Entering the Root Again

"Recovery's going well. You can prepare to be discharged."

Tsunade leaned in to carefully examine Namikaze Yoru's condition, the faint fragrance drifting from her constantly brushing against his nose, leaving him slightly dazed.

And with that professional outfit on top, it made his heartbeat quicken despite himself.

At this point, more than three months had passed since he'd returned to Konoha from the front lines in the Land of Rain.

Nawaki and Shibi's injuries were nothing compared to Namikaze Yoru's—they were out of the hospital and recuperating at home in just two or three weeks.

Nawaki especially, with the Senju Clan's robust constitution, was bouncing around in less than a week, and it was only because Tsunade forcibly kept him in the hospital for two more weeks of rest.

As for Namikaze Yoru, his bones had fully healed, and his meridians had recovered to about sixty or seventy percent under Tsunade's careful treatment.

But whether he'd make a full recovery, according to Tsunade, was up to fate—though she did praise his physique as one of the strongest she'd ever seen in terms of recovery.

"Brother Yoru, we came to see you."

Nawaki and Shibi walked into the ward carrying fruit, and Nawaki only toned it down a little when he saw Tsunade was there.

"Sis."

"Lord Tsunade."

Seeing the two arrive, Tsunade gave them a slight nod.

"Perfect timing. I was just about to be discharged too. Lying around in the hospital any longer, I can't take it." Namikaze Yoru smiled back at them.

"Then it's settled! Tonight we're treating you to celebrate your recovery and discharge." Nawaki immediately proposed.

Namikaze Yoru had no objections. To hide his secrets, he'd fully cooperated with Tsunade's treatment, though the process had been somewhat enjoyable.

But according to Tsunade's orders, he'd been on a bland diet the whole time in the hospital, and he really did need to properly reward his stomach.

As for this battlefield promotion mission, it had been completed without any dispute. The mission report had already been submitted by Nawaki and the others on his behalf; all Namikaze Yoru had to do was stop by the Hokage Building to register, and he could pick up his Chunin vest.

From their conversation, Namikaze Yoru also learned that the Stone Ninja on the Land of Rain front had withdrawn back to the Land of Earth.

The official story was to reduce ninja casualties and train the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, but Konoha had already learned the truth through its intelligence network—the Stone Ninja had lost the Five-Tails.

Though he found the Stone Ninja's stubborn denial amusing, the two great nations tacitly acknowledged the matter and let it go.

With the Stone Ninja pulling back, the Sand Ninja stood alone and was already suing for peace and paying reparations to Konoha. The Second Shinobi World War was basically over, with only scattered skirmishes remaining.

The war's victory had consumed a great deal of living strength, but Konoha and the Third Hokage, who had led the war to victory, had reached the peak of their prestige.

Walking out of Konoha Hospital, Namikaze Yoru felt as if an age had passed. Without the smell of disinfectant from the hospital, it was a little hard to adjust.

He didn't rush home. Instead, he wandered around Konoha, somewhat amazed at the village's recovery speed after the war.

As the victors, the villagers all wore proud smiles on their faces, looking as if they shared in the glory. Many shops even hung banners reading "Celebrating War Victory—Storewide Specials."

As he walked, a figure suddenly blocked his path—a ninja wearing an animal mask, dressed very similarly to the Konoha Anbu.

But the mechanical coldness radiating from him let Namikaze Yoru immediately guess who he was.

"What is it?"

Namikaze Yoru was always curt with Root, since any attitude was the same to them anyway.

"Lord Danzō requests your presence."

The Root ninja's emotionless voice rang out, catching Namikaze Yoru off guard.

After all, the guy was being oddly polite. He'd been ready to just blow him off, but this attitude made him start wondering.

"Not going to be 'courtesy before force,' is it?" Namikaze Yoru thought. "Lure me into Root, then tell me my secrets have come to light, hurry up and confess, and spend the rest of my life repenting in Konoha Prison?"

But confident in his own strength, he followed behind the ninja, curious to see what game they were playing.

Though it wasn't his first time at Root, it was his first time entering through the main gate.

After several layers of overt and covert checks, he made it inside the base.

The interior looked much the same as before, with no visible changes. The only noticeable difference was the sight of Root ninja bustling about everywhere.

Even on the way to Root's depths, he ran into the genuine Shimura Shinsei, wearing the same cold face as Danzō, making Namikaze Yoru sigh that weeds are hard to kill.

"Lord Danzō, Namikaze Yoru is here."

The Root ninja who had brought him respectfully knocked on the door of the office at the very bottom.

Then the door slowly opened, and Shimura Danzō's voice came from inside: "Come in."

The moment he stepped into the office, Namikaze Yoru felt a bit dazed, because the decor was completely different from before.

As soon as he entered, he was taken aback. The interior was no longer a near-perfect replica of the Hokage's office; instead, the room's layout was now extremely plain, even a little shabby.

Maybe Shimura Danzō really believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi was sending him a message, which was why he'd made such a change.

Of course, Namikaze Yoru, the one involved, had no idea. He just assumed Danzō had been cleaned out of his private stash, taken a heavy hit, and was maybe having a financial crisis.

"Lord Danzō."

Namikaze Yoru called out to Shimura Danzō with a fake show of respect, straining to keep his emotions from showing.

"Hm."

Shimura Danzō wore an inscrutable expression, as if unsurprised by Namikaze Yoru's attitude, his voice betraying no emotion.

"You're quite impressive. I've reviewed your record—it's outstanding."

"Danzō-sama flatters me." Unsure of what Shimura Danzō intended, Namikaze Yoru could only follow along with his words.

"As a civilian ninja, I understand your struggles. Without some luck, you might have stopped at Chunin."

He paused, observing Namikaze Yoru's reaction. Seeing the other still unmoved, Shimura Danzō grew even more satisfied and continued:

"You need a backer, and even more, you need an organization. Join my Root. Ninjutsu, secret techniques—I can give you all of it." He finished, looking proudly at Namikaze Yoru, as if already envisioning the other weeping with gratitude.

But after a long silence, finding him still speechless, Shimura Danzō assumed Namikaze Yoru hadn't heard clearly and was about to speak further when Namikaze Yoru cut him off.

"I refuse."

"Excellent, welcome—... What did you just say?" As if unsure he'd heard correctly, Shimura Danzō confirmed once more.

"I refuse."

Namikaze Yoru repeated, this time raising his voice.