*Under The Starry Night Sky Of Konoha*
"Hey, so you're the 'Leader' that No. 007 keeps talking about?" Tobi, the swirl-faced White Zetsu, eyed the petite figure before him and mockingly measured his height with a hand. "Pfft, just a tiny shrimp. Doesn't look like much to me."
"Tobi, you jerk!" White Zetsu No. 007 bristled at the disrespect toward his leader.
"No need for that, 007." Yuto raised a hand to stop him, his expression calm. "I'm sure Mr. Tobi means no harm. He's just… nervous about our first meeting."
"N-nervous?!" Tobi scoffed, planting his hands on his hips. "What a joke! Why would I be nervous?" His legs, however, betrayed him—trembling like a newborn fawn's.
Yuto and No. 007 both glanced down at his wobbly knees.
"A-anyway!" Tobi, realizing he'd embarrassed himself, quickly changed the subject. "The reason I'm here is to ask you something face-to-face."
"Go ahead." Yuto remained unfazed, his smile still warm.
"If we defect to your side… do we really get health insurance, retirement, and weekends off?"
"Not just that. Two weeks of paid vacation per year."
"BOSS!" Tobi immediately dropped to one knee, clasping his hands in salute. "From today onward, Tobi is your loyal subordinate! Uchiha Madara? Never heard of him!"
"Get up! The Boss hates kneeling!" No. 007 yanked him to his feet, even dusting off his knees like a dutiful assistant.
"Your loyalty is noted, Mr. Tobi." Yuto nodded with amusement. "But I am curious—aren't you afraid of angering the 'goddess' on the moon by switching sides?"
"Oho~ So the Boss does know alot about us!" Tobi scratched his head. "Sure, Lady Kaguya's scary and all, but I've decided to think for myself! Besides…"
"Besides?" Yuto tilted his head.
"Even if Lady Kaguya breaks free, you'll be the one taking the heat, right?" Tobi shrugged.
'Wow.Anyone who called White Zetsu brainless could eat their words.'
This guy hadn't even finished onboarding and was already planning to throw his boss under the bus. That's some next-level office politics.
Yuto's eye twitched imperceptibly.
"Pfft—" No. 007 couldn't hold back a snort.
"I'm… flattered by your confidence, Tobi." Yuto forced a smile. "Now, I'd like you to work with 007 to recruit more like-minded Zetsu who share your ideals."
"Leave it to me! That toilet guard position is as good as mine!" Tobi declared proudly before dragging No. 007 back underground.
Once they vanished, Yuto turned toward a nearby hut. "Finished your homework, Sasuke?"
The spiky-haired boy stepped out of the shadows, frowning. "I had a question."
"Which part?"
"The origins of ninjutsu. Did the Sage of Six Paths actually exist?" Sasuke glanced at where the Zetsu had disappeared. "Or is he just a myth?"
"Oh, he was real." Yuto nodded. "In fact, those two you just saw—Tobi and 007—are directly linked to his mother."
"The Sage had a mother?" Sasuke blinked.
"Did you think he popped out of a rock?" Yuto deadpanned.
Sasuke coughed awkwardly. "So… those two were enemies? And you poached them?"
"Enemies? Not exactly." Yuto chuckled. "More like… a ragtag group of "Gothamites" with delusions of grandeur."
"Gothamites…" Sasuke's lips thinned. He'd learned what that meant.
"And their ringleader is your ancestor, Uchiha Madara."
"What?" Sasuke stiffened. "But he's dead."
"He wanted people to think that." Yuto patted his shoulder. "But is he truly dead? As if."
"So he faked his death to scheme in the shadows?" Sasuke scoffed. "Pathetic. You're not even dead yet, and you've already outdone him."
"Sasuke… that sounded suspiciously like a death wish." Yuto narrowed his eyes.
"No, it didn't."
"Say that while looking me in the eye."
Sasuke ignored him, staring at the stars. "One last question: What's a toilet guard?"
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office...
"I refuse!" Danzō's glare swept the room. "Yuto is my Root operative. Why should he be transferred to the Hokage's direct command?"
"Danzō, your methods aren't suited for nurturing talent," Homura reasoned.
"After all the effort I put into training him?" Danzō sneered.
"Oh please," Koharu sighed. "The boy joined Root barely a month ago."
"Enough." Hiruzen exhaled smoke. "Is Root not part of Konoha? Am I not the Hokage?"
Danzō's jaw tightened. Was decades of friendship nothing to him?
"It's settled." Hiruzen tapped his pipe and slid a folder across the desk. "Care to explain this?"
Danzō's blood ran cold.
Betrayal.
The documents were Root's top secret—accessible only to one person besides himself.
"Yamanaka Fū… you TRAITOR!"
"Effective immediately, you're relieved of duty," Hiruzen said flatly.
"So this is a coup." Danzō's voice was icy.
"We're saving Konoha from you," Homura and Koharu said in unison.
"Mark my words—you'll regret this." Danzō stormed out.
Outside, a shadow emerged.
"Tatsu," Danzō hissed. "Tell Yuto to deliver Yamanaka Fū's head to me by dawn."
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