You're Colluding with Root?!

The lead Root ninja took a deep breath and forced down his fear. He spoke as steadily as he could:

"Uchiha Yongye, this is an internal Root matter. This kid is one of our members. He fled the organization without permission, and by our rules, we have to bring him back for punishment. Stay out of it, or—"

Bam!

Before he could finish, a foot slammed into his chest.

One word: fast!

So fast his companion had no idea what had happened.

So fast he only realized he'd been kicked after the blow landed!

It felt less like a kick than a head-on collision with a raging rhinoceros.

His ribs cracked under the impact. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut and smashed into a wall beside the road. Spidery cracks burst across it as stone chips and dust rained down.

His companion stood frozen.

The Kunai in his hand shook violently, and cold sweat ran down the edge of his mask.

He could tell Uchiha Yongye had held back.

If that kick had carried the same force Yongye had used to kill Lord Yamanaka Fū, his companion would already be dead.

But that restraint only made him more nervous!

Yongye slowly lowered his leg and brushed the dust from his trouser cuff. He looked relaxed, as though he'd merely kicked a stray dog out of his way.

"Go back and tell Danzo."

His tone carried an arrogance that made his next words sound like a matter of course.

"I'm taking this kid! Send his belongings to my house, along with his pay—at least five million ryō. If they're not here tonight..."

He paused, a cold smile curling his lips. The three tomoe of his crimson Sharingan turned faintly in the sunlight, his killing intent undisguised.

"I'll storm into Root on the Third Hokage's orders and take his head!"

The Root ninja's pupils contracted sharply.

On the Third Hokage's orders? The Hokage had ordered Uchiha Yongye to kill Lord Danzo?

The news was terrifying!

So terrifying he couldn't tell whether it was true.

Lord Hokage and Lord Danzo had nearly come to blows last night. Did Lord Hokage really mean to wipe out Root?

And he'd joined forces with the Uchiha Clan?

He didn't dare think any further or stay another second. He hoisted his still-blood-spitting companion off the wall, activated the Body Flicker Technique, and vanished around the corner in two breaths.

Kabuto Yakushi lay on the ground and finally found his glasses.

He put them on with trembling hands, raised his head, and looked at Uchiha Yongye standing in the sunlight.

Backlit by the sun, the man's silhouette was edged in gold. His robes stirred gently in the breeze, and his crimson Sharingan shone in the shadow.

Kabuto lay there, staring up at the backlit figure, his heart pounding in his chest.

For a moment, he'd truly thought he was going to die.

Those two Root Elite had pursued him with everything they had, intent on killing him!

His Chakra and strength were spent. His legs felt like noodles, and he couldn't even form the hand signs for the Substitution Technique.

Then this man had appeared.

With one kick, he had sent the Root ninja Kabuto had thought unbeatable flying like a dead dog.

"Thank you for saving my life, Lord Yongye!"

Kabuto struggled to his feet, but his legs gave way and he dropped to his knees.

His forehead struck the ground with a dull thud. Tears swam behind his lenses, and his voice shook with the shock of surviving.

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi. I was a war orphan, raised in the Orphanage.

"Root forced me to join and made me spy for them, stealing intelligence from other countries.

"I couldn't take it anymore, so I deserted..."

The words poured out of him, as though he feared he'd be thrown away like trash if he spoke too slowly.

His voice faltered on "deserted," and his shoulders instinctively hunched.

Desertion was a grave crime in any ninja village.

"You know who I am?"

Yongye looked down at him, his tone calm.

"Yes!"

Kabuto nodded rapidly. A red mark had risen on his forehead where he'd struck the ground.

"There's a portrait of you at the Root Base. Lord Danzo specifically ordered all Root members to avoid you whenever possible and never confront you directly. He also said..."

He hesitated, then cautiously looked up at Yongye through his dust-covered lenses.

"He said you're one of the most dangerous people in Konoha. You're classified at the highest threat level."

Yongye raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

That old dog Danzo knew what he was dealing with. Too bad it wouldn't spare him any of what was coming.

Yongye's silence made Kabuto even more uneasy. He gritted his teeth and gathered the courage to ask the question that mattered most:

"Lord Yongye, when you said you were taking me in... was that just to get them to leave, or..."

He couldn't finish. The eyes behind his lenses were full of hope and fear.

"I need someone working for me."

Yongye nodded as he spoke, his tone casual.

Kabuto froze as though lightning had struck him.

Then the words sank in. He bowed his head to the ground again, harder than before. His forehead split open, and a trace of blood seeped out.

"Thank you, Lord Yongye! You're the only person in all of Konoha who dares cross Danzo! Whatever you ask of me, I'll do it even if it costs me my life!"

His voice was high and hurried, full of the wild joy and gratitude of a drowning man who had found something to cling to. Yongye watched him, an eerie smile slowly spreading across his face.

"As it happens, I have a task to test you."

Kabuto raised his head. The sight of that smile sent an inexplicable chill down his spine.

It was a strange smile—not one a man wore when assigning a proper task, but one he wore while planning a particularly nasty prank.

Yongye crouched beside him, leaned close to his ear, and murmured a few words.

Kabuto's eyes widened further and further.

The color drained visibly from his handsome face. Then an odd expression took its place.

Kabuto drew a deep breath and forced his astonishment back down.

In a single breath, his face returned to calm. The corners of his mouth even lifted into a practiced, deferential smile.

"Understood. I'll see to it as soon as possible."

He pushed up his glasses, and a cold glint flashed across the lenses.

"Lord Yongye, should I come back with you?"

"No."

Yongye stood and brushed nonexistent dust from his robes.

"Find somewhere to settle in. I'll contact you when I need you."

Kabuto said nothing more. He gave a formal bow, then turned and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

That evening, Root sent someone, just as expected.

It was the same ninja who had fled in terror that afternoon, though this time he was ten times more respectful.

He set a bulging parcel and a heavy money chest outside Yongye's door and presented them with both hands, not daring to raise his head.

"Lord Danzo said the money and belongings are all here. He asks that Lord Yongye... look after us in the future."

His voice shook. He forced out the last few words through clenched teeth.

He didn't even wait for Yongye to answer. He vanished into the night with a Body Flicker Technique, fleeing faster than a rabbit.

Yongye carried the things inside, tossed the parcel onto the table, and opened the chest to count the money.

Five million ryō. Not a bill short.

Old dog Danzo was full of dirty tricks in every other matter, but at least he hadn't tried any while paying to "save his life."

Yongye was still counting the bills when a voice sounded behind him.

"I never thought you'd collude with Root!"