________________________________
______________
The chapter got you itching for more? Read ahead and get exclusive content before anyone else? Join me on Patr -e-on! Your support would mean the world to me.
( | [email protected]/FictionGoat | )
Read over 20+ chapters in advance.
. . . .
______________________________
______________
Rina's eyelids fluttered open, the morning sunlight slipping through the cracks of the blinds and spilling soft lines across the bedroom walls. For a moment, her eyes squinted against the light as her mind pieced together where she was...and what happened last night.
Her gaze drifted around the room lazily, scanning the empty room. The bed beside her was empty and the room was completely quiet.
A small scoff slipped from her lips as she tilted her head back against the pillow, letting out a dry chuckle. 'Wow… that's a first. I've never been ditched before,' she mused, resting an arm over her forehead. She wasn't exactly mad at him for just dipping without saying goodbye, but it did bruise her ego. Sure, she wasn't expecting romance or flowers, but to have a kid pull the disappearing act on her? Yeah… that was a little embarrassing.
Her lips curved into a lopsided smirk, shaking her head lightly. 'And another thing… why the hell was he so good?' she thought, scoffing under her breath. 'Virgin my ass.' The thought alone made her cover her face with her hand, groaning into her palm. Whether or not it was true… didn't matter anymore. If anything, she… well… thoroughly enjoyed it. More than she'd ever admit out loud.
She glanced down and lifted the blanket up over herself, and blinked. Seeing that she was wearing a set of clean, black silk pajamas. And when the hell did she even put these on? The last thing she remembered was cumming before she fell unconscious.
Her brows raised slightly. "Huh…" she muttered. Despite the initial surprise, she let her fingers glide across the fabric. Guess he hadn't just left after last night, he actually had the decency to dress her before slipping out.
A breathy chuckle escaped her lips. 'At least he's got manners.' Rina shifted herself up, leaning back against the headboard, letting the soft sheets bunch around her waist. Her gaze flicked back towards the nightstand, half-expecting some kind of note. But nope. Nothing.
Still, she wasn't mad. If anything… the mystery only made her more intrigued.
Click… Click…
Then suddenly, a sharp tapping sound pulled Rina from her thoughts. Her head quickly turned to the direction of the sound which was a window just beside her bed. Her eyes narrowed, spotting a small shadow shifting against the glass.
There, perched right outside, was a dove. Right on the narrow wooden frame, its feathers fluffed against the breeze, and tapped its beak rhythmically against the glass.
Her eyes widened slightly. 'A dove…' she blinked. 'Root's calling me in…?'
She quickly got to her feet and with a few quick strides, she slid open the window, letting the cool morning air slip into the room.
The dove gave a soft coo, then dropped a small, rolled slip of paper onto the windowsill before flapping its wings and taking off into the sky.
Her eyes followed it for a second before flicking back to the note in her hand.
As her eyes scanned the slip of paper, it suddenly started to burn, slowly at first, but then faster as the edges curled inward, eaten by flickers of flame.
Rina barely reacted. With a small shrug, she flicked her wrist and let the paper sail right out the window. It crumbled mid-air, scattering into fine ash that faded into the morning breeze.
Not that it mattered. The note was blank, as always. The message was never in the note, it was in the delivery. Her eyes followed the small white silhouette of the dove disappearing far in the distance.
Her arms crossed as she leaned against the windowsill. "A dove…" she muttered, as her fingers tapped against her arm. 'It should just be a simple mission'
In Root protocol, they didn't bother with cryptic notes or hidden codes. Instead, they used something far simpler...birds. It was clever in its own way as it was impossible to decode, because there was nothing to decode. To anyone else, it was just... a bird.
Every bird carried a different meaning. Doves were for basic tasks, like scouting or information gathering. A raven meant higher priority that revolves around political disputes and manipulation. A robin was reserved for high-level intel or assassination contracts that needed absolute discretion. And a sparrow meant that Root itself was compromised, a code-red emergency. In all her years… she'd never seen one sent.
Not once.
Still… even a dove was enough to switch her brain into work mode.
