First Glimmer of Brilliance

The roar of clashing ninjutsu had yet to fully subside, while dust and mist still hung in the air.

"Whoosh—whoosh!"

The shrill whistles of the Police Force were already drawing near.

Several figures landed amid fierce gusts on the rooftops and broken walls around the street, vaguely encircling the area.

Some wore animal masks and Anbu uniforms, while others were Konoha ninja in standard attire with Police Force insignias wrapped around their arms.

"What's going on?!"

"Using ninjutsu on this scale inside the village?!"

An Anbu squad captain wearing a Fox Mask shouted sharply, his keen gaze sweeping across the scene.

His eyes first fell upon the devastated street—collapsed walls, shattered ground, mud and water flowing everywhere, and Tejima Shinichi standing amid the wreckage.

Then he saw the three somewhat disheveled Root Ninja wearing animal masks.

The Anbu captain's gaze instantly sharpened.

Clearly, he recognized where they came from, but procedure still had to be followed.

"Who are you? Why did you attack a Genin of this village?"

His voice carried a chill through his mask.

The Tanuki Mask Ninja leading them stepped forward, intending to explain the situation as briefly as possible.

"We have been ordered by Lord Danzo to invite Tejima Shinichi to—"

"They called themselves something called 'Root.'"

Before he could finish, Tejima Shinichi cut him off directly.

"I had just returned from a mission when these three suddenly appeared and blocked my path, saying they wanted to take me to meet someone named 'Danzo.'"

He looked around at the Konoha ninja who had arrived and raised his voice.

"I've never heard of any 'Root' in the Ninja Handbook or the Village Roster, nor do I know anyone named 'Danzo.' I, Tejima Shinichi, am an officially registered ninja under the Hokage. I obey only the Third Hokage and my Jonin Instructor, Teacher Yamato."

At that, he turned his gaze toward the three Root Ninja.

"I clearly told them that without an order from the Hokage or Teacher Yamato, I wasn't going anywhere. Yet they actually threatened me, saying this was my last chance and that they would resort to force if I refused to cooperate."

At that, Tejima Shinichi let out a series of cold sneers.

"Openly threatening to kidnap a ninja of this village in Konoha? I'd like to ask just who gave them the nerve to do that."

After hearing Tejima Shinichi's account, everyone present immediately understood what this was about.

After all, this was Root's usual method of recruitment... and the person involved was this year's Top Student at the Ninja Academy. How could they not believe him?

The Konoha ninja gathered around them, whether Police Force members or Anbu, immediately looked at the three Root Ninja with extreme hostility.

"Bastards!"

"What do you take this village for?!"

"...To dare act so outrageously!"

Faced with the furious crowd of ninja, the Root Ninja in the Tanuki Mask fell silent for a moment before trying to explain.

"We—"

"Enough!"

A voice heavy with suppressed anger rang out.

Then a figure flashed into existence before Tejima Shinichi. It was Yamato, who had returned.

Yamato's face was livid as he stared at the three Root Ninja.

He had not gone far. The moment he sensed the immense Chakra fluctuations of the familiar Water Release and Earth Release, along with the thunderous sounds of destruction, he had immediately rushed back at full speed.

The sight before him, along with Tejima Shinichi's accusations, told him at once what had happened.

As the former Kō, he understood Root's methods all too well.

"So it was you..." Yamato's voice was icy. "Elder Danzo has stretched his hand too far! Shinichi is my, Yamato's, disciple, and a Konoha Genin personally recognized by the Hokage! Who gave you the authority to openly threaten and attempt to kidnap him inside the village?!"

The three Root Ninja fell completely silent.

Before Yamato, a former comrade who knew their roots, and the growing number of Konoha colleagues clearly siding with Tejima Shinichi, any defense seemed pale and powerless.

Seeing this, the Anbu captain already understood the course of events.

He stepped forward and said coldly to the three Root Ninja, "The three of you will come with us. This matter must be reported to the Hokage for judgment."

He then turned to Yamato and Tejima Shinichi. "Captain Yamato, and this Genin, please come with us as well to explain the situation to the Hokage."

Yamato nodded, patted Tejima Shinichi on the shoulder, and said in a low voice,

"It's all right now, Shinichi. You did the right thing."

Tejima Shinichi remained calm. "They're just a few clowns. They're not worth my concern."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the group headed toward the Hokage Building.

Escorted by a large number of Konoha ninja, the three Root Ninja were invisibly surrounded as they made their way toward the Hokage Building.

Hokage's Office.

The air was heavy.

After listening to the Anbu captain's report, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked first at the three Root Ninja standing with their heads lowered and their auras suppressed, then at the calm but sharp-eyed Tejima Shinichi, and finally exchanged a brief glance with the livid Yamato.

He said nothing. Instead, he picked up his pipe, unhurriedly packed it with tobacco, struck a flame with a crack, and took a deep drag.

Thick smoke rose, veiling his deeply wrinkled face in a hazy blur and making it impossible to discern the turbulent emotions beneath.

Just as the suffocating silence was about to crush the three Root Ninja, Tejima Shinichi stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Hokage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen lifted his eyes from behind the smoke and looked at the boy.

Tejima Shinichi met Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze directly.

"I don't understand."

His tone was restrained, but the edge in his words was impossible to conceal.

"I had just completed a mission for the village, yet on my way home, I was intercepted and even surrounded by these three masked ninja of unknown identity."

Tejima Shinichi turned slightly, pointing at the three Root Ninja with an icy gaze.

"They claim to belong to something called 'Root' and, under the orders of someone named Lord Danzo, intended to forcibly take me away. I clearly informed them that I am a registered Konoha Genin, that my direct Jonin is Teacher Yamato, and that my ultimate loyalty belongs to you—the Third Hokage!"

"Yet not only did they refuse to listen, they even threatened to use force. Inside Konoha, they openly threatened to kidnap a ninja of this village..."

"We never used force! You were the one who suddenly unleashed large-scale ninjutsu!"

The Tanuki Mask Ninja finally could not help but speak in rebuttal, urgency born of grievance in his voice.

But... Tejima Shinichi ignored his rebuttal and asked the most crucial question, the very question in the hearts of every ninja present who knew of Root's existence.

"Hokage, I want to know whether this Lord Danzo and Root they speak of are truly ninja of the village. If they are not, why are they able to attack and threaten ninja of this village so brazenly within Konoha? If they... are,"

Tejima Shinichi deliberately paused, his eyes blazing.

"Then who granted them the authority to stand above the Hokage's authority, disregard the village's rules, and openly kidnap and threaten fellow Konoha ninja?!"

"Today, they can treat me this way. Tomorrow, can they use the same methods against any Konoha ninja? How are such actions any different from enemy spies?! What does it mean for an organization like this to exist within Konoha?!"

This barrage of questioning struck at everyone's hearts and deepened their disgust toward Root.

They were so lawless. What if one day it happened to them, or to their children?

They could not accept such an outcome either.

The three Root Ninja were frantic to explain that they had truly never intended to attack him. Yet given the atmosphere at the scene and their reputation, even if they said anything, the Hokage and the many people present likely would not believe them.

...Perhaps only those who knew they had been wronged could understand just how wronged they were.

The fingers gripping Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe tightened for an instant.

He looked deeply at Tejima Shinichi, a complex emotion flashing through his eyes—

The office was silent enough to hear a pin drop. Everyone waited for the Hokage's judgment.

After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly removed the pipe from his mouth. Just as he was about to speak—

"Hmph!"

A cold snort suddenly rang out from outside the office door.