Danzo ordered, "A, B, go to the Uchiha Clan on my behalf and take care of something..."
On a street in the Uchiha Clan's compound.
As usual, Obito had walked part of the way with Rin after school before heading home for dinner.
"Grandma! I'm home."
At the corner at the end of the block, Obito stopped in front of a slightly rundown wooden house, then pushed the door open and went inside.
"You're back, little Obito. Go wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready."
His grandmother's kindly voice came from the kitchen.
He wondered what delicious food she had made today. The moment he entered, a mouthwatering aroma filled his nose.
"Grandma, what tasty food are you making?"
Obito jogged into the kitchen, threw his arms around his grandmother's neck, and bounced on his toes like a child seeking affection.
"Today, we're having your favorite, corn stewed ribs."
As she spoke, his grandmother patted the back of his hand. "Be a good boy and go wash your hands."
"Ribs? What's the occasion? We're eating so well today." Slightly surprised, Obito turned on the nearby tap and began washing his hands.
Since Obito's parents had both passed away and his grandmother was already elderly, their household had almost no source of income.
His grandmother was always frugal. She denied herself good food and drink, saving all the best things for Obito.
It filled Obito's heart with warmth, but it also made him ache for her.
"There's no special occasion. Isn't your school's graduation exam coming up? I thought I'd make you something nice to build up your strength."
As she spoke, his grandmother carried the stewed ribs to the table.
"Oh, I see." Obito hurriedly picked up their bowls and chopsticks and followed her out of the kitchen.
The two of them began eating while chatting about the everyday things that had happened that day.
Knock, knock, knock...
They had barely taken a few bites when someone suddenly knocked on the front door.
"Who is it?" His grandmother turned to look toward the entrance.
Obito quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks and got up to answer the door. "It's probably Shisui coming to mooch dinner."
Shisui was Obito's younger cousin, and the two got along fairly well.
They often spent time together, and Obito was particularly fond of his little cousin.
Especially in the two years since Obito had transmigrated here, his relationship with Shisui had grown even closer than before.
He was more attentive to Shisui than ever, and much more of a suck-up.
After all, Shisui was a ninja who could awaken the Mangekyo, a future prodigy.
While the system was still loading and his cheat was out of commission...
I had to find someone powerful to latch onto somehow, didn't I?
Creak...
The door creaked on its hinges, revealing the two people standing outside.
To Obito's mild surprise, both wore the standard silver vests of the Anbu, along with Anbu masks.
Each of them also carried several large gift bags and boxes.
"You're... Anbu?" Obito looked utterly bewildered.
"Are you Obito Uchiha?" one of the ninja, wearing a tiger mask, asked in return.
Obito nodded. "That's me. What do you need?"
His grandmother noticed something was amiss as well.
She quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks and came over, asking anxiously, "What's going on? Has our Obito gotten into trouble?"
Almost everyone in the village knew that an Anbu visit usually meant bad news.
"No. What trouble could I have gotten into?" Obito shook his head.
Aside from beating up Hokoku Shimura today, I hadn't done anything else, had I?
The other Anbu ninja, wearing a bear mask, quickly shook his head. "Grandma, please don't misunderstand. We're Lord Danzo's subordinates from Root. We've come to discuss something with Obito."
As they spoke, the two ninja offered the gifts they were carrying to Obito and his grandmother.
"Oh, you didn't have to bring presents! That's far too kind of you."
Hearing that Obito hadn't gotten into trouble, his grandmother immediately beamed. She took the gifts in one swift motion while offering polite pleasantries.
Obito laughed along, accepting the gifts even faster than his grandmother. "Exactly. I'm really sorry you spent so much on us. If you come again, though, you can still bring a little something..."
These two Root members hadn't been branded with the tongue Cursed Seal and still had normal human emotions.
They exchanged a glance, the corners of their mouths twitching involuntarily beneath their masks.
These two were really something. Their words were polite, but they accepted the presents so quickly they were practically snatching them.
But the ninja had no idea that, to poor people like Obito and his grandmother, these expensive, high-end gifts were as good as cold, hard cash.
They could pawn them at a shop for a tidy sum and enjoy who knew how many good meals.
With a pile of presents cradled in his arms, Obito glanced over the packaging to get an idea of what was inside.
There was red wine, ginseng, tea, gift boxes of dried foods, and plenty more.
Almost everything was high-end.
It seemed these two had really spent a considerable sum and put a lot of thought into choosing the gifts.
"By the way, you're from Root? What do you want with me?"
Obito looked up at the two ninja.
He was wondering whether this really was about him beating up Hokoku Shimura.
The corners of the two Root ninja's mouths twitched again.
What's wrong with you? You accepted our gifts, but you won't even invite us inside to talk? Don't you have even the most basic manners for receiving guests?
Fortunately, after setting a few gift boxes inside, his grandmother quickly called out to Obito, "Obito! Invite them in to sit down and talk. I'll make them some tea."
"Okay, Grandma." Obito nodded and finally stepped aside.
The two Root ninja entered the house, and his grandmother ushered them into their seats.
Obito put the gifts away, then returned to the dining table, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and resumed eating.
"You've already had dinner, right?"
Obito looked up at the two ninja as he gnawed on a rib.
"Not yet..." The tiger-masked ninja shook his head. He was about to explain that they hadn't had time for dinner.
But before he could finish, Obito cut him off. "Grandma and I only cooked enough for two, so we won't be offering you dinner."
The tiger-masked ninja's mouth twitched again.
Was this Obito Uchiha out of his damn mind? Who the hell wanted a meal at his house anyway?
If Lord Danzo hadn't ordered me to come recruit you, I wouldn't have bothered coming to this dump...
The bear-masked Anbu ninja was equally furious.
But he was more levelheaded than his tiger-masked companion, and he began trying to build a rapport with Obito as he explained why they had come.
"Obito, that's quite all right. Neither of us is hungry at all."
Grrrumble...
As he spoke, the bear-masked ninja's stomach betrayed him with a rumble.
His cheeks immediately reddened. Thankfully, his mask hid them. "Obito, we've come here specifically on Lord Danzo's instructions."
Obito nodded. "Oh... Go on, then. What exactly is this about? It's because I beat up Baoguo, right?"
The bear-masked ninja shook his head. "No. Lord Danzo said that Baoguo only lost to you because his skills were inferior."
"What's more, Lord Danzo thinks very highly of your abilities and hopes you'll join Root after you graduate."
Before you continue