The morning mist had yet to fully dissipate, but the trade route leading to Konoha Village was already bustling with people.
An inconspicuous merchant caravan blended into the crowd, moving slowly forward.
Inside a carriage, a young girl named Yui lifted the curtain, curiously observing everything outside the window.
She wore neat and proper clothing, with a simple hair bun, looking no different from the daughter of an ordinary wealthy merchant.
"Grandpa Hase, is that Uzumaki Naruto you mentioned really that amazing?"
Yui's voice was clear, carrying the innocent charm of someone unfamiliar with the world.
"He single-handedly quelled the internal strife in Konoha Village and even repelled the legendary Orochimaru."
Beside her, an elder with slightly graying hair and beard had his eyes closed in repose, only nodding slightly at her words.
"Princess, rumors always become more exaggerated with each telling. Those who write the news will say anything for sales; it's not to be taken seriously."
"But everyone says so, and there's that new novel, *Dark Samurai*, which is clearly based on Naruto."
The elder chuckled, "Oh, those novelists are even more shameless for money; they write anything into their stories."
"But the author of this book is also the author of your favorite, *Make-Out Paradise*."
Yui pouted, a little displeased.
"They say that the current Konoha Village is protected by Uzumaki Naruto."
The elder opened his eyes, a complex emotion flashing in his murky gaze, but he didn't reply.
Deep within the dense forest, unseen by them, three figures, like lurking vipers, fixed their icy gaze on the merchant caravan.
They wore Hidden Cloud Village headbands, but the Chakra flowing through their bodies carried the heaviness and solidity of rock.
"Boss, just this caravan? Looks like there's not much to gain." One of them whispered.
The leading Ninja sneered. "Our target isn't money."
"It's to create chaos."
"Make those fools in Konoha Village think that Kumogakure is provoking them after Danzo's downfall."
"Perfect, that carriage looks good. We'll start with it. Quick and decisive."
Further away, three miles off at a cliff's edge.
Hyuga Neji lay motionless on the cold rock like a statue.
His combat uniform blended seamlessly with the color of the rocks.
Byakugan activated. The entire world in his vision was resolved into countless flowing Chakra lines.
The scope zoomed in on the caravan's image; every person's expression, every heartbeat, was clearly relayed to his mind.
His gaze swept past the laughing Yui, past the taciturn elder, and finally settled on the three figures in the dense forest.
"Kumogakure headband..." Neji murmured to himself.
"But their physique and the distribution characteristics of their Chakra pathways are clearly those of people from the Land of Earth; it could be a disguise."
He showed no emotional fluctuation, simply transmitting the observed data calmly through the miniature communicator in his throat.
"Calling base."
Neji's voice rang through the communication channel, steady without a ripple.
"Confirming three disguised targets, currently attacking a civilian merchant caravan. Requesting instructions."
Zero's cold, mechanical voice came almost instantly from the communicator.
"Identity inside the carriage confirmed: direct blood relative of the Land of Fire's Daimyo."
"Order: Prioritize threat elimination, ensure target safety, free fire authorized."
"Received."
Neji slowly exhaled.
In his world, everything slowed down, and the surrounding background noise was excluded from his attention.
Only the rapidly enlarging figure of the Iwagakure leader in the scope, and the sinister smile on his face, remained.
The Iwagakure Ninja in the forest finally lost patience.
The leader formed hand signs, and dazzling Lightning Release gathered in his palms.
"Attack!"
With a command, the three darted out like phantoms.
The light of the Lightning Release tore through the air, heading straight for Yui's carriage.
The caravan's guards didn't even have time to react.
In Yui's pupils, the destructive electric light was reflected, her mind a blank.
Neji's finger rested on the trigger.
Just as the Iwagakure leader's fingertips were about to touch the carriage, an energy imperceptible to the naked eye traversed thousands of meters.
The Iwagakure leader's sinister grin froze.
A charred hole abruptly appeared in the center of his forehead, piercing through his entire skull.
The light in his eyes rapidly faded, and his body, under inertia, fell forward, hitting the ground heavily, completely silent.
His two companions, who were following him, suddenly halted.
They looked in horror at their fallen leader, completely unable to comprehend what had happened.
There was no sign of attack, no Chakra fluctuation. Their leader had simply died.
A tremendous fear stemming from the unknown instantly seized their hearts.
"Ambush!"
"Retreat!"
The two turned without hesitation, attempting to flee back into the forest.
But it was already too late.
Several dark figures emerged from the shadows behind them, moving swiftly and silently.
They were Root Ninja—the new "Root" under Naruto's command.
No unnecessary words, no flashy Ninjutsu.
Only a few poisoned senbon, accurately embedded in the back of the two Iwagakure Ninja's necks.
The two stiffened, then softly collapsed, dragged into the depths of the dense forest by the dark figures like dead dogs, disappearing from sight.
