Konome's tone froze his smile where it was.
Then, all at once, he remembered something.
Konome, who normally acted as a blind girl, was in truth a member of the Hyūga clan.
And in order to navigate daily life without trouble, she kept her piercing vision active at all times.
Crack.
Somewhere in the void, it felt as if something had shattered.
Hiruzen clutched his chest with one hand and stood rooted in place like a slab of stone.
"Heh heh heh…"
A deep, magnetic male voice echoed through the dark cavern.
The tunnel twisted like a serpent's belly. Damp earth and the smell of mildew clung to the air. Danzō, who had spent so many years in comfort, found the cold dampness unpleasant, but what irritated him even more was the man's unrestrained laughter.
"Orochimaru."
His voice rang with anger, bouncing off the wet stone walls and shaking loose beads of water.
"Apologies, apologies."
Waving his hand repeatedly, Orochimaru looked at the dark-faced Danzō and struggled to suppress the corners of his mouth.
It was simply too funny.
Danzō had ruled Konoha alongside Hiruzen for nearly thirty years. He had commanded an army of Root elites. And now, in his old age, he had been stripped bare by his own disciple, driven out of Root like a stray dog through a hidden tunnel, and was on the verge of becoming a missing-nin just like Orochimaru himself.
The thought alone almost made Orochimaru laugh again. Still, wary that Danzō might try to kill him on the spot, he forced himself not to.
"So everything you had in Konoha is gone?"
This time it should have been Danzō's turn to laugh, but the memory of Root being taken from him killed the impulse before it could form.
"It's all gone. Including the ten pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan I promised you. I did not manage to bring out even one."
Orochimaru's faint smile vanished at once. His golden snake-like pupils turned cold. "That is not what you said when you contacted me and asked me to help you kill Konome Taketori."
"Heh…"
This time Danzō truly could not laugh.
"You'll still get what you were promised. If you kill Konome Taketori and help me reclaim Root, not one of those Sharingan will be missing."
"Oh? Are you trying to play empty-handed?"
Orochimaru's tongue slid slowly across his cheek. He was not the slightest bit fooled.
At this point, Danzō had nothing left. Root was completely in Konome's hands. If Orochimaru actually succeeded in killing her, then everything in Root would belong to him anyway. Danzō's promise was worthless.
More than that, this deal was clearly two separate matters. Killing Konome Taketori was one thing. Helping Danzō retake Root was another.
If she truly ended up classified as a missing-nin, then reclaiming Root might prove even harder than killing her.
Not only was Danzō trying to pay with money he did not have, he was trying to raise the price.
Seeing that Orochimaru remained unmoved, Danzō kept his face expressionless, but inwardly he was growing more and more anxious.
The day he had gone to Root's underground training hall and seen Konome immersed in that lightning pool, the monstrous amount of chakra, the body that could bathe in plasma unharmed, and that indescribable fear had all made one thing clear.
He might no longer be a match for her.
After that, he had discovered something worse.
Every member of Root watched the bandaged eye hidden beneath his wrappings with wariness. None of them were ever willing to be alone with him.
In that instant, he had understood that the situation had already turned against him. He had immediately used a snake summon to contact Orochimaru and offered Sharingan as payment in return for killing Konome Taketori, the danger festering inside Root.
Orochimaru had remained silent for three full days before finally agreeing.
That was why, after confirming that even Ryūma had betrayed him, Danzō had abandoned Konoha and come straight to the Land of Rice Fields.
"Double the Sharingan I promised you…"
"I have limited time. If you cannot offer me something with real value, then you should prepare to live the rest of your life as a missing-nin."
Orochimaru was in no mood to indulge this back-and-forth. What use were promises without substance?
At the word "missing-nin," the veins on Danzō's forehead bulged violently. At last he could no longer contain the fury in his heart. Chakra surged into the four-bladed windmill of his left eye.
Genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami.
Invisible Yin Release light slipped through the bandages covering his eye. Orochimaru, who had been standing there with folded arms and an impatient expression, suddenly went still. The golden slit in his eyes gradually darkened.
Within those pupils, a four-bladed windmill began to turn.
"I will say this one last time. Double the Sharingan. Kill Konome Taketori for me."
With his Mangekyō spinning wildly, Danzō delivered the command word by word.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to add this story to your Library, drop a review, and leave a Power Stone if you enjoyed it!
Craving more chapters? Join my Patron to unlock advance releases and dive deeper into the story!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"