The Third Generation's Summons

"As expected of the talent Danzo values; your resolve is truly commendable..."

The dark figure sneered, his hands beginning to weave seals before his chest. His actions were entirely unaffected by the killing intent Sato Hideaka released. His experiences in Root had long since rendered him numb to such pressure; after all, what could be more despairing than killing one's own best friend with one's own hands?

As the dark figure finished his seals, the runes crawling across Yakushi Nonō's body slowly faded away. Her entire frame began to relax, as if she had returned to reality from an endless abyss. Yakushi Nonō slowly propped herself up, sitting on the ground and gasping for air.

Her golden hair, matted and messy, clung to her forehead. Yakushi Nonō looked as if she had just been fished out of water, her entire body drenched. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as if the pain had yet to subside; Sato Hideaka knew this was a sensory illusion caused by her body's protective mechanism after enduring such intense agony.

"Very well. Since you have accepted this mission, my task is complete. Remember my designation—Number 4. From now on, I am your handler."

Wearing a ghost mask, Number 4 slowly retreated toward the shadows of the large tree behind him, appearing as if he were about to vanish into the vast night...

"Regarding this curse seal, you had best not let it trigger easily in the future. Otherwise, the next time we meet, it might be a different handler standing before you!" Sato Hideaka's head hung low, his bloodshot eyes hidden in the darkness as he bared his white teeth and spoke in a chilling tone. Simultaneously, a frigid wave of killing intent erupted from him.

The dark figure's silhouette flickered slightly beneath the shade of the tree before vanishing completely into the darkness, silent and soundless, as if he had never appeared at all.

Watching Yakushi Nonō, who remained sitting blankly on the spot due to full-body paralysis, Sato Hideaka chose not to go over and assist her. Since she had chosen to endure this inhuman pain in such a remote place, it proved she did not want him to know about any of this.

Since Yakushi Nonō did not want him to worry, Sato Hideaka could not refuse her good intentions.

After resting for over twenty minutes, Yakushi Nonō finally stood up with a frown and staggered toward the residence near Konoha Hospital. Sato Hideaka confirmed she was unharmed before vanishing from the spot in an instant.

The next morning.

Yakushi Nonō woke up early to prepare a hearty breakfast for Sato Hideaka. She left a note before heading off to work at Konoha Hospital.

Sato Hideaka stretched his sore arms, washed up, and dressed before heading to the living room. The note was pressed beneath a pair of chopsticks; it stated that she had gone to work and had prepared food, urging Sato Hideaka to eat and get some rest to shake off the fatigue from the Genin exams.

Carefully folding the note and placing it in his drawer, Sato Hideaka had just finished his meal when a rhythmic "knock-knock-knock" sounded at the door.

Opening the door, he found Hatake Sakumo standing there—white-haired, solemn-faced, and wearing his signature Jonin flak jacket—accompanied by two Anbu ninjas in animal masks.

Root and Anbu, appearing within two days of each other!

Sato Hideaka looked at Hatake Sakumo and asked with some confusion, "Uncle Sakumo, does the Third Hokage wish to see me?"

"Yes, that's right. The Third Hokage wants to see you regarding what happened yesterday," Hatake Sakumo replied with a slight pause and a nod.

Sato Hideaka's breath hitched, his fists slowly clenching. A faint, volatile killing intent began to radiate from him. Yesterday's events—it was always yesterday's events. The Third Hokage had promised that Yakushi Nonō would be safe; was this what he called "safe"??

"Hideaka, Hideaka. Steady your aura..."

The calm yet urgent words reaching his ears allowed Sato Hideaka to slowly recover from his previous state. Looking at the two Anbu ninjas who had adopted defensive stances and were eyeing him with vigilance, he felt not only anger but also a sense of helplessness.

Ever since he learned that Danzo had placed a curse seal on Yakushi Nonō, his previous goodwill and sense of belonging toward Konoha had vanished in an instant, replaced by anger, vigilance, and hostility—especially toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, who had made a promise but done nothing.

"Alright, let's go," Sato Hideaka said flatly, adjusting his clothes.

The Hokage's haori on Hatake Sakumo's sleeves signified his extraordinary status; he would never normally accept such a courier mission. Aside from the time he rescued him from Root, the Third Hokage had always used ordinary Anbu ninjas to contact Sato Hideaka.

By employing Hatake Sakumo, who had a debt of gratitude toward him, Sato Hideaka sensed something unusual.

A bit of patronizing appeasement?

How laughable.

Ninjas came and went within the Hokage Building. The volume of missions being accepted today was quite high. After following protocol and reporting to the guards at the entrance, the four of them—Sato Hideaka, Hatake Sakumo, and the two Anbu ninjas—arrived at the door of the Third Hokage's office.

The two Anbu ninjas departed once they had delivered the pair to the office. Hatake Sakumo knocked on the door, and only after a deep, aged voice called out "Come in" did he open the door, and the two entered together.

Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk. He looked up at them, and after a long silence, sighed. "Hideaka, I am very sorry about what happened to Nonō."

"Lord Third, I do not believe an apology can solve this problem," Sato Hideaka said, shaking his head as he stared directly at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat amidst a pile of documents, took a deep drag of his pipe, and said slowly, "Root is a special organization. It existed before I succeeded as the Third Hokage. It is not under the jurisdiction of the Hokage, nor the Anbu; it only answers to its leader. Nonō is a spy belonging to that organization."

"Because of a prior agreement, even the Hokage cannot change this. However, I will try my best to extract Nonō from Root and remove the curse seal from her. The biggest problem right now is you—you must not take the pill Root gave you..."

"The pill... you mean this pill that can increase chakra by more than five times?"

Sato Hideaka pulled a primitive wooden box from his robes and opened it, revealing a gray, spherical pill the size of a thumb.

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the pill in the box and said, "The name of this pill is the Special Soldier Pill. It is one of the pills ninjas take in times of crisis. After consumption, it can greatly boost one's physical strength, stamina, agility, and chakra in a short time, but it causes immense damage to the body..."

"The pill accelerates the output of cellular energy over a period of time and induces intense pain to heighten mental power, thereby generating chakra levels five times one's own. The result is an extreme overdraft of cells, leading to the death of a massive number of new cells in the body."

Sato Hideaka stared at the pill in his hand, frowning as he asked, "Will the biggest side effect of taking this pill be paralysis or death?"

"After taking it, you will be paralyzed for two to three days, followed by half a month of weakness. Most importantly, it will cause permanent bodily harm and lead to unknown illnesses. I fear you will find it difficult to make any progress in taijutsu in the future!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, explaining.

Unless they were rare, monstrous talents, most comprehensive elite Jonin or Kage-level powerhouses did not have taijutsu as a weakness. The so-called "difficulty in making progress" and "unknown illnesses" were likely limitations on his potential!

Sato Hideaka's azure eyes remained as still as an ancient well. He covered the primitive box and said flatly, "I will definitely defeat Uchiha Kaoru and Hyuga Ningbo. I will treat the Special Soldier Pill as a final insurance policy."

This child—even at the cost of such a price, he is determined to protect Yakushi Nonō?

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep puff of his pipe. His gaze toward Sato Hideaka shifted; bonds and protection were his understanding of what a Hokage should be, and nurturing new sprouts was his responsibility as a Hokage. Perhaps this child could truly grow into a towering tree that would protect Konoha.

Danzo, humans are not Tailed Beasts after all. Is your goal truly to create and control a ninja filled with hatred?