Root

Several concealed gazes fell on him from nearby, and their eyes lingered on him for several seconds.

There was no need to think about it. They were ANBU.

Kushina's identity was special, and with a conflict breaking out in the ramen shop, things could have serious consequences if they lost control.

"Mm."

It was Minato Namikaze's first time seeing Uchiha Yuu act so cautiously. He immediately hooked his left arm around the furious Kushina and whispered in her ear:

"Don't be angry. At worst, we can ask the owner to move us to another seat."

"Everyone around us has already noticed. Teacher Chishu taught us that weapons must not be used against civilians."

The owner, who had been cooking, hurriedly ran out. Seeing that the situation was getting worse, he immediately stepped between them.

"Everyone, everyone, there are still empty seats inside. This meal will be on the house."

The owner had shown the utmost sincerity. Only then did Kushina put away the kunai she had just drawn and look haughtily at the drunkard.

The man saw that they were ninjas and fled in a panic. Even Ninja Academy students had the ability to defeat an ordinary person.

Only then did this farce come to an end. Fortunately, it had not escalated.

However, the drunkard who had just run out entered an alley beside the restaurant. His previously drunken face had become calm and cold. He turned toward the darkness at the end of the alley and spoke with dissatisfaction:

"You should have acted just now and made things blow up. Instead, I got mocked by a few brats."

A glimmer appeared in the darkness, and a figure stepped out, quietly rebuking him:

"You were too reckless. Didn't you sense the ANBU around us?"

"With your careless nature, you aren't fit to serve Lord Danzo. I even have to clean up your mess!"

"What an idiot!"

Bang! Bang!

A sound came from above the houses. Looking closely, two corpses had fallen to the ground.

"Th—"

Before he could finish speaking, pain shot through his neck. By the time he came back to his senses, he too had become a corpse on the ground.

"What a piece of trash. Keeping you around would only ruin Lord Danzo's plans."

Root had already been established, but they were still short on manpower. Even trash like this could enter Root. It seemed they needed to properly adjust Root's selection standards.

Only people who were cold-blooded and experienced in battle were qualified to serve Lord Danzo.

He glanced back at Ichiraku Ramen, his eyes turning fiercer as his figure remained concealed.

"Uchiha, Nine-Tails..."

Uchiha Yuu had no idea that Root had set its sights on him. This time, he had simply been caught in the crossfire. Their target was the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki.

A major disagreement had arisen over how to handle the Nine-Tails.

Especially after Mito's death, the Nine-Tails had been handed over to a brat from the Uzumaki Clan.

It was equivalent to handing a nuclear weapon to a child. One careless mistake, and the nuke could be set off.

On this matter, the Hokage still followed tradition. Coupled with his guilt toward their allies, he did not forcibly restrict Kushina's freedom. He even allowed her to make friends in the village and build bonds, using those ties to make her feel at ease staying in the village.

Danzo, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than control. A weapon was only safe when it was under his control. Throwing a nuclear bomb into the village, even if it would not detonate, still brought dangers Danzo could not ignore.

Unfortunately, Root was still no match for the ANBU. They could only make small moves in secret, and if they were discovered, it could lead to major mistakes.

Therefore, everyone involved had to be eliminated!

The plan concerning the Nine-Tails had to proceed gradually, and they could not let anyone feel that it was deliberate targeting. Just like today's drunken incident, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary accident to outsiders.

If not for that idiot leading the two of them over, this matter could have been hidden easily.

Now he needed to find a way to pin the deaths of those two on someone else. At the very least, Danzo could not come under suspicion.

Meanwhile, the three eating at Ichiraku Ramen ate especially much because the meal was free.

Clutching his stomach at the end, Minato Namikaze looked at the mess on the table and said awkwardly:

"I said I'd treat you to this meal. I'll treat you both next time."

With the battlefield freshly cleared, Yuu burped and casually said:

"Are you sure your wallet can support the amount you'd have to pay for a meal like this?"

"..."

That was truly a fatal blow!

Uchiha Yuu was good in every way, except that he was not mute.

As a civilian ninja, Minato Namikaze was truly poor!

"Don't worry, I still have money."

Kushina took out her little red purse. The large bills inside made the two unable to look away.

After all, her guardian was Tsunade. Although Tsunade was publicly acknowledged as a huge sucker, no one in the village dared swindle her too openly, and Kushina had never lacked spending money.

"I'm so jealous of you, Minato Namikaze."

Looking at those bills, Uchiha Yuu swallowed and voiced his thoughts in a jealous tone.

"You can eat a rich woman's meals at such a young age!"

Seeing Uchiha Yuu's strange expression, Minato Namikaze immediately understood what he was thinking. His masculine pride made him puff out his chest as he retorted:

"I'm not living off a woman! Once I graduate and become a qualified ninja, I'll be able to take missions!"

"By then, I can save up lots of money!"

The moment he finished speaking, Yuu beside him raised an eyebrow, his tone full of teasing:

"You misunderstood me. I wasn't saying you were living off a woman. I meant that being able to live off a woman is a skill too. Hahaha!"

"Bastard!"

After dinner, Yuu chose not to disturb the two during their post-meal time together. The moment they stepped outside, they hugged each other. So all that food had been for nothing—he got fed a wave of lovey-dovey affection straight into his stomach and nearly died on the spot.

He pushed his wheelchair farther from the village. He had to pass through this small path to get home.

Under the moonlight of the night, there was only a frail figure.

He was struggling to support his body. His lower half was wrapped in bandages, and under his effort, traces of blood seeped through. After struggling for a while, he finally managed to stand steadily.

"Still too much of a strain."

His bones and muscles had not fully healed, leaving him unable to make the next move. In the end, he braced himself with both hands against the wheelchair and slowly sat down, taking a deep breath before complaining:

"Too little energy has accumulated in my body. All the energy absorbed over these years has been used to repair my body. Once I can move without obstruction, there will be much more I can do."

The village's calm did not mean it was truly peaceful.

Even if he did not want to enter the struggle between all the factions, someone had already come after him.

[He will not join Root. Read with confidence.]