Danzo's Game Board and File No. 74

The hand wearing an arm guard withdrew behind the tree, then changed direction several times through the forest before slipping into a sealed passage beneath Konoha.

"The wooden plaque has been delivered to the target. He did not pursue, nor did he go to the Naka River."

The Root ninja knelt in the center of the stone chamber, mud still clinging to the edge of his mask.

"He stayed where he was to inspect the plaque, then used Wood Release to track my footholds. I had to cut away my soles to escape the roots."

Danzo opened the report that had been delivered to him, his single eye pausing over the records of Poison Vine merging with minerals.

"He noticed you?"

"Cannot confirm. He did not look up, nor did he expose my identity."

"You changed routes three times, yet his Wood Release still tracked you to the vicinity of the underground entrance. That is your answer."

The Root ninja lowered his head, his knees pressed against the stone floor, and did not argue for himself again.

Danzo set the report aside and pressed a fingertip against one line.

"Water Release cannot suppress it, its toxicity can change according to the soil, and its vines can absorb minerals. Were all of these witnessed firsthand?"

"The border scouts confirmed its water absorption ability. The surveillance personnel saw him test three types of Poison Vine in the forest, and another type of vine showed signs of hardening."

"In merely a few days, he has already reached this stage."

"Should we retrieve the target immediately?"

The Root ninja speaking raised his face, his gaze behind the mask falling upon Danzo's bandage-wrapped right arm.

"Torune Aburame's team is already standing by. As long as we seal off the Senju Clan Grounds, we can bring back a live specimen within half an hour."

"And after bringing him back?"

Danzo closed the report, his fingers settling on the top of his cane.

"Seal his chakra, extract tissue, confirm the source of his Wood Release, then implant the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."

"You are already treating him as a mature test subject."

"The target has killed a chunin and repelled three Root members. His threat level needs to be raised."

"A threat?"

Danzo rose from his chair and walked to the map of Konoha hanging on the wall.

"A Senju capable of making Wood Release evolve on its own is worth far more alive than any danger he poses."

The Root ninja fell silent for a moment, but still asked the question.

"If he continues to grow, Root may lose its chance to control him."

"When Hashirama was alive, who controlled him?"

Danzo turned around, his cane tapping the location of the Senju Clan Grounds.

"The stronger his power, the more attachments he will have. Wanting to protect the clan grounds, restore the Senju, and protect those around him—each of these will become a rope around him."

"He currently has no one close to him."

"That is why we must prepare them for him."

Danzo returned to the desk and removed a sealed scroll from a hidden compartment.

"Withdraw the temporary capture teams around the clan grounds. Maintain long-range surveillance, and no more forced contact within the academy."

"The Hokage's directly subordinate Anbu will notice our withdrawal."

"Let Hiruzen notice."

Danzo pushed the scroll beneath the lamp. Its seal bore the words: Wood Release Adaptability Experiment.

"He will think I have yielded for now, and he will also lessen Senju Chiba's protection. A child protected by the Hokage is most likely to trust those who appear under the Hokage's protection."

"We need to make the target dependent?"

"First, let him become accustomed to someone offering him food, organizing his class notes, and staying beside him when he is injured."

Danzo's fingertip traced the seal on the scroll.

"Once that habit takes root in his life, let that person present Root's choice to him."

The Root ninja raised his head.

"What if the target suspects it from the start?"

"Suspicion does not prevent exploitation. Senju Chiba lacks intelligence. Even knowing it is bait, he will still reach out and touch it."

Danzo opened the scroll. Several faded records were tucked inside.

The top file read: Hashirama Cell Transplant Experiment, Subject No. 74.

"How long could the subject survive?"

"The records from that year only state seventeen days. Lignification spread from the right arm and eventually invaded the heart."

Danzo turned to the next page. A black-and-white childhood photograph was attached to it.

"What about the time of death?"

"There is no death record. The laboratory was breached, and No. 74 disappeared along with the cultivation tank."

"Who was responsible for the guards?"

"The list was obscured by seals from the Second Hokage's era. At present, we can only confirm that one of them was from the Senju."

Danzo stared at the half-visible clan crest at the edge of the photograph.

"The Senju were conducting transplant experiments themselves."

"The file may not be authentic. The experiment director may also have forged his identity."

"Send it into the shrine's sealed archive, and we will know whether it is real."

The Root ninja did not rise.

"The Senju Shrine has already acknowledged Chiba's bloodline. Our people cannot pass the first layer of seals."

"That is why he must open it himself."

Danzo tore a thin sheet from the back of the photograph. Beneath it appeared a tree with intertwined roots.

"The wooden plaque at the Naka River will lead him toward the clues left by No. 74. He will not trust the messenger, but he will trust the Senju crest."

"Understood. This invitation was never meant to make him attend."

"If he goes, it means curiosity outweighs caution. If he does not, it means he will investigate the plaque itself."

Danzo tossed the thin sheet into the brazier, leaving only the photograph behind.

"No matter which path he chooses, he will search for No. 74 on our behalf."

The sound of hinges turning came from the other side of the stone chamber. A short Root member was brought inside.

The newcomer wore no mask. His face bore a perfectly measured reserve, and he held old Ninja Academy textbooks in his arms.

"Yakushi Yeyue, the orphanage registration is complete. All foundations of your medical ninjutsu have been concealed."

"When you make contact with the target, who are you?"

"An orphan who lost his family in the wars in northern Land of Fire, taken in by Konoha after being injured. I enjoy organizing notes and am not skilled in taijutsu."

"What is Root?"

Yakushi Yeyue lifted his face and answered without hesitation.

"I do not know."

"Who is Danzo?"

"An elder adviser of Konoha. I have only seen the name in the village orientation."

Danzo walked before him and lifted the cover of the textbook with his cane.

"If Senju Chiba asks why you approached him, how will you answer?"

"No one at the orphanage was willing to sit with me. I thought he was the same."

"What if he wants to kill you?"

"First let him obtain the information he wants, then wait for Root to decide whether I should live."

Danzo withdrew his cane.

"Wrong."

Yakushi Yeyue lowered his gaze.

"Please correct me, Lord Danzo."

"From the moment you enter the academy, your life belongs to Senju Chiba. Only by making him believe that will you have a chance to live until we cast the net."

Danzo slipped the photograph of No. 74 into the fold of the old textbook.

"Do not give it to him voluntarily, and do not mention the experiment. If he cannot even find this photograph, he has no value worth further cultivation."

"What if he tests me after finding the photograph?"

"Be afraid, deny it, then beg him to keep it secret. When an orphan knows he carries a forbidden object, he will only fear being driven out again."

Yakushi Yeyue drew the textbook back into his arms.

"What am I to bring back from him?"

"His daily habits, changes in his chakra, how long he is weakened after using Wood Release, and every person he cares about."

Danzo sat back down in the wooden chair blanketed in shadow.

"Do not bring back blood, and do not touch his hair. That would let the prey smell the net before it closes."

"Understood."

"Go. Tomorrow, someone will deliver your transfer papers to Iruka."

Yakushi Yeyue withdrew from the stone chamber, and the door closed again.

The Root ninja responsible for the report remained kneeling where he was.

"Lord Danzo, if Senju Chiba truly restores the Senju clan, Hiruzen may use his name to purge Root."

"Hiruzen will not have the heart."

Danzo took out another cultivation roster and marked several students' names.

"He wants to preserve the Senju banner, yet fears that banner falling upon his own head. That hesitation will raise Chiba for us."

"When that Wood Release matures, how will Root harvest it?"

Danzo placed File No. 74 into the drawer on his right, and the lock clicked shut.

"Let him witness Konoha abandoning the Senju with his own eyes, then place the only path to saving his clansmen before him."

Footsteps sounded above the stone chamber. Yakushi Yeyue had already entered the exit leading toward the academy.

Danzo turned over the photograph, and the faded words on its back gradually emerged.

The name of Subject No. 74 was also Senju Chiba.