"No wonder Lord Danzo values you. You really do have a strong sense of resolve..."
The shadow let out a cold laugh and began forming Hand Seals at his chest. Sato Hideaka's killing intent had no effect on him. His time in Root had made him numb to bloodlust. He had killed his own best friend with his own hands—what could be more despairing than that?
The runes moving across Yakushi Nonō's body slowly faded away after the shadow finished forming his seals. Her whole body began to relax, as if she were returning to reality from an endless abyss. Nonō slowly propped herself up and sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
Her dark golden hair clung messily to her forehead. Yakushi Nonō looked as though she had just been hauled out of the water, drenched from head to toe. Her brows were knitted in pain that still had not faded. Sato Hideaka knew it was only a sensation her body was producing—a protective response to the intense pain she had endured.
"Fine. Since you've accepted this mission, mine is complete. Remember my codename—Number 4. I'll be your contact from now on!"
Number 4, wearing a mask shaped like a demon's face, slowly retreated toward the shadow beneath the great tree behind him, as if he were about to vanish into the boundless night...
"It would be best not to let that Cursed Seal activate again. Otherwise, the next time we meet, you might have a different contact!" Sato Hideaka lowered his head. His bloodshot eyes were hidden in the darkness as he bared his white teeth and spoke in a chilling voice. At the same time, a sharp killing intent erupted from him.
The shadow's figure trembled slightly beneath the great tree, then vanished completely into the darkness, without a sound, as if he had never been there at all.
Looking at Yakushi Nonō sitting dazedly in the distance, her body still numb, Sato Hideaka did not go to help her. Nonō had chosen to endure this inhuman agony alone, so far away from him. That proved she did not want him to know what had happened.
Since Nonō did not want him to worry, Sato Hideaka could not refuse her kindness.
It was more than twenty minutes before Yakushi Nonō finally rested enough to stand, her brows furrowed as she staggered toward the residences near Konoha Hospital. Once Sato Hideaka confirmed that she was safe, he disappeared in an instant...
The next morning.
Yakushi Nonō woke early and prepared a hearty breakfast for Sato Hideaka. She left a note before heading out to work at Konoha Hospital...
Sato Hideaka rolled his slightly sore arm, got dressed, washed up, and went to the living room. The note was pinned beneath a pair of chopsticks. It said that she had to go to work, that she had prepared food for him, and that he should eat and then get some rest to recover from the exhaustion of the Genin exams.
He carefully folded the note and put it in a drawer in his room. He had just finished breakfast when a rhythmic "knock, knock, knock" sounded at the door!
When he opened it, Hatake Sakumo stood outside, his white hair and stern expression set off by his special jōnin vest. Two Anbu Ninja wearing animal masks stood with him...
Root and Anbu had appeared on the same day!
Looking at Hatake Sakumo, Sato Hideaka asked, puzzled, "Uncle Sakumo, does the Lord Third want to see me?"
"Yes. The Lord Third wants to see you about what happened yesterday." Hatake Sakumo paused, then nodded.
Sato Hideaka's breath caught slightly. His fists slowly clenched, and killing intent seeped from him. What happened yesterday again. The Lord Third had promised that nothing would happen to Nonō. Was this what he meant by nothing happening?
"Hideaka, Hideaka. Control your breathing..."
The steady yet urgent words by his ear slowly brought Sato Hideaka back to himself. He saw that he had taken a defensive stance, while the two Anbu in animal masks watched him warily. Alongside his anger, he felt a measure of helplessness.
Ever since he learned that Danzo had placed a Cursed Seal on Yakushi Nonō, all the goodwill and sense of belonging he had felt toward Konoha seemed to vanish in an instant. All that remained was anger, wariness, and hostility—especially toward the Lord Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had made promises but done nothing.
"Fine. Let's go..." Sato Hideaka straightened his clothes and spoke calmly.
The Hokage cloak visible at Hatake Sakumo's sleeve showed that he held a position of considerable importance. He would never normally be assigned to escort someone. Apart from the time he had rescued Sato Hideaka from Root, the Lord Third had always contacted him through ordinary Anbu Ninja.
This time, he had sent Hatake Sakumo, someone who had once helped him. Sato Hideaka sensed something unusual about it.
A little appeasement, as if it were a handout?
Ridiculous!
Ninja streamed through the Hokage Building. More than usual had come to accept missions today. After reporting to the guards at the entrance as required, Sato Hideaka and Hatake Sakumo went with the two Anbu Ninja to the door of the Lord Third's office.
The two Anbu Ninja left after escorting them to the office. Hatake Sakumo knocked. Only after an old, resonant "Come in" sounded from inside did he open the door, and the two of them entered the Lord Third's office together.
The Lord Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat behind his desk and looked up at them. After a long pause, he sighed. "Hideaka, I'm truly sorry about Nonō."
"Lord Third, I don't think an apology will solve this..." Sato Hideaka met Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze and shook his head.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat amid piles of documents, took a deep drag on his pipe, and spoke slowly. "Root is a special organization. It existed before I became the Lord Third. It is not under the Hokage's or Anbu's control; it only answers to its own leader, who gives its orders directly. Nonō is a spy belonging to that organization."
"Because of the agreement made beforehand, even the Hokage cannot change any of this. But I'll do my best to get Nonō out of Root and remove the Cursed Seal from her. The biggest problem now is you. You must not take the pills Root gave you..."
"The pills... You mean these, the ones that can increase my chakra more than fivefold?"
Sato Hideaka took an old wooden box from inside his clothes and opened it. Inside lay a gray, spherical pill about the size of his thumb.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the pill in the box. "This pill is called the Special Soldier Pill. It's one of the pills a ninja can take in a crisis. After taking it, your strength, stamina, agility, and chakra will increase dramatically for a short time, but it will cause severe damage to your body..."
"The pill will accelerate the release of energy from your cells for a while. It will also cause intense pain, strengthening your mental power and producing about five times the chakra you would normally have. But the price is that your cells will be overtaxed, causing many newly formed cells in your body to die."
Sato Hideaka stared at the pill in his hand and furrowed his brow. "Could the worst side effect be paralysis or death?"
"After taking it, you'll be paralyzed for two or three days, then weak for half a month. Most importantly, it will cause permanent damage to your body and leave you with unpredictable illnesses. You'll probably never achieve much in Taijutsu." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and explained.
Except for a few rare prodigies, most well-rounded elite jōnin and Kage Level fighters did not have glaring weaknesses in Taijutsu. What Hiruzen meant by never achieving much in Taijutsu was probably that the pill could leave Hideaka ill and limit his potential.
Sato Hideaka's blue-green eyes remained calm as still water. He closed the old wooden box and said evenly, "I'll definitely defeat Uchiha Kaoru and Hyuga Ningbo. The Special Military Ration Pill can be my last line of insurance."
This child was willing to bear such a price just to protect Yakushi Nonō?
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath from his pipe. His gaze toward Sato Hideaka had changed. Bonds and protection were his understanding of the Hokage's duty; nurturing new growth was his responsibility. Perhaps this child really could grow into a towering tree that would protect Konoha.
Danzo... Humans are not Tailed Beasts, after all. Is creating a ninja filled with hatred, then controlling him, what you're after?