Leaving the village

Dawn was just beginning to break.

Luo Mang had barely emerged from his pocket world when he heard knocking outside.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Sigh, they're here to rush me this early? Looks like they're still worried I won't go out and seek the Third Hokage's help."

He let out a helpless sigh.

The Anbu outside-or rather, the Root operative-knocked louder and louder, as though he would break down the door if Luo Mang didn't answer soon!

"Stop knocking! Are you here to tear my fucking house down?"

After that shout, the Root operative stopped knocking. Clearly, he hadn't been frightened; he had only come to confirm that someone was home. Having done so, he waited for Luo Mang to come out.

So damn annoying!

Luo Mang frowned, grumbled inwardly, and headed toward the kitchen.

The man outside still knocked occasionally, leaving him with no appetite whatsoever. He grabbed a quick bite and headed out.

As he walked, he continued writing in his Diary according to the plan he had devised yesterday, trying to confirm whether anyone could actually read it.

"Here are the details of your mission. I hope you return safely."

With that, the man wearing an Anbu mask left.

At the sight, Luo Mang laughed in exasperation. So they weren't heading out together after all.

He had thought they might be bolder and simply assign him a teammate who would kill him. Instead, they were still going with an assassination.

That would make escaping easier. At least he wouldn't have to explain why he was missing a teammate when he returned.

After considering that, he checked the mission.

(Head to the edge of the Dark Forest and retrieve the buried treasure chest beneath a large green tree marked with an X Symbol.)

Wasn't this mission a little too perfect for an assassination? Who would send someone to a place like that just to fetch something?

Even if the mission hadn't come from the Anbu, the retrieval conditions alone made the danger obvious. Yet he had no choice but to go. Luo Mang shook his head helplessly and sighed.

Click.

After closing the door, he followed the directions. Just as he was about to leave the village, he actually ran into someone he knew.

"Brother Mang!"

Naruto Uzumaki's lively, boisterous voice reached his ears. He looked toward the sound, and sure enough, there he was.

There was no obvious change in him overall. He was still as carefree and boisterous as ever.

"Brother Mang, are you heading out? Did you take some really awesome mission? Can I come along?"

Seeing that Luo Mang was about to leave the village, Naruto Uzumaki's eyes sparkled. He had taken quite a few missions over the past three days himself.

There had been a few mishaps during the first two days because he was clumsy. The clients had looked down on him, canceled his assignments, and hired someone else, which had been a serious blow to Naruto. He had wanted to ask Luo Mang for more pointers, but Luo Mang never showed up.

He could only keep trying on his own. Just when his confidence was about to shatter, he had finally completed a mission yesterday and received his payment. He was still delighted about it.

"Heh, I did take a mission, but this one might be dangerous, so I won't bring you along. Take some missions on your own. Have yours not been going well?"

Luo Mang shook his head. He had thought it through last night; he definitely couldn't bring Naruto along.

Even if he really wanted to turn Naruto into some murderous version of himself, now certainly wasn't the time.

"Uh, okay."

A hint of disappointment appeared on Naruto's face, but it vanished in an instant. He smiled and began recounting what had happened yesterday.

"My missions have been going reasonably well. I finished one yesterday."

"All right, keep taking missions, then. I'll be off."

Seeing how eagerly Naruto was talking, Luo Mang figured a proper conversation would take at least half an hour. He really didn't have the time, so he chose to interrupt.

Naruto didn't press him. "Okay, Bro Mang. See you next time."

Watching Luo Mang walk away, Naruto couldn't help sighing.

"Sigh, Bro Mang is so busy. He hasn't even graduated, but he can already take missions outside the village. I need to work harder."

After that remark, he turned and hurried toward the Hokage Building to take another mission.

Two Anbu members hiding in the shadows vanished in quick succession, leaving to make their reports.

Luo Mang knew nothing of this and paid it no attention.

"All right, everything's in order. Good luck with your mission!"

Following the instructions, he handed over his mission paperwork and Village Exit Pass, then left the village under the guard's watchful gaze.

"Phew..."

Walking along the road, Luo Mang took a deep breath. This was his first time leaving the village.

He hadn't expected to face such danger on his very first trip outside.

There was no need to be too tense just after leaving. Attacking here would be foolish; they would surely wait until he reached the forest. For now, he was relatively relaxed, admiring this world of Ninja along the way.

A masked man lurked in the shadows. He wasn't an assassin sent by Root, but Kakashi Hatake, secretly observing Luo Mang.

He still couldn't accept letting such a genius be assassinated over something so trivial!

While Luo Mang relaxed, Kakashi remained on edge, watching to see just how many people Danzo had sent to assassinate him.

"Two!"

He really is cautious. After spotting two Root operatives, Kakashi couldn't help muttering to himself.

[My first trip outside the village really is nice. Even the air feels free. I wonder how many operatives Danzo has sent?]

After admiring the scenery, Luo Mang began padding out his Diary entries. He also wanted to find out how many people had his Diary and whether any of them would follow him outside.

[I ran into Naruto on the way. I wonder whether my arrival and the changes I've brought about in him will affect the future?]

While he padded out his Diary, its other two owners weren't idle either. They were secretly watching.

Amegakure.

On the surface, Uchiha Itachi was considering the intelligence in his hands. Inwardly, however, he was reading the contents of the Diary.

He was somewhat worried too. Being targeted by Danzo was no small matter, after all. But traveling from Amegakure to Konoha would take at least several days. By the time he got back, he might even be too late for the burial.

He could only worry helplessly. Sasuke Uchiha was in much the same position.

Kakashi had suddenly told him today that their morning duel was canceled. With nothing else to do, he could only stay in his room, read the information coming through the Diary, and silently pray that Luo Mang would be all right.

"If I could become stronger, I could protect my clansmen and the people I care about, instead of being unable to do anything like I am now-watching the only other surviving clansman face death at the hands of the people who destroyed the Uchiha!"

Sasuke felt miserable, overwhelmed by a profound sense of helplessness. A video was only a video; once it was over, that was that. But reality sent involuntary pangs through his heart. His eyes began to spin, and the one-tomoe pattern that had awakened long ago-which he had refused to acknowledge and kept hidden-slowly emerged.

Hum!

Energy surfaced. Sasuke felt his perception grow astonishingly sharp. It took a while before he recovered, raised both hands to his eyes, and froze in shock.

"I... did I awaken my Sharingan?"