Root (Seeking Collection!)

Time returned to Sosuke in this moment.

He gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression shifting almost imperceptibly as he glanced toward the shadows of the treetops.

He straightened his posture slightly and placed a hand on Kyoka Suigetsu, his gaze turning cold behind his black-rimmed glasses.

He had no intention of showing mercy to these sneaky voyeurs.

Sosuke slowly drew Kyoka Suigetsu, held it vertically before him, and whispered softly.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

The ninjas in the shadows watched Sosuke quietly from their positions.

They were members of Root, their faces obscured by various masks. As members of Root, they hid in the darkness, silently guarding the village.

Light and shadow always exist in tandem, just like the existence of Konoha and Root.

Konoha bathed in the light, carrying hope, while Root was buried deep in the darkness, drawing nutrients to supply the towering tree that was Konoha.

Therefore, every member of Root held a lofty faith; they firmly believed that everything they did was for the sake of the village.

This time, acting on the orders of Lord Danzo, they had come to find this boy who was highly likely to be designated as a disciple by Lord Danzo.

The first order was to observe what level this boy's aptitude could be rated as.

The second order was to bring him back to meet Lord Danzo—the leader of Root.

Before coming, they had already learned of Sosuke's feat in defeating Morino.

However, members of Root could not be compared to the mediocre chunin instructors in the village.

The four people present each possessed the strength of an elite chunin and could be considered elite ninjas.

They watched as Sosuke on the field drew his sword and held it lightly before him.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but a blue light seemed to flash across the blade.

Beneath their masks, they frowned and observed Sosuke closely.

They did not know what the boy's actions were intended to achieve.

"Come out."

A strange smile curled on Sosuke's face as he suddenly called out softly.

The voice was calm, yet to the ears of the Root members, it sounded like a thunderclap!

The pupils of the four Root members couldn't help but constrict!

Discovered!? How was that possible??

To be discovered by such a brat?

They were members of Root, and their greatest specialty was concealment!

Whether assassinating ninjas from enemy villages or gathering intelligence, the most important thing was to hide oneself perfectly; otherwise, the consequence of being discovered was death!

Yet today, they had been discovered by this newly graduated ninja brat!

Even if he had the dazzling record of defeating a chunin, that was not enough to prove he was qualified to be called a chunin.

Regardless of how Sosuke had discovered them, it was enough to shock them.

Since their presence had been exposed, the four Root members no longer hid themselves; they flashed onto the field and stared at Sosuke in unison.

The masks on their faces hid their expressions.

Looking at the four masked figures appearing before him, Sosuke narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly sheathed Kyoka Suigetsu back at his waist.

The Shikai of Kyoka Suigetsu had already been activated and would not be canceled, so there was little point in keeping the blade drawn.

Moreover, Sosuke had noticed the attire of these voyeurs; they were ninjas of Konoha.

"Who are you?"

Sosuke asked coldly.

He was very polite to friends!

But for those who spied on him, he would not treat them with a pleasant face, even if they belonged to Konoha.

One of the four, wearing a monkey mask, stepped forward and spoke bluntly, his tone leaving absolutely no room for refusal.

"You are Sosuke, right? By the order of Lord Danzo, we have come to take you to Root. If there are no issues, then come with us."

Regardless of anything else, being able to discover them proved Sosuke's ninja talent beyond a doubt; they had already given him a very high evaluation.

Now, they only needed to bring him back to Root, and everything else would naturally be decided by Lord Danzo.

As for the possibility of Sosuke refusing, they had not considered that outcome at all.

No matter what, he was just a child.

However, Sosuke's next sentence left them completely stunned.

"I refuse."

Softly exhaling these three words, a faint, imperceptible sneer curled onto Sosuke's face.

Having lived in Konoha Village for several years, he had never once heard of an organization like Root within the village.

Only the Anbu was an intelligence organization directly under the leadership of the Hokage, and as for this group before him, even if what they said was true, who exactly was Danzo?

He had no desire to risk his life alone, in his current weakened state, by going to a place where everything was an unknown.

Having made up his mind, Sosuke refused very decisively.

The Root members opposite were clearly very dissatisfied with this answer, and brows furrowed beneath their masks.

It had been a long time since they had encountered such a brat.

Another ninja with a rabbit mask stepped forward, their voice cold as they spoke.

"Sosuke!! Do you have any idea who wants to see you, to dare to refuse like this?"

To this, Sosuke wore his usual gentle smile, but the words he spoke were infuriating.

"Hmm? It is precisely because I don't know who wants to see me that I am refusing. My apologies, but who is Danzo?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Root members opposite became visibly agitated, some saying with annoyance:

"You bastard brat, how dare you address Lord Danzo by his name directly!!"

The leader of the Root members, wearing a monkey mask, also watched Sosuke with cold eyes.

However, he stopped his companions who were about to attack, turned to look at Sosuke, and said coldly:

"Sosuke, due to confidentiality protocols, I cannot disclose anything about the Root organization to you."

"But you should know that Lord Danzo is a great ninja who made enormous contributions to the village during the Ninja World War!"

"He wants to see you; this is our mission and also your opportunity. You had best think clearly before making your decision."

"Well, I have thought about it, but I still must refuse this request."

The moment his voice fell, Sosuke's reply followed immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

With Suigetsu's existence, he had no need to risk his life for such an inexplicable organization.

Even joining the Anbu would be far better than joining such a secretive, underhanded group!

What's more, his goal was to stand at the pinnacle of the world.

"Good! Very good! Then don't blame us for taking action; Lord Danzo's orders must not fail!"

The monkey-masked Root member gritted his teeth and spoke coldly, immediately intending to take action to personally capture Sosuke and bring him back to Root.

Hearing his words, the eyes behind Sosuke's frames turned cold.

So, if soft tactics don't work, they resort to force!?

What an overbearing attitude... Through this, he could roughly discern what kind of person that Lord Danzo was.

But if you want to fight! Then let us fight!?

Facing the several Root members, Sosuke felt not a shred of fear.

An opportunity to test his own strength was not bad at all.

Thinking of this, a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

Seeing this, the monkey-masked leader opposite was even more enraged.