Root Watchers

"Danzo's Root..." Neji suddenly turned toward a spot in the distance.

Within his nearly 360-degree field of vision, three ninjas dressed as Anbu appeared. They had come from the village and stopped in the forest outside the Shrine.

Sasuke followed Neji's gaze, his expression cold. "Root? That secret department you said answers to the Hokage Advisor? Why are they watching us?"

Root was nominally part of the Anbu, but in practice it was Danzo's private force. The Anbu served the Hokage; Root served Danzo.

Neji had told Sasuke about the secret department before.

Neji patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "They're here to watch you, to be precise. I'm just a member of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family, a bird in a cage. In their eyes, I'm not worth much."

"But you're different. You awakened the Sharingan early. To them, you're far more valuable than I am. You represent a Shinobi Clan, a powerful fighter in the making, and an important way to keep the Nine-Tails in check," Neji said.

"Tch!" Sasuke scoffed. "They're just rats hiding in the shadows."

"Don't underestimate them. Only Konoha's elite ninjas can join Root or the Anbu. Their missions are nothing like ordinary ninja assignments," Neji said.

Some of the contempt left Sasuke's face. "So everyone in those two departments is a top-tier fighter?"

As he spoke, Sasuke looked eager to test himself.

"Give it a rest. You don't have to challenge every strong fighter you see." Neji sighed. Sasuke seemed born to fight powerful opponents.

Is that what I should expect from Indra's Chakra reincarnated? Neji thought.

Sasuke glanced at Neji. "I want to see where my strength stands now. Apart from you, I haven't had a proper fight with a real ninja."

"You're not far off a proper Jonin," Neji said.

Sasuke was no weakling. Since receiving Naruto Uzumaki's Cloned Limb, his Chakra and Eye Power had improved enormously. His Sharingan had only two Tomoe, but its Eye Power surpassed even that of an ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He had also used it to copy a great many techniques.

Sasuke was now proficient in Fire Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release. Apart from not having developed a true finishing move and being held back by his still-growing body, he had no real weaknesses.

This Sasuke Uchiha was far stronger than his counterpart in the original story.

"Jonin..." Sasuke showed no excitement at Neji's words. After a moment of silence, he said, "That bastard Uchiha Itachi was already beyond that at my age."

"Itachi just grew up too fast." Whether Neji was mocking him or stating a fact was hard to tell. "You know that better than anyone. By eleven or twelve, he already looked fully grown."

Neji gave Sasuke a pointed once-over and smiled. "You're almost twelve yourself. Take a look at where you stand."

"Shut up!" Sasuke snapped. "What am I supposed to do about that? We eat the same food. I'm trying my best to grow!"

As he spoke, Sasuke seemed to recover a little confidence. Then he looked at Neji, who stood a head taller than him, and deflated. The guy in front of him had grown fast too.

"You must have been a picky eater as a kid. Otherwise, you'd be even stronger," Neji said.

"Give it a rest," Sasuke said, borrowing Neji's usual line.

Neji laughed and shook his head. "Let's go. Ignore those three little rats outside. Pretend we never saw them."

Sasuke knew Neji was much stronger than he was, so that attitude did not surprise him.

"We're just leaving?" Sasuke looked a little reluctant.

"What else did you have in mind? Kill them all?" Neji asked, amused.

Sasuke rubbed his chin. "We could. We're strong enough."

"What are you thinking?" Neji's face darkened. "You're already this reckless with the strength you have now. I don't even want to imagine what you'll be like when you reach Kage level."

"Forget it, then." Sasuke did not mind. He had only said it on a whim.

He had just wanted to see Neji's reaction. As far as Sasuke was concerned, Neji was the one who thought he could do whatever he pleased.

The two left, one after the other. Neji kept his Byakugan active, though. He wanted to see what Root intended to do.

"Captain, are they gone?" a Root Ninja hidden among the trees whispered.

"They're gone. Let's take a look inside." Their leader wore a fox mask and Anbu attire, with a short blade strapped to his back.

"Captain, didn't that Hyuga kid notice us?" asked another Root Ninja wearing a cat mask.

"Relax. A sheltered member of the Branch Family could never spot my insects," the fox-masked ninja said.

He had no idea Neji's Byakugan was far beyond the norm.

With that, he led his cat-masked and dog-masked subordinates toward the Uchiha Clan's Shrine using the Body Flicker Technique.

Once inside, the three Root ninjas began searching carefully.

All three were experienced Root elites. They soon found signs that a Stone Tablet had been pried up, leading them to the passage into the basement.

They did not hesitate. Two went down into the basement, leaving the dog-masked Root Ninja to stand guard above.

"Captain, there's nothing here," the Root Ninja wearing a cat-faced mask said.

The Root Ninja wearing a fox mask fixed his gaze on the Stone Tablet by the wall.

But to him, the Stone Tablet was merely a slab carved with patterns whose meaning he could not discern.

"Copy the patterns on this Stone Tablet. We'll take them back and try to decipher them," the Root Ninja wearing a fox mask said.

"Yes, Captain." The Root Ninja wearing a cat-faced mask took out his recording tools and copied the patterns on the spot.

Elsewhere, Neji saw everything they did through his Byakugan. He turned to Sasuke. "They're copying what's on the Stone Tablet. Want to stop them?"

Sasuke's face darkened. "Of course we're stopping them!"

With that, Sasuke spun around and raced toward the Shrine.