The entire surprise attack and counter-kill, from start to finish, lasted only thirty seconds.
On the trade route, only a corpse with a pierced forehead remained, and a group of startled travelers.
On the cliff, Neji slowly lowered his gun.
The faint warmth from the gun barrel gave him an unprecedented sense of stability.
A strange, yet immensely satisfying emotion surged within him.
This was not the hollow pride of defeating an opponent during the Chunin Exams, but an absolute sense of control over what was about to happen.
Root's underground base.
Cold metal walls reflected a pale light.
Naruto looked at the mission report projected on the light screen, which detailed all the data from Neji's operation.
Firing distance: 3514 meters.
Impact point: Forehead.
Evaluation: Perfect.
Naruto turned off the light screen, his fingers gently tapping on the control panel.
Neji, this warrior, was now polished and ready for a broader battlefield.
Meanwhile, Yui, who had safely arrived at the Konoha Village inn, still had a pale face and was trembling slightly.
"Grandpa Hase, just now... those Ninja..."
The elder, called Hase, handed her a cup of warm water, his expression solemn.
"Princess, those who saved us were Konoha's 'Root'."
"Root?"
Yui was unfamiliar with the name.
Hase sighed.
"A dark organization that operates beneath the light of Konoha Village."
"And now, the one who leads 'Root' is precisely the person you've been curious about—Uzumaki Naruto."
The teacup in Yui's hand trembled slightly.
Uzumaki Naruto.
The image of this name in her mind instantly transformed from a bright hero to something profound, mysterious, and even... awe-inspiring.
Root, interrogation room.
There were no torture instruments here, only a cold metal bed and a few instruments glowing with a faint light.
The two captured Iwagakure Ninja were firmly restrained on the bed.
Zero slowly injected a syringe into one of their arms.
No screams, no struggles.
The Ninja's eyes began to glaze over, his pupils losing focus.
"Name."
Zero's voice was devoid of emotion.
"Kuroishi... Saburo..."
"Mission."
Kuroishi Saburo's lips trembled but no sound came out, his will fiercely fighting against the effects of the drug.
Zero raised an eyebrow: "A tough one? Then increase the dosage and combine it with Genjutsu."
Ten minutes later, Kuroishi Saburo spoke.
"Infiltrate the Land of Fire, disguise as Kumogakure Ninja, attack Konoha Village merchant caravans, provoke conflict between Konoha Village and Kumogakure..."
Zero recorded everything, then turned and walked out of the interrogation room, arriving at the command center where Naruto was.
"Political Commissar."
He bowed slightly.
"Iwagakure's plan has been uncovered."
"Additionally, according to your previous instructions, we have screened all suspicious targets within Konoha Village."
Zero opened a map of Konoha Village covered with red markers.
"Currently, twelve high-risk targets have been identified, belonging to the spy networks of Sunagakure, Hidden Mist, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure."
Naruto's gaze swept over every red dot on the map.
His eyes were like someone looking at a checklist that needed to be cleared.
"Deal with them."
Naruto gave the order.
"Cleanly."
"Leave no traceable marks, provide no clues for other Villages to cause trouble."
What he wanted was not an ordinary spy cleanup, but a silent purification.
"Yes."
Zero accepted the order and left.
It was late at night, the darkness like ink.
Konoha Village was still brightly lit, peaceful and harmonious.
No one knew that a silent hunt was quietly unfolding in the darkness.
Several Root squads, like specters merged with the night, moved towards the red dots on the map.
Inside an ordinary residential house.
Two Hidden Cloud Village spies were organizing the intelligence they had gathered that day.
"The current leader of 'Root' is actually a child, it's unbelievable. Has Konoha Village given up on itself?"
"With that old man Danzo dead, Konoha Village's power structure will probably be reshuffled."
They were completely unaware of the approaching danger.
Atop a clock tower three kilometers away.
Neji set up his long-range laser rifle.
Through the scope, he could clearly see every expression on the faces of the two Kumogakure spies.
He could even see the slight curl of one of their lips due to excitement.
In the communicator, Zero's brief instruction came through.
"Target confirmed, eliminate."
Neji adjusted his breathing; this time it was much steadier than before.
He skillfully pulled the trigger.
A silent beam of light precisely penetrated the wall, obliterating two heads.
At the same time, in other corners of the Village.
A wisp of poisonous gas drifted through a door crack into an inn.
A meticulously designed Genjutsu caused a Hidden Mist spy, disguised as a merchant, to slit his own throat in his sleep.
In less than an hour.
All twelve red dots on the map turned green, indicating "mission accomplished."
In the shadows of Konoha Village, twelve venomous snakes from foreign lands had their fangs silently removed.
Everything concluded cleanly and efficiently.
As if nothing had ever happened.
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