Sato Hideaka brought the children back to the orphanage. The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. Ever since he had displayed his astonishing talent, Yakushi Nonō seemed to wear a worried expression more often. When she had seen Lava Release just now, that expression had been even more obvious...
What was the connection between his talent and her worry??
Yakushi Nonō..., taking Yakushi Kabuto away..., a mission..., death, "Root"!
As he recalled the events of Naruto, Sato Hideaka suddenly remembered that Nonō herself had been a spy for Root. Her ties to the orphanage and its children had been used against her by Danzo over the matter of funding, and she had been killed by Yakushi Kabuto while on a mission. Wwwcom.
If anything could leave Nonō so worried and uneasy, it could only be Root!
Sato Hideaka's expression darkened. Had Root already set its sights on him?
The leader of Root, Shimura Danzō, was a man who stopped at nothing to achieve his goals. He had once ordered an assassination attempt on the Third Hokage, taken part in the Uchiha Clan Massacre and stolen the Sharingan, and conspired with Hanzo the Salamander to kill Yahiko, bringing Konoha to the brink of disaster.
Even the death of Konoha's former Anbu captain, Hatake Sakumo; the departure of the Sannin's Cold-Blooded Snake, Orochimaru; and the death of the Fourth Hokage—all these major events had some hint of Root's involvement!
Root's missions were often carried out in secret and utterly inhumane. It was an extremely shadowy organization, like rats lurking in dark corners, forever unable to come out from behind the scenes.
As someone who had crossed over from Earth in the twenty-first century to the world of Naruto, Sato Hideaka could hardly accept an organization like that, and had no desire to deal with it.
Half an hour later!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Three sounds of something cutting through the air rang out from the forest. Three people wearing strange masks and beige trench coats suddenly leapt out from the dense trees, vaulted over the tall wall, and landed in the orphanage's front courtyard.
Some of the children were playing in the courtyard. The sudden appearance of the three startled them, and the younger ones, seeing the strange masks, burst into tears.
"Number 167, who's the target?"
Looking over the children in the courtyard, Number 4, standing in the middle of the three, asked coldly. Root operated in the darkness, hidden from view. Its members had no names and addressed one another only by code numbers.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're here for me, aren't you?"
Before Number 167 could speak, Sato Hideaka stepped out from the crowd and looked coldly at the three. From their outfits, he could already tell that Root had set its sights on him.
How had this kid figured out he was the target—and why was he so calm?
What did he know?
After Number 167 nodded to confirm the target's identity, Number 4 gave Sato Hideaka a long look, then calmly issued his order as team leader: "Number 1, take the kid away!"
"You can't take Hideaka away! Sister Nonō hasn't come back, so Hideaka can't leave the orphanage. I... I won't let you get away with this!"
Just as one of the Root members was about to seize him, a child who looked only eleven or twelve suddenly stepped out from the crowd. He stood in front of Sato Hideaka with his arms spread, shielding the other children like a mother hen. Though fear of the strangers showed in his eyes, determination shone through even more.
Horibe Ryuichi, the child who had only just learned to refine chakra yesterday!
The orphanage's teachers had all retreated when they saw the three Root members' strange outfits, cold expressions, and short swords.
With no adults to protect them, twelve-year-old Horibe Ryuichi stood alone, determined to protect his younger brothers and sisters, even at the cost of his own life.
As an orphan, Horibe Ryuichi had no parents and no relatives. Perhaps from the moment the matron, Yakushi Nonō, had brought him to the orphanage, he had found a bond to hold on to in life. He had come to regard this warm place as home. Nonō, his younger brothers and sisters, and even Sato Hideaka, who had joined the orphanage only recently, were all family to him!
The orphanage was the place that had given him warmth. He would protect its peace even if it cost him his life. For such a young child, this was the purest thought in his heart—and the source of his courage!
"Whoosh—"
The Root member wouldn't hold back just because a child had stepped in front of him. He flicked his wrist, and a sharp black kunai shot out with a hiss, flying straight toward Horibe Ryuichi's throat.
A kunai wound to the throat could hit an artery and cause someone to bleed to death!
Sato Hideaka's expression turned cold. He crossed his feet twice against the ground and instantly moved in front of Horibe Ryuichi. As the dark blur flew toward him, he decisively reached out his right hand and caught the black kunai.
Drops of bright red blood fell from the black kunai. Though Sato Hideaka had caught it, its sharp edge had still cut his hand!
"Is this how the so-called 'Konoha, the First Great Ninja Village' does things? You'd kill a child?"
Sato Hideaka glared at the Root members, his anger erupting in his chest.
Number 4 trembled slightly. According to the intelligence they had received, this kid had only trained for fifteen days. After just fifteen days of training, he had caught a kunai thrown by a Chunin. How was that possible?
Their attacker was, at the very least, a Chunin. Though he had merely thrown the kunai casually, dodging it after proper training wouldn't have been difficult. But catching it with one hand was more than twice as hard. Catching a fast-moving kunai in midair demanded exceptional eyesight, reflexes, and speed. It was beyond what a five-year-old child who had never received any training could do.
Sato Hideaka casually tossed the bloodstained kunai to the ground. Keeping a wary eye on the three Root members, he gave the order in a firm, commanding voice: "Ryuichi, take the others somewhere safe and hide. I'll deal with them!"
Horibe Ryuichi was stunned at first by Sato Hideaka's words, then instinctively obeyed. He led the younger children toward the backyard, and everything seemed to happen as naturally as could be.
"Kid, you're not bad, but don't get too full of yourself!"
Number 1 stepped out from the group, his voice full of displeasure. When he saw the contempt and scorn in Sato Hideaka's blue eyes, his anger flared.
He sprinted toward Sato Hideaka. Once he was in range, he whipped a kick viciously toward his chest.
The kick wouldn't be fatal, but if it landed, it would certainly break his ribs and leave him struggling to breathe and unable to fight back!
But Sato Hideaka, who had already trained for fifteen days, wasn't a pushover.
He quickly raised both arms in front of his chest to block the kick. A tremendous force slammed into his arms, sending him flying backward into the wooden floor of a half-meter-high building. His body crashed through the boards and became embedded in the shattered floor.
What incredible strength!
Judging by their ages, weights, and physical development, the two of them weren't even in the same weight class!
Sato Hideaka struggled to his feet amid the broken boards, his arms seemingly numb. He was no match for this Root member in hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps he had no choice but to use his trump card...
A searing heat rose from his right arm. Molten rock poured out, and once enough had gathered, Sato Hideaka planted his feet and charged toward the Root member. Dark and red flames formed the faint shape of an animal as excess lava dripped to the ground, leaving a long trail of fire behind him.
"Get out of the way, Number 1!"
Seeing Sato Hideaka use that move, Number 167 shouted a warning from the side. He had witnessed Sato Hideaka's trump card by the river. The move coated his fist in scorching lava, greatly increasing its penetration, destructive power, and lethality. No human body could withstand it head-on!
Hearing Number 167's warning, Number 1 paused briefly, then reacted at once. He bent his knees slightly, molded the chakra within his body, and forcefully pushed off the ground with both feet, launching himself into the air—
The ground cracked and buckled beneath Number 1's sudden burst of strength. Using that force, he gained speed and leapt into the air, dodging Sato Hideaka's frontal attack!
"Bam!"
A huge hole was blasted through the orphanage wall. The scorching lava melted the edges of the breach, dripping down and quickly eating through the wall. Sato Hideaka froze...
His opponent was too fast. The attack had missed!