Chapter 43: Missing Shuriken
Rayzen was not bothered by getting scolded from Tsunade, after all, it only proves that she cares for her patients. What truly bothered him was the missing shuriken!
He was going back home while Takeshi stayed back to ensure nothing went wrong. On his way to the Uchiha district, there were few people on the roads as it was located on the far end of the village.
When he walked through a road where only his shadow, footsteps, cold wind and the rustling leaves of the trees on the sides accompanied him, a figure materialised behind him, without making a sound.
Feeling an eerie sensation behind him, Rayzen quickly turned back only to be spooked by what he saw!
" What the-?! What's wrong with you, Uncle?! "
It was a middle aged man with shaggy black hair, x - shaped scar on his chin and a bandaged right eye, wearing a white shirt and a black robe on top of it that extended till his feet.
He spoke with his most friendly 'menacing' expression :
" Uchiha Rayze- "
Rayzen interrupted him as he said weakly while taking a breath or two in between : " Wait a second! ... Let me calm by heart first! ... You really gave me a fright, Uncle!... Ok! Now what were you saying! "
The middle aged man coughed and said:
" Uchiha Rayzen! I am Shimura Danzo! I see a lot of potential in you! If you join my organization, I could make you power-"
Rayzen interrupted again as he said with a bored expression : " Let me stop you right there! If you want me to join an organisation or a cult, you have to give me solid benefits! Atleast start with offering food or drinks to show sincerity. Its basic manners! "
Danzo was fuming in his mind: ' Kids these days have lost any and all sense of respect for the elderly! '
Seeing that he could not get an edge in the conversation without treating the kid to a meal, Danzo took Rayzen for a meal at Ichiraku Ramen shop.
Rayzen was not at all modest as he ordered enough to fill his stomach. Danzo tried his best to initiate his conversation while eating, but the slurping sound of noodles as Rayzen ate, made the conversation lose all seriousness.
Paying the bills reluctantly, he was finally able to talk his piece with Rayzen about joining Root.
Rayzen seriously replied:
" Let's see! The organisation you mentioned is under you and not the Hokage. You said the organisation exists to protect the interests of Hidden Leaf from the darkness. Wouldn't that just mean that you would be the one defining what's good and bad for the Hidden Leaf? "
Danzo was shocked by the kid's ability to see through the benefits. He replied :
" Yes! I haven't been doing this for a day or two! I am unbiased enough and have experienced enough to understand what's good for the village! "
Rayzen replied with a mocking smile:
" Really? I'm sorry, but I can't believe your words. There may come a time when your interests lie above those of the village. But I am willing to work alongside your organization as long as you fork out some benefits and no innocents are implicated. As for joining you, please count me out! "
As Rayzen walked away, Danzo said from behind him with a veiled threat: " Take your time before you arrive at a decision! You might find yourself wanting to join the organisation later! "
Rayzen waved a goodbye without turning back as he said aloud : " Keep the shuriken as a memento! And stay away from Asami if you don't want to see your organization destroyed to the roots! "
...
Although it was fun dragging Danzo around, Rayzen was unable to sleep peacefully that night. He felt that there might be someone else other than Danzo or his Root that might be involved in Asami's accident. From Sakumo's account of the events, although unlikely, he felt that the presence of a third force might be possible. Like everyone, he too was waiting to get the answers from Asami.
That night Rayzen trained extra hard to not let his mind wander into dark or depressing thoughts.
On the same night, unbeknownst to everyone, Hiruzen and Danzo came to know the details of the blood sample that Sakumo collected. Fearing the implications of it, Hiruzen fabricated the results.
The two were making plans to be ready for whatever comes next.
At the same time, the Uchiha clan became aware of Rayzen unlocking Sharingan, that too a two tomoe Sharingan. This triggered both the liberal and extremist factions, each with their own agenda. Both started making their moves under both light and darkness.
The liberals started genuinely caring for Rayzen and his affairs, while the extremists was looking out for his weakness to strike him down either physically or mentally.
...
The next day, Sakumo learnt that the blood results didn't give any clues to who the attacker was.
As Rayzen went to the hospital, he learnt from Takeshi that the operation will be carried out today and that Asami regained consciousness.
But before he could see her, he was called to Tsunade's office by Chizuru. Chizuru having learnt of the incident tried to cheer up Rayzen and even prepared breakfast for him, figuring that he might not have eaten anything yet.
" Lady Tsunade seems to be interested in you! Did you do anything to draw her attention yesterday ? " Asked Chizuru curiously.
Rayzen thought back to what happened yesterday.
' Unlocking Sharingan may not have garnered her interest. What else-? Oh! I used the Basic Impurity Cleansing Technique on Asami and forgot to clean the impurities! She might be interested in that! '
He said to Chizuru with an embarassed expression : " I sort of got scolded yesterday by her. It might be that! "
Chizuru was surprised as she asked : " What did you even do to get scolded? "
Rayzen smiled nervously as he said : " Story for another time! Let's not make her wait ! "
Chizuru didn't mind Rayzen acting sneakily, as he said he would tell her in the future and it's not something that she felt she needed to be concerned about.
On the other hand, Tsunade seems to want to know how he healed Asami and how the impurities came about.
Seeing no way to escape, Rayzen lied as normal as breathing : " It's a clan secret! I can only say that it's a special lotion concocted from various herbs. On applying it on the skin, it seeps through all the pores and eject out impurities accumulated in the body. It was a one time lotion, you see, meant for those veteran warriors of Uchiha clan of the past. It only has a mild healing effect and is rarely used nowadays due to better alternatives. "
Tsunade glanced at him suspiciously as she said : " I see... "
Since he said it was a clan secret, she couldn't ask more. She changed the topic and said:
" I have heard from Chizuru that you were interested in healing techniques. Since I have scolded you yesterday without knowing the whole story, I can give you the opportunity to observe the operation closely. So, do you want to join us in the operating room, later today? "
Rayzen happily nodded.
" Then I won't keep you here any longer. You can visit Asami now! She has regained consciousness! She refused to speak anything of what happened to her unless she gets to see you first. "
As he left the room, Tsunade's neutral expression changed to one that of an arrogant smirk.
' Think you could fool me brat! How long do you think your secrets can be hidden? Anyway, even if he lied or not, the things he said seems interesting! I need to pay a visit to the herbologists! '
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone