"Kazama Shin, come with us."
A cold voice came from the two masked ANBU standing before him.
Shin frowned, his expression turning serious.
At first, he thought it might be because of his contact with Naruto Uzumaki—that perhaps the Third Hokage wanted to question him.
But then—
Another possibility flashed through his mind.
"Is it something the Hokage wants?" he asked cautiously.
"Enough nonsense. Come with us."
The response was nothing but a harsh, emotionless command.
A chill ran through Shin's heart.
That uneasy feeling grew stronger.
These two… felt wrong.
There was no trace of life in them.
Only a cold, oppressive aura—like they had completely merged with darkness itself.
And more importantly—
Why would the Hokage send ANBU for a mere child like him?
"…These aren't ANBU."
"They're Root."
Shin's thoughts raced.
He clenched his teeth.
With his current strength—
There was no way he could resist.
These Root operatives were at least elite chunin, if not higher.
Even if he could overpower weaker chunin—
Against Root, who were trained through life-and-death battles and stripped of emotion—
He had no chance.
…
Silence lingered.
The oppressive aura from the two masked figures grew heavier.
They were losing patience.
Shin gritted his teeth, about to agree—
When suddenly—
The two masked ninjas glanced at each other.
As if they had sensed something.
They gave Shin one last look—
And then—
Whoosh!
They vanished instantly.
"???"
Shin stood there, stunned.
But the tension in his chest finally eased.
He let out a long breath.
A moment later—
Rapid footsteps approached.
"Shin! Shin!"
A familiar voice called from outside.
In that instant—
Shin understood why the Root operatives had retreated.
"Naruto? What's up?"
Opening the door and seeing Naruto, Shin swore—
This was the first time he felt this guy had such perfect timing.
"Uh…"
Seeing Shin strangely happy, Naruto looked confused.
But soon he grinned widely.
"Haha! I came to tell you—half a month from now, we're entering the Ninja Academy!"
Shin froze for a moment.
"…So it's starting."
"Ninja Academy…"
A thought stirred in his mind.
That meant—
The timeline was moving forward.
The Uchiha incident… was getting closer.
"Haha! Once I enter the academy, I'll become super strong! Then I'll protect you!"
Naruto laughed loudly, full of confidence.
Shin looked at him with a hint of sympathy.
He didn't have the heart to tell him—
That he would be the dead last.
…
Shin glanced outside.
The sky was bright.
The sunlight warm.
A gentle breeze passed through.
But—
He wasn't looking at the scenery.
He was observing.
Carefully scanning the surroundings.
He knew—
There were definitely ANBU hidden nearby.
Protecting Naruto.
And those Root operatives had clearly sensed their approach—
That's why they retreated.
"…Their concealment is excellent."
After observing for a while and finding nothing, Shin gave up.
If he could easily detect them at his level—
Then those ANBU might as well quit.
…
Turning back—
He saw Naruto still talking endlessly.
Shin couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"Talk no Jutsu… truly undefeated."
…