As the office door creaked open, bright light spilled through the gap, gradually illuminating the dark underground of the Root base.
Sakura Haruno, the one who had opened the door, let her emerald eyes roam boldly across the office, finally settling on the elderly man seated at the desk, seemingly absorbed in paperwork.
Aside from a map of the Shinobi World and photographs of the First and Second Hokage, the walls were bare. The entire office gave off a simple, austere vibe.
"You're here."
Shimura Danzo looked up at the girl who casually pulled out a chair and sat across from him.
"What do you want with me?"
Arms crossed, Sakura stared straight at Shimura Danzo—or more precisely, at the single eye peeking out from beneath his bandages.
That eye had once belonged to Uchiha Shisui, bearing the power of the most formidable genjutsu known as Kotoamatsukami.
It could completely manipulate a person's mind, seamlessly placing them under the user's control.
But Sakura showed not even a trace of fear.
Her deepening mastery of Yin and Yang Release had given her a far greater understanding of both chakra natures.
The Sharingan was, after all, a product of Yin Release. No matter how bizarre its abilities, genjutsu-based Sharingan techniques were the least of Sakura's concerns.
She had endured Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi and broken through it using her own Yin Release.
Even Kotoamatsukami would probably have little effect on her...
Probably.
"Your statement on the Will of Fire was well written," Danzo remarked, his gaze darkening ever so subtly as he slid the document he'd just been reading across the desk toward her.
Sakura glanced at the slightly yellowed page. The neat, assertive handwriting clearly marked it as her own.
One pink eyebrow arched. Her green eyes glinted with defiance as she spoke.
"So?"
Hearing her blunt hostility, Danzo sighed.
"Sarutobi must've told you all kinds of things about me, didn't he?"
Sakura didn't reply. She simply stared, waiting for him to continue.
"Back in the day, I went with Sarutobi, Uchiha Kagami, and the rest to the Land of Lightning. We were negotiating a ceasefire on behalf of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. But we were ambushed by the Gold and Silver Brothers."
"In the heat of crisis, Lord Tobirama said someone had to stay behind to cover the retreat. It would be a suicide mission, but it could buy the rest of us a chance to live."
Danzo's tone shifted as if he'd been pulled back into a distant memory.
"I was about to volunteer... but Sarutobi stepped forward first."
"Thing is, Lord Tobirama never intended to let us decide. He was choosing his successor."
"And because I hesitated—because Sarutobi spoke first—I lost my chance to become Hokage."
"From then on, Sarutobi basked in the sunlight like a great tree… while I became the root buried deep beneath the earth."
Sakura tilted her head, unconvinced.
"So what?"
"You think that's unfair?"
Danzo's expression shifted, voice rising with a touch of suppressed rage.
"Of course it's unfair!"
"I was just a second too late!"
"And he became Hokage!"
"What kind of justice is that?!"
"If Sarutobi had at least done a good job as Hokage, I wouldn't complain. But look what's happened to Konoha under his rule!"
"You're too young to understand!"
Danzo's emotion flared, but Sakura remained unmoved.
We're all adults here...
Wait, no...
You're the adult. Can you not put on a melodramatic performance in front of a teenager?
Sakura wasn't buying it. A man with decades of experience wouldn't be this easy to rattle with just a few words.
"During Sarutobi's term, the White Fang took his own life, Orochimaru defected, Jiraiya and Tsunade left the village, the Nine-Tails rampaged, the Fourth gave his life sealing the beast, and the Uchiha clan was annihilated!"
"Doesn't any of that tell you something?!"
"Konoha only endured because its foundations were strong enough to survive Sarutobi's recklessness. But I—I—couldn't just sit back and watch him ruin it all!"
Danzo spoke with righteous indignation, standing tall in the bright office light as though delivering a speech of noble sacrifice.
Sakura glanced at the paper now speckled with Danzo's spittle and fell silent for a moment.
Great. The paper's ruined. I'm not taking that back.
Also, if you're going to smear the old man, at least come up with a better excuse.
These incidents—can you really claim you weren't involved?
Sakura didn't know all the details about the White Fang's death.
But Orochimaru's defection? The Uchiha massacre? Danzo was neck-deep in both.
And during the Nine-Tails' attack… where were the members of Root? Where were you, Elder Danzo?
Danzo twitched slightly as he saw Sakura's unshaken expression.
He had poured every ounce of his acting skill into this.
Yet this brat didn't even flinch, let alone bow her head.
She must be too brainwashed by Sarutobi!
Damn that monkey!
"So then, Elder Danzo—what do you want from me?" Sakura asked plainly.
"You still don't get it?"
"Following Sarutobi will only end in tragedy. The White Fang, Orochimaru, the Uchiha—they're bloodstained warnings!"
Danzo leaned forward, resting his hands on the table, adopting the tone of an experienced elder trying to guide the younger generation.
"If you're willing to join Root, I'll take you in as my personal disciple!"
"I'll pass on everything I've learned in my lifetime!"
"Root itself would be yours to command!"
Sakura's eyes flickered at that, and Danzo's heart skipped with anticipation.
There's hope!
Of course—a sharp girl like this wouldn't tie herself down completely. Even Sarutobi couldn't win her over completely!
"But the old man is raising me as the next Hokage," Sakura said thoughtfully.
"Are you saying, Elder Danzo, that the Hokage is less important than Root?"
"Or that the Hokage has no authority over Root?"
She furrowed her brow in a show of conflicted hesitation and looked him dead in the eye.
That pained expression hit Danzo like a slap to the face.
The words he was about to say caught in his throat.
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