Rainwater dripped from Kakashi's silver hair, hitting the muddy ground and splashing tiny droplets. He seemed to have had his bones removed, leaving only an empty shell, trapped in the mire of 'the past'.
Naruto didn't say another word.
Comfort was cheap, and sympathy was useless. For someone steeped in sorrow, any words seemed pale. What he needed was not solace, but a reason strong enough to pull him out of the quagmire, or rather, a target for revenge.
He turned, took a step, and walked into the growing rain.
"Naruto..." Kakashi instinctively spoke, his voice hoarse.
Naruto didn't stop, only leaving a cold remark.
"Sensei, people shouldn't die in vain."
...Naruto returned to his apartment, closed the door, and completely shut out the wet, cold world outside.
The room was pitch black. He didn't turn on the light, just stood in the center of the darkness, his wet clothes dripping water, forming a small puddle on the floor.
He was replaying events.
Public opinion alone could not bring down this old fox who had always operated in the shadows and underground. Danzo used public opinion to attack others, but he himself didn't care about it at all.
Danzo was a target that had to be eliminated.
But this target was far more formidable than it seemed on the surface. An old man who could control 'Root' for so many years, developing a private army right under the Third Hokage's nose, would never fall easily.
His right arm and right eye, perpetually wrapped in bandages, were almost an open secret, yet no one knew the truth behind them. Such unknown variables were the most fatal in any military operation.
Any rash action without absolute certainty would be tantamount to suicide.
The prerequisite for a clear-out operation was to obtain intelligence about what lay beneath those bandages.
Naruto walked to the wall, extended a finger, and lightly tapped the cold surface. There was no pattern, no rhythm; just Chakra seeping into the wall at a very specific frequency.
Moments later, a small patch of white substance 'seeped' out of the floor by his feet again, condensing into a piece of paper.
Naruto didn't bend down, just looked down.
On the paper, a new cipher appeared, its content concise and clear.
"Investigate Danzo Shimura, his right arm, right eye, and all related intelligence."
As the command was issued, the white paper began to turn transparent, and the writing on it faded. But before it completely disappeared, new content emerged.
It was 'Zero's' reply.
The efficiency was astonishing.
But the result was within Naruto's expectations.
"Target intelligence is 'Root's' highest classified secret. Physical archives have been destroyed, and all related personnel have been eliminated. The only external person who may have had access to core secrets is Orochimaru."
The note completely vanished, as if it had never existed.
Orochimaru.
The appearance of this name closed the entire intelligence chain.
Danzo wanted to use Orochimaru to weaken the Third Hokage's influence. And Orochimaru must have obtained sufficient benefits and information from Danzo as bargaining chips for their cooperation.
It was almost impossible to uncover Danzo's secrets from within Konoha.
Then there was only one option... fishing.
Naruto took off his soaked jacket and walked into the bathroom. The cold water washing over his body also made his thoughts clearer.
Since the bait was on the opponent's boat, he would turn himself into a fish so big that the opponent couldn't refuse, and would even be willing to exchange their entire boat for him.
The next day, the weather cleared, and it was the Third Training Ground.
Unlike its usual tranquility, today it was filled with high-decibel mechanical roars.
Dozens of menacing Chainswords floated in the air, each saw blade rotating at high speed, with tiny arcs of electricity even sparking from the sword bodies due to the high-intensity operation of Chakra.
Naruto stood in the center, forming hand signs, maintaining this vast and precise Ninjutsu.
"Chainsword Shadow Clone Jutsu."
After days of optimization, this Ninjutsu had evolved from a mere illusion into a true killing weapon that could be deployed in battle. Each sword possessed independent attack commands, and its sharpness and destructive power far exceeded ordinary Ninja tools.
He deliberately released the Chakra fluctuations to their maximum, that energy, a mix of ferocity and precision, stood out like a lighthouse in the calm harbor of Konoha.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the snake most interested in 'unique experimental material' to send its scout.
Sure enough, around three in the afternoon, a figure appeared at the edge of the training ground.
The newcomer wore round-rimmed glasses, had gray hair, and a gentle, harmless smile on his face, looking like an ordinary Chunin who happened to pass by and was attracted by the sight.
Yakushi Kabuto.
He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the sunlight, concealing the fleeting glint in the depths of his eyes.
He didn't approach immediately, just stood at a safe distance, like a true spectator, admiring for a while before slowly walking over with a 'senior' type of smile.
"What an incredible Ninjutsu, Naruto-kun," Kabuto's voice was gentle and full of admiration, "To be able to mold Chakra into such precise and stably maintained physical weapons, that level of control, I fear many Jonin couldn't achieve it."
His opening remarks were perfectly pitched, expressing admiration while also highlighting the core value of the Ninjutsu, like a true technician engaging in academic discussion.
Naruto slowly dissipated the Chainswords in the air. The deafening roar abruptly ceased, and the training ground returned to silence.
He turned around, his ice-blue eyes calmly watching Yakushi Kabuto approach.
"Orochimaru sent you?"
The smile on Kabuto's face froze for a moment for the first time.
He hadn't expected the other party to be so direct, without any pleasantries or probing, directly tearing away all his disguises.
But he was a top-tier spy after all; in just an instant, that gentle smile returned to his face, as if the stiffness just now had been an illusion.
"Heh heh, Naruto-kun is quite the joker. I merely..."
"I'm not interested in Ninjutsu," Naruto interrupted him, his voice flat but carrying an undeniable decisiveness, "Tell Orochimaru, getting the core data of this technique is possible."
Naruto took a step forward, closing the distance to within three meters of Kabuto. This distance, for a Ninja, was already filled with a sense of oppression.
He looked directly into Kabuto's eyes, his cold gaze seemingly able to penetrate the lenses and pierce into his very soul.
"I have only one price."
"What exactly are Danzo Shimura's right arm and right eye?"
The air, at this moment, seemed to freeze.
The smile on Yakushi Kabuto's face completely vanished.
He felt he was not facing a twelve-year-old boy, but a monster as pure, even more direct, than the adult behind him. There was no lure of desire, no trap of words, only a naked, cold transaction.
Just who is this kid?
Kabuto's mind raced, re-evaluating the current situation.
He was silent for a few seconds before finding his voice again, his tone becoming much more cautious.
"Naruto-kun, the information you're asking for... its value is too high." He subtly refused, while also beginning his own counter-probing, "Also, I'm very curious, why are you so interested in the leader of 'Root'?"
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