Root, as always, was buried deep beneath the ground.
But lately, it had started to feel... more alive than before.
With the Third Hokage's backing, Danzo had quickly gathered a new batch of shinobi, reigniting the training and development of a Root that was entirely his own.
Danzo poured his focus into rebuilding. After all, Root was more than just an organization to him—it was his foundation, the pillar of his existence.
That said, he hadn't given up on Naruto either. He still made a show of "mentoring" the boy now and then.
---
In Konoha, taijutsu was broadly divided into two styles:
Soft Fist, known for the Hyūga clan
Hard Fist, with Might Guy as its icon.
As for sword techniques, such as the Crescent Moon Dance Naruto had used earlier—those were part of a separate discipline entirely.
Naruto had proven the Third Hokage right—he really did have a natural gift for taijutsu.
No—not just "gifted."
Whether it was Soft Fist, Hard Fist, or kenjutsu, Naruto could master the fundamentals in an incredibly short time.
Danzo had basically been picked clean. With the exception of Might Guy's exclusive Eight Gates, Naruto had learned most of Konoha's taijutsu techniques.
With a single Leaf Great Whirlwind, Naruto had "barely" taken down two Root shinobi. Danzo clapped as he walked out slowly, nodding with apparent approval.
"Not bad, not bad. With your taijutsu skills now, there's no one in Konoha who can match you."
But inside, Danzo was fuming.
"Taijutsu! Taijutsu! What good is any of that?"
"No matter how strong your body is, you can't block a jutsu with fists!"
"That talent of his would've been perfect for Wind Release! He could've inherited my jutsu!"
"Wind Release is the strongest form of ninjutsu, after all!"
"And this brat… He's a Jinchūriki and can't even use the Nine-Tails' chakra?! What a failure, what a waste!"
"I really misjudged you, Naruto."
All the while, Danzo kept forcing a kind smile onto his face.
He was seriously weighing whether he should change tactics—or drop Naruto altogether. After all, what good was a Jinchūriki who couldn't use his tailed beast's power? Just a strong taijutsu user? That was no different from a blank sheet of a ninja.
Without the strength of a Jinchūriki, Naruto would be of no help to Danzo in becoming Hokage.
Once again, the idea of directly controlling Naruto resurfaced in Danzo's mind.
Because yes—Danzo was that kind of man.
If it got him closer to becoming Hokage, he would sacrifice anything.
---
"Uncle Danzo! Uncle Danzo!" Naruto's voice snapped him back to the present.
"What is it?" Danzo grumbled, his tone showing a rare hint of impatience.
And then—he saw it.
A flash of red chakra.
"What's this?" Naruto asked, lifting his palm, now coated in a thin layer of red chakra that gave off a faint, ominous aura.
Danzo's heart skipped a beat.
"The Nine-Tails' power!"
"N-Naruto..." Danzo's face shifted dramatically. His voice warped in excitement, sounding like a duck being strangled. He forced a smile that looked more like a wince and instantly flipped his attitude 180 degrees.
Faster than turning a page in a book.
Classic Danzo.
His gaze was practically glued to the crimson chakra in Naruto's hand. He began praising Naruto and teaching him how to control the power, all while offering non-stop warnings and reminders.
"Make sure you don't tell Hiruzen—your Grandpa Third—about this."
In Danzo's heart, a flame of hope reignited.
Once Naruto completely mastered the Nine-Tails' power...
"Hiruzen… didn't I say you'd regret this?"
"Let's see how you plan to fight me now!"
Danzo got so excited, he imagined himself wearing the Hokage's hat and shouting at the Third:
"I am the Hokage now!"
Unable to help himself, he stood up and waved his arms dramatically.
Then—pain shot through his knee.
He fell right back into his seat, hard.
Groaning, Danzo rubbed his leg and pulled out a medicinal patch.
"Damn it! My rheumatism's acting up again!"
"And the surface base proposal got rejected again."
"Damn you, Hiruzen! You're trying to sabotage me! Just wait—we'll see who wins!"
---
As Danzo grumbled on internally, Naruto, standing just behind him, exchanged a quick glance with a nearby Root shinobi.
The operative nodded and subtly slipped Naruto a small scroll. The other Root members—old and new—acted like they saw nothing and continued their assigned tasks.
After several more reminders from Danzo, Naruto finally left Root headquarters.
---
Finding a secluded spot, Naruto made sure no one was around before opening the scroll. It was small—no more than 18 cm wide—but packed with dense writing.
Most of it detailed Danzo's recent activities and his exchanges with the Third Hokage.
Naruto skipped the useless fluff and scrolled straight to the bottom—where the intel he wanted was recorded.
A single name:
Mizuki.
"So he hasn't been discarded yet."
Naruto raised a brow in mild surprise.
In the original timeline, a year later, Mizuki tricked Naruto—who had failed his graduation exam—into stealing the Scroll of Seals. He was eventually caught by Iruka and beaten to a pulp by Naruto's Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Mizuki's overall strength? Pretty average.
In the anime-only arcs, he received a curse mark from Orochimaru and transformed into a tiger-human hybrid—but even with that power-up, he was still nothing special.
Now that Naruto had the intel he needed, the scroll dissolved in a flash of light—leaving no trace behind.
---
Yes.
Naruto was looking for Orochimaru.
Aside from Mizuki, the only other person in Konoha Naruto knew had ties to Orochimaru was Kabuto Yakushi.
But Kabuto's triple-agent identity was far too complex. Touching him prematurely could trigger dangerous consequences.
---
That night, after finishing a long day of teaching, Mizuki returned home, dragging his tired body behind him.
He hated this job.
Teaching little kids? Pointless.
But with his limited ability, he couldn't get promoted to Special Jōnin. All he could do was this sort of "not low but not high" grunt work.
He had plenty of ambition—just not the strength to match.
A man who couldn't see his own limits.
No wonder Orochimaru eventually discarded him.
---
"Who's there?"
Just as Mizuki was about to undress for a hot bath, he noticed a shadow by the window.
"When did they get there?"
He instinctively reached for a kunai, eyes narrowing.
"I've been standing here the whole time. You're just not alert enough."
---
"I need you to contact Orochimaru," Naruto said bluntly.
No beating around the bush. Straight to the point.
Under the moonlight, the Root mask on Naruto's face gleamed coldly, making Mizuki shudder.
"I've been so careful… When did I get exposed?"
Behind the mask, Naruto rolled his eyes.
"You were exposed from the start. Root knew you'd joined Orochimaru the moment it happened."
Root and ANBU's intel network was nothing to scoff at—especially when it came to tracking Leaf shinobi.
---
"Tell Orochimaru—this is a direct order from Lord Danzo."