By the Campfire in the Dark Forest
Biwa Jūzō slowly opened his eyes, his first instinct to scan his surroundings with vigilance.
Only when he saw Uchiha Itachi sitting by the fire did he finally relax.
"What happened?"
"You hit your head and have been unconscious for five hours."
Jūzō shook his head, still feeling a lingering dizziness. It was only then that he noticed the unconscious figure of the Fourth Mizukage lying beneath a nearby tree, shrouded in darkness.
"You're really something else." He couldn't help but praise.
For Itachi to capture the Fourth Mizukage alone was beyond his expectations. Having such a powerful teammate wasn't a bad feeling at all.
...
Kirigakure felt lifeless, its very atmosphere heavy with oppression. Even the people walking the streets moved hastily, their faces full of unease.
Whenever they encountered a shinobi, they either turned away or avoided eye contact altogether.
More than a decade of bloodshed had twisted the village to its core. The brutal policies had left lasting psychological scars, and incidents of shinobi killing civilians had become disturbingly common.
As punishment, such shinobi were merely assigned high-risk missions—if they survived, that was the end of it.
Even among shinobi, mutual slaughter was an everyday occurrence.
At the heart of Kirigakure stood an administrative building responsible for handling civilian affairs.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in." A gentle female voice called from inside.
When the visitor entered, Mei Terumī's eyes immediately lit up. She instinctively set aside the documents she had been reviewing.
Tall, handsome, and exuding an air of refinement—he was exactly her type. Just looking at him felt pleasant.
Too bad he seemed to be just an ordinary villager. Otherwise...
"How can I help you?" Mei asked with a warm smile, her eyes narrowing slightly, radiating a sweet, almost seductive allure.
Normally, she would have passed such a trivial matter to her subordinates. But lately, she had started to appreciate fostering closer ties with the villagers.
Danzō, standing before her, wore an odd expression. This woman… seemed to have some inappropriate thoughts about him.
"I hear you're preparing for a coup. I can help."
Mei's gentle demeanor instantly turned icy, her gaze filled with killing intent.
A flood of thoughts raced through her mind—had her plan been leaked?
"Don't be like that. I much prefer the gentler version of you."
"Who are you?"
She couldn't sense a single trace of chakra from this man, making it impossible to gauge his strength.
"That's not important. What matters is that I can assist you." Danzō calmly walked to the desk and took a seat across from her.
Only then did he take a moment to examine Mei more closely. She was indeed beautiful, and the amount of chakra in her body had already reached Kage level.
"No need to be so on guard. If I had ill intentions, even you wouldn't…"
Suddenly, she felt his presence locking onto her.
Every instinct screamed that even the slightest movement could mean instant death.
Only when the suffocating pressure disappeared did she let out a breath, her heart still pounding. A deep sense of wariness took root as she gazed at the man before her.
"Trust me, I come with good intentions." Danzō smiled at her.
"I find it hard to believe that someone hiding in the shadows brings good intentions."
"Oh? Then let me introduce myself. I come from an underground organization within the shinobi world, one that seeks to bring order and stability to the chaos..."
He leaned back slightly.
"Of course, if you join, you'll gain access to more detailed information about us."
"So you came here to invite me to your organization?"
Mei tried to probe for more details, but Danzō simply looked at her with an unreadable expression.
"I think you misunderstand. What I meant was… the next Mizukage will be part of our organization."
Silence filled the room.
"You want to control Kirigakure?" Mei's expression darkened.
"Control Kirigakure? Hasn't Kirigakure always been under someone's control? We don't need the village itself—only a more orderly shinobi world."
Danzō stood up and looked at her.
"I've answered your questions. Now, make your choice… Do you want to become the Mizukage?"
"Wait… What did you mean by Kirigakure always being controlled?" Mei caught onto something in his words.
Danzō chuckled, his tone casual. "Since you were so polite earlier, I'll tell you—just this once. It's exactly as I said. Kirigakure has always been under someone's control."
His voice turned cold. "Now, decide."
Before Mei could respond, an overwhelming darkness engulfed her.
She suddenly found herself standing alone in a vast, pitch-black void…
A crushing pressure seized her heart, an overwhelming sense of isolation and despair consuming her.
Her mind, once filled with concerns for her village, went blank.
At this moment, survival was her only instinct.
"I… join…" Her voice trembled as she forced out the words, her eyes filled with terror.
The suffocating sensation finally receded.
"A wise choice. Welcome to Root."
For a long moment, Mei remained slumped in her chair, struggling to regain her composure.
"Root…? A Konoha organization?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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