8 8. A Chaotic Ordeal
Knock… Knock…
Hiruzen straightens his back and calms his nerves.
"Come in!"
Creak…
Koharu and Homura enter the room.
"Hiruzen! What's the matter? Why would you summon us at this hour of the night?"
Hiruzen raises his head and stares at them.
"I will disclose everything once Danzo arrives!"
Hiruzen stands up and walks out of the room. Koharu and Homura follow him.
Fifteen minutes later,
In the private room beside the Hokage Office,
Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura are patiently sitting on the couch as Danzo enters the room.
Koharu and Homura throw a questioning glance at him.
"Why don't you explain everything, Danzo?"
Hiruzen glares at him.
"I have nothing to explain. Whatever I do; I do for the sake of Konoha! Even if my methods are a little harsh, the result is always in Konoha's favor."
Danzo slowly swaggers in the room with the support of his walking stick.
"Don't forget, it was my root that contributed to Konoha's victory during the Second Shinobi War. If not for my Anbus infiltrating the ranks of the shinobis of Sky and assassinating their commander; how could Konoha enjoy the fruits of the victory? Hmph…"
Danzo harrumphs and takes a seat.
BAM…
Hiruzen slams his palm on the table as his mood is still foul from the previous conversation with his son.
"You can't pretend and shrug this incident like nothing. Do you think I am a fool who will buy every crap you sell me?"
Swoosh…
Hiruzen throws a scroll on the table.
"Your Root members created quite the ruckus while searching for the boy with the Wood Release!"
"Hiruzen, you!"
Danzo's expression turns ugly as his secret is revealed.
"WOOD RELEASE!!"
Shock appears on Koharu's and Homura's faces.
"Hiruzen, are you sure it's wood release?"
They question him to confirm the earlier statement.
"I am hundred percent sure!"
Hiruzen nods his head.
"The eyewitness of the incident explained everything to me."
He turns to Danzo with a stern gaze.
"It doesn't take a Nara to figure out the rest of the details. Everything was a ploy orchestrated by you. You discovered the boy with the Wood Release, but the boy escaped to Konoha. So, you razed the place to hide this secret and secretly started a manhunt for him. You intended to keep him a secret from the entire village, including me!"
"Hmph… so what?!"
Danzo snorts and argues.
"It's not like you never attempted to recreate the Wood Release after Lord Hashirama's death. I just continued what you started and Orochimaru was able to achieve what you couldn't!"
"I made some bad decision in the heat of the moment. Konoha lost a lot during the First Shinobi War. Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama died during the First Shinobi War, leaving behind a shortage of manpower and a strong powerhouse.
To overcome that void, I issued the orders to research Wood Release and recreate it. That's the biggest sin and regret of my life."
Hiruzen shakes his head.
"Hmph… you are soft Hiruzen. Every nation is built on sacrifices. The foundation of a nation is inlaid with the blood of its soldiers and the corpses of its enemies. Wood Release is such a powerful tool. If we are able to utilize it properly, then we can easily suppress the tailed-beasts of the other nations and get a clear advantage over them."
Danzo scoffs at Hiruzen's soft demeanour.
"Danzo is right! The ambitions of our neighbours are increasing while the strength and resources of Konoha are plummeting with each passing day. Wood Release will be a formidable weapon if utilized properly."
Koharu and Homura agree with Danzo.
"Not you too!"
Hiruzen stares at his childhood friends with a complex expression.
Sigh…
Hiruzen takes a deep breath. His expression turns serious as he turns towards Danzo.
"Let's see the boy!"
The group walks towards the containment facility in the Hokage Office.
At the center of the room,
A six-year child is tied to a chair with thick metal chains. There is a seal placed around his eyes that suppresses his chakra. The hands and the legs of the kid are bound by metal chains tied to a heavy iron ball.
"This is!"
Hiruzen's expression turn ugly as he notices the condition of the boy.
"What's the meaning of this, Danzo? This boy isn't a criminal. Why have you tied him up like that?" Hiruzen glare at him.
"As feeble as this boy may look, he is still someone with the power of Wood Release. Earlier, when he lost control of his powers, he wiped out an entire squad of my Root shinobis; though most of them were caught off-guard.
