Root's Staged Accident: Who Was the Real Clown?

Root's Staged Accident: Who Was the Real Clown?

After leaving the shopping street, Chenshu Senju did not head straight home.

Before going to Hot Springs Town, he still needed to prepare a few things.

A change of clothes, a map, and food for the journey.

Especially a change of clothes.

After all, he could not exactly wear ninja gear into a hot spring.

As for the telescope Jiraiya had recommended, Chenshu Senju had not bought one.

The Sharingan could see more clearly than that thing.

Of course, that was merely an objective assessment.

Just as Chenshu Senju entered an alley, two men dressed in ordinary ninja uniforms approached him.

One of them walked unsteadily and reeked of alcohol. As he passed Chenshu Senju, he suddenly rammed into him.

Chenshu Senju sidestepped.

Yet the man flew sideways as if someone had kicked him, smashing his head into the wall.

Bang!

Several cracks spread across the wall.

Chenshu Senju looked at the two men, his expression somewhat strange.

He had seen scams before.

But this was the first time he had seen one carried out with such dedication.

"You dared to attack a Hidden Leaf Village ninja?"

The other man immediately drew a kunai and stood in front of his injured companion. "This is Hidden Leaf Village, not a place where your Senju Clan can hurt people whenever it pleases!"

His voice was loud.

Nearby pedestrians stopped and looked toward the alley entrance.

The man on the ground clutched his head, blood constantly seeping through the gaps between his fingers.

The injury did not look fake.

Chenshu Senju suddenly felt a little impressed.

To pin a charge on him, Root was even willing to smash one of its own people into a wall.

Danzo truly deserved his title as the darkness of Hidden Leaf Village.

Mostly because his heart was black.

[Malicious framing detected.]

[Counterkill mission triggered: Expose Root's trap and make the mastermind bear the consequences.]

[Mission reward: Five rare draw chances.]

Chenshu Senju's eyes shifted slightly.

Danzo was not much of a person, but he had always been generous with rewards.

"I didn't touch him," Chenshu Senju said calmly.

"So many people saw it, and you still want to deny it?"

The ninja sneered, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. "Everyone can testify that he injured my companion!"

The onlookers exchanged glances.

They had only heard the impact. None of them had clearly seen what happened.

At that moment, the injured man struggled to his feet and suddenly reached for his waist.

"My mission scroll is gone!"

He stared at Chenshu Senju. "You must have stolen it!"

The other man immediately stepped forward. "Chenshu Senju, you are suspected of assaulting a ninja from the same village and stealing a confidential mission scroll. Come with us to the Interrogation Department for questioning."

As he spoke, he reached for Chenshu Senju's shoulder.

But before his hand could touch him, a vine had already wrapped around his wrist.

"You still dare to resist?"

A flash of delight passed through the man's eyes.

As long as Chenshu Senju made a move, they would have enough reason to blow this matter up.

Ideally, they could force Danzo to appear in person.

Then, whether Chenshu Senju joined Root or not, he would have to pay the price.

"Don't rush."

Chenshu Senju looked at the injured man. "Is this the scroll you lost?"

A thin branch emerged from his sleeve.

At its tip was a palm-sized black scroll.

The ninja immediately said, "Just as expected, it was on you!"

"It was indeed on me."

Chenshu Senju nodded. "But he put it there just now."

The injured man's expression did not change. "Nonsense. Do you have proof?"

"I do."

Chenshu Senju raised his hands and formed a seal.

The stone paving beneath them trembled faintly. Several shoots sprouted from the cracks, quickly forming a simple image.

In the image, two figures hid at the alley entrance in advance.

One of them took out a scroll and handed it to the other.

Then, they deliberately walked toward Chenshu Senju.

The moment of impact, the man used chakra to injure his own forehead, while stuffing the scroll into Chenshu Senju's sleeve.

The entire process was crystal clear.

The expressions of the crowd gradually turned strange.

The injured man's pupils contracted. "That's impossible!"

"When I entered the alley, I left Wood Release roots underground."

Chenshu Senju looked at him. "Every move you made was recorded through the roots' senses."

That was half true and half false.

