Visitor from Seven Nights

As the saying went, happy events put people in high spirits, and Qi had been no exception lately.

Although he had inexplicably been jolted awake by a chill last night, Qi had not taken it too seriously. After all, Root, with its specialized functions, was now even more likely to offend people than the Anbu, which had become a hodgepodge over the years. It was perfectly normal for someone in the ninja world to curse him with a straw effigy or something similar. A world with supernatural powers was full of strange things; having a vague premonition was hardly unusual. In Qi's view, since the hostility was only at this level, there was no need to care.

After all, under his management, there were only two kinds of people Root could offend. One was a certain group within the former Anbu. Because of the Fourth Hokage's institutional reforms, they had lost some of their old privileges, so it was only natural that they found him unpleasant and grumbled behind his back. Once the Fourth Hokage's reforms were complete, though, they would realize that they were actually gaining more benefits, and they would naturally stop resenting Qi for taking their jobs. The other kind was people from other villages, and those mattered even less to Qi. Wasn't Root's purpose to offend those people to death?

So, he could just ignore such things. There were more good things happening anyway, and that was enough.

Recruiting Anko had gone very smoothly. This junior-senior sister of his was also someone who knew how to let go. Seeing that Qi had put things so plainly, and never having been much of a good person herself, she set her mind at ease, signed on the spot, and joined Root.

They said good fortune never came in