Chōji and Izumo reached Konoha Village at dawn the next day. Intelligence quickly reached Tsunade's hands.
The matter was significant, so she took the report to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Kusagakure is restless as well." Tsunade felt somewhat overwhelmed. "Old man, does Kusagakure possess anything troublesome?"
Pungent smoke circulated through his lungs before being slowly exhaled. Sarutobi Hiruzen issued an instruction.
"Summon Danzo."
An ANBU emerged from concealment and departed upon acknowledgment.
Tsunade's brow furrowed slightly. Due to Danzo's previous private contact with Uchiha Itachi, she had demanded answers from the Third Hokage. Advisors Koharu and Homura had also rarely expressed displeasure.
Since Uchiha Fugaku had demonstrated cooperative attitude and begun substantive actions, it meant matters were far from requiring the most extreme measures.
Ultimately, Danzo and his Root had been temporarily restricted in operational authority. Many duties transferred to the Hokage's direct ANBU.
Footsteps broke the office's silence. Shimura Danzo, leaning on his cane, entered at an unhurried pace.
"Hiruzen..." Just beginning to speak, he noticed Tsunade beside him and stopped.
Sarutobi Hiruzen pushed the report submitted by Chōji and Izumo across the desk.
"Review this first."
Danzo picked up the report, scanning it quickly once, then reviewing it several more times. After a moment, he set it down.
"The Root once intercepted some intelligence," Danzo said. "Regarding Kusagakure, they may secretly safeguard a ninja tool reportedly connected to the Sage of Six Paths' era."
Tsunade demanded sternly, "Why was such information not reported in advance? Kusagakure sits right beside Konoha. The Hokage's office should know all circumstances."
Danzo remained unmoved. "Merely unsubstantiated ancient legends. If it were truly useful, why would Kusagakure remain cowering in the cracks between great nations until today?"
"As for the Hokage's office, I have long had a division of responsibilities with Hiruzen. You are not yet Hokage, Tsunade."
A vein pulsed at Tsunade's temple. Her fist clenched audibly. Then she suppressed her anger. "What is that ninja tool?"
Danzo's gaze returned to Sarutobi Hiruzen. "That ninja tool is called the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Supposedly it can grant the opener's heart's desire."
"However, it is merely rumor."
The Third Hokage closed his eyes. The fire in his pipe flickered erratically.
After a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke. "Does the Root have people in Kusagakure?"
Danzo answered, "No. Limited personnel should naturally be deployed toward more valuable targets." Originally there had been, but after Danzo assessed the Box of Ultimate Bliss matter as baseless nonsense, he withdrew them and invested resources elsewhere.
Hearing this response, Sarutobi Hiruzen also found the situation somewhat troublesome. The village's current priority was the Chūnin Exam. Not that promoting several genin mattered greatly, but demonstrating Konoha's strength through this event was crucial.
Moreover, both Sunagakure and Hidden Cloud had confirmed participation. The Raikage's requirement had been deemed acceptable by Konoha, and they had sent correspondence agreeing.
At this juncture, they absolutely could not initiate conflict over Kusagakure's minor abnormal mobilization. Their behavior, when examined closely, merely involved capturing rogue ninja and guilty wandering shinobi. Konoha could not use this as pretext to act drastically against a friendly village.
This justification would convince neither internal shinobi nor surrounding shinobi villages.
Those small shinobi villages might be weak, but once completely alienated from Konoha, they would create substantial trouble. Losing these neutral buffer zones would force Konoha to directly face pressure from the Four Great Nations.
"Deploy the Root," Sarutobi Hiruzen finally said.
Years of tacit understanding allowed Shimura Danzo to grasp the Third Hokage's meaning. If Kusagakure wanted to reasonably collect living shinobi, the Root would sabotage Kusagakure's operations.
How to sabotage? Far too many methods existed.
Watching Danzo depart, Tsunade's brow remained tightly furrowed. He was released again.
But there was no alternative. ANBU personnel all had their own assignments. Moreover, Danzo had already demonstrated greater familiarity with Kusagakure matters.
The Third Hokage's tone was gentle. "Tsunade, focus your energy on organizing the Chūnin Exam properly. Shuji has not yet returned. He is also investigating this matter. Wait for his report first."
"I have spoken clearly with Danzo regarding the Uchiha matter."
His gaze passed through the window toward the distant Hokage Rock.
"When you sit in the Hokage's position, you will understand that some darkness is necessary for the village. You dislike Danzo and can disband the Root."
"But the work the Root performs will require others to do."
"If temporarily no candidates exist, have Kakashi take over for now."
