At Rorin's home.
Rorin clutched his head, his once neat and flowing hairstyle now a complete mess. With a troubled look, he stared at the scroll in his hands.
He felt utterly frustrated. He had originally thought that with his genius talent, mastering Flying Thunder God would be a matter of minutes. But imagination was full, reality was harsh. After staying up day and night for an entire day, he had only just brushed the surface of Flying Thunder God, merely grasping a bit of its space-time principles.
Glancing at the darkening sky outside the window, he let out a soft sigh. Rorin carefully put away the Flying Thunder God training scroll, then walked over to the table. Opening the drawer, he took out a new type of facial mask, unwrapped it, and gently applied it to his face.
Feeling the cool sensation spread across his skin, he relaxed. Returning to the bedside, he quietly lay down and closed his eyes. Rorin had already come to terms with it—haste makes waste. He needed to balance work and rest.
Before long, he fell fast asleep.
...
Meanwhile, inside the base of the Root organization, Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane as he listened to the report from a subordinate kneeling beside him.
"Danzō-sama, the target has returned to the village. Please give your orders."
Shimura Danzō's expression was dark, unreadable. After a moment, he spoke,
"Wait for the right opportunity. The four of you will act together. Make sure to bring him here."
"Yes!" the Root ninja responded.
Watching his subordinate leave, Shimura Danzō showed little concern. In his view, Rorin's strength at most had reached the level of an elite jōnin. This time, he had dispatched two jōnin and two elite jōnin—capturing him would be effortless.
At that moment, he was already considering how to deal with Rorin.
If he could recruit him directly, that would be best. But if Rorin refused to yield, then he would forcibly use Kotoamatsukami on him. Shimura Danzō had also heard about Rorin's Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai.
Shikotsumyaku—the very symbol of slaughter.
A sinister smile crept across Shimura Danzō's face. If he could turn Rorin into his personal killing machine, wouldn't that be perfect? He was already somewhat dissatisfied with the current combat strength of the Root organization and urgently needed a powerful asset. Rorin's appearance had been a pleasant surprise. Even though Rorin wasn't from the Hidden Leaf Village, he didn't care—he had absolute confidence in his methods.
...
The sun hung high in the sky as Rorin slept until morning. He was abruptly awakened by a knock at the door.
Still half-asleep, Rorin yawned, peeled off the dried facial mask from his face, tossed it into the trash, and opened the door. Standing outside was Nara Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru? What brings you here so early? Something important?" Rorin asked, puzzled.
"Yeah… what a drag. My dad told me to come get you and bring you to our place," Nara Shikamaru said lazily, hands in his pockets.
"Shikaku-san is looking for me?" Rorin scratched his head in confusion.
Though puzzled, Rorin didn't keep Nara Shikamaru waiting. After a quick wash and change of clothes, the two headed toward the Nara residence together.
"By the way, do you know why your dad wants to see me?" Rorin asked.
Nara Shikamaru shook his head, kicking a small stone on the ground.
"No idea. He just told me to come get you early this morning. Didn't say anything else."
Seeing that Nara Shikamaru genuinely didn't know the reason, Rorin stopped asking and changed the subject.
"Oh right, did you hear about our mission to support the Land of Wind?"
Nara Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, I heard about it afterward. What about it?"
A sly smile flashed across Rorin's face.
"Nothing much. When we arrived, a lot of ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village were in danger. Oh, and there was a female ninja… what was her name again? You know her too."
Nara Shikamaru stopped walking and asked slowly, "Temari?"
Rorin suddenly looked enlightened.
"Right, that's her."
After that, Nara Shikamaru said nothing more and continued walking quietly. This left Rorin puzzled, and he couldn't help but think: Could it be that right now, it's just Temari with a one-sided crush?
Leaning closer, Rorin asked meaningfully, "What's wrong, Shikamaru? Aren't you worried about her?"
Nara Shikamaru walked lazily and replied calmly,
"Didn't you say she was in danger? That means she didn't die. And since you arrived while they were in danger, you definitely stepped in. Otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here joking about it with me."
Rorin was momentarily speechless. Looking at the ever-rational Nara Shikamaru, he instantly lost the desire to tease him further.
Nara Shikamaru, however, silently added in his mind: Besides, Temari isn't that weak.
The Nara residence wasn't far from Rorin's home. Before long, they arrived and headed straight toward a side room.
Inside, Nara Shikaku sat alone in seiza, a shogi board placed before him as if he were in the middle of a match with someone.
"Dad, I brought Rorin," Nara Shikamaru said.
Hearing this, Nara Shikaku looked up and met Rorin's gaze, then gestured for him to sit.
After sitting down, Rorin asked, "Shikaku-san, I heard you were looking for me. Is something urgent?"
Nara Shikaku glanced at Nara Shikamaru, who had also sat down nearby. The latter clicked his tongue, stood up, opened the door, and walked out.
Once Nara Shikamaru left, Rorin felt even more certain that something serious was going on. He looked at Nara Shikaku again, waiting for an explanation.
"I learned this from the Hokage. Someone in the village intends to make a move against you," Nara Shikaku said seriously.
Rorin frowned. "Who?"
Nara Shikaku picked up the teacup beside him, slowly turning it in his hands before meeting Rorin's eyes again.
"The Root organization of the Hidden Leaf Village."
Hearing this, Rorin let out a breath of relief. He had thought someone other than Shimura Danzō in the Hidden Leaf Village was targeting him. Turns out it was just him.
"If you're talking about the Root organization," Rorin said calmly, "they've already gone past the stage of just 'planning' to act against me."
Nara Shikaku's expression tightened. "You mean you've already fought them?"
Rorin nodded. He could sense Nara Shikaku's goodwill toward him, so he didn't hide anything.
"When did this happen?" Nara Shikaku asked again.
"The day Kakashi-sensei and I were summoned by Tsunade-sama for the Land of Wind rescue mission. Before that, while I was training outside the village, I was attacked. They claimed to be from the Root organization of the Hidden Leaf Village."
Nara Shikaku frowned deeply. Hearing how casually Rorin described it, he guessed that Rorin had already killed his attackers.
After a moment of thought, Nara Shikaku advised,
"Rorin, you still can't let your guard down. Since they failed once, they'll likely look for another opportunity. Next time, the danger you face may be even greater."
Hearing this, Rorin fell into deep thought.