Danzo Shimura rose so abruptly that the legs of his chair scraped against the stone floor.
A cold light flickered in his single visible eye.
"Kushina is inside Minato Namikaze's home, and an Uchiha child is there with her?"
The Root operative remained kneeling.
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
"Absurd!"
Danzō drove his cane against the floor.
A dull impact echoed throughout the underground chamber.
"What is Hiruzen thinking?"
The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was not an ordinary shinobi. Every person she met and every place she visited represented a potential security risk for Konoha.
The presence of an Uchiha made the situation far more sensitive.
The Sharingan possessed a unique history with the Nine-Tails. Even if Obito was currently only a child, Danzō refused to dismiss the danger.
To him, this was no longer a harmless dinner between a teacher and his students.
It was a threat requiring immediate action.
"Prepare to leave," Danzō ordered. "I'm going to the Sarutobi residence personally."
Several Root shinobi disappeared without a word.
A short while later, Hiruzen Sarutobi received an unexpected visitor inside his private home.
The Third Hokage had already finished his official work for the day. He sat in the living room wearing a simple robe, his pipe resting between his fingers.
The moment Danzō entered, the evening's peace disappeared.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzō did not bother with a greeting.
"How can you be so careless with Kushina?"
Hiruzen slowly raised his eyes.
Danzō's voice remained controlled, but anger burned beneath every word.
"You allowed the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki to freely enter the home of an ordinary shinobi. Worse, you permitted her to meet a member of the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen placed the pipe between his lips.
"If anything happens to the Nine-Tails' seal, or if the Uchiha exploit this opportunity, the consequences could destroy the entire village!"
He struck his cane against the floor once more.
"This is not a matter where you can afford to be sentimental."
Hiruzen inhaled from his pipe and slowly released a cloud of smoke.
"Minato informed me about the gathering in advance," he said. "I personally approved it."
Danzō's expression darkened.
Hiruzen continued calmly.
"Kushina is a shinobi of Konoha and a comrade who has repeatedly risked her life for the village. She is not a prisoner."
"She carries the Nine-Tails!"
"She is also a person."
Hiruzen's voice remained steady.
"Proper social contact helps maintain emotional stability. Lady Mito repeatedly emphasized that isolation is dangerous for a jinchūriki. A vessel treated only as a weapon will eventually begin to see the village as a jailer."
Danzō gave a contemptuous snort.
"And what of the Uchiha child?"
"Obito is a genin assigned to Minato's team," Hiruzen replied. "He hasn't even awakened the Sharingan."
"Not yet."
Danzō leaned forward.
"The Uchiha clan has never abandoned its ambitions. If they discover a method to influence the jinchūriki, they will not hesitate to use it."
"You're speaking about a child eating dinner with his teacher."
"Today he is a child. Tomorrow he may awaken the Sharingan. What happens the day after that?"
Danzō's voice grew harsher.
"You continue giving them opportunities because you're afraid of appearing cruel. Your hesitation will eventually destroy Konoha."
The smoke around Hiruzen seemed to become still.
"Enough, Danzō."
The Third Hokage's tone changed.
The tired old man sitting in his home disappeared. In his place was the leader who commanded the strongest hidden village in the shinobi world.
"I am the Hokage."
Danzō fell silent.
"I decide how Konoha treats its jinchūriki," Hiruzen continued. "I also decide how this village interacts with the clans that built it."
His gaze sharpened.
"I've heard your concerns. I reject your conclusion. Kushina will not be imprisoned simply because you fear every person she meets."
"Hiruzen—"
"This matter ends here."
The words left no room for negotiation.
Danzō's face turned ashen.
His fingers tightened around his cane until the wood creaked.
"You will regret this."
He turned and stormed toward the exit.
Bang!
The door slammed shut hard enough to rattle the frame.
Silence returned to the Sarutobi residence.
Hiruzen remained motionless for several seconds before slowly sitting back.
He removed the pipe from his mouth and massaged the space between his brows.
Arguing with Danzō was never simple.
His old teammate's suspicions were often excessive, but they did not emerge from nothing. A rampaging Nine-Tails could annihilate Konoha, and the Uchiha clan's dōjutsu had historically possessed the power to control tailed beasts.