Evening sun dyed Kusagakure orange-red. Inside the wooden house, Uzumaki Hagi watched squad after squad of Kusagakure shinobi return. Many bore wounds, yet strangely, none knocked on her door as usual.
In fact, since yesterday, delivered food had become refined, with some rare medicinal herbs added.
This preferential treatment brought no reassurance. Instead, it made her more uneasy.
Just then, her daughter released a forcefully suppressed low cry. Hagi whirled around, heart nearly stopping. A strange man wearing a Kusagakure forehead protector had somehow appeared silently inside the house.
Had he come? Why no knocking?
This man bore no wounds. Was he here to deliver orders?
This time, how many people?
She did not even notice that Karin's eyes held not fear but a mixture of anticipation and tension.
"Could you please step outside for a moment?" Hagi pleaded. "I will be ready immediately."
"Are you prepared?" the man asked.
Uzumaki Hagi nodded frantically. "Yes, ready! I can leave anytime. Please, do not..."
Hagi suddenly realized the man was not speaking to her. His gaze was directed at Karin.
"You... who are you?"
The woman immediately rushed before Karin, shielding her behind herself.
"Karin is still very young. She cannot even properly refine chakra yet. Please do not..."
"Do not resist in a moment. It will be troublesome," the man said, ignoring Hagi's actions and continuing with subsequent instructions.
Just as Uzumaki Hagi was about to scream desperately or take some action, her vision suddenly went dark. Consciousness instantly plunged into the abyss.
Karin watched her mother softly collapse. Her shock was about to escape as a scream when she met those eyes, calm to the point of indifference.
He held no malice, no hostility.
Intuition's feedback made her desperately cover her own mouth, swallowing that scream.
Seeing Karin control herself, Shuji said, "Convincing your mother wastes too much time. Having her remain conscious and cooperate would be more troublesome."
He bent down, lifting the unconscious Uzumaki Hagi with one hand tucked at his side, then extended his hand toward Karin.
"Come."
Karin looked at that hand, hesitating only an instant before using all her strength to tightly grasp that extended finger.
The next moment, the world spun.
Surrounding scenery shattered like broken glass, changing abruptly. Karin's eyes widened, completely unable to comprehend what was happening. The familiar wooden house vanished, replaced by a completely unfamiliar, dim forest scene.
Before she could adapt, that intense vertigo struck again. The world once more twisted, reorganized...
Repeatedly triggering Flying Thunder God rapidly consumed considerable chakra even for Shuji. For the unprepared Karin, this experience was utterly terrible.
When finally stopping, she could no longer endure. She released Shuji's hand, collapsed to the ground, and violently dry-heaved. Her small face was pale as paper. She felt dizzy, the entire world spinning madly.
Shuji's steady voice came from above her head. "If you truly cannot endure, I can knock you unconscious. That would be easier."
Karin struggled to lift her small head, looking at him through tear-filled eyes. Yet she stubbornly shook her head, insisting through a barely audible, tearful voice, "No need. I, I can manage..."
Shuji estimated their position. They were already sufficiently distant from Kusagakure. Resting briefly posed no problem.
He gently placed the unconscious Uzumaki Hagi beneath a nearby tree while simultaneously retrieving the Flying Thunder God marker he had left there.
Choosing this timing for action was because he had noticed during infiltration that several high-ranking wounded Kusagakure shinobi had arrived at the village.
Combined with previously overheard conversation, he judged Uzumaki Hagi would soon be used to treat these important wounded, possibly even excessively used until depletion. Therefore, Shuji advanced his action plan.
He had investigated sufficiently. Kusagakure's weakness was that they rarely conspired publicly. Conversations in relatively open venues yielded extremely limited information.
Karin, having slightly recovered, struggled to crawl to her mother's side.
"Where is this?" she asked timidly.
"Outside Kusagakure." Shuji was concise.
"Who are you?"
"A shinobi."
Karin's lips pressed together slightly as she asked her most concerned question. "Where will Mother and I go next?"
"Konoha."
Konoha?
Just as Karin wanted to ask more, her vision went dark as well, collapsing upon her mother.
Her final thought before losing consciousness was: I clearly said I could endure. Why did you still knock me out? If you were going to knock me out regardless, why even ask?
Shuji looked expressionlessly at the sleeping girl. Had time permitted further rest, keeping Karin conscious would have been fine. However, movement stirred in the forest now.
Kusagakure shinobi had discovered the mother and daughter's disappearance quite quickly.
Was it because they urgently needed their blood supply?
Carrying one person in each hand, Shuji again triggered Flying Thunder God. The three figures instantly vanished completely from the forest.
Shortly after their departure, several Kusagakure shinobi's figures landed at their previous position.
"The air carries scent, but no one is here..."
"Expand search range!"
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild