Chapter 65 (Patreon)

Two days later, night had already fallen over Konoha.

Beneath the cover of darkness, Yujiro led Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi toward one of Root’s concealed entrances.

Minato had already provided him with everything he knew about the location. Even so, there was little information about what awaited them underground. Root’s bases had been constructed specifically to prevent outsiders from navigating them.

The four shinobi slipped through the darkness without making a sound.

Not even the ANBU stationed elsewhere in the village noticed their passing.

Yujiro was already capable of fighting at the level of a Kage. Kakashi was an elite jōnin, while Shisui possessed comparable skill even without relying on the Mangekyō Sharingan. If Shisui used the full power of his eyes, his combat strength would rise even further.

Among them, Itachi was currently the weakest.

Even then, his abilities had already reached the level of an elite chūnin despite his young age.

Yujiro had no intention of leaving him behind merely because he lacked experience.

Once Itachi awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, his strength would undergo a tremendous transformation. More importantly, Itachi had already become one of Yujiro’s most devoted followers.

If Yujiro ordered him to turn his blade against Konoha, Itachi would likely obey without hesitation.

That was simply how deeply Itachi trusted him.

The infiltration proceeded smoothly.

Before long, all four had entered Root’s underground headquarters.

Several Root shinobi patrolled the passageways, but none managed to raise an alarm. The moment they encountered Shisui, their awareness was swallowed by his genjutsu.

They collapsed silently, never realizing that an enemy had passed them.

Shisui’s skill with genjutsu even surpassed Itachi’s. Leaving the patrols to him was the safest option.

Yujiro closed his eyes and released his chakra perception.

His awareness spread through the underground complex in an instant.

Walls, corridors, concealed chambers, and sealed passages appeared within his mind, forming a three-dimensional image of the entire facility.

He could sense every Root shinobi inside.

Their chakra levels, affinities, and locations were all laid bare before him.

Then he found what they had come for.

“There.”

Yujiro opened his eyes.

A particularly strong chakra signature could be felt in the deepest section of the base.

The boy named Tenzo could not draw out even a fraction of Hashirama Senju’s power. Nevertheless, his chakra still stood out clearly among the ordinary members of Root.

The facility’s passageways twisted in countless directions. False corridors, hidden doors, and underground shafts had been arranged to disorient intruders.

With Yujiro guiding them, however, the group advanced rapidly toward the deepest level.

They eventually entered a narrow passage where the air suddenly grew cold.

It was not an ordinary chill.

A suffocating presence crept through the darkness, making Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi instinctively tense.

Yujiro remained unaffected.

He already knew who was approaching.

There was only one shinobi in Konoha whose chakra carried such an unsettling presence.

Orochimaru.

“You three keep moving,” Yujiro said quietly. “I’ll deal with this.”

Shisui glanced toward the darkness ahead before nodding.

“Understood. Once we find Tenzo, we’ll return here.”

He did not waste time asking unnecessary questions. Together with Kakashi and Itachi, he continued deeper into the base.

Their footsteps soon disappeared.

A few moments later, another set of footsteps echoed through the passage.

Yujiro casually walked forward to meet them.

The corridor was almost completely dark, but darkness meant little to him. After repeatedly breaking through his Limiter, each of his senses had developed far beyond ordinary human limits.

It was not quite as clear as daylight, but he could still see every detail around him.

A pale figure emerged from the shadows.

Orochimaru approached at an unhurried pace, his golden snake-like eyes fixed on Yujiro.

“Yujiro-kun,” he said softly. “I wasn’t expecting to find you in a place like this.”

His voice remained calm, but his eyes had already sharpened.

Orochimaru could not help wondering whether Minato had sent Yujiro to investigate his human experimentation.

Yujiro smiled faintly.

“There’s no need to look so suspicious, Orochimaru.”

“Oh?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to take a walk.”

Yujiro glanced around the dark corridor.

“Root seemed as good a place as any.”

A thin smile appeared on Orochimaru’s face.

“You chose quite an unusual route for an evening stroll.”

“Perhaps.”

Yujiro looked directly into his eyes.

“Since I’m already here, I thought I might take a look at your research.”

Orochimaru studied him in silence.

Then, to Yujiro’s mild surprise, he stepped aside.

“Very well. Follow me.”

Yujiro’s smile deepened slightly.

He agreed that easily?

Orochimaru had most likely realized that his time in Konoha was running out. Minato’s people were already watching him, and evidence of his experiments would eventually surface.

His preparations to leave the village were probably almost complete.

Allowing Yujiro to see his laboratory was not an act of trust. Orochimaru was simply preparing another possible path for his future.

That was exactly like him.

Always planning something devious or searching for the next opportunity.

