The deepest region of the Forest of Death lay far from the training grounds, far from the sunlit canopy where genin practiced and instructors observed. Beneath layers of soil, stone, and sealing arrays, an underground structure sprawled in silence.
This was Root.
No banners. No symbols. No warmth.
Only darkness, order, and obedience.
Inside the vast underground hall, the echo of dragging footsteps broke the stillness. The sound was uneven, wet, and slow—like something being hauled rather than walking of its own will.
At the center of the chamber stood Danzo Shimura.
His back was straight, his hands folded behind him, his expression hidden beneath layers of shadow and calculation. The single visible eye opened slightly as the sound drew closer.
He turned.
What he saw made his eyes narrow.
A Root operative—one of the Chunin dispatched earlier—stood barely upright. Both arms had been severed cleanly at the shoulders, the wounds crudely sealed to prevent bleeding. Behind him, bound together by a thin, dried-red chakra filament, dragged the mangled torsos of his fellow operatives.
The smell of blood followed them like a curse.
"…You're still alive?" Danzo asked.
His voice was flat. Not surprised. Not relieved.
Cold.
The armless Root ninja lowered his head and forced himself to speak.
"Mission… failed. The target remains alive. Uzumaki Naruto's alternate personality—Lock—appeared again."
His breathing was ragged, sweat pouring down his temples.
"He has already demonstrated control over three tails of the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Danzo raised his hand slightly.
The report stopped.
"I asked," Danzo said slowly, "why you are still alive."
The operative's body stiffened.
"I… Lock instructed me to deliver a message."
The man's voice trembled despite years of conditioning. Fear—true fear—had carved itself into his bones.
Danzo's gaze sharpened.
"Speak."
The Root ninja swallowed.
"He said…"
His throat worked once more.
"…he said you should wash your ass carefully—so he doesn't dirty his feet when he kicks it."
Silence.
For a heartbeat, the underground base felt colder.
The armless ninja closed his eyes.
He knew.
The moment the words left his mouth, his fate was sealed.
He suddenly lunged forward, summoning the last of his strength, charging headfirst toward the stone wall.
"For Lord Danzo! For Root!"
His skull struck the wall with a dull, sickening thud.
Blood splashed across the stone.
The body slid down and went still.
Danzo did not move.
He watched the corpse with an almost gentle gaze.
"Ninjas exist to sacrifice themselves," he murmured. "If all others died… how could you alone return?"
He turned away, lifting his cane slightly.
"Rest now. I will avenge you."
The shadows behind him shifted.
But before Danzo could take another step—
A thin, blood-red line seeped out of the corpse. It peeled away from the bodies on the floor like a living thing, floating upward, twisting, expanding.
In the blink of an eye, it took human shape.
Three translucent fox tails unfurled behind the figure asa pale-golden chakra flared.
Lock stood there.
Alive. Smiling.
And close enough to touch.
"It's the Jinchūriki!"
"Lord Danzo, behind you!"
A Root operative emerged from the darkness, reacting instantly. He hurled himself forward, trying to intercept.
He was too slow.
Lock vanished.
The next moment, he appeared directly behind Danzo.
The warning reached Danzo's ears a fraction of a second too late.
He turned sharply—shock and fury colliding in his eye.
"Naruto—no. Lock!"
Lock leaned forward slightly, his smile sharp and mocking.
"That's right," he said lightly. "So—did you wash it?"
Danzo exploded backward, chakra surging as he retreated. His hands flew through seals with practiced speed, murderous intent surging.
But before he could complete them—
BAM.
A heavy, precise kick landed squarely on his backside.
Danzo stumbled forward, barely keeping his footing.
"Bastard!" he snarled.
He whirled around, cheeks bulging as he unleashed his jutsu.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
High-pressure wind bullets tore through the air, shrieking as they converged on Lock.
Lock didn't dodge.
Didn't block.
He simply laughed.
"Old dog," he said lazily, "don't leave the house this week. Wouldn't want people mistaking your 'period.'"
The wind bullets passed straight through his body.
Poof.
Lock burst into smoke.
Danzo froze.
"…A Shadow Clone?"
His expression darkened further.
Was that all? Did Lock send a clone across such a distance just to—
"L-Lord Danzo," a Root ninja said hesitantly, "um… behind you."
Danzo ripped off his outer robe.
Nothing.
"…It's still there," the subordinate said nervously. "It didn't come off."
Danzo's eye twitched.
"Show me."
The Root ninja quickly formed a seal, summoning a thin sheet of water into the air.
In the reflection—
A clear, blood-red footprint was stamped directly on Danzo's backside.
Danzo tore off another layer of clothing.
The footprint remained.
Layer after layer—unchanged.
Realization dawned.
"…Nine-Tails chakra," Danzo growled.
It was bonded.
Branded.
The clone had been translucent because it was nothing more than chakra shaped by will.
Minimal damage.
Maximum humiliation.
"Lock…" Danzo hissed. "You are very good."
His face twisted with fury.
Without another word, he barked orders to the remaining operatives and strode out of the hall, his cane striking the floor with sharp, furious cracks.
Elsewhere — Gatō's Cabin
Deep in the forests of the Land of Waves, a crude wooden cabin stood guarded by mercenaries.
Inside, a lone Hidden Mist ninja knelt respectfully before a tall, muscular man wrapped in bandages, a massive blade resting against his shoulder.
Zabuza Momochi.
"…A white-haired Konoha jōnin," the ninja reported. "Masked. One visible eye. Accompanied by three Chunin-level genin."
Zabuza frowned.
"White hair. Mask. One eye…"
His gaze sharpened.
"Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake."
That name carried weight—even among the Seven Swordsmen.
"This complicates things," Zabuza muttered. "For enemies like that… the price changes."
Before he could say more—
BANG!
The cabin door flew open.
Gatō stormed in, flanked by bodyguards, his face red with rage.
"Useless trash!" Gatō screamed. "Your men failed! I paid a fortune!"
"Send stronger ninjas—now!"
Zabuza's sword moved.
A blur.
A head flew into the air, blood spraying across the floor.
Gatō froze, screaming cut off mid-breath.
"We Mist ninjas either succeed," Zabuza said coldly, wiping the blade, "or we die."
"Even if the information was wrong."
He turned his gaze on Gatō, killing intent pressing down like iron.
"I won't pursue your deception."
"But we renegotiate."
Gatō snapped back to life, panic overtaking fury.
"Renegotiate?! You bastard, I already paid—"
Crack.
Haku appeared behind him, snapping Gatō's arm effortlessly.
"I'll pay!" Gatō screamed. "I'll pay more!"
Zabuza smiled thinly.
"Good."
Outside, the fog thickened.
And somewhere far away, a boy with blue eyes walked toward destiny—
Unaware that the shadows behind him had already chosen war.
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