The narrow corridor was dimly lit, the flickering light casting eerie shadows.
"Breathe… breathe…"
Harsh, ragged gasps echoed through the hallway.
Arashi, holding back saliva he dared not swallow, stood frozen as the girl gripped his soft ribs. Warm blood soaked his clothes, staining them a dark crimson. The slicing Fūton (Wind Release) grazed his bones, sending shivers of dread from the inside out.
Iwauma, brimming with killing intent, trembled uncontrollably. Raiton (Lightning Release) coursed through his nerves, rendering his muscles useless.
The three of them were locked in a tense, motionless standoff.
A lone tanto lay abandoned on the floor, eerily casting no shadow.
At the door.
The contrast between black-red and red-black grew starkly vivid.
A pitch-black shadow beast prowled across the ceiling, surrounding them from all sides. Four massive water serpents twisted protectively behind the girl, arching their necks, baring their fangs in a silent roar.
Subduing the two who had lunged at her, Hikari shot a glare at Chō, who was pretending to weave hand signs for a Genjutsu (Illusion Technique). Her gaze shifted back to the two freaks at the door, each with transplanted Sharingan eyes.
Their shadow manipulation techniques likely belonged to the Nara clan.
No hand signs were needed—just a focused release of ocular power to control shadows from thin air. The Nara's secret shadow-binding technique, combined with the Sharingan, produced such a synergistic effect!
With a stockpile of Sharingan and Hashirama cells as support, the Root's secret technique ninjas were far more troublesome than she'd imagined.
"Hmph!"
Feeling the small hand on his ribs tighten, Arashi let out a pained grunt. Blood still flowed freely from his abdomen, and his legs were starting to feel weak.
He hadn't expected her to be proficient in Katon (Fire Release) as well.
No hand signs, no warning, and even the way she unleashed flames was unlike any conventional Katon ninja. Who could shoot fire from their back? For a close-combat Fūton specialist like him, facing an opponent like this was a nightmare.
"All the Root higher-ups are in the meeting hall. If you kill me—argh!"
Her fingertip grazed his ribs, and Arashi's body visibly stiffened.
Seeing him quiet down, Hikari glanced at the wooden door at the corridor's end. Above it, tiny insects glowing with chakra were rapidly crawling out.
Brought here by Arashi and the others, she'd noticed something odd above the door.
There was an Aburame clan expert inside Root. Danzō likely already knew everything happening outside.
She had no intention of killing anyone here.
As they said, killing a Root ninja in front of the meeting hall would be like slapping Danzō's face, guaranteeing the failure of her plan to steal Hashirama cells.
No leader could tolerate such humiliation.
But her actions weren't meaningless.
Strike once to avoid a hundred blows. Showing her strength and attitude was about securing a higher position and resources, not about pointless bravado.
Just as Danzō tried to intimidate her with those two freaks, she needed to show him her stance.
You're the one begging me to join Root. Enticement is fine, but coercion won't do.
Kōtsu.
As the standoff continued, more insects crawled from the door's cracks, drawing everyone's attention.
Buzz!
The Kikaichū (Parasitic Insects) swarmed, soon forming a humanoid shape at the door.
"Let her in."
A muffled male voice came from the insect-formed head. After issuing the command, the insect clone dispersed, ignoring their reactions.
"Yes!"
The two guards at the door responded softly.
The tomoe in their Sharingan stopped spinning, slowly closing. The shadow beasts lining the corridor instantly flattened against the walls, taking the forms of Hikari and the others.
A thin black shadow appeared beneath the fallen tanto.
The shadows in the corner twisted, and the two guards' bodies faded and vanished.
Splat!
Blood dripped.
Hikari slowly withdrew her hands from Arashi and Iwauma, pulling out a spray of blood. Their bodies trembled in unison.
The water serpents tilted their heads, forked tongues licking the crimson from her fingertips.