However, treating every Uchiha as an enemy would only push the clan farther away.
And keeping Kushina isolated would not make her safer.
It would merely make her lonelier.
Hiruzen watched the smoke rising from his pipe.
He had chosen trust.
Now he could only hope the village would not make him pay for it.
Outside, Danzō walked away from the Sarutobi residence with an expression as dark as the night sky.
Two faint rushes of air sounded behind him.
The Root shinobi who had accompanied him appeared on either side, their animal masks revealing nothing.
Danzō did not slow down.
"Continue monitoring the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki," he ordered. "Track her contact with Minato Namikaze and observe the Uchiha clan's movements."
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
"Report any abnormal behavior directly to me."
The operatives nodded.
Danzō's thoughts returned to the four children inside Minato's apartment.
Rin Nohara was an ordinary civilian-born genin with medical talent.
Uchiha Obito was reckless and currently lacked the Sharingan, though his clan identity made him worth observing.
The remaining two were more interesting.
"Kakashi Hatake continues to serve under Minato?" Danzō asked.
"Yes. His performance remains exceptional."
That answer did not surprise him.
Kakashi was the son of the White Fang and had already become a chūnin at an absurdly young age. Danzō had long understood the value of such a child.
However, Kakashi remained difficult to approach. Minato watched him closely, and the boy still carried the influence of his father.
Danzō shifted his attention to the final member.
"The child named Ren has been spending time with Tsunade?"
The Root shinobi beside him immediately answered.
"Yes. He studies with Konoha's Medical Corps and has received individual guidance from her. Reports indicate that Tsunade brought him into the Konoha Research Institute several days ago."
Danzō's gaze sharpened.
"Why?"
"The records are restricted. We have not yet confirmed the purpose of the visit."
Danzō was displeased, but he moved to another question.
"What of his family?"
"His father, Mikami Tajima, recently returned from the western border with severe injuries. He underwent surgery at Konoha Hospital under a treatment plan designed by Tsunade."
"Will he recover?"
"He is expected to survive. There is a possibility that he may walk again, but he will most likely remain permanently disabled and unable to return to active duty."
Danzō's visible eye narrowed.
So Tajima had survived.
A pity.
The death of a parent created grief, anger, and isolation. Those emotions allowed Root to detach a promising child from ordinary bonds and reshape them into a weapon.
Tajima's survival reduced that opportunity.
Still, the family's primary provider had lost his career. For a civilian household, that was no small blow.
Even if Ren appeared calm, resentment might already be building beneath the surface.
A talented child burdened by fear, war, and a wounded parent could be vulnerable to the right offer.
Root could provide money.
Root could provide power.
Most importantly, Root could provide a purpose for anger.
Danzō began considering whether Ren could be turned into one of Root's blades.
"Gather a complete report on the boy," he ordered. "Missions, instructors, techniques, family connections, personality, and weaknesses."
The masked shinobi bowed.
"Understood."
Danzō's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.
Several days later, nearly a hundred miles from Konoha, Team Minato carried out another mission.
A rugged mountain stronghold stood halfway up a forested slope. Thick wooden walls surrounded the camp, reinforced with crude stone foundations and rows of sharpened stakes.
The bandits occupying the stronghold had terrorized the region for months.
They robbed merchant caravans, attacked isolated villages, and kidnapped travelers to demand ransom or sell them across the border.
Konoha had received enough reports to authorize their complete elimination.
Minato was away on an assignment connected to the war.
That left Kakashi in command.
The four young shinobi observed the stronghold from a ridge concealed by trees.
Kakashi studied the guards for several minutes before lowering his binoculars.
"Ren and Rin will circle toward the rear entrance," he whispered. "Obito and I will attack the front and draw their attention."
Obito grinned.
"You're finally giving me the exciting job."
"Your job is to create chaos, not burn down the entire mountain."
"I know how to control my flames."
Kakashi stared at him.
Obito looked away.
Ren adjusted the sword on his back.
"We'll be in position within three minutes."
Kakashi nodded.
"Move."
Ren and Rin disappeared into the forest.
Three minutes later, a low birdcall came from the opposite side of the stronghold.
Kakashi's eye sharpened.
"Begin."
He and Obito shot down the slope.
