The Dark Side of the Shinobi World

Namikaze Yoru left the Senju clan compound thoroughly satisfied, not forgetting to casually set off a Fire Style on his way out that burned Nawaki's training clothes hanging outside to a crisp.

Consider it a reminder—when the wind blows and rain falls, you're supposed to bring the laundry in!

Leaving aside Nawaki's utter bewilderment for now, Konoha itself was already in an uproar.

Though the process had deviated slightly from what Namikaze Yoru anticipated, the final result was close enough—Konoha's Anbu ninja had mobilized almost in full force, scouring every corner for the audacious "Kaguya Clan" assassin.

An assassination within Konoha Village was already extremely rare, but the identity of the target made it impossible to handle quietly.

That was the last direct descendant of the Senju Clan—Senju Nawaki.

Even if most of the clan members had already dispersed and integrated into the village, the Senju Clan was still one of the two founding pillars of Konoha. If Nawaki were to come to harm here, it would be no exaggeration to say the shockwaves would rival an earthquake.

Having already taken note of the nearly full-scale deployment of Konoha's Anbu, Namikaze Yoru knew the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

He quietly avoided the commotion, slipping once again to the outskirts of the secret stronghold he had scouted multiple times before.

"The Root's base should be right here."

Over the past few days, he had secretly investigated several suspicious locations, but this one had the most "Anbu" coming and going—each one expressionless, moving in perfect unison, like emotionless machines.

Instead of taking the known secret passage, he used Earth Style to burrow straight in.

Only upon entering the interior did he realize the sheer scale of the place—it was like an inverted Hokage Building embedded underground, its structure labyrinthine and impossible to estimate.

Even with some forewarning, Namikaze Yoru was still taken aback by Danzo's Root.

It wasn't too far from the Hokage Building—in fact, it could be said to mirror it. No wonder every time something stirred, Danzo always managed to arrive at the Hokage Building in time to "discuss important matters" with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At the center was a bottomless atrium, surrounded by winding corridors like a honeycomb, leading to unknown destinations.

Such a massive project buried underground was even more shocking than the Hokage Building at first glance. Without the Hokage's approval, it could never have been built.

"Hah, living out your Hokage dream down here?"

Time was tight. Namikaze Yoru picked a direction and began his search. Under the perception of the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, the number of personnel inside Root at the moment was sparse.

Perhaps Danzo had taken a batch to the front lines, and now the Anbu had pulled away even more. Only two or three ninjas remained handling affairs, their movements already fully tracked by Namikaze Yoru's perception.

He slipped into an empty secret room without making a move to search recklessly, avoiding any hidden seals or traps.

"Pawn."

[Scan complete. Discovered unowned pawnable items as follows:]

[Ding! Intelligence-recorded scrolls*51... Valuation: 0]

[Ding! Blank scrolls*21... Valuation: 0]

"Damn, I hit a dud..."

Without touching anything in the room, Namikaze Yoru silently withdrew and moved on to the next chamber.

[Ding! Personnel file scrolls*38... Valuation: 0]

[Ding! Blank scrolls connected to Explosive Tags*20... Valuation: 0]

[Ding! Scrolls connected to Seal Techniques*10... Valuation: 0]

"Damn it, that old bastard Danzo is as crooked as they come—mixing real and fake traps everywhere."

Namikaze Yoru cursed under his breath at the system's messages. He had expected Root to be well-guarded, but this level of underhandedness was rare.

Afraid that the commotion would die down and Root ninjas would return, he didn't want to waste any more time. He decided to take a risk and head deeper into Root.

At the lowest level, two Root ninjas stood guard—one in the open, one hidden. Without the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, they would have been nearly impossible to spot. This had to be the core area, possibly Danzo's office.

The mutual-support positioning of the guards made a direct assault unwise. Namikaze Yoru decided to take a different approach, heading to another room guarded by a Root ninja.

Using the Transformation Technique to take the appearance of a Root ninja he had seen below, he put on a look of utter disarray and rushed into the room, speaking urgently:

"Bad news—an intruder has infiltrated the base."

The Root ninja processing documents reacted instantly, rising to check the situation.

Namikaze Yoru used the moment to close in. The Root ninja was about to bark at him for breaking protocol—

But Namikaze Yoru clamped a hand over his mouth and nose, driving a sharp bone spike through his heart and lungs. Blood gushed out as his life force rapidly drained.

This one seemed to be a minor leader, but years of desk work had dulled his ninja instincts—his vigilance was far from what it used to be.

"Pawn."

[Ding! Dying Special Jōnin... Valuation: 20]

[Ding! Unrecorded ninjutsu*32... Valuation: 5 each]

[Ding! Unrecorded high-level ninjutsu*1... Valuation: 10]

"Pawn the ninjutsu."

[Current Pawn Points: 2060]

"Not bad, but the real goods should still be below."

Instead of pawning the Root ninja, who had already passed out from blood loss, Namikaze Yoru hoisted him up, changed his appearance again, and supported the man as he walked toward the lower levels.

Before he could even approach, the Root ninja on guard duty spotted him. Seeing Namikaze Yoru supporting a person on his shoulder, the guard immediately became alert and demanded:

"Who goes there? Show your pass!"

"It's me."

Namikaze Yoru showed no panic; instead, he replied loudly, "An enemy has infiltrated Konoha. The base has been compromised. Saving lives takes priority."

The other party remained completely unmoved, coldly insisting on the pass and stopping him from advancing. It was a very typical Root style—like an emotionless machine.

Namikaze Yoru suddenly shoved the injured man he was supporting forward with force. Even as indifferent as a Root ninja was, this unexpected move caught him off guard, and he instinctively caught his blood-soaked comrade.

At the same time, as the opponent's line of sight was momentarily blocked, Namikaze Yoru closed in, the distance between the three shrinking to nothing.

Another Root ninja hidden in the shadows sensed something wrong first. He leaped out abruptly, drew the short blade from his back, and slashed it down at Namikaze Yoru's nape with a fierce wind.

Namikaze Yoru seemed oblivious, letting the blade strike him squarely.

The blade tore through Namikaze Yoru's clothing with devastating force. At the same time, the ninja who had leaped from the shadows sensed something amiss.

The blade in his hand lacked the solid feel of a real cut, and the anticipated scene of blood spurting from the neck never occurred.

The "Namikaze Yoru" that had been struck instantly dissolved into a pool of clear water, splashing onto the ground.

The real Namikaze Yoru rose silently like a ghost from the damp earth beneath. His hands had already completed the hand seals, and the cold words slipped from his lips like a whisper from the abyss:

"Lightning Style: Earth Running."

Blinding electric light flared up, spreading wildly along the water stains scattered across the ground, instantly entangling the three Root ninjas.

Under the intense paralysis and shock, they couldn't even let out a grunt before they completely lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.