Chō, unscathed, hurried to support his two injured teammates.
It wasn't that he didn't want to help—he was a Genjutsu specialist, nearly useless in this situation. In such a confined space, facing an elite close-combat Jōnin like Hikari, surviving was already a miracle.
Outside, he might've had a chance, but in this unfavorable environment, even their whole team couldn't take her down.
Step, step, step…
With the obstacles cleared, Hikari waved away the water serpents and strode toward the mysterious wooden door that her Byakugan couldn't penetrate. Chō, supporting the injured duo, hobbled behind her.
At the door.
She scanned the shadows in the corner. Even with her Byakugan fully activated, she detected no trace of chakra. The two hidden in the shadows seemed to exist outside this world.
Impressive.
Shaking her head in admiration, Hikari pushed open the wooden door and stepped into Root's meeting hall.
The hall was a stark contrast to the cramped, dim corridor—a massive hollowed-out chamber, brightly lit, with countless chakra signatures flooding her Byakugan.
A single chair sat on a towering platform.
An old, one-eyed man leaned on his staff, looking down from above.
To his left stood a man in a black cloak, wearing sunglasses, with a purple mark on his right cheek. His chakra signature matched the Kikaichū from the door.
The others, dressed in uniform black hooded cloaks, stood below the platform. As Hikari entered, they all turned to face her.
Their uniquely patterned masks reflected the light, exuding an eerie chill.
Ignoring their oppressive stares, Hikari's Byakugan swept the room, cataloging everyone's chakra:
Kage-level: one.
Elite Jōnin: one.
Chūnin and Jōnin roughly equal in number, fewer than ten combined. Special Jōnin: fifty-three.
Judging strength by chakra alone could be misleading, but barring prodigies like Naruto, it was generally accurate.
Including Arashi's trio from the entrance, exactly seventy ninjas were gathered here—a force capable of wiping out any nation outside the Five Great Countries.
Is Root really this strong?
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Hikari climbed the steps on the right side of the platform toward Danzō under the silent gazes of the crowd.
"Teacher."
Her clear voice echoed in the stone chamber. The Root ninjas below remained silent, staring up at the three on the platform like statues.
If not for the faint emotional fluctuations she could sense above their heads, Hikari might've doubted they were alive.
Thud, thud, thud…
A faint golden-pink emotional glow flickered. Hikari, repulsed, licked her back teeth, struggling to face the so-called "Darkness of the Shinobi World."
Danzō stared at the silver-haired girl.
The two shadow guards and Arashi's trio were his attempt to intimidate her. He'd already learned the outcome through Aburame Ryōma.
Bad news: Hikari wasn't very obedient. She didn't even allow a simple pat-down, rendering his intimidation futile.
Good news: she could fight.
Sizing her up, Danzō hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi's rumors—about her gravely injuring and counter-killing an elite Kumo Jōnin—to be completely true. If anything, they seemed understated.
Who killed whom?
Are Kumo's elite Jōnin really that strong?
Excluding himself, Ryōma, and some hidden experiments, Root had only eight Jōnin.
The two at the door were experiments, plus three Jōnin—five Jōnin-level fighters. Yet Hikari had instantly taken down two, and in that cramped corridor, the other three wouldn't have stood a chance either.
Ryōma could likely do the same, but he excelled at infiltration and reconnaissance, not raw combat power like Hikari.
She was a prodigy—mastering Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and resistant to Genjutsu, more versatile than Hiruzen and more gifted than any ninja he'd ever seen. With her current strength, as her body and chakra matured, Kage-level was inevitable.
Looking at her youthful face, Danzō felt a flicker of satisfaction.
He was glad he'd acted decisively, using Betsutengai (Kotoamatsukami) to snatch her from Hiruzen while her mind and body were still immature.
If she fully matured, short of sealing techniques, he'd have no way to counter her.
"Teacher Danzō?"
Hikari met his silent gaze, her disgust growing.
