Code Name: Yaksha

Shimura Danzō was an inescapable shadow.

He hadn't gone looking for Danzō, but Danzō had come straight to him.

Akashi's heart skipped a beat. He chuckled awkwardly. "I'm busy today. Could I come visit another time?"

"Please leave at once for Waterfall Canyon."

"What if I refuse?"

"Then I'll have to resort to force." The man extended a finger. A small black bug rested on its tip. Looking closely, Akashi could see its wings vibrating rapidly as its body writhed in a most unsettling way.

Akashi keenly sensed similar bugs perched on his shoulders. Before he'd even noticed, he had been surrounded.

Bugs?

In Konoha, only the famous Aburame Clan used such bizarre methods.

The clan usually kept a low profile and sometimes seemed almost invisible, but they might well have been the most underestimated force in the village.

There was more than one Aburame Clan member in Danzō's Root, a clear sign of how highly he regarded them.

Akashi's expression darkened. "Is that a threat?"

"This is Lord Danzō's order. I have to carry it out. Also, I have a message for you: if you don't want your identity exposed, you'd better do as you're told."

Without knowing what information the other side had, he couldn't act rashly.

Akashi understood that perfectly. Besides, with the village's current situation and no one's loyalties clear, Danzō had no reason to risk attacking him.

"Fine. I'll go."

"Please hurry."

After delivering the message, the Aburame ninja vanished in a flash.

A swarm of black bugs drifted from behind Akashi to the path ahead. They seemed to threaten him, yet also guide him toward Konoha's Waterfall Canyon.

The rocks rose in craggy heaps, and lush trees crowded the area.

A white ribbon of water hung from the cliff, cascading down like a silver dragon. It churned up flecks of spray and clouds of mist.

Being here naturally brought to mind the sight of Shisui losing one of his Mangekyō Sharingan after Danzō ambushed him.

For some reason, it felt like a bad omen.

"You're not too late."

Danzō stepped out from behind a rock wall to the side. There was no one with him; he was alone.

His face radiated absolute confidence and arrogance.

Danzō's strength was not to be underestimated. With his powerful Wind Release, summoning beast, and Sealing Jutsu, he might not have matched the Third Hokage, but he could certainly hold his own against an elite jōnin.

Besides, he surely had a guard detail protecting him from the shadows right now.

Akashi wasn't confident he could defeat Danzō in a head-on fight.

"How could I refuse Lord Danzō's invitation? We could've talked about whatever it is back there. This place may be beautiful, but there are plenty of bugs around. I'm afraid..."

"Cut the chatter."

Danzō frowned and said with a stony expression, "Uchiha Akashi, I've never trusted you. But to be honest, you do have a few redeeming qualities."

Akashi gave him a fake smile. "It's an honor to have your approval."

"That's why I summoned you today: to make the most of your potential."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Join Root." Danzō got straight to the point. "Sarutobi promised you'd join Anbu in two years, but before then, you'll come to my Root and undergo training."

Akashi froze. "Does Lord Hokage know about this?"

Danzō replied coldly, "This is what Sarutobi and I agreed on. You have no choice. I'm informing you, not asking for your opinion."

Well, well. The Third Hokage had sold him out?

Root was supposedly a department that trained Anbu, but in reality, it had nothing to do with them.

Compared to Orochimaru, it was a real death trap.

Akashi looked troubled.

Danzō ignored his expression and continued, "Since you're already stationed beside Orochimaru, you might as well get me his latest dissection records. That'll be your first mission, and your test to join Root."

Akashi nearly laughed at his last sentence. A test to join Root? Yeah, right!

Shimura Danzō really didn't deserve to die any other way.

And this mission... Was he seriously asking Akashi to go undercover yet again?

Akashi scratched his head.

"You should be pretty good at it by now," Danzō said, completely unfazed.

This wasn't a question of whether Akashi was good at it! Getting Orochimaru's experimental records was as easy as eating or drinking, was it?

Akashi sighed. "What if I fail the mission and don't pass the test?"

"There is no 'what if.'" Danzō studied the young man in front of him, his poker face impassive. "You'd better behave yourself. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety... Remember your code name: Yaksha."

"Isn't there anything cooler? Dragon King, Asura, or Judge of the Underworld?"

"No."

"Can I pick one myself?"

"No!"

Danzō suddenly felt that this kid was unlike the other Uchiha. He was a little eccentric. He'd heard Akashi kept a copy of Exegesis of the Will of Fire in his backpack at all times. Was that why Sarutobi trusted him?

But it didn't matter.

Danzō was only using him for a while, after all.

At that thought, Danzō's tense expression relaxed. He handed Akashi a mask with purple patterns.

"Put it on and see how it looks."

"Do you have any other styles?"

"No! Stop asking questions like that. Understood? In Root, speak as little as possible and follow my orders!"

Danzō was getting impatient.

Akashi gave an awkward smile and fell silent.

He put on the mask, his thoughts drifting.

Konoha's Root had effectively become a private militia, with access to a vast amount of intelligence. At times, it even knew more than the Hokage's Anbu. No one knew how many Root operatives were hidden across the Shinobi World.

Most were orphans, though some had fallen into darkness for one reason or another. Danzō had taken them in and trained them as ninja.

Psychologically, they developed a strange dependence on Danzō, something like "reverence for their father."

As Akashi mulled this over, Danzō instructed him, "After joining Root, you must discard your real name and identity. You'll have only a code name. That goes for you, too. Understand?"

"Understood. By the way, what's your code name?"

"I don't have one."

"Then... what about them?" Akashi's gaze suddenly sharpened as he spotted two people approaching from ahead.

They wore standard ninja flak jackets and had Ninja Blades strapped to their backs. Their masks were painted with animal designs. They stood around 170 centimeters tall, half a head taller than Akashi.

Danzō introduced them. "Night Owl and Tanuki. They joined a few days before you, so they're still fairly new. They'll be your teammates."

Akashi was a little surprised. "I thought Root ninja always worked alone."

"Come say hello," Danzō called from a distance. "This is the new recruit, Yaksha."

Then he lifted his chin slightly.

"Yes, sir."

The two answered in unison and quickened their pace toward Akashi.

Just as Akashi was about to say, "I look forward to working with you, seniors," everything changed.

Night Owl and Tanuki suddenly charged. Within seconds, they launched more than a dozen Shuriken, spreading out like a huge net and blanketing the air above him.

Akashi frowned in confusion. "What's this?"

Danzō immediately withdrew a short distance and said coolly, "A welcome ritual for joining Root."

He was going to teach the kid a proper lesson and make him understand that Root wasn't some simple organization. He also wanted to give the Uchiha a good warning!

"Is this how you Root people greet each other?"

Akashi raised an eyebrow, looking unconvinced. Then he gave a low sneer. "And that was a pretty lousy display of weapon throwing."