Defection

Qianyu's heart sank, a chill spreading down his spine. In an instant, he understood where the flaw lay.

"Two chunin died on the battlefield that day," Inoichi continued evenly. "It was my duty to recover and analyze any final information that might have remained in the minds of the deceased. I personally examined their memories."

"The first layer I saw matched everyone's experiences and the account that was later agreed upon—the enemy attacked, a Wood Release user came to their rescue, and Danzo defected."

"But..." Inoichi's tone suddenly shifted. His gaze became unfathomably deep, as though it could see through all appearances. "Beneath those consistent images, I sensed an extremely subtle inconsistency."

"That put me on guard. So I used some unconventional methods, attempting to strip away that layer of cover and touch the deeper marks left by death..."

Inoichi paused, seeming to relive it. Even someone as composed as him had a faint, nearly imperceptible trace of shock flicker through his eyes.

"I saw... something different. An unimaginable battle. I saw the man using Wood Release... he had a face strikingly similar to yours, but more mature and colder. I saw the level of power he displayed, far beyond anything I knew... and the indescribable connection between him and you."

His gaze locked tightly onto Qianyu. "When I compared those fragmented, genuine imprints from the edge of death with my own memories and everyone's accounts... the answer became obvious. Everyone's memories had been altered by a power so immense it was beyond imagination. And the source of those altered memories, that future Wood Release user... was you, Qianyu. Or rather, the you from the future."

The air seemed to freeze. The chirping insects in the courtyard became especially piercing. Qianyu's entire body stiffened, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. His greatest secret had been completely seen through by the man before him in the most unexpected way possible. The consequences of reporting it flashed through his mind—strict surveillance, loss of freedom, or perhaps something even worse...

"You're nervous?" Inoichi suddenly smiled. There was a trace of weariness in that smile, but also relief. "Afraid I'll expose you?"

He slowly shook his head. "If that were what I intended, you wouldn't be sitting here drinking tea right now."

Qianyu abruptly looked up, undisguised shock and confusion in his eyes.

"The moment I realized the memories had been altered and glimpsed part of the truth, I faced a choice." Inoichi's voice lowered. "Should I report it truthfully and leave you, this enormous and uncontrollable variable, to the higher-ups' judgment? Or... should I conceal it for you and bury this matter completely?"

He pointed to his temple. "I chose the latter. I destroyed the remaining brain tissue of those two chunin and erased every memory examination record that could have pointed to an anomaly. That 'truth' from the depths of death now... exists only here."

"Why?" Qianyu's voice was dry, almost forced out of his throat. He did not believe in protection without reason.

Inoichi remained silent for even longer. His gaze drifted toward the house. Through the gap in the sliding door, he could see Ino humming a cheerful little tune as she helped her mother wipe down the table, her profile illuminated by the lamplight and filled with a carefree smile.

"Because I saw something in those genuine fragments of memory." Inoichi withdrew his gaze and looked at Qianyu again, his expression turning complicated and profound. "At the moment danger struck, before anyone else could react, your first action was not to protect yourself, nor was it to show off. You used all your strength to push Ino away, telling her to run and get help."

"What you shouted to her was... 'Only if you bring Tsunade here can I survive.'" Inoichi repeated those words slowly, one by one. "At that moment between life and death, you entrusted her with the hope of getting help—and with your own hope of surviving. And you chose to stay behind and stand in front."

Qianyu froze.

"I've seen too many schemes, betrayals, and sacrifices." Inoichi's voice was soft, yet every word weighed heavily. "I also know that your identity and your power may bring endless trouble and danger. But the choice you made in that moment showed me something different. At the very least... you care about Ino's safety. You were willing to protect her first, even in a desperate situation."

He let out a long, soundless breath.

"I suppressed this matter partly because of the unusual nature of your background and power. I didn't want Konoha to fall into even greater panic and infighting. But the more important reason..."

Inoichi's gaze drifted toward the house again, toward the warm figure of his daughter.

"Was Ino."

"She likes you. She trusts you. The way she looks at you... her eyes shine." Inoichi paused, as if searching for a more fitting word. "As her father, I can't decide her future for her. But while she's still young, I can at least clear away some unnecessary obstacles for her. I can prevent the person she likes from being treated unfairly—or even persecuted—because of secrets that aren't his fault."

"I handled this for you because of that instinctive desire you showed to protect her in a moment of danger." At last, Inoichi turned his full gaze back to Qianyu's face. His eyes had regained the calmness of the intelligence chief, yet now carried a trace of a father's warmth. "And because, as a father, I have a little selfishness of my own."

Qianyu listened silently. The stormy waves in his heart gradually subsided, replaced by a heavy, complicated emotion that was difficult to put into words. He had never expected that instinctive reaction in that moment to become the key reason the man before him chose to protect him. Nor had he expected that this intelligence chief, renowned for his calmness and wisdom, would protect his daughter so deeply and directly.

He set down his teacup, rose to his feet, and gave Inoichi a solemn, deep bow.

"Uncle Inoichi, thank you." His voice carried unmistakable gratitude.

Inoichi waved a hand, signaling for him to sit, then picked up his own now-lukewarm tea. "No need to thank me. Remember, this matter ends here. How you walk the road ahead is your own choice. But as long as you sincerely treat Ino well and do nothing that harms Konoha, the Yamanaka Clan... or at least I, will stand on your side."

The atmosphere relaxed. Inoichi took another sip of tea, as if their harrowing conversation had never happened. "The tea has gone cold. Go back. Don't keep Ino waiting too long. Come by for dinner often."

Qianyu thanked him again and turned to leave the courtyard.