Danzo grunts at the loss of his root members.
"Free him right now!"
Whoosh… whoosh…
The nearby Anbu members flicker in the room. The members of the Root fall back as the anbus removes the shackles of the boy.
"For now, this boy will fall under my jurisdiction and I won't hear any argument on this matter!"
Hiruzen dismisses them.
Hmph…
Danzo snorts and signals his root members to follow him.
Whoosh…
Koharu and Homura also flicker away.
Sigh…
Hiruzen takes a deep breath and stares at an unconscious Yamato.
----------------
In the Konoha Hospital,
Argh…
Akio gently massages his leg. There is plaster on his right leg.
"I really survived by a hair's breadth. If not for the timely arrival of Ajuka Nii-san and his team, I would have died there!"
He recalls the incident after the events of his close encounter with death.
Gorou and Hattori carried him and Kaori to the hospital to treat their wounds. Kaori was fine since she fell asleep under the effects of the Genjutsu.
But he sprained his foot while attempting to dodge the final strike of the Root member.
Later, the Hokage arrived with his entourage of Anbus and interrogated him.
"I had no choice but to relay the truth. First, the anbu members could easily monitor my heartbeat, my breathing pattern, and the movement of my muscles to detect any lies.
Well! Revealing the information about Yamato's wood release might give the Hokage an incentive to protect and train him. I don't want Yamato to fall in the clutches of Root and become a puppet of Danzo. I hope it was a good decision."
He shakes his head and stares out of the window. The gigantic rock monument of Hashirama appears in his vision.
"I guess everyone wants a piece of Hashirama's wood, either as a cabin or as a coffin!"
Akio chuckles at his sick sense of humour.
Ding…
[Emergency Quest: Survive the Ordeal Completed]
[Issuing reward in…]
3…
2…
1…
The sudden alert of the system startles Akio.
"Wait! Let me prepare myself."
Before Akio could complain, a cold sensation runs through his body as the blood in his body churns on its own.
Argh…
Akio screams in pain as the growth serum enters his body.
Swoosh…
A giant invisible vortex of Nature energy forms over the roof of the Hospital.
Akio clenches the corners of the metallic bed as the surge of Nature energy enters his body.
Argh…
He resists the urge to scream as the overwhelming sensation of pain hits him.
The immediate change in cell density and increase in cell division gives him a feeling as if countless ants are crawling through his skin. The huge surge of Nature energy transforms his body and increases his metabolic processes and augments his physical and mental performances.
Akio grits his teeth as the overwhelming sense of pain is soon replaced by a sense of comfort. He clenches his fist to enjoy the feeling of infinite strength coursing through his body.
Akio removes his shirt to inspect his even-toned muscle, becoming more perfect and toned.
The invisible surge of Nature energy calms down and peace returns to the room.
Swoosh… Bang…
The door of the room is slammed open as a medic-nin in white clothes enters the room.
He turns towards Akio with a questioning gaze.
"What was that early scream, kid?"
Ah!
Akio is stunned for a moment, but he hurriedly points towards his right foot with the plaster with a pained look.
"Doctor! The pain in my right leg is killing me. Please call someone professional to heal my leg with medical ninjutsu."
He lies with a straight face.
"Kid! Do you think a medic-nin has enough free time to tend a minor injury like yours when there are multiple patients with life-threatening injuries out there?"
Hmph…
The medic-nin harrumphs at him for wasting his time.
"These damn sheltered civilians!"
He silently curses to himself, but Akio is able to hear every word thanks to his enhanced senses.
"Oh!"
A smile blooms on his face as he summons his status window with excitement.
"I don't know if that entire ruckus was worth it or not! But at least, I got something good out of it. It's time to check my new stats."
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A/N:- The story will turn boring if I solely focus on MC. There won't be anything interesting and it will turn into System, mission and lvling. So, the story will focus on decisions and choices of other shinobis which will impact MC's life either in a positive way or negative way. As for the current MC, he is till too weak. So, yeah the plot won't necessarily revolve around MC, he will play a major role in some and minor in others until he is strong enough.
