After resting for another day—and spending some time wandering around with Tsunade—the day of Root's monthly "assembly" finally arrived.
Early that morning, Isamu headed toward the far edge of Konoha. Before long, he reached the meeting point he had arranged with Danzo.
What greeted him… was a run-down, nearly collapsing shack.
Two figures wearing cat masks immediately stepped forward, blocking his path.
"Restricted military zone. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden," they said coldly.
Without a word, Isamu pulled out the token Danzo had given him.
The moment they saw it, their attitudes changed instantly.
"Please enter. Lord Danzo is waiting for you inside."
They didn't even bother checking it closely. After all, no sane person would willingly walk into Root—and this was a highest-level clearance token.
Stepping into the shack, Isamu found a staircase leading underground.
As he descended, he glanced around with mild curiosity.
"Not bad. Even underground, the ventilation and lighting are almost the same as the surface… Looks like Hiruzen has been backing you pretty heavily, Danzo."
At the bottom, two more masked operatives appeared and silently led him deeper inside, straight to Danzo's office.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Enter."
"Lord Danzo, the person has arrived," one of the masked ninja reported respectfully.
"I see. You may leave."
With a wave of his hand, the room was cleared, leaving only the two of them.
Isamu walked in casually, looking around.
"Impressive. The structure, the personnel… not bad at all. Honestly, you could pass for an 'Underground Hokage.' Hiruzen must have put a lot into supporting you."
"There are things he cannot do openly," Danzo replied evenly. "So I do them for him. He has no choice."
He didn't address the "Underground Hokage" comment.
"To put it bluntly, he's just a hypocrite," Isamu said flatly. "Says one thing, does another. Hmph. Hokage are all the same."
There was a trace of irritation in his voice.
"Heh. That's the burden of being Hokage," Danzo said, clearly pleased. "One stands in the light. The other… handles the darkness."
Seeing Isamu's dissatisfaction with Hiruzen only reassured him.
"Alright, enough of this," Isamu cut him off. "When does this meeting start? I've got things to do."
Danzo nodded and opened a drawer, pulling out a uniform and a mask.
"You'll wear these whenever you enter or leave the village on Root business. Inside Root, your identity must remain hidden."
"From now on, your codename is… Sani."
"…The outfit's fine," Isamu said as he changed without hesitation. "Fits well."
"But the name's weird. Sani… Sani… Feels familiar."
He frowned slightly, as if trying to recall something, then shrugged it off.
"That room next door is yours," Danzo said, pointing to a side chamber. "Store your belongings there. Once you're done, we'll head to the assembly."
"Got it."
After putting his things away, Isamu followed Danzo to a large underground hall.
More than two hundred ninja stood in perfectly ordered rows below.
Silent. Motionless. Waiting.
"Two hundred, huh? Not bad," Isamu muttered. "Where'd you gather all of them?"
"Selected from various clans, as well as from civilian shinobi," Danzo replied with clear satisfaction. "All elites."
"And they actually listen to you?" Isamu asked, glancing down at them.
"They are… properly guided," Danzo said calmly. "And each one has a seal placed on them."
"If they betray or disobey me, the jutsu activates."
"It kills them."
A faint, cold smile formed on his lips.
"If I ordered it, they would take their own lives without hesitation."
"…Yeah. That sounds like you," Isamu said, unimpressed.
So that's how it is.
Brainwashing—and a death leash.
No wonder they obeyed so absolutely.
Then, the "assembly" began.
"Those who live in the light are the leaves…" Danzo's voice echoed through the hall. "And we, who dwell in darkness, are the roots."
"Without roots, the leaves cannot survive."
"Therefore, we must—"
(…a very long speech later…)
While Danzo spoke passionately, the crowd below listened like statues.
As for Isamu?
He stood off to the side, completely tuned out.
Yeah… I'm not drinking that garbage.
"Let us fight… for Konoha!"
"For Konoha!" the crowd roared in unison.
"For Konoha!"
After a full hour of this, the session finally ended.
Back in the office—
"I'll be honest," Isamu said, leaning casually against the wall. "Root should have more people than this."
"Most of them are deployed," Danzo explained. "Gathering intelligence. In the darkness, information is everything."
"Ah. That explains it."
Then Isamu narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You're not selling out the village's intel, are you?"
"Hmph. Don't insult me," Danzo replied coldly. "Whatever else I may be, I would never betray Konoha."
"Our problems are handled internally. There's no need to involve outsiders."
"…Good," Isamu said after a moment. "If you were that kind of person, I wouldn't be working with you."
He studied Danzo's expression carefully.
No hesitation. No cracks.
Looks like he means it.
For all his flaws, Danzo still had a bottom line.
That alone put him above certain fools who had been manipulated from the shadows.
"Pack your things," Danzo said, pulling out a file. "I have a mission for you. You'll be leaving the village."
"Already?" Isamu raised a brow, taking the folder. "First day in Root and I'm getting sent out?"
He opened it and scanned the contents.
"Kato Tsuru… Cloud-nin… Elite Jonin."
"Correct," Danzo said. "He's been operating in the Land of Fire, collecting secret techniques to take back to the Land of Lightning."
"We cannot allow that."
"The target is strong. An Elite Jonin is not easily dealt with."
"You're the only one I can rely on to handle this cleanly."
Isamu closed the file slowly.
"Dead or alive?" he asked.
"Stop him at all costs," Danzo replied. "Recover any stolen techniques if possible. If not… it doesn't matter."
"They're expendable."
A faint smile tugged at Isamu's lips.
"Understood."
"Sounds like a simple enough job."
---
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