Her body moved as she turned back toward the bed. Dropping to a crouch, she slipped her fingers underneath the wooden frame, feeling around until her hand bumped into something. With a small grunt, she dragged a large metal box out from under the bed, and hoisted it onto the bed.
With both hands gripping the latch, she popped it open. The lid swung back, revealing what lay inside.
Neatly folded was a black cloak, the fabric soft but heavy, stitched with subtle reinforced threading along the edges. Resting atop the cloak was a pure white mask shaped like a rabbit's face with long ears pointing back, and simple yet sharp inked lines highlighting its eyes and mouth.
Rina reached in, and set the mask aside, as she dove back into the box, fishing beneath the cloak. Directly beneath the cloak were the segmented pieces of the standard ANBU gear. Which were designed with lightweight and flexible plating that were optimal for speed and stealth, yet durable enough to take a hit or two.
Piece by piece, she suited up. She removed her silk pajamas and slipped on a full black bodysuit, but with no sleeves, leaving both her shoulders and arms completely exposed.
She then started with her armored vest, pulling it tight against her torso, as she buckled the straps along her sides. She strapped on her shin guards next, then forearm guards, gloves, and finally the utility belt with pouches already stocked with basic tools like kunai's, smoke bombs, wire, and a couple of specialized scrolls.
Once everything was set, she reached for the cloak, whipping it around her shoulders as the fabric draped down, flowing past her knees. Finally, her fingers gripped the edges of the mask. She paused just for a second, letting her eyes linger on it, then slowly brought it up to her face, securing it snugly behind her head.
Rina Yui, while most knew her as the counter girl working at the Genin Corp, that was nothing more than a cover. A mask to blend in. Being a part of the Anbu meant living a life buried in secrecy. Every Anbu operative was assigned a "cover job" to protect their identity if anyone ever started digging too deep.
But Rina wasn't just Anbu. No... she was something deeper.
A sleeper agent for Root...
Root was a faction hidden within the Anbu itself. A secret buried under another secret. Founded and led by Danzo Shimura, Root operated in the shadows of the shadows. Where the Anbu handled the village's dirty work… Root handled the dirt the Anbu wouldn't even touch. Their mission was to protect the Hidden Leaf at all costs. And if that meant sacrificing ten thousand lives just to save one Leaf civilian… so be it.
Root thrived on information. It meant ears in every room. Eyes on every street corner. That's why sleeper agents like Rina were so vital. Hidden in plain sight, gathering intel from the smallest whispers to the loudest screams, feeding it all straight back to Root.
Back when Rina Yui was around eighteen, she was approached by a man named Danzo. A man whose presence alone carried weight. He told her he saw potential, potential that would be wasted sitting behind a counter at the Genin Corp. Staying there, he said, meant living a life stuck in one place, never growing, never achieving anything greater. But if she agreed to work under him… she could be part of something bigger. Something that could reshape the Hidden Leaf into a true powernation.
Back then… it sounded convincing. Logical even. And without giving it too much thought, Rina agreed. Although she only did it so she could get stronger.
But she had no idea what she was really signing up for.
As the years passed, that decision started to weigh on her. At first, she believed in the mission. Protect the Hidden Leaf at all costs, that was something she could stand behind. But the methods... the cold, merciless way Root operated... that was something she never truly accepted. The longer she served, the more that bitter taste of regret lingered at the back of her throat.
But quitting… wasn't an option. Once you joined Root, there was only one way out and that was through death. That was the unspoken rule written between every line of the contract she blindly signed years ago.
Adjusting the mask tighter against her face, Rina walked over to the window. She stepped up onto the windowsill, crouched for a brief moment, then pushed off. She flew through the air before she landed on the rooftop across from her, then again she hopped from building to building with relative ease.
A few minutes passed before she reached a narrow alleyway tucked between two buildings. Right in the center of it sat a worn metal manhole that was faintly rusted around the edges.
Dropping down from the rooftop, her feet hit the ground with a soft thud. She glanced over her shoulder, scanning the narrow alley, making sure nobody was watching.
Rina brought her hands up and moved through a quick set of hand signs. The moment her hands clapped together at the final seal, she knelt down and pressed her palm flat against the manhole cover.
