Chapter 104 - Follow the Root

Daichi and Lee could be seen doing push ups next to each other.

"So you'll be leaving at the end of this year?" Lee asked as he stretched his arms and pushed himself up from the ground.

"Yeah. Gramps wanted me to learn about his business in the capital. So I'll be gone for about 3 years. I'll come back by the time my class is ready to graduate." Daichi replied as he exercised alongside the boy.

"I see…"

Daichi could hear the hidden sadness in that reply. He didn't know what to say so for the moment he decided to keep quiet.

Suddenly Daichi saw Lee smile a big grin. "Yosh! When you come back, I'll definitely be a genin and we should spar. I can't wait to see how strong you will become after 3 years."

Daichi laughed hearing his excited tone. "Yeah. That sounds fun."

"499… 500! Yosh!" Lee and Daichi got up from the ground and then walked through the forest.

"How's your classes?" Daichi asked the boy.

"I'm concentrating on the taijutsu and theoretical classes as you said. My grades have slightly improved but it's still not enough. And those classes are sometimes confusing." Lee replied.

Daichi thought about that for a moment and had an idea in mind.

"Everyone learns differently… How about this? When you're trying to learn a difficult subject at home, I want you to put the book down and do a hundred hand stands or push ups as you read. I have a feeling that kind of method might work for a training nut like you. I'm not 100% sure it'll help you memorize everything but it's worth a shot."

Lee's eyes widened in excitement as he heard that. "Yes! That's a most brilliant idea. Thank you my friend Daichi."

He ran and gave Daichi a tight hug…

"Ghaa… Easy there." Daichi pried Lee's hands off him. "We need to get ready soon or we'll be late."

"Yosh! Let's race and see who makes it out of the forest first." Lee shouted.

Both of them ran as they counted to three. It was a usual thing and unsurprisingly it was Daichi who came first. Both of them went their separate ways afterwards.

Daichi headed home and freshened himself and got ready. He created three shadow clones to train the first step of the water chakra nature and left his home.

He arrived in his class a few minutes before the bell and the classes started as usual. He listened diligently and answered whatever questions were asked of him.

As he listened to a lecture about a subject he already knew his mind drifted to his grandfather.

'I wonder what that old man is doing right now?'

—-

Near the Fire Capital.

Kensei was inside a two story house he had only heard about and never been to before that day. He looked around and found several rooms with different types of equipment in each room.

'So this is the safe house created by Second Lord Hokage. Locations wise… The building isn't in a bad spot. It is not easily found or accessible and it is hidden and protected by seals that take energy from the surroundings… What kind of a seal does that?'

Kensei waited for the arrival of certain people. 'I wonder… Will she come? Hiruzen sent word that she agreed to a meeting… It seems the only thing I can do is wait…'

Kensei looked around the place. 'Might as well look around. Hiruzen told me he disabled the traps inside the place…'

Kensei opened the door to a room and saw several shelves of scrolls and documents. 'All that information… I'm half tempted to take it all with me.'

Kensei suppressed his desires and looked inside another room. This one was like a small laboratory. It didn't have any advanced machine but there were several glass beakers and jars with various substances inside, all labeled and neatly preserved.

As he looked around and waited, Kensei suddenly sensed the presence of three other people. They entered the barrier and opened the door to the safe house.

Kensei saw a fair skinned woman with brown eyes and straight blond hair enter first. She wore a green haori and underneath had a grey kimono and matching dark bluish pants. Her most notable features were her sizable cleavage and violet diamond-shaped seal on her forehead. One of the three Legendary ninjas. Tsunade Senju.

'Tsunade Senju… She's certainly aged since the last time I saw her… But that transformation technique is impressive. And behind her are…'

Behind Tsunade was another woman with average height, slender build and jet black hair wearing a black kimono. She was holding a small pinkish colored pig and the last one stepping inside was a tall well built man with spiky long white hair. The second of the Legendary three. Jiraiya the Toad Sage.

'Shizune and Jiraiya… It seems all of them are here.'

Tsunade and Jiraiya immediately recognized the man inside the safehouse.

The blond sannin had a smirk as she looked at Kensei. "And here I thought you retired a long time ago. Not to mention your dislike of Sarutobi sensei… So why exactly are you here doing this?"

"I'm not here to help Hiruzen. I want to save Isen. And I'm going to create problems for Danzo… So there is a difference…"

Tsunade smirked and said nothing else.

"How is the young sapling you've adopted.?" Jiraiya asked as he stepped forward.

"He's fine. He started on his third nature training before I left." 'There is no point in hiding it from him. They will eventually know what Daichi is capable of.'

Jiraiya was surprised when he heard that. 'Looks like sensei was right. Only 9 years old and already training in a third chakra nature…? His talent and potential might be immeasurable.'

They looked around the place. Tsunade looked at the rooms with slight nostalgia. She had only come here a couple times and it was in the presence of her grand uncle and grandmother.

Kensei looked at Tsunade's apprentice. "You must be Shizune."

"Yes… And you're Kensei Yasaji right… I've heard a lot about you." The girl politely replied.

The old man nodded and then turned towards the approaching Sanin.

"I have something Hiruzen gave me. He said you would know what to do…" Kensei took out the scroll and gave it to Tsunade.

