Kiyoshi stood outside the Hokage's tower, his injuries mostly hidden beneath his cloak.
Tsunade hadn't summoned him.
But he wasn't here for permission.
He walked past the reception desk and headed for the archives in the lower levels. A single goal burned in his mind:
"Find Root's abandoned labs."
The Archives
Genma stood outside the records room, arms crossed.
"You know you're not cleared for that section."
"Then don't clear me. I'll be in and out in ten minutes."
"Kiyoshi—"
"Genma," he interrupted calmly. "Something out there knows who I am. And it's not the last of its kind."
Silence.
Then Genma sighed.
"Five minutes. I was never here."
Inside the Record Vault
Kiyoshi moved fast, scanning through mission logs and post-Orochimaru clearance reports. Dozens of Root experiments were listed, most blacked out.
But one line caught his eye:
"Sector 9-C, Eastern Forest Border — Facility code: Shinjutsu Cell."
Status: Abandoned. Threat Level: Unknown. Surveillance Halted.
Coordinates followed.
He memorized them.
"That's my next stop."
The Forest Border — Two Days Later
He moved alone.
No backup. No mission scroll.
His steps were slow, measured. Traps might still be active.
He finally reached a hill covered in ivy, almost invisible—until he felt it.
That chakra again. Cold, unnatural. Like a hum in his bones.
He pushed aside moss, revealing a vent shaft and a steel door buried behind it.
A Root facility, untouched for years.
Until now.
Inside the Lab
He forced the door open, and the stench hit him—old blood, burnt metal, and rot.
The corridor was lit by a flickering red emergency light.
Cages lined the walls. Some still had bones inside.
Others had dried blood trails leading out.
He found a broken terminal.
Code: C-12 blinked on the screen.
Then the name:
"Project Crimson Trigger: Chinoike Subject Line."
He stepped back.
Monitors crackled to life.
Old footage played:
A young child—no older than 6—eyes red, screaming as machines hummed.
Another shot—not him. A woman. Possibly his mother. Also labeled C-12A.
A Voice in the Dark
Then a whisper behind him.
"...Didn't think anyone would come back here."
Kiyoshi turned—fast.
A cloaked figure stood in the shadows. A Root insignia partially scratched off their chestplate.
"You're supposed to be dead," the man said.
"So are you," Kiyoshi replied.
The figure moved fast—too fast.
Kunai met kunai.
A smoke bomb exploded between them, and the man vanished deeper into the compound.
Kiyoshi followed, heart pounding.
Down into the belly of Root's sin.
The Chamber
He reached an underground chamber—circular, metallic, lined with pods.
Some were cracked.
Others still glowed faintly.
One still moved.
Inside was a small boy. Pale skin. Red eyes.
Connected to tubes.
Still alive.
"They left them," Kiyoshi muttered. "They left us."
He stepped closer—and the boy's eyes opened.
"Brother…?"
Kiyoshi froze.
[End of Chapter 13 ]