The moment he entered the hallway, Ino fluttered toward him like a light butterfly, her blond hair dancing in the lamplight. "Qianyu! Dad didn't give you a hard time, did he? What did he say to you?"

"Nothing much." Qianyu smiled and naturally raised a hand to ruffle her hair. "Uncle Inoichi gave me some guidance on chakra control. He's amazing."

"Of course he is!" Ino lifted her little face, her smile radiant and her eyes filled with pure pride.

Inoichi remained alone in the courtyard, the moonlight stretching his shadow long behind him. With his hands clasped behind his back, he watched the two figures gradually recede beneath the moonlight—the young man standing tall, already beginning to show his promise, while his daughter leaned close beside him, smiling as brightly as a flower.

The severe facial muscles of the intelligence chief, known for his calm and rigid demeanor, gradually relaxed. The corners of his mouth uncontrollably curved upward, the smile widening until it became a low, delighted chuckle that seemed to spill from his chest.

"Ha... hahaha..." He shook his head, his eyes gleaming as he muttered softly to himself, "Good... very good. This was no loss... I found a treasure..."

The laughter soon faded. He turned and walked toward the house, his steps steady, his back appearing especially relaxed beneath the moonlight.

The night was dark as ink, thick clouds hiding the stars and moon. Deep within a desolate, remote valley in the Land of Rice Fields, the damp air was thick with the scent of earth and rotting vegetation, broken now and then by the shrill cries of night owls.

Completely unlike the warm, tacitly harmonious courtyard of the Yamanaka Clan in Konoha, there was only cold rain, jagged rocks, and dozens of dark figures standing silently in the downpour like tombstones.

Danzo Shimura leaned on the cane he never parted with, his single eye glinting with an eerie chill in the darkness as it swept over the Root ninja before him—those who had followed him in defecting from Konoha, and were now the only ones left.

Their attire was still uniform, their faces concealed behind masks, but upon closer inspection, many still bore bloodstains and marks of battle that had not yet been fully cleaned away. Their presence no longer held the absolute coldness they had possessed in their underground base. Instead, it faintly carried the bedraggled misery of drowned dogs and a lingering terror that could not be shaken off.

Their numbers were less than a third of what they had been at their peak. = Most of those who had followed him into these barren foreign mountains were men absolutely loyal to his personal convictions, or those burdened by sins too grave to turn back from, who could only place all their hopes in him.

Rainwater ran down Danzo's graying hair and the bandages on his face, dripping into the mud.

"Hiruzen... you truly have grown old and muddleheaded." His voice was hoarse and dry, barely audible even to the few confidants at his side. "For the sake of an unknown brat who may be an even greater threat, for that laughable, weak, and powerless so-called 'Will of Fire,' you actually intend to completely eliminate me—to eliminate the 'Root' that can truly bring Konoha absolute security and a future..."

His fingers clenched tightly around the dragon-headed handle of his cane, his knuckles turning white.

The mysterious Wood Release user who had appeared last night was the greatest variable in his plans. That was no ordinary ninja. The level of power he possessed was enough to make even Danzo's heart pound with fear. Was he an enemy or an ally? What exactly was his relationship with Cangshu Qianyu?

And Cangshu Qianyu... that face so similar to Madara Uchiha's, his suspected potential for Wood Release, and that bizarre pill refined from Urashiki that he had swallowed... all of it pointed toward an extremely unsettling possibility.

"Madara Uchiha's bloodline... Hashirama Senju's power... perhaps even something else mixed in..." Danzo's heart sank, only for an even fiercer flame to rise within him, one mingled with jealousy and greed.

Such a perfect vessel infused with legendary power—such precious experimental material and a future weapon—should have belonged to Root, under his control, to be refined and guided into becoming Konoha's sharpest sword! Yet now, it had fallen into the hands of naive, weak fools like Tsunade and Sarutobi. What a waste! It might even breed an even greater disaster!

"Konoha has strayed from the correct path, sinking into the mire of false peace and weakness." Danzo raised his head, letting the icy rain strike his face. His lone eye looked in Konoha's general direction, toward the foundation he had spent his life building, only to be forced to abandon in the end. "It needs a thorough cleansing. It needs true iron-blooded resolve, willing to pay any price, to reshape it."

He turned to face the remaining members of Root standing solemnly before him. His voice rose, carrying a fanatical obsession and unquestionable authority as it pierced through the curtain of rain:

"Gentlemen! Konoha has rotted. Its upper ranks are muddleheaded, powerful enemies surround it, yet they would rather trust a monster of unknown origin than brand its true protectors as traitors!"

"But we—Root—will not perish! We have delved deep into the darkness, and we know that only absolute power, harsh rules, and decisions stripped of emotion can make Konoha's tree truly stand unshakable!"

"This place, the Land of Rice Fields, will be our new beginning! It is chaotic and lawless—the perfect soil for Root to take root once more, draw nourishment, and grow strong again!"

"Here, we will nurse our wounds and gather strength! We will use every means at our disposal to gain greater power! We will uncover the truth behind that Wood Release expert from last night and seize every secret of that brat called Cangshu Qianyu!"

His lone eye swept across every mask, as though seeking to see the loyalty burning behind them. "Remember our goal—purge Konoha's decay, eradicate every possibility, and then... return in a stronger, purer form! Reshape Konoha! Let the true Will of Fire shine upon the ninja world!"

"For Konoha!"

He almost roared the final four words, filled with twisted conviction and mad determination.

"For Konoha!" Dozens of Root ninja below growled in unison, their voices echoing through the mountain valley on that rainy night.