Future Greening Master

The Third Hokage said nothing more after Naraku agreed; in truth, asking for a bodyguard was merely a formality.

At this moment, the Third Hokage remained extremely confident in his own strength.

Naraku left the office shortly after, though he felt a bit strange. He remembered the plot from the original story, and it hadn't unfolded like this.

In the original, it was Kakashi who had disguised himself as the Third Hokage to travel to the Daimyo Palace, only to be ambushed by Root on the way.

"Doesn't matter," Naraku shook his head.

This change in the plot was inconsequential to him. It didn't even matter if anyone from Root came to assassinate the Third Hokage tomorrow; after all, the Third Hokage possessed Kage-level strength.

Looking across the entire ninja world, there were very few people capable of killing the Third Hokage with ease.

The next day, Naraku arrived at the Hokage office early, dressed in his Anbu attire, to wait.

Before long, the Third Hokage arrived with a few others, and they set off.

Aside from Naraku, two other Anbu members accompanied the Third Hokage to the Daimyo Palace. Because they wore masks, Naraku could not identify them.

The Daimyo Palace was a fair distance from Konoha Village, so to save time, the group picked up their pace once they left the village.

They had soon covered more than half the distance, and nothing unusual had occurred during the journey; the only sounds in the forest were the chirping of birds.

Has Danzo given up on the assassination? Naraku wondered to himself.

But the next moment, he dismissed the thought. Ahead of them, three masked figures blocked their path.

"Who are you?" the Anbu member beside Naraku stepped forward, shielding the Third Hokage, and shouted.

The three figures opposite them clearly had no intention of negotiating and launched an attack immediately.

Seeing this, the two Anbu members besides Naraku did not hesitate, drawing their short blades to engage the attackers.

The two Anbu were then lured away by the three assailants.

Naraku took the opportunity to glance at the Third Hokage's face, noticing that his expression had turned grim.

Has he already figured out who they are? Naraku mused.

Naraku's guess was correct. Although the Third Hokage didn't recognize the individuals, he had deduced a few things. Since the enemy could ambush them with such precision here, they must have obtained information about his movements in advance.

But the Third Hokage was the Hokage, after all; any information regarding his itinerary was a village secret. Therefore, whoever could accurately track his movements had to be a high-ranking official within the village.

If one were to dig deeper, only Danzo would have the capability and the motive to do such a thing.

However, signing the renewal documents was clearly more important than pursuing Danzo. The Third Hokage was just about to signal Naraku to continue their journey.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he jerked his head up to look ahead.

A young man wearing a mask stood before them, his eyes fixed on the Third Hokage with a hint of hesitation.

"You finally show up, Master of Landscaping," Naraku flashed forward, positioning himself in front of the Third Hokage.

That's right, the person in front of him was Yamato, who could use Wood Release ninjutsu.

"Wood Release: Great Tree Wood Technique."

Suddenly, Yamato opposite them performed hand seals rapidly, and dozens of wooden branches erupted from his arms, sweeping toward Naraku.

"Wood Release? How is this possible?" The Third Hokage, standing behind Naraku, was stunned the moment he saw the technique.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

Naraku didn't overthink it, opening his mouth to exhale a massive fireball.

The intense heat instantly ignited the wood. While Wood Release was powerful, it depended on the user, and clearly, Yamato was not up to the task.

His Wood Release, which was only good for landscaping, was nothing compared to Naraku's power.

Just as the massive fireball set the wood ablaze, Naraku vanished using the Body Flicker Technique. When he reappeared, his silver short blade was already pressed against Yamato's neck.

"Naraku," the Third Hokage spoke up suddenly.

Naraku understood what he meant—it was nothing more than a request to spare Yamato's life. After all, Wood Release held special significance for Konoha.

But he didn't need the reminder; Naraku had never intended to kill Yamato. He was just as curious about Wood Release as anyone else.

"You..."

Yamato's voice trembled. The cold sensation against his neck kept him from acting rashly, but at the same time, he felt a sense of relief and release.

He had struggled with the mission to assassinate the Hokage from the start, only following through because he was bound by Danzo's orders.

He could accept this outcome, even if it meant losing his life. Yamato loved Konoha deeply, and he didn't want the village to lose the Third Hokage.

Thud!

To prevent Yamato from doing anything reckless again, Naraku delivered a sharp chop to his neck, knocking him unconscious.

Swish! Swish!

Just then, the two Anbu who had been lured away returned to the scene.

"Lord Hokage, they managed to escape."

The Third Hokage waved his hand dismissively, then glanced at the unconscious Yamato before speaking.

"Let's head to the Daimyo Palace first!"

"Yes."

Naraku then handed Yamato over to one of the Anbu, and they continued on their way.

After all, Naraku was only seven years old, and his physique was still quite small compared to an adult's; if he had been the one carrying Yamato, it would have hindered their progress.

Soon, the Third Hokage entered the Daimyo Palace accompanied by two Anbu.

As for Naraku, he found a secluded spot to stay behind and keep watch over Yamato.

"Ugh!"

Just then, the unconscious Yamato slowly opened his eyes, a groan of pain escaping him due to the discomfort in his neck.

"Where is this?"

Once his consciousness cleared slightly, Yamato immediately grew vigilant, casting a wary gaze around his surroundings.

"Stop looking around, I'm behind you."

Naraku, who was leaning against a large tree, spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Yamato spun around quickly and assumed a combat stance. "It's you."

He remembered that it was Naraku who had knocked him unconscious.

"What, do you want to fight again?" Naraku looked at him with a playful smile.

Yamato thought about it for a moment, but ultimately gave up; he had already realized the gap in strength between them.

"Why didn't you kill me earlier?" Yamato asked after a brief hesitation.

Having grown up in Root, the world of ninjas was, to him, filled with slaughter, and most of the missions they carried out involved killing.

"Kill you?" Naraku shook his head slightly.

"The village will need you in the future."

Naraku thought of the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. If the Asura reincarnation business proved unreliable, Naruto might eventually need Yamato's Wood Release.

Perhaps the probability wasn't high, but even so, a future master of reforestation wouldn't be a bad thing to have around.