Late evening of day 391. Konoha.
"Lord Danzo is busy—leave the report on the table and you may go," Saito Takashi said coldly—surprised by the behavior of one of the squad commanders sent to scout a third-rate mercenary group.
"Yes sir!" Yamada Norio replied. As a Root Anbu member he couldn't even think of questioning a superior's order—so he bowed and went to the table, silently writing the report.
Ten minutes later Saito Takashi took the subordinate's report and placed it in his desk drawer. He had already heard Norio's verbal report but Root's entire structure was built on ironclad order—so everything was documented except the most secret operations under Shimura Danzo's personal control.
"Nakayama Family… A third-rate mercenary group with an aura of mystery. I doubt that Hyuga runaway is with them but for some reason the lord is very interested…" Takashi pondered—stroking his small beard. Even he—as Shimura Danzo's assistant—didn't know what his lord planned and was sure this small mercenary group wasn't worth such attention. But he couldn't ignore his lord's order—so he had to report on this matter the next morning.
******
Kenshin continued stubbornly applying formations to the perimeter until lunch on day 392. Even under twentyfold focus he barely finished all preparations. At eleven PM he let Kasumi rest but the girl refused; Kenshin allowed her to stay another two hours then ordered her to sleep.
Due to constant focus Kenshin had a severe headache but endured and continued work—finishing exactly at noon and ordering the entire family to leave the refuge.
Currently the family numbered a little over forty people—all temporarily gathering in a secluded spot awaiting Kenshin's command. This was the most dangerous stage—the old refuge destroyed, the new not ready yet. If enemies attacked now consequences would be unpredictable.
Kenshin silently sat in lotus position—designing the future refuge model in his head. The approximate layout of the new refuge was long composed in his mind but even so everything needed rechecking to minimize weak points in the future fortress.
Sitting in the forest Kenshin was very vulnerable—so Ichiro and Fifteenth with their teams guarded him. They were ready to repel any attack but inwardly prayed it wouldn't happen—at least until their beloved father was safe.
Meanwhile Kenshin endured such intense strain that two bloody trails flowed from his nose. Ichiro perfectly saw what happened to his father and clenched teeth in helplessness. He wanted to share the burden on father's brain but all he could do now was clench fists and deep inside hope in the future he'd fight Root shinobi.
Suddenly before the astonished brothers' eyes a huge twenty-meter-high fortress instantly appeared in the air—surrounded by a large tall wall. Ichiro couldn't believe his eyes. He knew their new refuge would be quite large but didn't expect it to be so enormous.
The fortress was surrounded by a huge thick wall. The wall height exceeded the fortress itself—around thirty meters with unthinkable five-meter thickness for such a massive structure.
Sitting in the courtyard Kenshin opened his eyes—and immediately collapsed face-down on the ground. Blood flowed from his nose and ears; breathing incredibly chaotic. Ichiro and Fifteenth immediately rushed to father and turned him onto his back.
"Father! Are you alright?!" Fifteenth asked worriedly—Kenshin only smiled crookedly and replied:
"In a couple minutes everything will normalize… Fourth—bring the other brothers and mothers. Tell them our new home is ready," Kenshin said slightly smiling—closing eyes trying to collect thoughts.
"Yes father!" Fourth nodded and rushed to fulfill the order.
Meanwhile Kenshin decided to rest a bit. His mind endured strongest strain and exhaustion—so some recovery time was needed.
Ten minutes later all his sons and wives arrived in full at the new fortress walls—unable to hold back sighs of surprise. Entering through the gates into the new home territory the four women simultaneously rushed to Kenshin. Hitomi was first—carefully taking Kenshin in her arms and placing his head on her thighs. As a high-class medic she did everything so gently Kenshin didn't even wake.
She placed her tender palm on his forehead—her hand glowing soft blue. Kenshin felt warmth and opened eyes—seeing his beloved woman's affectionate expression.
"Everything's fine with me…" he whispered—barely restraining from closing eyes again and falling into deep sleep.
"Nothing is fine! You have cerebral vessel overstrain. A little more and it would be a stroke!" Hitomi scolded him.
Kenshin opened his mouth to say something but Hitomi looked at him displeasedly and whispered: "Better stay silent now. Rest a bit—I'll stabilize your condition."
He only smiled and did as she said—closing eyes and surrendering to the skilled woman's hands.