Konoha. The dark base of Root.
"How are those children doing now?" From the deep shadows, Danzo sat on his throne, his face obscured.
"Reporting to Lord Danzo! Among the targets under surveillance, Sasuke has made considerable progress under Kakashi's guidance, but he is still within a controllable range."
"As for the one under special attention... Hatake Kusuo... his strength needs to be re-evaluated!"
Hearing this, Danzo's eyes lit up. Hatake Kusuo again?
"Speak!"
"Yes, my lord! We have learned that Asuma's squad, on a C-rank escort mission to the Land of Waves, killed the Hidden Mist missing-nin Zabuza, as well as another powerful Kekkei Genkai user."
"And according to reliable information, it is highly likely that both of them were slain by Hatake Kusuo!"
THUD! The sound of a cane striking the ground heavily.
With a swoosh, Danzo suddenly appeared in front of the kneeling Root ninja. He grabbed him by the collar with one hand and lifted him into the air. "Are you certain?"
"C-certain! I guarantee the information is absolutely true!"
Afterward, the Root ninja smoothed out his wrinkled collar, looking up at Danzo with lingering fear. Danzo had fallen into a state of extreme excitement.
"Very good. Very good." He said "very good" twice, then slammed his cane down again. "Assign more men. Continue the surveillance."
"I want every single piece of information about this child in my hands."
"But, the ANBU..." the man below said hesitantly.
"I will deal with the Third Hokage. Just do as I say!"
"Yes, my lord!"
...
Stretching lazily, Hatake Kusuo yawned and crawled out from under the covers. He glanced at the peaceful girl beside him. Even in her sleep, she was so gentle.
He got up and went into the courtyard, casually picking up his sword.
Swish! Swish!
Two flashes of cold light. Everything in their path was cut down. Looking at the results, he nodded in satisfaction. At his current level, even without using his Sun Breathing techniques, his swordsmanship alone possessed such power. He sighed with emotion. It felt as if he had been dreaming. Six years had passed in a flash.
Putting down his sword, Kusuo sat cross-legged and began to meditate. A new day had begun.
Before long, Hinata walked out of the room timidly, her face red all the way to her neck. She had no idea how she had ended up sleeping in the same bed with Kusuo last night. Now, she didn't dare to look him in the eye.
At their age, they weren't too old, but they weren't too young either. Most importantly, children in the world of Naruto matured early. They already understood what needed to be understood.
Touching her burning cheeks, Hinata wished she could find a hole to crawl into. Last night, she had been too tired from practicing her breathing techniques and had fallen asleep without realizing it. She had no idea what, if anything, had happened between her and Kusuo in that bed...
"Morning, Hinata," a greeting startled her.
"Ah! M-morning, Kusuo."
"Since you're awake, let's go to the training ground together."
"Mm!"
...
Today, Konoha seemed particularly restless. Many ninja from other villages had arrived one after another and were being settled into lodgings under the arrangement of the Hokage's direct ANBU guard. Since the mission in the Land of Waves, Asuma-sensei had put Team 10's missions on hold, instead having them focus on individual training. Occasionally, he would come to give them pointers.
Naruto was bored out of his mind. "I wonder what Kusuo and Hinata are up to all day. I'm so bored." His restless nature couldn't be contained.
As he wandered aimlessly through the streets, he spotted a few peculiar figures at a corner. In the middle was a short boy with red hair, carrying a gourd on his back. Beside him were a boy and a girl. The three of them were dressed strangely and were clearly not from Konoha.
"Hey! Are you guys ninja from another village?" Naruto bounced over and asked them curiously.
"Er... sorry, we're busy today and it's not convenient," the tallest-looking boy, who wore a strange hat, said, seeming very flustered. He pulled the girl on the other side and tried to leave in a hurry.
"What's with them? I just ask a question and they ignore me. People from other villages are so rude," Naruto grumbled, his initial curiosity turning into annoyance.
But in that instant, the atmosphere changed completely.
"Gaara, don't mind him, let's just go!"
"Temari! Get this guy away from here, or it'll be too late!"
"Fine! Kankuro, you keep an eye on Gaara! Get him out of here, quick!"
This group was the Sand Village team: Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.
Naruto was dumbfounded, watching them act as if they were facing a great enemy. Did I say something wrong? They were the ones who were cold to me first!
Not understanding the situation, Naruto was pulled by the arm by Temari, who was desperately trying to signal him with her eyes. It seemed they were terrified of the boy with the gourd in the middle.
"What's going on?" Naruto asked loudly, craning his neck towards Kankuro, who was struggling to pull Gaara away. "Aren't you guys teammates? Why are you treating him like a prehistoric beast?"
"We're done for!" Temari covered her eyes, her whole body beginning to tremble.
What's happening?
Swish! Swish!
Suddenly, the sound of something flowing filled the air. Naruto looked around in confusion and was shocked to find that the area was now covered in sand.
"Run!" Kankuro and Temari shouted at him at the same time, their voices filled with urgency. The three of them had just arrived in Konoha today. After the long and tiring journey, Gaara was already in a bad mood. Then, the Konoha ANBU had unexpectedly told them to find the Hokage Tower on their own to register. This had undoubtedly thrown cold water on Gaara's already unstable emotions. The two of them had been walking on eggshells the whole way, just hoping to get through this period peacefully. They never expected to run into such a reckless brat halfway.
He had angered Gaara. This kid was in danger!
A handful of sand solidified into the shape of an arm and wrapped around Naruto's arm. "I just said a few words, why are you getting physical?"
However, no matter what Naruto did, he couldn't break free from the sand.
The next second, a sharp pain shot through him. Naruto felt as if his arm was about to break
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (80 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (96 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (60 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (50 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (170 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.