Late evening of the 391st day. Konoha.
"Danzou-sama is busy, leave the report on the table and you may go. – Saito Takashi said in a cold tone, surprised by the behavior of one of the squad commanders sent on reconnaissance regarding a third-rate group of mercenaries."
"Yes, sir! – Yamada Norio replied. Being a member of Root ANBU, he couldn't even think of disputing the commander's order, so he bowed and headed to the table, silently beginning to write the report."
Ten minutes later, Saito Takashi accepted the subordinate's report and put it in his desk drawer. He had already heard the oral report from Norio, but the entire Root structure was built on ironclad order, so everything was documented except for the most secret operations, which were under the direct control of Shimura Danzo himself.
"Nakayama Family… A third-rate group of mercenaries with an aura of mystery. I doubt that the very runaway from the Hyuga clan is with them, but the lord is somehow very interested in this matter…" Takashi pondered, stroking his small beard. Even he, as Shimura Danzo's assistant, didn't know what his lord had planned and was sure that this small group of mercenaries wasn't worth such attention. However, he couldn't ignore his lord's order, so he was obliged to report on this matter the next morning.
Kenshin continued to diligently work on applying formations to the perimeter until noon of the 392nd day. And even with twentyfold focusing, he barely managed to finish all the preparations. At eleven at night, he sent Kasumi to sleep, but the girl refused to rest, and Kenshin allowed her to stay another two hours before ordering her to go to bed.
Due to constant focusing, Kenshin's head hurt badly, but he endured and continued working, and exactly at one o'clock he ordered the entire family to leave the shelter in full force.
At the moment, the family's numbers were a little over forty people, and they all temporarily gathered in a secluded spot, awaiting Kenshin's command. This was the most dangerous stage, as the old shelter was destroyed and the new one not yet ready, and if the enemy attacked right now, the consequences would be unpredictable.
Kenshin sat silently in the lotus position, designing the model of the future shelter in his head. The approximate layout of the new shelter had long been composed in his mind, but even so, everything needed to be double-checked to minimize weak points in the future fortress as much as possible.
Sitting in the middle of the forest, Kenshin was very vulnerable, so Ichiro and Fifteenth with their teams handled his protection. They were ready to repel any attack, but inwardly prayed that it wouldn't happen, at least until their beloved father was safe.
Meanwhile, Kenshin was under such intense strain that two bloody trails flowed from his nose. Ichiro could clearly see what was happening to his father and clenched his teeth in helplessness. He wanted to share the burden on his father's brain, but all he could do at that moment was clench his fists and hope deep down that in the future he would be able to fight Root shinobi.
Suddenly, before the astonished brothers' eyes, a huge fortress twenty meters high instantly appeared in the air, surrounded by a large and high wall. Ichiro couldn't believe his eyes. He knew their new shelter would be quite large, but he didn't expect it to be that enormous.
The fortress was surrounded by a huge, thick wall. The wall's height was even greater than the fortress itself, about thirty meters, and its thickness was unimaginable for such a massive structure, five meters.
Sitting in the courtyard, Kenshin opened his eyes and immediately collapsed face-first onto the ground. Blood poured from his nose and ears, and his breathing was incredibly erratic. Ichiro and Fifteenth immediately rushed to their father and turned him onto his back.
"Father! Are you okay?! – Fifteenth asked anxiously, to which Kenshin just gave a crooked smile and replied:"
"In a couple of minutes, everything will normalize… Fourth, bring the rest of the brothers and mothers. Tell them our new home is ready. – Kenshin said with a slight smile and closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts."
"Yes, Father! – Fourth nodded and rushed off to carry out the order."
Meanwhile, Kenshin decided to rest a bit. His mind had endured tremendous strain and exhaustion, so some time was needed for recovery.
Ten minutes later, all his sons and wives arrived at the walls of the new fortress in full force and couldn't hold back gasps of surprise. Entering through the gates onto the new home's territory, the four women simultaneously rushed to Kenshin. Hitomi was first and gently took Kenshin in her arms, placing his head on her thighs. As a top-class iryonin, she did everything so softly that Kenshin didn't even wake up.
She placed her tender palm on his forehead, and her hand glowed with soft blue light. Kenshin felt warmth and opened his eyes, seeing the affectionate expression on his beloved woman's face.
"I'm fine… – He whispered, barely holding back from closing his eyes again and falling into deep sleep."
"Nothing is fine! You have cerebral vascular overload. A little more, and it would have been a stroke! – Hitomi scolded him."
Kenshin opened his mouth to say something, but Hitomi gave him a displeased look and whispered: - You'd better be quiet now. Rest a bit, I'll stabilize your condition.
He just smiled and did as she said, closing his eyes and surrendering to the skilled woman's hands.