Root

Hiruzen's talk of making an effort ultimately amounted to nothing more than empty words. The will of Konoha's leadership was not so easily swayed.

Orochimaru, however, did not give up so easily. He even tried to persuade Konoha's leadership, but unfortunately, when it came to this decision, they displayed an extremely resolute attitude.

Several days of futile effort caused Orochimaru's gaze to grow increasingly cold. He made no attempt to conceal his emotional fluctuations in front of Ye Zi, seemingly using this method to tell Ye Zi that all his efforts would eventually amount to empty words as well. Thus, he was already mentally prepared to make a move.

He notified Ye Zi in this way, leaving the choice of whether to act to him.

After losing both parents in his youth, Orochimaru's blood had gradually grown cold. Only after witnessing life and death countless times did it turn completely cold. Then he met Ye Zi. Then someone entered his empty home. Unbeknownst to him, his cold blood slowly gained a trace of warmth again, despite the indifference in his expression and eyes.

There were always so many helpless things in this world...

For example, a powerful person casually setting fire to something belonging to the weak.

For example, the unfairness bestowed upon a body from the moment of birth.

For example, opening one's eyes again to find nothing but freezing rain and bitter wind before them.

For example, being brought here without the slightest ability to resist, only to be casually thrown out in the end.

That night, there was neither wind nor cloud. The moon was round and bright.

Ye Zi wore battle attire and brought all the ninja tools required for the mission. Then he prepared an extremely sumptuous meal.

The dishes were abundant, but nearly all of them were made primarily with eggs, filling the entire table.

Because Orochimaru liked eggs.

After preparing the meal, Ye Zi sat quietly, turning his head to look at the lush courtyard.

Once, there had been only one lonely old tree in that courtyard. It had also been Ye Zi's first training ground. When Ye Zi was no longer satisfied with training in the courtyard and moved to Konoha's designated training grounds, the courtyard gradually gained more plants and flowers. By now, it had become a proper courtyard, complete with flowers and grass.

He sat in silence for a while. Only when movement came from the entryway did he straighten his body and stare straight ahead.

Steam still rose from the food on the table. He had calculated the timing carefully before beginning to cook.

When Orochimaru returned, he did not change into his usual home clothes before coming over. Instead, he entered the living room in standard ninja attire and slowly sat across from Ye Zi, looking at the tableful of egg dishes.

The two looked at each other without speaking. After a moment, Orochimaru picked up his chopsticks first, and Ye Zi followed suit.

The only sounds at the table were chopsticks tapping against ceramic bowls and the chewing of food.

They had always followed the rule of not speaking while eating. That had been true in the past, was true now, and would probably remain true in the future.

Whether alone or together...

Half an hour later, not a single dish remained on the table. It was always like this. Ye Zi usually ate more, and he also ate much faster than Orochimaru. Yet whenever the last dish was finished, both of them happened to be full.

"I should go."

Ye Zi stared silently at the mess on the table for a moment before speaking slowly.

Orochimaru looked at the small piece of golden egg skin left beside an empty plate and said coldly, "I gave you a chance."

The implication seemed to be that he had already notified Ye Zi, but Ye Zi had not treasured the opportunity. Instead, he had stayed behind and prepared a tableful of food to wait for him.

"Mm." Ye Zi nodded calmly. Ignoring Orochimaru's stern expression, he slowly rose. When he reached the corridor, he suddenly stopped and said, "I won't clean up this time."

With that, he stepped down the stone stairs into the courtyard. He glanced at the familiar grounds, then turned and silently looked at Orochimaru's profile. Only then did he vault over the wall and head toward Konoha's gates.

He had been forcibly brought to this place called Konoha, yet when he left, he would walk openly through the main gate.

From beginning to end, Orochimaru merely stared silently at the small piece of egg skin on the edge of the empty plate. Several days ago, he had said he would kill Ye Zi. Several days later, the moment had arrived, yet he did not know why he could not bring himself to act.

At the thought that only he would remain in this house again, an inexplicable melancholy arose in his heart.

"Orochimaru, one of the Sannin? He doesn't even measure up to a corner of that position." The cold-faced man muttered coldly to himself.

The night was not yet deep. Every lamp along Konoha's streets was lit, hinting at a scene of prosperity.

Ignoring the astonished gazes of others, Ye Zi sprinted through the streets. He moved unhindered all the way to Konoha's gates, where no one stopped him. After sensing carefully, he found that not a single ninja who should have been guarding the area around Konoha's gates was there.

Though puzzled, Ye Zi did not stop. He dashed out of Konoha's gates and followed the straight road extending from them. The trees lining both sides of the road rapidly fell behind him.

Screech...

Not long after leaving Konoha, Ye Zi suddenly braked hard while moving at full speed. His heels scraped a rough mark across the ground. After stopping, he quietly stared at a person standing ahead on the road.

The pure white moonlight poured over the ground, clearly revealing the person's features. His scattered black hair was forced upward by the forehead protector tied around his brow. His stern face was expressionless, and a distinct "X"-shaped scar marked his chin. Even the bright moonlight could not conceal the fierce glint in his eyes.

The newcomer was Shimura Danzō, the man who controlled Root. Ye Zi did not know him, however. His cold gaze swept from Danzō's face to the red-dominated battle attire, then finally settled on the red hilt protruding from behind Danzō's shoulder. He silently drew Raiya.

His eyes covertly swept toward the trees on both sides of the road before finally focusing on Danzō. His grip slowly tightened around the hilt.

He sensed a faint yet almost tangible killing intent in the air. Whether it came from the man before him or the several people hiding in the trees, every one of them certainly had many lives on their hands. Moreover, the people in the trees had concealed themselves perfectly. Their breathing, almost as faint as an insect's, was nearly impossible to detect. Yet despite possessing such flawless concealment, they had revealed the easiest thing to notice—their killing intent. Clearly, that killing intent had been released deliberately.

When Danzō saw Ye Zi's gaze drift toward the place where his subordinates were hiding, his stern face softened slightly. "Very perceptive."

Ye Zi looked at him without saying a word.

"Trying to escape?" Danzō asked.

Ye Zi remained silent, but he had already assumed an attacking stance.

Danzō acted as though he had not seen Ye Zi raise his arm and continued, "No one can escape Konoha under my watch. I'll give you two choices: die here, or join Root."

"Root?" Ye Zi finally spoke after remaining silent for so long.

Danzō said calmly, "Root is Konoha's root. You can think of it as the organization responsible for training the Anbu."

"Why?" Ye Zi looked at him.

Danzō gave a cold laugh. "You have enough ability to earn my attention. Hiruzen can't protect you, and Orochimaru can't protect you either. But I can."

This man from Root thought highly of Ye Zi's prospects. Unlike Konoha's White Fang, whom no one could recruit at present, Ye Zi was still in a period of rapid growth.