Inside the Root Base, the last three guards had all been knocked down. After confirming they wouldn't wake anytime soon, Namikaze Yoru didn't linger and strode past the unconscious shinobi.
As for the Root squad leader, who was covered in blood, all Yoru could do was hope the man was tough enough to survive.
He hadn't helped him out of fellow-feeling for a fellow villager. The faint, Danzō-like aura coming off the man had simply repulsed him. He might have been a member of Shimura Danzō's clan.
When he reached the central stone chamber, he found its doors tightly shut, as though announcing that its owner wasn't home.
The moment he reached out to touch them, he sensed the seals and barriers placed on the doors. Without the proper method, forcing them open wouldn't just be futile—it could also trigger a chain of traps.
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But so what?
"Pawn."
[ Ding! Special door covered in seals and barriers... Valuation: 0 ]
"Confirm pawn."
In an instant, the stone doors vanished without a sound, as if they had never existed.
The corner of Namikaze Yoru's mouth lifted. No matter how carefully Danzō planned, every arrangement was futile in the face of a "cheating player."
Remaining alert, he stepped into the central chamber and scanned his surroundings. An inexplicable sense of familiarity washed over him.
"Why does this... feel so much like the Hokage's Office?"
After making the comment, Namikaze Yoru was certain the room's layout was remarkably similar to that of the Hokage's Office. Aside from its gloomier style, which bore Danzō's personal touch, the two rooms weren't merely related—they were practically identical.
"As expected of Konoha's Fifth-and-a-Half Hokage. He started laying the groundwork early."
That gave Namikaze Yoru an idea. He headed straight for the desk and looked over the bookcase behind it.
It was packed with scrolls of all kinds. There were so many that it was hard to estimate the number, and searching through them all would take quite some time.
He quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't have that kind of time, not when he was in the Root Base and shinobi could return at any moment.
"Pawn."
[ Scan complete. The following items can be pawned: ]
[ Ding! Intelligence scrolls *52... Valuation: 0 ]
[ Ding! Blank scrolls *10... Valuation: 0 ]
[ Ding! Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique... Valuation: 50 ]
[ Ding! Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal... Valuation: 50 ]
[ Ding! Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal... Valuation: 50 ]
[ Ding! Forbidden Jutsu: Flying Thunder God Technique... Valuation: 100 ]
One ninjutsu after another flashed across the screen, making Namikaze Yoru's eyes swim. Looking at the Fifth-and-a-Half Hokage's Office, all he could do was marvel:
"Danzō, I knew you old fox had some shady tricks—and that you kept them well hidden."
This collection of forbidden jutsu was astonishing. Even the Uchiha, one of Konoha's most powerful clans, might not have matched it.
"Pawn everything."
[ Current Pawn Points: 2860 ]
"Beautiful."
In the blink of an eye, the system had scanned and pawned every forbidden jutsu scroll on the bookcase, including those hidden in secret compartments.
He'd even found plenty of things that had no business being there. Hiruzen Sarutobi might not even know they existed.
Looking at the now-empty bookcase, then at the system's seemingly endless list of items available for redemption, Namikaze Yoru smiled from the bottom of his heart.
He could just imagine the look on Shimura Danzō's face when he returned and found nothing in the secret compartments but seals.
After confirming that he'd missed nothing on the bookcase, he turned to leave. Before going, he instinctively activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura for one final sweep.
That was when he noticed a strange stone wall in the office. It wasn't especially conspicuous—in fact, it was easy to overlook.
But the Mind's Eye of the Kagura couldn't sense through it, which piqued Namikaze Yoru's interest.
He figured he still had some time, so he went over to the wall. Even examining it with his naked eye, he couldn't spot anything unusual.
"Pawn."
[ Ding! Special Metal stone wall... Valuation: 50 ]
"Well, look at that. Pawn it!"
The wall was made of Special Metal. Such extravagant workmanship immediately stirred Namikaze Yoru's curiosity.
Special Metal was expensive and was usually mixed in small quantities into chakra weapons to improve their conductivity.
Using it to make a stone wall was extravagant in the extreme. Namikaze Yoru was all the more eager to see what lay behind it.
Just like the doors before it, the wall vanished in an instant, revealing a secret room that wasn't particularly spacious.
The room seemed poorly ventilated and smelled of decay. Its layout was exceptionally simple: a few niches had been carved directly into the stone walls, each holding an item.
With the stone wall gone, the room could no longer block Namikaze Yoru's sensory perception. After confirming there was no danger inside, he stepped in.
He casually picked up a glass bottle from one of the niches and saw a label bearing the word "Mirror." Inside was a rare pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"???"
He looked at the other niches. One bottle held floating pieces of unidentified flesh. There was no label, but their presence alone said enough.
"Pawn."
[ Scan complete. The following ownerless items can be pawned: ]
[ Ding! Uchiha Bloodline Product (Three-Tomoe Sharingan)... Valuation: 50 ]
[ Ding! Senju Clan High-Concentration Bloodline Flesh (very small quantity)... Valuation: 10 ]
[ Ding! Forbidden Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation... Valuation: 100 ]
"Holy crap, I really did wipe out Danzō's entire stash."
Only then did Namikaze Yoru recall a detail he'd overlooked earlier, when he'd seen Danzō. The Danzō he'd encountered at the Hokage Building had both eyes intact and wasn't wearing the bandages he would later be known for.
He quickly stored the three items in a Sealing Scroll, deciding to figure out what to do with them after he got back.
Leaving the secret room, he raced out of Danzō's "Hokage's Office." Just as he was about to reach the exit, the Mind's Eye of the Kagura suddenly sensed a Root Squad returning through the entrance!
There was no time to think. With the two parties about to run into each other, Namikaze Yoru transformed into the Root squad leader who'd been attacked earlier and swaggered toward them.
The Root shinobi were naturally startled to see Namikaze Yoru coming up from the depths. He took the initiative, speaking sharply:
"What's the situation in the village?"
"Lord Shinsei." The Root shinobi immediately saluted before answering, "We still haven't found the assassin, but the clues currently point to the Mist Village's Kaguya Clan."
"Shimura Shinsei" immediately flew into a rage. "You're all useless! With Lord Danzō away, does that mean outsiders can come and go from Konoha as they please?!"
The other Root shinobi didn't dare respond. Their leader hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Where are you going, sir? It isn't time for the shift change yet."
"Shimura Shinsei" reacted quickly. His tone stern, he said, "Lord Danzō's secret orders just came through. I need to return to the Shimura Clan Compound at once to handle something."
As he spoke, he pulled the storage scroll from his robes and waved it, then ignored the others and left without another word.
The Root Squad had heard him invoke Danzō's name, so they didn't dare ask anything further and continued toward the depths of the base.
However, they hadn't gone far when a strange smell, like charred meat, along with a faint trace of blood, caught their attention. Following the smell, they found their comrade slumped on the ground, unconscious.
They immediately realized they'd been tricked and spun around to give chase, but "Shimura Shinsei" had already vanished.
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