Two guards at the outer barricade barely had time to turn before Kakashi passed between them. The hilt of his short blade struck one man's jaw, while a sweeping kick sent the second crashing into the wooden wall.
Obito continued toward the gate.
His hands blurred through several seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth.
The flames roared across the slope and smashed into the center of the wooden gate.
BOOM!
Burning splinters exploded inward.
The gates collapsed beneath the impact, and the peaceful stronghold instantly descended into chaos.
"Enemy attack!"
"They're shinobi!"
"Get your weapons!"
Bandits poured from the barracks, grabbing swords, spears, axes, and bows.
Kakashi entered first.
He moved through the courtyard like a silver whirlwind. His blade flashed in precise arcs, cutting weapons from hands and dropping enemies before they understood where he had gone.
Obito followed with aggressive bursts of Fire Release.
He launched smaller fireballs toward watchtowers, weapon racks, and escape routes, forcing the bandits into the open without setting the entire compound ablaze.
More than a dozen men attempted to surround them.
Kakashi ducked beneath a sword, struck its owner in the throat with his elbow, and spun into another attacker.
Obito blocked an axe with a kunai before driving his shoulder into the man's chest.
"Behind you!" Kakashi shouted.
Obito dropped.
A blade passed over his head.
Kakashi's short sword flashed past and brought the attacker down.
"I saw him," Obito protested.
"No, you didn't."
"I was about to!"
There was no time to continue arguing.
At the rear of the stronghold, several bandits realized the battle was lost. They abandoned their companions and rushed through the back gate.
Rin stood waiting on the forest path.
She completed her hand seals.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A powerful torrent burst from her mouth.
The stream struck the fleeing bandits like a battering ram. Men were swept off their feet and slammed into the muddy ground, their weapons spinning away.
One managed to rise.
Then a burning sphere curved around a tree and struck the earth at his feet.
The resulting explosion threw him backward.
Ren stepped from the forest.
More than a dozen small flames revolved around him.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."
The fireballs scattered.
Thanks to the Explosive Shells trait, they did not travel in straight lines. They curved between trees, changed direction in midair, and pursued the fleeing bandits from multiple angles.
The men attempted to dodge.
The flames followed.
A chain of violent explosions ripped across the rear entrance.
Smoke and sparks filled the forest path.
By the time Ren lowered his hand, none of the bandits remained standing.
The entire battle lasted less than ten minutes.
Rin looked across the ruined stronghold.
Burning wood crackled beside collapsed barricades. Defeated bandits covered the courtyard, while smoke climbed into the afternoon sky.
Pity flickered across her face.
These people had been enemies, but this was still the first time she had seen so many lives destroyed so quickly.
Then a faint cry came from one of the rear buildings.
Rin's expression hardened.
"They have captives."
Team Minato searched the stronghold.
In a locked storage room, they discovered several kidnapped boys and girls bound with rope. Some were exhausted and bruised, but all were alive.
The children began crying with relief when Rin cut their restraints.
Other rooms contained stolen coins, jewelry, merchant goods, ninja tools, medicine, and supplies taken from nearby villages.
Kakashi compared the evidence with the mission report.
"These are the missing travelers."
He opened the mission scroll and marked the objective as complete.
"C-rank mission: Eliminate the bandit group occupying Black Wind Mountain—complete."
Obito raised both arms.
"Yes! When we return, I'm eating ten extra-large bowls of Ichiraku Ramen!"
Ren glanced at him.
"Clean the wound on your arm first."
Obito blinked.
"What wound?"
He looked down.
A shallow slash ran across his upper arm. Blood had soaked through the torn fabric, though the excitement of battle had prevented him from noticing the pain.
"Oh."
Rin hurried over.
"Sit down. If dirt entered the wound, it could become infected."
"It's only a scratch."
"Sit."
Obito obeyed.
Rin removed antiseptic, gauze, and bandages from her medical pouch. She cleaned the cut while Obito tried very hard not to wince.
Two or three weeks had passed since the dinner at Minato's home.
During that time, Team Minato had become faster, stronger, and more coordinated.
They were beginning to resemble real battlefield shinobi.
And far beneath Konoha, Danzō Shimura had begun assembling a file with Ren's name on its cover.
While Team Minato hunted bandits, Root was quietly deciding how to hunt one of them.