The smoke from the pipe rose in spirals.
—The mission rank is Class S. The details are in this scroll. You will act as ANBU from this moment on. You four will be the team in charge of this mission.
The other three nodded seriously, taking the scroll and taking turns reading it. Beneath their masks, their expressions showed determination.
But when the document reached Noah's hands, Hiruzen raised a hand.
—The rest of you may withdraw to prepare your gear. Fox, stay a moment.
The three ANBU exchanged brief glances but obeyed without question. The door closed behind them, leaving Noah and the Hokage alone in the room.
Hiruzen held Noah's gaze for a moment before letting his pipe rest between his fingers.
—There is an additional mission for you —he said at last—. A second mission separate from the team's.
Noah did not react.
—What the Land of Sky is building is most likely some kind of weapon of mass destruction. We do not yet know exactly what it is, but our sources indicate they are investing too many resources, too much manpower, and too much time in that project. Once you locate it together with the team, I want you to destroy it… or, if possible, recover it for Konoha.
The Hokage placed his elbows on the table.
—With your Wood Release and your Flying Thunder God Technique, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for you.
Noah's face remained hidden behind the mask, motionless.
When he was a genin, Kagami had discovered his Wood Release. And Kagami was not the kind of person to keep unnecessary secrets. It was logical to assume that information ended up in Tobirama's hands.
And after his death…
Hiruzen inherited practically all of the village's secrets.
—If that stupid guy knows about my Wood Release, surely with his big mouth he's already told the other three top leaders of the village. That fool Danzo had better not try anything funny, otherwise…
A flash of cold light gleamed in Noah's eyes.
Hiruzen continued, unaware of his thoughts.
—Frankly, you don't need ANBU training. Your level is above that. This mission will serve as a real test.
He extinguished his pipe with a light tap.
—When you return… you will be named the leader of an ANBU squad.
Noah tilted his head slightly, feigning an emotion he did not feel.
—Understood, Hokage-sama.
Hiruzen nodded, satisfied.
Noah turned around and left without adding anything further.
---
The sewers of Konoha breathed in silence.
The sound of water running through the underground channels was the only thing heard in this place. Torches placed at irregular intervals cast long, misshapen shadows on the damp walls, creating an environment where light seemed unwilling to stay too long.
Deep within that labyrinth, hidden behind several passageways, was a large, carefully isolated room.
There, standing with his hands hidden beneath his sleeve, was Danzō.
Before him, three figures knelt in silence.
If Noah had been there, he would have instantly recognized them as his new teammates.
—Report —he ordered, without raising his voice.
One of them tilted his head slightly before speaking.
—Hokage-sama has assigned an S-rank mission. Infiltration into the Land of Sky. The objective is to investigate the enemy's massive use of resources.
—Four-member team —another continued—. One of them is Nawaki Senju.
The third added:
—He has also been given an additional order. Separate from the group. We do not know the exact details, but the Hokage kept him alone.
Silence once again filled the room.
The distant dripping of water became more evident.
Danzō did not respond immediately.
He seemed to be organizing his thoughts.
—I see… —he murmured at last.
He turned his head slightly.
The torchlight barely touched his face.
—So Hiruzen has already begun to move him on his own.
Danzō stepped forward, and the dry sound of his sandal against the stone echoed clearly.
He took a small scroll from his robes and tossed it to the central ANBU, who caught it in the air without difficulty.
—You have a new task.
The ANBU opened the scroll, which turned out to be a map with a location marked in dark ink.
—Take Nawaki Senju to that point —Danzō continued—. Discreetly. Without him noticing.
The three ANBU stared fixedly at the marked point on the map and grew solemn. Nawaki Senju, despite his young age, was no coward.
—Make sure he arrives there without suspecting anything.
The three bowed their heads in unison.
They were ready to leave.
But then—
—And when you arrive…
They stopped to hear the rest of Danzō's orders.
—If you find the opportunity… attack him by surprise.
The silence that followed was heavier than anything else in the room.
The three nodded, and the next second, they vanished without a trace.
The air distorted slightly where they had been kneeling.
Danzō remained motionless for a few more seconds.
Then, a sharp light crossed his eyes.
Danzō had not yet officially created the Root unit as a formal organization.
But that base, hidden beneath the village, already functioned as its core.
The future root that would spread in Konoha's shadows.
He had long since begun to move his own pieces.
To weave his own web.
Some ANBU were already on his side.
The three from before had not been assigned to the same team as Noah by chance.
He had placed them there to carry out this plan.
Danzō turned around and began to walk into the darkness of the passageway.
—Nawaki Senju… —he murmured, almost in a whisper.
His voice was lost among the damp walls.
—Sooner or later… you will be mine.
---
Several days after Noah left for his mission in the Land of Sky, something happened at night.
In the Hokage Tower, Hiruzen was reviewing reports with a furrowed brow, unaware that fate had already woven a web of fire and metal over his village.
It was already two in the morning, and the Third Hokage was still working in his office, as on so many other nights.
While still absorbed in his work, Hiruzen suddenly raised his head and stared fixedly at the dark sky from the window.
Without warning, the sky over Konoha turned a reddish-orange, accompanied by the roar of mechanical engines and the sharp whistle of projectiles diving down.
When the first bomb struck the Hokage Tower, the building shook, the window glass shattered into a thousand fragments, and Hiruzen rolled on the floor before springing up with the agility of a cheetah.
—What is happening?! —he shouted at an ANBU who burst into the room with his mask askew and his uniform covered in dust.
—Aerial attack, Hokage-sama! Unidentified flying targets! They are bombing the center of the village!
Hiruzen stepped out onto the balcony. What he saw left him paralyzed.
The sky was full of shadows.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds of mechanical winged devices soared through the air like swarms of metallic wasps. Their shapes were aerodynamic, impossible for the backward technology of the current era, and from their wings fell bombs that exploded on contact with the ground. Each explosion sent up a column of fire and debris, and the roar of the detonations mixed with the screams of civilians fleeing in panic.
Among the smaller devices, a larger shadow moved with lethal grace. A larger flying craft, with broader wings and a bluish glow on its underside, soared through the sky like a bird of prey. From its lower structure, chakra laser beams began to fire, piercing buildings, tearing through roofs, setting everything they touched ablaze.
—Damn it! —Hiruzen turned to the ANBU—. General mobilization order! All available shinobi to their posts! Protect the civilians and shoot those things down!
—Yes, sir!
The ANBU vanished in a flash, and at once, sirens began to blare throughout the village.