The sunset painted the sky in shades of amber and gold, drawing a sharp, distinct line between the heavens and the earth. A breeze blowing from the horizon carried the chill of an early spring evening, lifting the hair at Ren Uchiha's temples.
Ren stood there, looking utterly dumbfounded.
What?
The first mission of a Root ninja was to scrub his superior's back? He had been on the job for less than a day and he was already being treated like a stable hand. What kind of workplace bullying was this?
Ren raised a hand, trying to salvage the situation. "Wait, hold on. Don't you think the Root should have more... urgent missions to—"
"Enough, kid."
Ryoma Aburame shook his head and looked back. His gaze behind the dark sunglasses was sharp enough to pierce through a man's soul. He cut Ren off with a steady voice.
"At least here, no one is trying to kill you. You are wound too tight. You haven't rested in far too long; your body is constantly on guard, prepared for combat even at this very moment."
Ryoma's eyes drifted to Ren's tensed thighs and the way his other hand instinctively brushed toward his back pouch. Seeing the boy in such a state, the commander sighed.
"In that condition, you won't be able to handle the mission ahead."
Ryoma turned away, his wooden geta clacking against the timber steps as he walked toward the swirling white steam of the hot spring inn. "You've been in this country for days now. I assume you haven't experienced a proper Land of Hot Water spring yet?"
"Come. Try it."
Ren frowned, unable to decipher Ryoma's true intentions. He followed tentatively, passing the front desk to change into a yukata. Under the veteran's guidance, he took a quick shower before, inexplicably, finding himself soaking in a hot spring pool alongside Ryoma Aburame.
"Sss... haaa..."
As he submerged his body into the steaming water, Ren felt a sensation worlds apart from the boiling, high-pressure bath created by Tutai. The water sat at a perfect 43 degrees Celsius. The moment he dipped in, his cluttered, high-stress brain seemed to settle instantly.
His face flushed slightly, and he felt every pore in his body expand. He slumped against the edge of the pool, losing all desire to move. After a long silence, Ren turned to the man beside him.
"This is... a bit different from the Root life I imagined. And isn't it said that Root ninjas 'have no names and no emotions'?"
Ryoma leaned against the stone edge and picked up a bottle of sake, taking a leisurely sip. He remained silent for a while before shaking his head.
"How could a ninja truly lose their emotions? Most Root members are the younger sons of clans, forced to join for the sake of their families. They undergo training so cruel it strips their humanity until they become machines—silent killers who only care about the mission. Even in my Aburame clan, one of Shikuro or Shibi's children will eventually have to join. It is unavoidable."
"However," Ryoma added, "I am an exception. And so are you."
Ren raised an eyebrow. Looking at Ryoma's age, he understood. The Root was established after Sarutobi became Hokage, and by that time, Ryoma was already an established shinobi. This Vice-Commander's silent, solitary demeanor was actually a mask for a side of him that few ever saw.
"You know I'm an Uchiha," Ren said, looking up. "The Root and the Uchiha haven't exactly been on friendly terms. Why tell me this?"
Ryoma rubbed his temple, looking a bit weary. "Orochimaru took you as a disciple, but it seems he agreed to certain conditions with 'that man.' Furthermore, on the Rain battlefield, he has other matters to attend to."
"Because of that, for the duration of the Rain Country operation, you have been assigned to my unit. I am accustomed to working alone and I'm not good at coddling subordinates. Village, clan, Root, Uchiha... frankly, I don't care about all that."
"As your superior, I simply hope you can be a bit more honest with yourself. That is the first reason."
Ren's eyes flickered. It seemed Orochimaru had truly paid a high price to tie Ren to his side just to get his hands on the Body Revival technique.
Ryoma paused, lapsing into a long, heavy silence before speaking again.
"And if you must know the other reason... it's because I see a different future in you."
Ryoma looked up at the crescent moon rising in the sky, his voice tinged with emotion. "For people like us, discarding our names and pasts is nothing noteworthy. But even while burdened by darkness, I hope this power can be used for the right path. Even a nameless Root ninja should..."
He cut himself off suddenly and shook his head. "Forget it. I don't know why I'm telling you this."
He reached for a scroll sitting by the pool and tossed it to Ren.
"This is your next mission. At first, I didn't understand why Orochimaru would hand such a dangerous task to you. Now, I understand a little more—but make no mistake, the danger of this mission far exceeds a normal S-rank."
Ren's expression turned solemn as he caught the scroll. It was a green-skinned scroll with a formal cloud pattern, and the wax seal bore the official mark of the Hidden Leaf.
Ryoma opened his eyes, his gaze turning cold and sharp as he let out a small sake-induced hiccup.
"That is all the rest you get. Memorize the route, then destroy the scroll. Burn the contents into your mind. I will provide the full briefing while we move."
"Get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM sharp, we depart."
With that, Ryoma stood up, dried himself with a towel, and walked toward the sauna.
Ren was left alone in the moonlight-dappled pool. He took a breath, broke the seal, and unfurled the scroll.
Before him was a terrifyingly detailed map.
Starting from the Leaf's front lines in the Land of Rain, a path was drawn circling four of the Hidden Sand's forward outposts. It danced on a knife's edge, bypassing these camps to head deep into the Land of Rain, eventually reaching the border of the Land of Earth.
It traced a path past the stone statues of the border, through a secret natural fortress formed by desolate cliffs and jagged mountains. Finally, it arrived at a canyon perfectly suited for an ambush, right on the doorstep of the Hidden Stone.
At the end of the scroll, the mission title and objective were written in cold, bold ink:
"Rain Country Decapitation Strike!"
Target:
The newly appointed Fourth Kazekage—
Rasa!