Danzo's Mission

The "Medical Ninja System" that Sato Hideaka had proposed merely to vent his frustrations had actually resulted in Yakushi Nonō being reinstated as the deputy head of the Medical Department. This came as quite a pleasant surprise.

He had not expected that Tsunade Senju would, because of his words, seek out Yakushi Nonō once more and entrust her with overseeing the "Medical Department." While the position of deputy head did not carry immense power, it was, at the very least, an official rank.

In Sato Hideaka's plans, the Medical Department was meant to be a place for training medical ninjas. Furthermore, aside from Tsunade Senju, Yakushi Nonō possessed the finest medical skills in all of Konoha, and the training of medical ninjas was essentially managed by her.

The status and utility of a deputy head of the Medical Department were certainly far more significant than those of a dispensable spy from "Root"!

At this moment, the Third Hokage's estimation of Yakushi Nonō's status and importance had likely risen as well. With her holding an official position in such a vital department, even Danzo should not be able to move against her easily. This deduction brought Sato Hideaka a great deal of relief.

In the room adjacent to Yakushi Nonō's, Sato Hideaka began his daily training. Sitting cross-legged on the soft quilt, he used his spiritual energy to draw out the energy within his cells. The two merged perfectly, transforming into blue chakra that flowed rapidly through his meridians...

With perfect cellular control combined with a spiritual power that surpassed his peers, Sato Hideaka could convert the energy within his cells into chakra without any waste. In just two months of training, his chakra reserves were already on par with an elite genin.

Coupled with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and various Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu, if he were in a true life-or-death duel, Sato Hideaka's strength would be no less than that of a chunin, and he could even contend with an elite chunin. Such terrifying growth was likely one of the reasons why so many feared the Kekkei Genkai...

When a faint sense of fatigue emanated from his body's cells, Sato Hideaka ceased his chakra training and lay down on the bed to sleep. He did not know how long he had been asleep when a series of disturbances jolted him awake. As he opened his eyes, a figure suddenly flashed past the large tree outside his window!

Who was this dark shadow?

Sato Hideaka put on his coat and went to the window. As he looked outside, he suddenly saw a dark figure standing in front of Yakushi Nonō's window, seemingly monitoring something. When he went to knock on her door to inform her of all this...

There was no echo from within the room. Yakushi Nonō was no longer there, or perhaps she had already been abducted by the shadow he had just seen?

Sato Hideaka kicked the door open. The quilt was left in disarray on the bed, and Yakushi Nonō's clothes, shoes, and glasses were all gone. This meant that Yakushi Nonō had dressed herself properly before leaving the room, yet given her personality, the quilt on the bed should not have been left in such a mess.

What on earth had happened?

Anxiety began to stir in Sato Hideaka's heart. The mysterious shadow, the missing Yakushi Nonō, the rumpled bedsheets—all of these deviated from the norm; everything felt incredibly strange and unusual.

"If you still wish to know where Yakushi Nonō is, then follow me..."

At the window of Yakushi Nonō's room, the shadow from before reappeared. It spoke this sentence coldly before vanishing from the narrow window frame. By the time Sato Hideaka rushed to the window, he could only see the back of the shadow in the distance.

Gritting his teeth, Sato Hideaka leaped out of the window in a flash. Under the dark veil of night, he bounded across the rooftops, chasing in the direction of that black silhouette...

The shadow moved in a fixed direction, running across the rooftops of Konoha for about twenty minutes before suddenly dropping into a corner of Konoha Square, coming to a halt beneath several large, lush trees.

The dense branches of the trees blocked the bright moonlight, casting a patch of dark shadow. The figure stood alone beneath that shade, as if waiting for Sato Hideaka's arrival!

Sato Hideaka watched the shadow with a wary gaze, slowly approaching to within ten meters before saying coldly, "I have come as promised. Where exactly is sister Yakushi Nonō?"

The shadow did not speak, merely raising an arm to point toward a corner of the square's flowerbed. Sato Hideaka looked in that direction, and upon seeing the scene before him, his pupils constricted sharply, his eyes filled with shock!

A woman with long, dark-gold hair, dressed in shrine maiden robes, was curled up in a patch of grass beside the flowerbed. Her hands were buried deep into the soil, her teeth biting down hard on her collar, and her entire body trembled incessantly, as if she were suffering immense agony.

Black runes seemed to slither out from her fair neck, spreading across the skin of her entire body. Every time the runes surged rapidly, the woman would shudder violently, emitting low, pained groans from her throat.

Not far from the woman curled in the grass, a pair of black, round-rimmed glasses lay quietly on the soft turf!

This woman was Yakushi Nonō, and she was enduring excruciating pain.

Sato Hideaka's breathing grew ragged, his calm, clear eyes stained with crimson bloodshot veins. His clenched fists caused his nails to dig deep into his flesh, and bright red blood began to trickle out. A low, beast-like sound emerged from his throat: "You are from 'Root', aren't you? Why bring me here? Just say it directly; there is no need to beat around the bush..."

"As expected of a genius. Just as you see, this woman has been branded with a Cursed Seal. The seal has two effects: the first is to induce immense pain akin to death by a thousand cuts, and the second is for the seal's chakra to shatter the heart, causing death. Of course, as long as you follow the orders of 'Root', this woman will be safe..."

The shadow stepped slowly out from the tree's shade. The familiar ghost mask, the black uniform, the ninja short sword on its back—the standard configuration of "Root." The figure walked up to Sato Hideaka and said coldly, "As for why I brought you here? Heh, the leader requires you to defeat all the geniuses of the Hyuga Clan and Uchiha Clan in the tournament one month from now, and to take first place in this competition!"

"What is this supposed to be? Do you think that I, having trained for only two months, can defeat the geniuses carefully cultivated by the two great clans of Konoha?" A sneer appeared at the corner of Sato Hideaka's mouth, as if in mockery.

The shadow seemed not to hear the mocking tone in Sato Hideaka's voice, pulling a box from its robes and extending it: "This is a pill that can increase chakra reserves fivefold. A person can only take it once in their lifetime. Combined with your Kekkei Genkai abilities, defeating the genius of the Uchiha Clan will not be difficult!"

"As for Hyuga Ningbo of the Hyuga Clan, after one month of specialized training, defeating him will not be difficult either. In short, this is the mission the leader has entrusted to you. As for whether you accept it, or what consequences you will face if you do not, that is outside the scope of my mission!"

Sato Hideaka took the box from the shadow, a cold smile appearing on his handsome face. His bloodshot eyes looked like those of a beast ready to devour its prey. A shocking killing intent suddenly erupted in the silent space!

"I accept... Everyone will pay the price for their actions. I hope you can live a long time, otherwise, this game will be quite boring!"