The manhole cover gave a sudden rattle, shaking for a brief second before falling still. Rina then crouched down, gripped the cover and slid it aside. She then swung her legs over the edge and dropped down into the darkness below.
As her body fell, she imbued chakra to the soles of her feet. The second she touched down, she landed right on top of the sewage water, her chakra letting her stand as if it were solid ground.
The air hit her like a punch to the gut.
Her nose scrunched up instantly. A thick, rotten stench filled every corner of the tunnel. The smell of mold, decay, and shit covered every inch of the place. No matter how many times she'd made this trip, it never got easier for her. Her stomach churned, and for a brief second, she had to clench her jaw just to keep herself from gagging.
'Fucking...horrible.' She thought.
It made sense why Root built their headquarters here. It was tucked beneath the village, masked by the endless maze of sewer tunnels, and topped off with a smell so bad no sane person would ever willingly come looking.
Rina pulled her cloak tighter around herself and pushed forward. Her boots skimmed over the murky surface as she navigated through a series of winding tunnels, sharp turns, and branching corridors.
Eventually, her eyes saw a familiar Root symbol carved into the damp stone wall just ahead. Her steps naturally slowed as she neared the steel door tucked into the curve of the tunnel. Yet again she flowed through a series of practiced hand signs. And on the final seal, she pressed her palm flat against the cold door.
With a dull click, the heavy door creaked open, swinging inward.
What greeted her was a stark contrast to the filth outside. A round, bright room sat beyond the threshold, with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the scent of lavender hitting her nose. Right in the center was a sleek front desk, manned by a woman dressed in a crisp black blazer and skirt. Her hair was pinned back neatly, and a file sat open in front of her.
Beyond the desk, on the far side of the room, two staircases spiraled up along the white walls, one curving left and the other right. Both met at the top, forming a circular landing that led to a set of double doors.
She stepped inside, letting the door shut behind her.
"Morning," Rina greeted with a slight nod.
The woman glanced up from her paperwork, offering a polite smile and a casual wave like this was just another normal day at the office.
Rina then made her way up the staircase. Reaching the landing, her hand gripped around the handle of the twin doors and then pushed them open.
Beyond the door was a wide, open office space that stretched wide. The air felt colder here, sterile almost, with the faint hum of fluorescent lights above. Men and women dressed in standard ANBU gear moved through the room, most of their faces hidden behind masks of varying designs. Some sat hunched over desks, drowning in stacks of paperwork, while others moved from one station to the next, clipboards in hand or folders tucked under their arms.
The organization itself was split into four distinct branches, each operating like parts of a living organism. The "Leaves" handled intelligence gathering like scouting, eavesdropping, or surveillance. They were the eyes and ears in the shadows.
The "Branches" were the ones who carried out the dirty work, whether that meant assassination, sabotage, political manipulation, or cleaning up loose ends.
Then there were the "Trunks", the senior officers responsible for processing information, overseeing operations, and assigning missions based on priority and threat levels.
And finally, the "Root" itself. A council hidden behind locked doors, pulling the strings from the deepest depths of the organization. Nothing moved, nothing was approved, and no mission was greenlit without their explicit say so. If the Leaf Village was a tree, then Root was exactly the part nobody saw, but the part that kept everything alive, no matter how rotten the methods.
Rina was what they called a branch member, which were the operatives responsible for handling the less glamorous, dirtier side of Root's operations.
She then made her way past the main office. Walking through the organized chaos of masked operatives, she weaved past a few desks and headed down a hallway. A few more turns, and she finally stopped in front of a solitary door tucked between two plain concrete walls.
Directly on the door was a polished gold plaque fastened dead center of the door, that had the letters engraved on it.
[Senaka Kanzankei – The Seed]
Rina raised a fist and knocked...once, twice, then a third time. For a moment there was nothing but silence. Just as her hand lifted for a fourth knock.
"COME IN."
The voice behind the door was deep.
Rina with permission, reached for the doorknob, twisting it until the door was open and stepped inside.
