Balance

Trouble reading the situation?

Akashi narrowed his eyes, his expression growing colder. One day, he would make Danzo pay double.

The most urgent thing was to remove the two Cursed Seals on his body as soon as possible. Otherwise, it felt like having two ticking time bombs attached to him, leaving him deeply uneasy.

Without a doubt, Orochimaru was the one who could do it.

Akashi went straight to the laboratory and showed Orochimaru the mark on his tongue.

The black Cursed Seal clung to the base of his tongue, like a jumbled trigram.

The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.

It prevented people from revealing confidential information. If they tried to speak about certain topics, their entire bodies would go numb, leaving them unable to move.

To Danzo, placing someone under his control was far more dependable than hoping for their loyalty.

Root didn't need idealistic shinobi. It needed cold, merciless tools, and for that, they could "eliminate the self" and use any means of control.

Though he couldn't speak about it, he could write it down.

Akashi wrote out everything about the Cursed Seal and his undercover assignment for Orochimaru, then bared his chest.

His lean, muscular body was taut, but a striped black mark had been inscribed over his left chest, almost reaching his heart. That was another Cursed Seal.

The Self-Karma Binding Seal, which could immobilize him.

Akashi couldn't understand why Danzo had seen fit to place two Cursed Seals on him.

Orochimaru suddenly laughed. "So Danzo's behind it? He's still relying on the same old methods the Second Hokage left behind. Too bad for him that I'm the one who knows the most about the Second Hokage."

"Of course. There's no way Danzo can compare to your skills, Lord Orochimaru."

Akashi flattered him.

But it was true. No one in Konoha—or even the entire Shinobi World—knew more about the Second Hokage than Orochimaru did.

"Give me a day." Orochimaru smiled confidently. "He actually wants to use you to investigate me? As it happens, I want a list of Root shinobi, too. Go get it for me."

"Huh?" Akashi couldn't help but stare.

Come on! Why were they all treating this kind of thing as if it were as easy as drinking water?!

The Uchiha, the Hokage, Danzo, Orochimaru... I'm a spy for four different sides now, aren't I?

Akashi's head throbbed. At the same time, he couldn't help considering how to balance his relationships with each side and profit from them all.

The more complicated things got, the more opportunities there might be!

Over the next few days, Akashi managed to get rid of the Cursed Seals, and he and Orochimaru fabricated some experimental data to submit.

Before long, Danzo must have gotten a taste for it, because he began a brainwashing campaign. Not long after, the Hokage responded in kind, adding heart-to-heart talks to their work briefings and giving Akashi a dose of counter-brainwashing.

One said, "Konoha's Root is the foundation of the village's stability."

Another said, "The next generation, basking in the sunlight, is the village's future."

One said, "Everything I do is for Konoha."

Another said, "I'll burn myself up for Konoha."

The two old men's words went in one ear and out the other.

Compared to all that empty talk, Orochimaru was far more practical. He really taught Akashi tricks like the Snake Clone Technique, Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, and snake venom. He really let him take part in all kinds of experimental calculations.

But apart from letting Akashi spend time in the training grounds and equipment room, Danzo hadn't granted him access to any other department.

That vast underground space really was like Konoha's "Root." Countless elevated walkways crisscrossed between one sealed room and another, yet Akashi couldn't enter a single one.

Strictly speaking, Akashi could only be considered an outer member of Root.

Being spared surveillance and oppressive, inhumane management suited him just fine. After all, aside from his undercover assignments for the various factions, he still had a normal life to live.

"I'm heading out." Akashi finished breakfast and prepared to leave.

Munakata Uchiha, who was holding a newspaper, glanced at him, then suddenly stood up. His voice was gentle but still carried authority. "I'll see you out."

Akashi found it strange. He had just reached the door when he heard the faintly interrogative tone.

"You've been leaving early and coming back late a lot lately. Last time, you said you had a mission and were gone all night, but I couldn't find any record of it in the mission files. What exactly have you been busy with?"

Munakata's face was expressionless. "I want to hear a reasonable explanation."

Akashi turned around, slightly surprised.

His father had always been earnest and strict, but never especially perceptive. He hadn't expected him to check the mission files. Judging by the timing, it was probably the time he interrogated Shinnō.

Even an assignment to assassinate a daimyo would leave an S-rank notation in the records, even if the details weren't specified. It would go on a shinobi's record as a major achievement.

What kind of mission left no record at all?

Munakata Uchiha couldn't help feeling suspicious.

Akashi quickly tried to come up with a perfect explanation, but when he saw his mother quietly wiping the table behind Munakata and looking at him with concern, the words caught in his throat.

"Forget it," Munakata sighed softly, and the interrogative air he'd mustered vanished.

His son had grown up. By the age of thirteen or fourteen, children in the Shinobi World had already been baptized in blood and learned a great deal about human nature. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, he had to shoulder the family's burdens while also facing the Konoha High Command. Surely he had plenty of things he couldn't talk about.

Munakata waved his hand. "Don't be late. Hurry along."

"Yes."

Akashi nodded and walked out of the house.

Munakata's voice followed him. "Be careful out there."

Akashi paused, then raised a hand to make an "I'm fine" gesture before quickening his pace.

The sky was a deep blue, with velvet-white clouds drifting across it.

The morning sun spilled out in warm, gentle rays. In the distance, broad stretches of grass had turned golden, reaching far into the distance.

The clan compound was quiet and peaceful. At that hour, some people had just gotten up, while others chatted outside their homes. Housewives walked along the road with their bags, and a few children played and roughhoused by the street, boasting about their dreams of becoming Hokage one day.

They might not have known Akashi, but they looked at him with admiration.

"That big brother's a shinobi! So cool!"

Akashi caught bits of whispers like that and smiled freely.

Even the air seemed to smell fresh.

The Uchiha Clan wasn't made up entirely of madmen. With proper guidance, they could absolutely follow a path to prosperity.

There was still a long way to go!

Akashi followed the Konoha River downstream. Today, there was no harassment from the Konoha High Command, no research assignments, and no one to bother him. It was the perfect chance to train his ninjutsu alone.

He had just set down his bag when he suddenly heard a rustling by his ear.

A hint of danger emanated from the bushes.

Akashi furrowed his brows warily, keenly sensing someone moving through them. The sound wasn't loud, but in the quiet morning, it stood out.

The Third Hokage and Danzo were both the type to send people to spy on him.

He was already in a foul mood after those two Root shinobi had cornered him the other day. Now someone was following him, too. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Akashi suddenly dashed forward and used the Body Flicker Technique. In the next instant, he appeared behind the other person, leaves swirling around him.

At the same time, he thrust a Kunai toward them.

"Hey! Are you spying on me?"