Yujiro followed Orochimaru through the long underground passage until they arrived at a hidden laboratory.

Various instruments filled the room. Tubes, research equipment, preserved samples, and documents were scattered throughout the chamber.

Most of the machinery was unfamiliar to Yujiro.

Orochimaru stopped beside one of the tables.

“I intend to leave Konoha in half a month.”

He spoke as casually as though he were discussing the weather.

Yujiro looked at him but showed no surprise.

Orochimaru turned around.

“My previous offer still stands. Are you certain you won’t come with me?”

“I already gave you my answer.”

Yujiro’s expression remained calm.

“You believe Konoha’s darkness will eventually swallow anyone who remains here.”

A faint gleam appeared in Orochimaru’s eyes.

“And you disagree?”

“No.”

Yujiro shook his head.

“I simply know that it can’t swallow me.”

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

“Do you truly understand how deep that darkness runs?”

“I understand well enough.”

Yujiro smiled.

In the end, it was only Danzō Shimura.

At worst, Hiruzen Sarutobi might also become involved.

Yujiro had no reason to fear either of them.

If anything, he was curious to see what kind of plan they would devise against him.

Orochimaru watched his expression before releasing a quiet laugh.

“I see. Then I won’t attempt to persuade you again.”

He turned toward one of the tables.

“My new base will be located in the Land of Rice Fields. Should Konoha ever become too troublesome, you’re welcome to find me.”

His smile widened.

“I’ll be waiting, Yujiro-kun.”

Yujiro merely nodded.

There was nothing else in the laboratory that interested him, so he turned and left.

Behind him, a strange excitement gradually appeared in Orochimaru’s eyes.

He was eager to see what would happen when Yujiro finally clashed with Danzō—the man Orochimaru himself had helped strengthen through forbidden research.

That was one reason he had allowed Yujiro to leave so easily.

If Yujiro lost, then it would prove that his current power was still insufficient to overcome the Sharingan and the methods Orochimaru had prepared for Danzō.

In that case, Orochimaru would continue pursuing an Uchiha body as his future vessel.

But if Yujiro won...

Orochimaru’s pupils narrowed into thin slits.

His excitement became almost impossible to suppress.

Then Yujiro’s body would be far more valuable than any Sharingan.

One day, Orochimaru would claim that body for himself.

Yujiro understood Orochimaru’s intentions perfectly.

He simply did not care.

Orochimaru could scheme as much as he wished.

He was not a threat.

By the time Yujiro returned to the passage, several figures were approaching from the opposite direction.

Shisui was carrying an unconscious boy, while Kakashi and Itachi watched their surroundings.

“Yujiro.”

Shisui nodded once.

Yujiro examined the unconscious boy with his senses.

Tenzo had merely been placed under genjutsu. There were no serious injuries.

A large scroll was also strapped across Shisui’s back.

It contained the Wood Release techniques left behind by the First Hokage.

“We have what we came for,” Shisui said.

“Then we’re done here.”

Yujiro turned toward the exit.

“Let’s move.”

The four immediately withdrew from the underground facility with Tenzo and the scroll.

The mission had gone almost too smoothly.

It was not because Root’s shinobi lacked vigilance. They had simply never considered the possibility that anyone would dare infiltrate their headquarters.

Even Danzō probably believed his base was untouchable.

By the time Root realized what had happened, Yujiro’s team was already gone.

The following morning, Tenzo slowly regained consciousness in Konoha Hospital.

The moment his eyes opened, his entire body tensed.

He tore away the blanket and formed a hand seal without checking his surroundings.

“Wood Release: Cutting Technique!”

Wooden branches burst from the floor and surged toward the people standing in front of him.

Yujiro casually swept one hand through the air.

The branches shattered before they could reach anyone.

He looked at the scattered pieces of wood.

This level of Wood Release did not contain even one percent of Hashirama Senju’s true power.

Still, there was no mistaking it.

“So it really is Wood Release,” Minato said.

The Fourth Hokage stared at Tenzo in undisguised shock.

Even after reading Yujiro’s report, witnessing the technique with his own eyes was something else entirely.

“Danzō wanted that power for himself,” Yujiro said. “Wood Release was once capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails. That alone made Tenzo valuable to him.”

He walked closer to the bed.

Tenzo had not been branded with Danzō’s Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. However, years of conditioning and genjutsu had stripped away much of his individuality.

Several of his memories had also been sealed.

Yujiro looked toward Shisui.

“Can you remove it?”

Shisui stepped forward.

“I’ll try.”

The three tomoe of his Sharingan appeared as he knelt beside Tenzo.

Their eyes met.

Shisui carefully entered Tenzo’s mind and began dismantling the genjutsu seals one by one.

