I had no time to play word games with Danzo, and I was in no mood for it. What I wanted was simple: the safety of my parents and to take them away from this place, the Root base. Looking directly at Danzo, I immediately asked, "Where are my parents?"
Danzo studied me carefully with his single visible eye, as if trying to peel away every layer and understand exactly what kind of person stood before him. After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"I am Danzo Shimura. I am the darkness of Konoha. I live in the shadows of Konoha. If Konoha is a tree, then the root of this tree is us, the Root. I protect this village while remaining in the shadows, eliminating any hidden threat or danger that might approach Konoha from any direction. And currently, you are such an uncertain factor..."
I didn't even bother listening to the rest of his speech. The moment he began his self-introduction, irritation built rapidly inside me, and by the middle of it, I had completely tuned him out. The more he talked, the more annoyed I became, until I finally cut him off.
"Do you have some screw loose?" I asked bluntly. "Why the fuck are you introducing yourself? Did I fucking ask for your introduction? No, right? Then why the fuck are you introducing yourself? Bring my parents to me, and I'll be on my way, and you can remain here in the shadows, protecting the village safely... from the shadows."
The crosswalk fell silent for a brief moment. Danzo narrowed his eye slightly, acting as though he hadn't even heard the curses directed at him, or perhaps he simply didn't care. Instead, he calmly posed another question. "Why did you hide your strength?"
Every word coming out of his mouth annoyed me further. I just wanted to take my parents and leave, yet he continued to ramble about irrelevant things while they were still captive somewhere inside this Root facility. Still, Danzo was the kind of person who would keep talking until he got his answers, so I suppressed my growing frustration and replied in an annoyed tone.
"I don't remember any rule in Konoha saying that I have to report my strength, that I am this strong today or that strong tomorrow. I haven't seen anyone doing so. I am just a civilian. And anyways, it was Konoha's Ninja Academy that rejected me. I didn't hide anything. My strength is purely my physical strength, my willpower, and my swordsmanship. Nothing else. I have not used any Ninjutsu. I don't even know any Ninjutsu because I can't use any Ninjutsu. Got it?"
My patience was hanging by a thread. "Now you have your answer. Satisfied?" I took a step forward, locking my gaze onto him. "Where are my parents? Tell me."
A faint killing intent leaked from me despite my efforts to control it, causing the atmosphere in the room to grow heavier. My patience is limited. If you do not give me my parents soon enough, I'm just going to lose control right here.
Danzo lightly tapped his cane against the floor. A moment later, a portion of his chakra leaked out from his body, spreading through the room like an invisible pressure. It was not enough to attack, but it was enough to make his presence felt.
"Your motives for hiding your strength even after becoming so powerful are definitely doubtful," Danzo said. "But it's not as if you don't have any chance of redemption. Although you may very well be a spy trained by another village and receiving resources from unknown parties, I am still willing to give you a chance to prove your loyalty to Konoha. Submit to me. Work for me, and you can take your parents away from here safely and live a good and normal life."
I sneered inwardly the second those words left his mouth. A good life? After becoming a member of Root? That's a funny joke.
A faint chuckle escaped my mouth, filled with far more anger than amusement. "First," I said, "I am not some loyal ninja of Konoha, and neither will I become a running dog for anyone else. Second, you didn't bring me here, go through all this trouble, and even go as far as kidnapping my parents just to hear three or four words from me like 'I submit to you' or 'I will be loyal to you,' right? You must be planning to leave some sort of means to control me. Poison, I guess. You'll give me some poison and make me dependent on antidotes if I want to survive. That way, you'll be able to keep me under your control and call it loyalty to Konoha."
I let out another cold laugh. "And let me tell you this: that's not happening. I don't like being controlled by anyone. I do not like being anyone's dog."
Danzo smiled faintly, his expression barely changing, as though everything was proceeding exactly according to his expectations. It was the smile of a man who believed he still held all the cards.
"I know your weakness," Danzo said emotionlessly. "It is your parents, right? I am giving you this chance to submit to me. But if you do not, if you choose not to submit to me, then your parents will die first. After that, you will also die tonight. I will remove any threat that comes in the direction of Konoha."
His threat hung heavily in the air. I remained silent for a few moments as the room turned dead quiet and several Root ninjas subtly tensed. Danzo continued to watch me calmly.
Then, suddenly, I couldn't help myself. "Hahaha!"
My laughter echoed through the room, causing several Root ninjas present to frown. The more I laughed, the colder my eyes became. Eventually, the laughter died down, and I looked directly at Danzo.
"Well, yes, my parents are my weakness," I admitted without hesitation. "But you know something? I am a vengeful person. I don't like anyone's leash around my neck. If I have to spend the rest of my life living as someone else's dog because my parents' safety is being used against me, then that's not happening."
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on my face. "As I said, I am a vengeful person. I believe in vengeance. You can try to kill my parents." My eyes swept across everyone present in the room. "And if you succeed in killing my parents, then I will slaughter everyone here. None of you will leave this place alive in one piece."
Murderous intent surged from me, forcing the surrounding Root ninjas to instinctively shift into combat stances, their hands moving to their weapons.
I kept my eyes locked onto Danzo. "I will cut you all into pieces."
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