Shimura Danzo narrowed his eye as he stared at the newly fallen Root operative lying on the cold stone floor. He let out a long, slow exhale and shook his head in disappointment.
He was not Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He had no need for subordinates who spoke flowery words.
He had no interest in emotional loyalty.
He only required one thing—obedience.
"Drag the body away and bury it," Danzo ordered calmly. "And don't forget the mission I assigned. Report every update immediately."
At his command, he tapped his cane once against the ground and slowly stepped back into the shadows. His body disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind an icy silence that nobody dared disturb.
Every Root member watched him vanish, their faces expressionless, but their hearts trembling.
At Root, there was no retirement.
No peaceful ending.
No honorable dismissal.
Root shinobi existed as weapons—disposable tools.
And tools were only removed from the toolbox when they became dull or broken.
One of the masked operatives stepped forward wordlessly. He took out a sealing scroll and sealed the corpse into it with a cold, efficient motion. Then, without looking at the others, he left to carry out Danzo's orders.
The remaining members dispersed instantly.
No one spoke.
No one questioned.
No one breathed too loudly.
---
Meanwhile, somewhere far above the underground darkness—
Uchiha Souji suddenly sneezed.
"Ha-CHOO! Ha-CHOO! Ha-CHOO!"
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's summer… why do I feel cold?"
He lifted his head toward the bright sunlight hanging over his courtyard. The sky was clear, heat rippling across the ground, yet Souji felt a strange chill across his spine.
Probably bad karma from something he didn't remember doing.
He picked up a teapot and poured himself a cup of "happy water"—his beloved drink. After taking a sip, he stared longingly toward the courtyard gate again.
Why hasn't Mizuki come yet?
It shouldn't take him this long.
Had Souji hit him too hard?
Did Mizuki collapse from despair?
Did he… maybe… actually die from shame?
Souji touched his chin and narrowed his eyes.
"In this world, everyone's at least a little mentally unstable," he reminded himself. "Can't blame them. This place is hellish."
Look at Uchiha Madara.
A normal man who thought the world was hopeless might just choose a peaceful death.
But Madara?
He chose to drag the entire world into an eternal dream with him.
Souji sighed.
"Actually… he succeeded. When everyone's asleep, nobody fights."
He spent the entire morning glaring at the gate.
He spent the entire afternoon doing the same.
By sunset, a cold breeze swept past him. The wind tugged at his robe, making him shiver.
Souji wrapped his gown tighter.
"I… I've been stood up," he whispered dramatically.
Even though Mizuki never promised to come.
But still—Souji's heart cracked a little.
He stood up silently and dug out another box of happy water from the yard.
"Today, I drink until I die!"
He clutched the bottle like a betrayed lover.
---
Meanwhile, Mizuki had just awakened in the Konoha Hospital.
He sat up groggily and stared at the kunai resting on his bedside table—the kunai Souji had deliberately left beside him. The Uchiha crest gleamed faintly under the light.
Mizuki frowned.
Which path should he take now?
He wanted power.
He wanted recognition.
He wanted to be acknowledged as someone important.
Should he follow Orochimaru?
The "Snake" might give him strength, but the risk was enormous.
Or should he side with the Uchiha—currently the most praised clan in Konoha?
The idea made his heart race.
He rushed to the mirror, straightened his clothes, adjusted his hair, and practiced a cheerful smile he believed looked charming.
Mizuki admired himself.
"Yes… with my talent, I'll enter the Konoha Guard soon. Then a squad leader. Then a Jonin. Then… marry Uchiha Shira Fumi. Then reach the peak of my life."
His eyes sparkled with greed.
But the next second—
A masked figure appeared silently in the mirror behind him.
Mizuki froze.
"Eh?"
Before he could even turn around—
THUD!
A hand chopped the back of his neck.
His consciousness blurred. The last thing he saw was the masked shinobi pulling out a black sack and dropping it over his head.
---
He had no idea how long he was unconscious.
When Mizuki finally opened his eyes—his vision blurry and head throbbing—he realized he was sitting on a chair in a dark room.
No.
Not sitting.
Tied.
His wrists were bound to the armrests, and his ankles secured to the chair legs. The wires slicing into his skin were thin, but terrifyingly strong—far beyond rope.
Even a Jonin couldn't break free from these restraints.
Panic stabbed through his chest.
"What… what happened?!"
He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to recall who he had offended recently.
There was only one possibility: Uchiha Souji.
But no. Souji wouldn't do this. If Souji wanted him dead, he would have handed Mizuki to the Konoha Guard.
This wasn't Souji's style.
Mizuki felt sweat drip down his forehead.
He had tried so hard to look like a kind, cheerful boy. Even Iruka believed he was a good person.
Yet here he was—kidnapped, bound, and possibly awaiting execution.
"So much for becoming a Guard, becoming a Jonin, marrying Shira Fumi…"
His dreams shattered like cheap glass.
He imagined his corpse being thrown into a ditch, eaten by wolves, never found.
He wanted to cry.
But before he could squeeze out a tear—
A blinding light hit his face.
"Name," a cold voice demanded.
Mizuki gulped and stuttered through his answers. They asked everything—his gender, his age, even embarrassing things like whether he'd peeked at girls bathing as a child.
Finally, the interrogation paused.
Mizuki swallowed.
"C-can I ask… why did you arrest me?"
He was shaking. One wrong word and they'd bury him behind some remote shed.
The masked interrogator leaned forward.
"We suspect," he said slowly, "that you are conspiring to subvert Konoha."
Mizuki's eyes bulged.
"EHHHHHHH?!?!?!"
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