In the "Yes or No" question, Hyuga Yuu instinctively chose "or," which was exactly the answer the Foundation needed.
For a ninja who dedicates themselves to the darkness, keeping secrets is far more important than the secrets themselves.
Thus, "You have passed the assessment."
The sunglasses-wearing ninja, hooded and clad in a trench coat, spoke indifferently:
"Hyuga Yuu, you will operate as an external member of the Foundation."
"Remember this—"
"We are the 'Roots' that are deeply embedded in the earth, supporting the giant tree of Konoha from the shadows."
"And those who belong to the 'Root' have no name and no emotion; they have no past and no future. Only the mission exists in their hearts."
"The Root... External?"
Hyuga Yuu raised his head in surprise, looking at the Root superior with a hint of confusion, and immediately asked:
"In that case, what is my mission?"
Hyuga Yuu certainly didn't join the Root to play ninja games; at his age, he had already missed the optimal time to be brainwashed into a standard Root ninja.
Currently, he was acting like a mercenary, engaging in a mutually beneficial arrangement with the Foundation.
Quite a few ninjas maintained this kind of relationship with the Foundation, such as the Root superior before him, Aburame Ryoma, Orochimaru, and the traveling shrine maiden, Yakushi Nonō.
He believed Aburame Ryoma knew this as well and could understand what Hyuga Yuu was seeking at this moment.
Therefore, the pleasantries were brief.
Soon, Aburame Ryoma took a cyan scroll from his trench coat and casually tossed it to Hyuga Yuu.
"Next, you need to assist the superior who will be your sole contact in executing a crucial S-rank mission."
"The departure time for the mission is flexible, but no later than the day after tomorrow. The mission content will be announced later, and the location is the Konoha Medical Squad camp on the west side of Kusaba Coast."
"Your contact is Shigaraki Tanuki, the squad leader of Konoha Medical Squad Team Eight."
"Failure to report within one week will be considered defection."
"That is all."
Having said this, Aburame Ryoma's figure suddenly vanished into the darkness.
The incandescent light bulb on the ceiling sputtered a few times.
Following that, "Drip!"
The circuit was restored, the lights in the apartment flickered back on, and the small refrigerator in the corner began to hum.
It was as if everything that had just happened was merely Hyuga Yuu's imagination.
However, he lowered his head and looked thoughtfully at the cyan scroll now in his hand.
Unrolling the scroll, a line of handwritten cursive script met his eyes:
*Wind Release: Vacuum Blade*!
This was precisely the Wind Release Ninjutsu that could complete the final link in Hyuga Yu's combat system!
However, Hyuga Yuu did not immediately open the Ninjutsu scroll to study it, but instead sat in place and began to ponder.
Hyuga Yu had two demands from the Foundation:
First, the Wind Release Ninjutsu controlled by Shimura Danzō.
Second, an assignment order that would allow him to bypass the Hyuga Main House's arrangements and choose his own time to go to the battlefield.
The Foundation's response perfectly solved both points.
However, it was done in a way that exceeded Hyuga Yuu's expectations—as an external member of the Root.
This was evident from the mission notification issued by Aburame Ryoma.
There was no official document, no mission scroll, no token; all instructions were given orally, meaning no traces or records would be left behind, preventing anyone from finding fault.
Hyuga Yuu seemingly spent one million Ryo to use 'connections' to join the Foundation, yet he remained perpetually outside of its core structure.
This was quite dangerous.
However, the Foundation's attitude was very interesting.
On one hand, they didn't regard Hyuga Yu as a person at all; even though he had 'sincerely' approached them, the arrangement for him was clearly as disposable cannon fodder among cannon fodder.
But on the other hand, the Root superior who conducted the interview, Aburame Ryoma, subtly hinted to him through this 'assessment'—
Since Hyuga Yuu was already involved in the incident and trapped in a dangerous situation from which he could not withdraw,
the only way to change this predicament was to do the opposite: delve deeper into the Foundation,
and continuously draw closer to the Root.
Looking at it this way, did factions exist within the Root?
Thinking of this, Hyuga Yuu smiled faintly, realizing that his experiences as a workhorse in his previous life weren't entirely useless.
However, Hyuga Yuu quickly dismissed these minor calculations.
If factions truly existed within the Root, this particular faction definitely wasn't Danzō Shimura's. After all, the Root today was less of a Foundation and more accurately Danzō Shimura's private army.
Given the current situation where Danzō's will was equivalent to the Root's will, this weaker 'faction,' if it wished to change the status quo, would inevitably continue to secretly contact and even recruit ninjas like himself who possessed a certain 'value.'
Hyuga Yuu did not become complacent just because he possessed a small amount of 'value.'
He knew very well that his 'value' was granted by his innate eyes; if he were useless without them, then the day the weight on the other side of the scale exceeded the value of his eyes,
would be the day of his death.
In the ninja world, ultimately, strength speaks loudest!
Holding this clear and strong conviction, Hyuga Yuu unrolled the cyan scroll in his hand and began to devour its contents.
During wartime, Konoha under the cover of night resembled a silent behemoth, while the spy ninjas lurking within Konoha were like fleas clinging to the beast, constantly sucking blood.
One by one, the spy ninjas took advantage of the darkness to move through the streets and alleys, exchanging the latest intelligence in trash cans, on signboards, and beneath bridge arches—using every conceivable method to transmit information.
Meanwhile, pairs of eyes opened in the darkness, silently watching their actions,
like a praying mantis stalking a cicada.
Behind these watchers, yet another set of mocking eyes opened, unaware that the corners of the former watchers' mouths had subtly curved into a smile.
A series of silent and invisible intelligence wars erupted, evolved, and advanced in the darkness!
Finally, countless pieces of gathered intelligence were pushed onto the desks of the decision-makers.
And so, just before dawn,
ninja squads shot out like arrows tearing through the night!
In the lightless depths of the Root headquarters,
Danzō Shimura stepped out of the tower, clutching a short staff, his cold gaze sweeping like a hawk over the teams of Root ninjas kneeling before him.
His face expressionless, he spoke coldly:
"The prey has been caught!"
"Then, commence the operation!"
Danzō Shimura narrowed his single eye, a flicker of greed passing through it.
"This time, we must make the Hidden Mist pay a bloody price!"
Meanwhile, on the other side, the faint light of dawn penetrated the window and fell into the still-lit apartment.
Hyuga Yuu, who had studied diligently all night, committing the Ninjutsu instructions in the scroll entirely to memory, stretched lazily.
He then drew a kunai from the desk, gripped it in his palm, and focused intently on it.
Wisps of sharp, blade-like Wind Release chakra gathered in his palm and silently permeated the kunai.
"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"
The kunai vibrated violently, nearly flying out of his grasp.
Just then, "Knock! Knock!"
A hurried knocking came from outside the door, followed by a slightly rushed voice:
"Hyuga Yuu, the clan's deployment order for you has arrived!"
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Jujutsu Kaisen: Hebi