Danzo could never have guessed this was Eiya's decision.
After a long silence, he gave a low snort and slowly drew back the terrifying killing intent that filled the room.
The taut string that seemed ready to snap at any moment finally slackened.
Danzo sat down again beside the low table, his face shifting between shadow and light. In a raspy voice he said, "For the sake of Konoha's stability, Root will take responsibility for this matter."
He lifted one hand and made a tiny, furtive gesture.
Before long, two Root operatives entered, escorting a young man with a vacant stare and lifeless eyes. They shoved him forward like cargo, depositing him before Eiya and Izumi.
Danzo pointed coldly. "All actions were undertaken by this man alone. We have confirmed it. He is now handed over to the Police Department."
Izumi looked closely and saw the youth was a member of Root.
So he was the real culprit?
Shock and doubt hit her at once. The one delivered to them looked hollowed out, as if stripped of will.
Danzo had actually "backed down" and surrendered someone?
At that moment a mechanical chime rang in Eiya's mind:
Ding! Indulgence succeeded.
The host led a subordinate into Root's base and, under the pretext of investigation, forced Konoha's upper echelons to yield in the tiger's den. Degree of indulgence: A.
Reward issuing…
Acquired skill: Sealing Technique Mastery.
Acquired techniques: Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, Self-Curse Binding Seal, Reverse Four Symbols Seal.
Eiya was speechless for a beat.
So it really popped Danzo's signature tricks.
On reflection, aside from the mutually assured destruction of the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, the other two would be quite handy.
This trip into the dragon's pool and tiger's den hadn't been in vain.
Composed again, Eiya turned and headed for the exit. Izumi followed, ushering along the shambling "culprit."
Outside the tunnel mouth, Eiya glanced back at the puppetlike Root member and sighed.
The old fox wasn't stupid.
What he handed over was a scapegoat with his consciousness scrubbed clean, incapable of speaking.
Hoping to learn the truth from him was impossible.
But it didn't matter.
Forcing Danzo to bow his head and personally hand over a subordinate to tamp the flames was, in itself, enough to send tremors through the Uchiha and the entire Police Department.
It would make Izumi shine in this assessment and raise her profile.
If she stayed with the Police Department, she might well become a young section leader in time.
Having reached this point, Eiya intended to quit while ahead.
Push Danzo too hard and it would be awkward to explain to the Hokage.
With that in mind, he turned to Izumi. "Once you organize and file the materials for this case, our current investigation ends here."
Izumi nodded hard.
After the life-and-death standoff just now, her confidence had surged; her eyes all but sparkled. "Yes, senpai."
She bowed deeply. "Thank you so much. You taught me something crucial today. I learned a lot…"
Eiya didn't press her on exactly what she'd learned. He smiled faintly. "Oh? You learned a lot? In that case, how do you plan to thank me?"
"I…" Izumi was stumped, fingers twisting nervously as she tried and failed to think of an answer.
Eiya chuckled and waved it off. "Forget it. No need to rack your brains. A thank-you is simple enough… treat me to a meal. I happen to be hungry."
"Ah—okay!" Izumi's cheeks flushed as realization dawned, and she answered sweetly, "Come to think of it, I'm a little hungry too."
…
Dusk faded from Konoha as lanterns flickered to life.
Behind a stand of trees not far away, Uchiha Itachi, just starting his shift, watched in silence as Izumi and Eiya walked off side by side.
He had meant to go up and say hello, to ask how she'd been.
But when he saw the way Izumi looked at Eiya—eyes bright with admiration and longing—an indescribable mix of emotions welled up inside him.
"Itachi? Anything to report?" came Kakashi's voice beside him.
"…No, Kakashi-senpai." Itachi flinched, then shook his head.
Kakashi patted his shoulder. "I know this surveillance is dull, but it matters. Stay sharp."
"Understood."
Itachi drew a deep breath and forced his gaze away from the two receding figures.
Right. The mission came first.
The sun slipped fully below the horizon, and night settled in.
On Konoha's lively streets, the air was rich with the aromas of food; people bustled to and fro.
Izumi nibbled delicately at a tri-color dango she'd just bought.
She stole glances at Eiya, hoping to read his reaction to the sweets.
Not until Eiya finished every dumpling on the skewer did she finally ask, "Senpai, is this dango… good?"
Eiya gave a slight nod. "Not bad. Sweets quickly restore energy."
The brief exchange filled Izumi with a small, inexplicable joy.
They strolled shoulder to shoulder through the crowd, down a narrow lane hung with red lanterns, past stalls piled with ninja tools and pretty trinkets.
From time to time something cute caught Izumi's eye. Eiya offered no opinions, but always slowed his pace without a word until she'd had her fill of looking.
"Senpai… thank you. Really," Izumi murmured as they entered a quiet alley.
Eiya answered with a soft grunt.
Emboldened by the calm, Izumi tried, "It's not too late yet. How about Ichiraku? I heard old man Teuchi has a new fish-cake topping."
Eiya met her hopeful gaze and finally nodded. "All right."
…
Night deepened. Before they knew it they had reached the fork where they would part.
Izumi slowed, a twinge of reluctance in her heart.
If only this walk could last a little longer.
But in the end, part they must.
Biting her lip, she asked softly, "Senpai, then… what should I do next?"
Eiya halted and looked at her sidelong. "Go home and get some real rest tonight. Starting tomorrow, we begin live-combat training."
He paused, then added, "I'll leave a Lightning-Style clone at home in the morning. Your final evaluation has one task: defeat it."
Izumi straightened, spirit rising. "Yes!"
Watching her head toward the clan district, lingering at every step, Eiya turned toward the Police Department building.
At night the building was especially austere, a stark contrast to the daytime bustle.
Only a few windows were lit, including the office temporarily assigned to the inspectors.
He opened the door. Two ANBU inspectors, Xiang and Naiken, were waiting. With one day left before the assessment officially began, they were laying out the brackets for the practical matchups.
"You're just in time," Xiang said, looking up. "We were discussing tomorrow's pairing plan and wanted your take."
Eiya walked over, took the list, skimmed it, and said evenly, "No need for either of you to worry about the matchups. Leave that to me."
Naiken's brow knit, as if to object, but when he met Eiya's eyes he closed his mouth again.
After a moment's hesitation, Xiang lowered his voice. "The higher-ups care a lot about this assessment. If the two of us end up contributing nothing, it'll be hard to explain to the Hokage afterward."
Eiya pondered for an instant, then smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I won't put either of you in a tight spot."
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