Ordinary Wood Release naturally could not preserve images.

But the Sage Body's perception was enough for him to recreate their actions from moments ago.

As for whether the two men believed him, it did not matter.

They would not dare ask the First Hokage to verify it anyway.

"Even if the scroll was a misunderstanding, you injuring my companion is still a fact," the other ninja said darkly.

Chenshu Senju lowered his gaze to the ground.

Several wooden spikes burst from the earth and stopped in front of the wall.

A layer of blood was smeared across the tops of the spikes.

The injured man's expression finally changed.

"Before he hit the wall, he cut open his forehead with a kunai."

Chenshu Senju picked up the kunai from the ground. Blood still stained its blade. "Should we send it to Hidden Leaf Hospital for testing?"

The surroundings fell silent for several seconds.

A vegetable-selling auntie could not help but curse, "Two grown men ganging up on a young man and stuffing things into his clothes—have you no shame?"

"Exactly! You look decent enough, so why are you so dirty?"

"I thought Chenshu Senju had really attacked him."

"If he had really made a move, would that guy still be standing?"

The injured man opened his mouth but could not refute that.

It made perfect sense.

That giant wooden hand from the preliminaries had already become known throughout Hidden Leaf Village.

If Chenshu Senju really wanted to hit someone, he would not need to go through the trouble of staging an accident.

One slap would probably leave neither man nor wall behind.

"Any other questions?" Chenshu Senju asked.

The two Root ninjas exchanged a look and turned to leave.

Several vines instantly sealed off the alley entrance.

"What are you trying to do?"

Chenshu Senju took out a rope he had just bought from the ninja tool shop and casually tossed it in front of them.

"Tie yourselves up."

"We are Hidden Leaf Village ninjas. You have no right to detain us!"

"Weren't you freelance ninjas just now?"

Both their expressions froze.

The onlookers also caught on.

Ordinary ninjas would not casually mention the Interrogation Department, much less be so familiar with arrest procedures.

Chenshu Senju walked over and pulled open one man's collar.

On the man's chest was a cursed seal that Root used to prevent information leaks.

A young woman happened to be standing nearby. When she saw it, she hurriedly covered her eyes.

But the gaps between her fingers were rather wide.

Chenshu Senju glanced at her.

Her cheeks reddened, and she silently turned around.

The Root ninja was even more humiliated and furious. "Have you seen enough?"

"No."

Chenshu Senju took out a sheet of paper and copied the cursed seal's pattern onto it. "Don't move. The evidence is still lacking a little."

The man's body trembled continuously.

He had been in Root for many years. He had endured interrogations, carried out assassinations, and prepared himself to die at any time.

But he had never imagined that one day, someone would strip his clothes in the street to collect evidence.

A short while later, the two Root ninjas were bound by Wood Release and hung at the alley entrance.

There was also a wooden sign hanging from each of their chests.

Eight words were written on them.

Impersonating freelancers, malicious staged accident.

[Root's trap successfully exposed.]

[Counterkill mission completed.]

[Five rare draw chances obtained.]

Chenshu Senju put away the system interface and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, he stopped again.

"Tell Danzo."

"Send someone smarter next time."

The two men lowered their heads, not wanting to say a single word.

They had turned out to be the clowns.

Root base.

Danzo looked at the mission report on his desk, his face frighteningly grim.

Not only had the two Root members failed to bring back Chenshu Senju, they had instead been hung in the street for public humiliation.

Now, the entire shopping street knew that someone had impersonated freelance ninjas to stage an accident against Chenshu Senju.

"Trash."

Danzo threw the report into the brazier, a glint of killing intent flashing through his eyes.

Conventional means could no longer control Chenshu Senju.

If so, he could only change tactics.

During the Chunin Exams' main matches, Orochimaru would certainly make a move.

As long as Hidden Leaf Village descended into chaos, a few dead ninjas and one missing Senju Clan member would attract no attention at all.

Danzo tightened his grip on his cane, his voice icy.

"Activate the backup plan."

"When Hidden Leaf Village falls into turmoil, bring Chenshu Senju back to Root."

The Root ninja in the shadows lowered his head.

"Yes."