The room itself wasn't anything special it had four plain walls, a wide desk stacked with reports, and filing cabinets pushed neatly into the corners. But what stood out was the dozens of potted plants lined with wooden shelves, stretching toward the soft glow of a single hanging lamp.
Sitting behind a polished wooden desk cluttered with stacks of paperwork was a man. He had a black button-up shirt, with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing a pair of thick, toned forearms that looked like they belonged to someone who spent more time training than doing desk work.
He had on a white tiger mask, and running down the side of his face were long, black messy hair that spilled down to his shoulders like a wild mane. From one ear, a thin gold chain earring dangled, catching the light with the slightest movement.
"Welcome, Rina..." He said, before he lifted a hand, motioning to the chair positioned neatly across from him.
Rina gave a slight nod and stepped forward, and sat on the chair. "May I ask what this is about?" she asked.
Without answering immediately, the man reached under the desk, sliding open a drawer filled with a neat row of yellow file folders. His fingers flipped through them until he landed on the one he was looking for. Gripping it between two fingers, he pulled it free and slid it across the desk toward her.
"You've got a target," he started, his voice stripped of any emotion. "Your job is simple...observe him. Figure out whether he's a threat or not." His fingers tapped lightly against the desk as he continued. "We figured you were the best fit for this assignment… considering this individual just so happens to be part of the Genin Corp. Makes things convenient."
Rina leaned back slightly, her arms crossing as she let out a soft shrug. "Sounds simple enough," she muttered, reaching forward to pick up the file.
The second she flipped it open, her entire body stiffened. Her eyes widened behind the mask, caught off guard by the photo clipped to the inside of the folder. If it wasn't for the mask concealing her face, her reaction would've been obvious as day. Her fingers gripped the edges of the file a little tighter before she forced herself to relax, shifting her posture back to neutral.
"…May I ask," she spoke after a moment, keeping her voice steady, "why exactly this guy's being marked for surveillance?"
The man laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on the desk as he leaned forward slightly. "Your job isn't to question your mission," he said. But for a brief second, silence settled between them before he let out a low sigh. "But… considering how loyal you've been to our cause all these years… I'll humor you."
Rina gave a respectful nod. "Thank you, sir."
His fingers tapped the wooden surface once before he continued. "Your target's name is Kagemura Kuroshin. You'll notice from the file," he gestured toward the folder in her hands, "his performance in the academy was… well, embarrassingly poor. Below average in almost every category. Even after spending an entire year in the Genin Corp, the same pattern continued, until about two months ago."
He then leaned back. "Out of nowhere, his stats spiked. A complete turnaround. Strong enough to defeat a Chūnin and to complete a B-rank mission. Now, while it's possible..maybe, he's just a late bloomer… it's equally possible that we're looking at something else. A spy, maybe. Someone using transformation jutsu to blend in. Or… maybe he really did get that strong in such a short time."
His masked gaze locked onto her. "Your job is simple. Watch him. Figure out if he's an asset worth recruiting… or a threat to village that needs to be erased."
Rina gave a small nod. "Yes, sir…" she replied, keeping herself calm on the outside, even if her thoughts were anything but.
The man leaned back in his chair, letting out a tired breath as he waved her off with a lazy flick of his hand. "That's all. You're dismissed."
Without wasting a second, Rina stood from her seat and offered a respectful dip of her head. "Understood. Thank you, sir," she said before turning on her heel and making her way toward the door.
As soon as her back was to him, her mind started racing. 'What the hell…?' she muttered internally, her brows pulling together beneath the mask. None of this made sense. Sure… it explained why Kuro looked so different lately, so much so he looked completely different in a week.
'But… could it really be that?' The thought lingered, twisting in her head as she quietly shut the door behind her.
'Could Kuro really be a spy..?' Rina thought.
. . . . .
(I made this chapter because, honestly, I've always felt like Root is super slept on in most fanfics. It's rarely ever touched on, or if it is, it's not explore properly. This felt like the perfect chance to finally give it some spotlight and at the same time, build on the characters I've introduced so far in a way that feels natural and actually matters to the story.)
_________________________________
________________________________________________________
Leave a review and comment!
Read over 20+ chapters in advance, on P@treon.