"This child named Sato Hideaka—Lord Hokage wants to see him!"
The man wearing an Anbu animal mask stood atop a treetop, his bearing as straight as a sword in its sheath. He spoke in a calm voice. Though he was not especially burly, he seemed to conceal within him a force and presence capable of shaking mountains and sweeping away all obstacles. That presence nearly robbed Number 4 of the courage to fight him. Haha WCOM
"This kid is Danzo's target, so even if I'm no match for you, I can't just hand him over!"
A wry smile appeared beneath the ghost mask. Number 4 recognized this legendary man. Against him, the gap between them was exactly like the gap between Number 4 and the kid from earlier—their positions had simply switched. They were on completely different levels.
"Though we're both Konoha comrades, our missions are different. So, I'm sorry..."
Lightning flashed around the Anbu man. In an instant, he vanished from where he stood and appeared in front of Number 167. With his left hand, he took Sato Hideaka from Number 167's grasp; then he gently placed his right hand against his chest. Number 167 shuddered as though struck by a heavy blow, then flew backward and fell beneath the tree...
Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
As soon as the Anbu man moved, Number 4's hands began forming Hand Seals at a dizzying speed in front of his chest. He gathered chakra in his throat, took a deep breath, and breathed it out. The enormous flames formed the head of a vicious dragon, which surged toward the Anbu man, its blazing maw seeming ready to swallow him whole.
He held nothing back, unleashing a high-level offensive ninjutsu right from the start. But even after putting all his strength into it, he still didn't truly believe he could hurt the legendary man before him.
Facing a flaming dragon head more than twenty times his own size, the Anbu man leaped straight toward it. With a swift motion, he drew the short sword on his back. Blue, branch-like lightning flickered along its white blade as he slashed downward.
The enormous flaming dragon head split in two. The short sword came to rest above Number 4's head.
A crack appeared at the top of the ghost mask, then it split apart from top to bottom, revealing a pale face. Number 4's mask had shattered, but he himself was completely unharmed!
Even against a Root elite jonin, the Anbu man hadn't used his full strength. He held back as he attacked, controlling his force with effortless precision.
Just how terrifying was this man?
Number 4 stood frozen in place, cold sweat trickling from his forehead. Death was commonplace for Root, who walked in the darkness, but he had never before felt so helpless against an opponent.
"Whoosh—"
After taking Number 4 down in an instant, the Anbu man carried Sato Hideaka and bounded toward the orphanage. His speed was incredible, and before long he had vanished from Number 4's sight.
Number 4 watched him go, without the courage or confidence to give chase. He had also lost the will to complete the mission, because the difference between them was simply too great.
"Captain, that man just took the target. Are we not going after him?"
Number 167 suddenly sprang back onto the tree and landed beside Number 4. He was covered in dirt and fallen leaves. He had been knocked beneath the tree with a single palm strike, landing in a thick layer of leaves and ending up in a sorry state.
"What would chasing him accomplish? The moment he stepped in, it was clear our mission was impossible. Let's go back and report."
With that, Number 4 headed back to Root's base without looking back. Number 167 glanced toward the orphanage, dread for the future rising in his heart. The mission had failed again. What would await him when he returned to Root?
But Number 167 lacked the courage to flee Root. Even though failure meant he might not make it back alive, he still had no courage to run.
A figure landed in the orphanage courtyard!
"Sir, what happened to Hideaka?"
Seeing the child in the Anbu man's arms, Yakushi Nonō, who had been anxiously waiting in the front yard, hurried over and took Sato Hideaka from him. She carefully examined his condition with Medical Ninjutsu.
"I gave him a quick check. He's exhausted and has some muscle damage, but otherwise he's fine. It seems Shimura Danzo took an interest in the child, but Root's members didn't use much force..."
The Anbu man stepped back a little to make room for Yakushi Nonō and spoke calmly.
"Thank you so much, Lord Sakumo!"
After carefully confirming that Sato Hideaka was unharmed, Yakushi Nonō bowed again and again in gratitude to the Anbu Ninja. Her worried expression gradually eased, and a hint of joy she hadn't felt in a long time appeared. As long as Hideaka was all right, that was what mattered. At last, this whole ordeal was over!
"This child has a Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, and it seems he can also use a technique that activates his entire body through Lightning Style Nature Transformation. Are you sure he isn't a spy from an enemy nation?"
Hatake Sakumo had returned to the orphanage with Yakushi Nonō earlier. After questioning the children and examining the traces of battle nearby, he had confirmed that the child possessed Lava Release. He had also examined Sato Hideaka before, so he knew exactly what abilities he had.
Yakushi Nonō bit her lip, then shook her head firmly. "Hideaka had never been exposed to ninjutsu before. I brought him back from a village in the Land of Fire. Besides his Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, he also has exceptional chakra control. Perhaps he figured out the method for activating his whole body through Lightning Style Nature Transformation on his own."
"I see. No wonder the full-body activation caused muscle damage. Even if he figured it out on his own, his talent is astonishing. I'm sure Lord Hokage will take an interest in him!"
Hatake Sakumo nodded in understanding.
"Could you... could you wait a little before taking Hideaka back to report to the Lord Third? I'd like to talk things over with him when he wakes up, so he won't be afraid in an unfamiliar place."
Yakushi Nonō gently stroked the smooth blue hair of Sato Hideaka in her arms. Her bright eyes were full of reluctance. She would no longer be able to watch the boy she loved like a younger brother grow up. Her own fate was about to slip beyond her control, and there was a good chance this would be the last time they saw each other.
Hatake Sakumo didn't know what Nonō was thinking, but he could see the sadness in her eyes. He nodded. "Of course. Because of my mission, I haven't had the chance to thank you for treating one of my subordinates!"
"When was that? Oh, it was half a year ago? It was my duty..."
Hatake Sakumo wasn't much of a talker, and Yakushi Nonō continued using Medical Ninjutsu to ease Sato Hideaka's injuries. He had cellular damage from activating his whole body, as well as cuts from gripping the Kunai earlier. The front courtyard was silent for a long while, until, twenty minutes later, Sato Hideaka slowly opened his blue eyes...
The ache in his muscles had eased, and he was in a warm, familiar embrace!
"Big Sister Nonō, why are you crying...?"
What Sato Hideaka saw was Yakushi Nonō's gentle face, and the faint tears glimmering in her eyes behind her black-rimmed glasses.
"I'm not crying. Why would your big sister cry? It's just that I may not be able to protect you anymore!"
Yakushi Nonō took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears. Looking a little sad, she pointed toward Hatake Sakumo, who was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, and spoke in a choked voice full of admiration:
"Hideaka, go with this man. He rescued you from those bad people. He'll have people protect you. From now on, you can attend the Ninja Academy, play with your friends, study the ninjutsu you're interested in, and live beneath the sunshine filtering through the dancing leaves...!"
Following Nonō's gesture, Sato Hideaka saw a man wearing an animal mask. The Hokage insignia was embroidered on the right sleeve of his jonin uniform, and a short sword was strapped to his back. Even alone, he had the presence of a thousand men.
Sato Hideaka fell silent. He had guessed who the man was: Konoha Anbu's leader, Kakashi Hatake's father, one of the Eight Colors of Konoha, the White Fang of the Leaf—Hatake Sakumo.
Root's attack, Anbu's rescue, and the struggle between Konoha's two great powers... The situation was beyond the control of Yakushi Nonō and a five-year-old boy.
What had caused this calamity? Weakness. Weakness was the greatest sin of all!!