"What a hardworking and diligent kid!" The Chunin officer wouldn't have spoken about someone the way a member of Root would. Compared to the other kids at the Ninja Academy, Shiki was unimaginably more diligent.
He had also heard about Shiki's talent from people around him. What truly deserved praise was that a child blessed with such astonishing talent still worked this hard.
Shiki strolled along like he was off on a casual outing. Although in this freezing weather, who even goes for a picnic? No one could understand why Shiki was heading away from Konoha Village.
Suddenly, someone blocked Shiki's path. Wearing Anbu gear distinctive for everything except the chest plate, his mask looked like a bird's head.
"Where's the Anbu tailing you?"
The words were direct, completely unmasked—like Shiki himself had asked the question.
"Maybe he fell asleep?" Shiki smiled slightly before saying, "How should I know where he went? I couldn't sense him in the first place."
The Anbu in front of Shiki thought for a moment. Although he found Shiki's explanation suspicious, it did make some sense. After all, how could an unfinished student from the Ninja Academy defeat a Root chunin?
"Fine! But given the situation, you can't just wander off now. You need—"
His voice cut off abruptly, vanishing into the cold wind as if frozen solid.
The Anbu facing Shiki wore a look of shock; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand how it ended up like this.
"How... How could you move so fast?"
Following his gaze, one would see the kunai in Shiki's hand buried deep in his abdomen.
How could a kid who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy have such incredible speed?
He tried to strike back, because a hit to the stomach wasn't enough to take him down right away.
Cheng! The sound of a sword being drawn sharply pierced the air, ready to deliver a deadly blow to Shiki at any second.
Slish!
The sound of the kunai slicing through flesh rang out, and not even the Anbu's chest armor could withstand its power.
Blood sprayed out in an instant—no one could tell how many arteries had been sliced through in that single strike.
"Why is this happening?"
Those belonging to Root bore no names nor emotions,
No past or future either. Their hearts carried only their missions.
Yet, during his final moments, this Root agent wasn't thinking about Root.
Perhaps because all burdens strapped onto him had finally loosened, freeing him from concerns over the cursed seal and his mission.
In his mind remained only scenes of happiness prior to joining Root.
Family members?
Friends?
Lovers?
All surfaced at once, bringing tears to his eyes without him even realizing it.
"Goodbye... everyone."
With that final thought, the Anbu drifted into a deep sleep.
Maybe for him, this was already a good ending—he'd never have to live through days without love, friendship, or care ever again.
"You don't have to violate your own will either, to kill the people Danzo wants dead."
Sighing softly, Shiki Uzumaki muttered, "It's been a while since I killed anyone. My hands feel rusty." He cast a glance behind and murmured, "Danzo's men should've caught a whiff of death by now." Then he took off sprinting—away from Konoha.
At Root headquarters, an Anbu hurriedly rushed into a dark room.
"Lord Danzo! The chakra of Cho has completely vanished!!!"
"What?!"
Danzo showed signs of shock, as Cho was one of the few Jonin-level ninjas under his command.
Although the information sounded shocking, Danzo didn't doubt it—it came from the top Sensor ninja in Root.
As Danzo quickly reviewed recent events in his mind, a chilling realization hit him—Shiki Uzumaki!
Geniuses are always proud by nature. If he truly sought greater strength, he should've come to me long ago.
And if he refused to join Root, he'd definitely make a bold move—at the very least, preparing for a fight to the death against Danzo himself.
That was exactly why Danzo had assigned a Chunin elite to monitor him.
But Shiki Uzumaki's behavior had been too abnormal—far too calm and composed.
Reaching this point in his thoughts, Danzo formed a judgment in his mind.
"The Uzumaki clan's talent for stealth and restraint is truly frightening!"
After voicing that thought with a hint of fear, Danzo issued an order: "Assign all currently non-essential Root personnel to the mission of capturing Shiki Uzumaki!"
Just after speaking these words, another possibility occurred to him—could Shiki be planning to return to confront Hiruzen?
Issuing a further command, Danzo continued, "In the meantime, strengthen the defenses around the Hokage Office. Absolutely do not allow him near the Third. If he is found, capture him here by any means necessary—even if we must bring him back as a corpse!"
Chapter 38: Defecting from Konoha?
"Emergency! Has Shiki Uzumaki really escaped?" Fu Yamanaka said urgently.
Not only was he a member of the Yamanaka clan, possessing strong sensing abilities,
but he was also the top Sensor ninja under Danzo's command—the very one who had previously reported to Danzo regarding the assassination of the Anbu codenamed "Cho."
At that moment, he was standing inside Naruto's home. As a Sensor ninja, he immediately detected the presence of the Chunin monitoring Shiki.
"Huh?" The Chunin, startled by the sudden interruption, quickly recovered his composure when he recognized his superior officer and hurriedly pointed toward Shiki Uzumaki's bedroll.
"Lord Fu, I have never left this place at all. Under my watch? There's zero way Shiki Uzumaki could slip past me."
The Chunin appeared flustered—not out of fear that Shiki might escape, since he believed firmly that under his watchful eye, Shiki would have no opportunity whatsoever.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>