It was delicate work. Forcing them apart could damage the memories hidden beneath them.

The room remained silent.

Ten minutes later, a faint light returned to Tenzo’s vacant eyes.

Then the memories came flooding back.

None of them were pleasant.

He remembered being abducted.

He remembered Orochimaru’s laboratory.

He remembered the other children who had been used alongside him.

One by one, they had died during the experiments.

In the end, Tenzo had been the only survivor.

His breathing became uneven as fragments of those memories flashed through his mind.

Yujiro glanced toward Kakashi.

“Kakashi, I’ll leave him with you.”

Kakashi looked at Tenzo in silence.

For reasons he could not explain, the sight of the boy left an uncomfortable heaviness in his chest.

Perhaps it was because he understood what it meant to be shaped into a weapon before ever having the chance to live as a child.

Kakashi gave a quiet nod.

“All right.”

Deep beneath Konoha, a roar shook Root’s headquarters.

“Impossible!”

Danzō’s fist struck the armrest of his chair.

“A person does not simply disappear from a secured facility!”

The Root shinobi kneeling before him lowered their heads.

“You were assigned to guard this base. Explain how none of you noticed an intruder!”

No one answered.

Danzō’s face twisted with fury.

That morning, he had discovered that the boy he had spent years cultivating as the successor to Wood Release had vanished.

Danzō had not been present at Root the previous night. He had been meeting with Hiruzen, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado to discuss Konoha’s internal affairs.

When he returned, Tenzo was gone.

So was the First Hokage’s Wood Release scroll.

Several guards had no memory of the night before, while others had been found unconscious along the corridors.

“Genjutsu...”

Danzō’s visible eye narrowed.

Every shinobi stationed along the intruders’ path had been caught in an illusion.

Some of them were jōnin.

There were very few Uchiha capable of placing so many trained shinobi under genjutsu without raising an alarm.

One name immediately came to mind.

“Shisui...”

Danzō’s fingers tightened around his cane.

Then his expression became even colder.

“Yujiro.”

He drew a slow breath, struggling to suppress his rage.

That boy was becoming increasingly dangerous.

He possessed overwhelming strength, the loyalty of several gifted Uchiha, and now the Fourth Hokage’s trust.

Yujiro could no longer be allowed to act freely.

“I must bring him under control.”

Danzō’s voice echoed through the chamber.

“And if he refuses...”

His eye hardened.

“Then he must be eliminated.”

In Danzō’s mind, there was no contradiction.

Whatever methods he used, everything was for Konoha.

That was what he had always told himself.

Recovering Tenzo by force was no longer possible.

Minato had undoubtedly learned of the boy’s existence by now. Once the Fourth Hokage discovered that Tenzo possessed Wood Release, Danzō would never be permitted to take him back.

Even if it meant openly severing their remaining ties, Minato would keep the boy beyond Root’s reach.

Danzō’s composure finally cracked.

“Yujiro!”

His furious voice reverberated throughout the underground chamber.

Later that day, Yujiro stood alone at Training Ground Seven.

The First Hokage’s Wood Release scroll rested in his hands.

It contained detailed records of numerous Wood Release techniques.

Yujiro studied the scroll carefully.

Before he could continue, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“You know, reading that won’t be enough.”

Yujiro did not turn around.

“Jiraiya.”

The sannin walked across the training ground with his hands resting behind his head.

“Wood Release isn’t something you can learn through ordinary training,” Jiraiya said. “Without the appropriate chakra nature and physical constitution, those techniques are useless.”

He stopped beside Yujiro and glanced at the scroll.

Yujiro rolled it shut.

“Your student publicly rebuked his own teacher. How does that feel?”

Jiraiya’s expression stiffened.

He did not need to ask whom Yujiro meant.

Minato had made his position clear.

Jiraiya had remained loyal to Hiruzen and the old leadership, while Minato had chosen to confront them.

For a moment, Jiraiya said nothing.

Then he released a long sigh.

“Minato wasn’t wrong.”

Yujiro looked toward him.

Jiraiya stared across the empty training ground.

“What he said... and what he did... I understand why he did it.”

“Yet you still sided with the Third.”

Jiraiya’s expression became complicated.

“The old man made mistakes. More than I wanted to admit.”

His voice was unusually subdued.

“But I can’t turn my back on him now.”

“So you chose your teacher over your student.”

Jiraiya gave a bitter smile.

“I suppose that’s one way to put it.”

Yujiro shrugged.

He had little interest in deciding whether Jiraiya’s choice was right or wrong.

People were free to stand wherever they wished.

As far as Yujiro was concerned, the matter was simple.

If someone stood beside him, he would treat them as an ally.

If they chose to stand in his way...

Then he would crush them.