Shota walked slowly through the dark tunnels of the ANBU quarters.
'So there is corruption even in the elder Council.' Shota thought bitterly.
There was corruption in the elder council. Old men who sat in comfortable chairs had sold their own village for power. Because of the traitor, Suna had bled for years against Konoha.
Good shinobi died in ambushes that should never have happened in the war. The
Puppet Corps lost half its members because the enemy always knew where they would strike.
Shota had been only seven years old, running small missions, hearing the names of friends who would never come home. He had heard the news of deaths about people who he had done missions with.
All because someone in Suna wanted a bigger seat.
He clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms.
He had always known he needed to become strong. Strong enough that no one could touch Shizu, the orphanage, or the people he cared about.
But he was now realising strength alone was not enough. Enemies outside the walls were scary. Enemies inside the walls were worse.
'My dream is to make Suna strong enough so that I would not need to act to protect my loved ones. How can my dream be achieved when there are traitors in our own backyard?' Shota thought
Shota did not know what his goal should be until now. He knew that he had to become a strong shinobi but what should be his position in the village.
What missions should he undertake? He can't be just assassinating people or hunting missing nin. He needed a position in the village where he could influence decisions so that he could change the future.
And today he realised something and what position he should take in the village. Something that would help him make the village strong as a whole.
He thought about the great villages.
Konoha had been the strongest village for years. They had the Uchiha, the Hyuga, the Senju blood, and more S-rank shinobi than anyone else.
Yet Danzo and Orochimaru had almost destroyed everything from the inside. Danzo spread lies that killed heroes like Sakumo. He helped wipe out the Uchiha clan. Orochimaru experimented on children and murdered his own people.
Kiri had seven swordsmen and many bloodline clans, but a mad Mizukage ordered those same clans killed. The village ate itself in civil war.
Kumo lost their Second Raikage because his own village's shinobi led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku betrayed him.
And Suna? Suna would lose Pakura, one of only two S-rank shinobi they had, because someone in power feared competition.
Every village bled because of people at the top.
Shota stopped walking.
He finally understood what he wanted to become.
Not just strong.
He wanted to be the person who watched the watchers.
He wanted to be the shadow that made sure no elder, no Kazekage, no hero ever became a monster with too much power and no leash. Someone who could step in when leaders forgot they served the village and not themselves.
With his Erasure, he was perfect for the job. Take away chakra, and even the strongest shinobi became normal men. No one could fight back. No one could hide behind jutsu or bloodlines.
And the best part? This job would keep him inside the village most of the time. No more running across countries for weeks. He could sleep in his own bed. He could eat rice balls with Shizu every day. He could nap on the roof whenever he wanted.
A secret police for lazy people. It would be 0erfect.
But dreaming was easy. Making them real was hard.
He was ten years old. No one would listen to a child about creating a new role for him. He needed proof. He needed power. He needed the traitor's name to prove why such a thing was required.
Spider had told him the answer was in their conversation.
Shota sat on the floor in the empty tunnel and thought.
'If the traitor had been feeding Konoha information for years, why had no one ever come for me? Danzo loved special bloodlines. A child who could erase chakra would be a perfect weapon or a perfect corpse. Yet there were no kidnapping attempts or trying to assassinat him.' Shota thought.
That meant the traitor wanted Shota alive and hidden. The traitor want me for themselves.
None of the elders had approached him directly. The Kazekage watched him too closely. But one day Shota would be older. One day he would take harder missions far from the village. One day the Kazekage would not be able to watch every second.
That would be the day the traitor made their move. They were waiting.
Shota felt cold understanding settle in his stomach. The traitor was patient. But Shota could be patient too.
He stood up and walked toward the exit.
The hunt for the traitor had already begun for Shota.
---------Author Notes--------
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