She took the scroll and opened it. A glass jar twice the size of a human head appeared. Inside it were several of the same flowers.

Each flower was 3.5 to 5cm long in diameter. They were violet-purple and had greenish yellow spots.

Kensei looked at the flowers and was confused. He didn't know why Hiruzen gave those to him. But he knew it had some significance to the plan.

"What is that?" Kensei asked.

Tsunade examined the glass jar for a few seconds and replied. "It's a beautiful looking flower isn't it… But it's quite dangerous. Rhododendron ponticum. It has the ability to create toxic chemicals making it a poisonous plant. The nectar produced from the pollen of this flower can be poisonous. It can cause hypotension as well as bradycardia if consumed in certain quantities."

Kensei slightly tilted his head. "Meaning…."

Tsunade sighed and answered. "Meaning it can cause low blood pressure and slows down the heart rate."

Kensei's eyes slightly widened at the implications. "How long will the effects last…?"

Tsunade thought about it for a few seconds and replied. "If I make a few adjustments and add a couple other ingredients, then about 4 hours. The heartbeat will be slowed down to about 1 or 2 beats per minute. The person will be in a near death state."

Kensei thought about the plan proposed by the Hokage. "4 hours huh. That's more than enough time for the whole thing to work… What do you need to make the poison?"

"I need a medical lab. And a week."

Kensei looked around the place. "So that's why he told us to meet here."

"Yes. Uncle Tobirama conducted several experiments here. He was a ninja but he was also a scientist at heart."

Kensei nodded and completely agreed with that.

—-—-

Academy.

The classes for the day were almost over. As Daichi was sitting there completing his works a new quest box appeared in front of him.

[Quest Created: Follow The Root.]

Follow the root ninja Touma Asai. Find the location of the Root Base. Time Limit: 1.5 hour.

.

[Conditions:]

Must not be caught.

Locate the entrance to the Root base.

Identify Touma Asai's contact.

.

[Rewards:]

2500 Exp.

.

[Failure:]

Reputation decreases with Danzo Shimura.

Accept. (Y/N)

Daichi went over the details of the quest and immediately accepted.

'This quest doesn't have death or being forced to join the root or anything like that as failure… That means even if Danzo finds out that I followed his spy he wouldn't be able to do much about it… Must be because of Kensei and the Hokage. Not that I'm going to let something like that happen.'

Daichi also noticed something strange. 'Why is there a time limit on this quest? Does that mean he'll meet his contact in that time limit or will he personally go to the base? I guess I'll find out.'

Once the classes were over Daichi went to the bathroom and quickly created a shadow clone. Once the clone left he took out his Invisibility cloak and put it on.

Daichi found his classmate leaving the grounds and followed him to his home. It was some ways from the academy and once Touma reached his home Daichi moved to the opposite side of the building. He cautiously entered the building through an open window. He went to a corner of the room and sat while under the protection of the cloak.

Daichi saw Touma preparing a report. 'Hmm… Must be about me, Naruto and Sasuke. It seems someone will come here and pick up the report.' Daichi glanced at what was being written. It was an evaluation of his attitude, class performance, strength, behavior and friends.

He waited and after some time he saw Touma finish writing his report and sealed them in a small scroll. Touma left the scroll near the window and went to another room. Daichi waited patiently and after about fifteen more minutes he saw a small black cat jump into the room and grab the scroll. It swallowed the scroll and jumped out the window.

'What the?'

Daichi didn't waste anymore time gawking at what had just happened. He jumped out the window and followed the cat. The black cat took a path through the forest and kept to the shadows. Its movements were silent and if one wasn't paying attention they would miss it.

Daichi followed behind it and took a closer look. He found that it was not a real cat but something else.

'Is that… Is that thing made of ink?'

Daichi's eyes widened in surprise as he realized the implications… 'If that thing is made of ink then that means the one behind this is….'

Daichi didn't have to wait long for an answer. The cat suddenly jumped up a tree and reached its creator.

Daichi saw two people and he immediately recognized one of them while he had a vague recollection of the other.

The first was a child with short black hair and pale skin. He had a small backpack and was painting something in his notebook while the cat jumped and landed near him.

'That's definitely Sai. And unless I'm mistaken the other one must be Shin.'

Daichi got close and listened to their conversation.

"Well look at that. It looks like your ink Ninjutsu is a success. Now you know you can make creatures that can move on their own instead of inanimate objects. Well done."

The boy Daichi knew as Sai smiled.

"Come on. Let's head back." Shin said and both of them left.

Daichi followed. 'So Sai is only beginning to learn how to use his ink Ninjutsu style.'

Daichi followed them to the base of a cliff near the forest. Daichi saw Shin making a seal and saw the rock part ways and both of them went inside.

[Quest Completed.]

Daichi was debating on whether or not to follow them but he decided against it when the question completion notification appeared.

[Rewards:]

2500 Exp.

375 Exp.

[You have found a hidden location. Added to the Mini-Map.]

Daichi looked at his holographic map and it expanded and it indicated the new location by highlighting it for a few seconds.

'It looks like this venture wasn't all that bad. I found the location of a root base and got some exp. Not a bad way to spend an evening at all.'