Is he deliberately staying quiet to make me call him "teacher" so he can secretly revel in it?
Hiruzen Sarutobi really messed up!
"Starting today, you officially join Root."
Unaware of her thoughts, Danzō's hidden Mangekyō Sharingan slowly opened behind his bandages.
Her mind glowed with the lingering effects of Betsutengai. He could sense its power remained intact, untampered.
She wasn't obedient yet, but no will could resist the Mangekyō's power. Turning her into an emotionless tool was only a matter of time.
He was still healthy enough to wait.
Satisfied, Danzō's tone softened slightly:
"All Root members not on missions gather here every weekend for regular meetings. This is a good chance to introduce you."
He gestured to the crowd below.
Introduce?
More like cementing her status as a Root member.
Seeing through his intent, Hikari glanced indifferently at the lifeless Root members below.
She had no qualms about joining Root.
First, she had no interest in the Hokage position. Being a reviled Root member carried no political weight for her.
Second, Danzō's Betsutengai was a perfect shield—she could claim she was manipulated, not acting of her own will.
Finally, once she obtained the Sage Body, it would not only solve her bone-related issues but also let her prove herself in combat. Then, the scholars could debate her choices.
"I'm Hikari Tsuihi, Teacher Danzō's new disciple, officially joining Root today."
Too lazy to play games with Danzō, her introduction was short and direct.
The Root members below remained silent, the room deathly quiet.
"Didn't you hear?"
Danzō's cold voice echoed. The ninjas below snapped to attention, but facing the silver-haired girl on the platform, they hesitated.
"Greetings, Lady Hikari!"
Chō, ever quick-witted, shouted and bowed, dragging the injured duo to follow suit.
Their actions prompted the others.
"Greetings, Lady Hikari!" *n
A sea of heads bowed in unison, their emotionless greetings perfectly synchronized, echoing through the vast chamber.
Despite her young age, Hikari looked down at the bowing ninjas and couldn't help but understand why so many craved power.
This feeling was intoxicating.
"So, how is it?
Your old teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, never gave you this kind of treatment, did he? He didn't even dare acknowledge your relationship!"
Leaning forward slightly, Danzō watched her expression, his right Mangekyō gleaming.
Invisible Inton (Yin Release) chakra activated, its illusory spikes piercing her mind.
Betsutengai couldn't be reused for a long time after activation, but its influence lingered in the target's mind. With ocular power, he could nudge her will. His right eye's Betsutengai wasn't inferior to the left—it lacked permanent will alteration but allowed flexible, real-time control.
The ultimate Genjutsu, Betsutengai, shone brightest when both eyes worked in tandem.
Hikari shook her head slightly.
Unaffected by the Genjutsu and reading his emotions like an open book, she knew exactly what Danzō wanted to hear.
"Teacher Danzō's treatment is a cut above."
"Hmph."
Pleased, Danzō chuckled, his mood visibly lifting.
Having Hiruzen's prized disciple call him "teacher" and admit he surpassed Hiruzen—few things in the world could bring him more joy.
Perhaps only having her betray Hiruzen and help him become Hokage could top it.
"You're all dismissed!"
Having publicized Hikari's status, Danzō waved the crowd away.
"Yes!"
The ninjas responded in unison, vanishing in flashes of Shunshin (Body Flicker). Only three figures remained, limping toward the door.
"Ryōma."
"Sir."
Hearing Danzō's voice, Aburame Ryōma, cold as ice, turned and bowed, his face expressionless.
"Take her to the equipment room for a Root uniform and mask. After registering, send her to Sōtō."
"Yes."
Ryōma's demeanor remained flat.
"Why isn't Dr. Sōtō at the meeting?"
Hearing Sōtō's name, Hikari realized he was absent. Given his position that day, he should've been a core member.
"He's handling more important matters. You'll find out after registering with Ryōma."
Danzō's lips curled into a sinister grin.