Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Danzo's delusion
"These issues involving the Konoha Elders..."
"It's not exactly our concern as lower-level ninjas."
Upon catching the derisive tone in Yu's voice, the Root ninja didn't let it bother them. Without missing a beat, he gestured gracefully toward Yu and spoke, "Danzo-sama is aware of Yu-sama's battlefield accomplishments, yet the two haven't had the chance to meet. That's why he's extended a personal invitation for you to visit our Root base as an honored guest."
"Visit your Root base as a guest?"
At these words, Yu raised an eyebrow and responded in a calm tone, "What if I say I'm not interested?"
"Yu-sama is joking. You are the talent most esteemed by Danzo-sama. Before sending me, Danzo-sama explicitly instructed me not to show any disrespect towards you..."
The Root ninja's sincerity shone through, and then he smoothly redirected the conversation, saying, "Danzo-sama also mentioned... there have been some misunderstandings between him and Yu-sama before."
"So, He wanted to take this opportunity today to sit down with you and have a good talk... and also explore any possibilities for collaboration."
Misunderstanding? Cooperation?
Upon hearing this, a faint, cold smile played on Yu's lips. Since the moment Danzo reached out to the orphanage and threatened him with Nono, any possibility of reconciliation had vanished.
"Well, since you're being so polite, I don't see a reason to be impolite in return. Lead the way."
Having made his decision, Yu addressed the Root ninja before him. He was curious to unravel the calculations that still lingered in Danzo's mind at this juncture.
"Please, lead the way."
With Yu's agreement, the Root ninja took the lead, guiding him toward the Root organization base.
Watching the back of the Root organization ninja leading the way, judging from the figure, he seemed to be about the same age as Yu. Coupled with the deliberately concealed voice from earlier, Yu increasingly felt that he resembled the person he had speculated about.
"What is your name?"
Walking along the road, Yu broke the silence.
"We are Root. Root has no name, no emotions, no past, and no future."
The ninja in front did not turn around, and the calm voice halted Yu's inquiry.
"No past and no future?"
Upon hearing the ninja's response, a hint of amusement danced on Yu's lips. "Haven't seen you for a while. Did you really abandon the name Nono gave you too?"
Click!
The ninja in front paused, and the body instantly stiffened.
"As expected..."
"I can't hide anything from you, Yu."
Turning around and removing the floral mask from his face, the Root organization ninja revealed a delicate visage, along with silver-gray hair and a pair of iconic black-framed glasses.
'Heh, it really is you... Yakushi Kabuto.'
Observation Haki could accurately 'hear' the distinct sounds emitted by each person's body, confirming Yu's suspicion of the person's identity.
"You've been away from the orphanage for so long... How has it been in Root?"
Gazing at Kabuto, who had been with Root for a while now, Yu casually initiated a conversation.
Although owing to the events in the anime, Yu hadn't been fond of Kabuto, during this period, Kabuto remained a kind-hearted young man. Moreover, Kabuto chose to voluntarily join Root with the aim of protecting Nono and the little friends from the orphanage. Hence, Yu did not display any overt hostility towards him.
"It's okay. Every day is filled with various types of training."
"There are also many espionage missions infiltrating other ninja villages. I just returned to Konoha yesterday."
Upon hearing Yu's casual conversation, after such a long time away from the orphanage and joining Root, Kabuto finally reunited with the companions from the orphanage. Although it was Yu, who had never been particularly clor*se to him, Kabuto still couldn't help but feel a bit excited deep inside.
"I've heard about what you've done on the battlefield..."
"Truly impressive, Yu..."
Despite being only a year older than himself, as Kabuto sensed the formidable aura emanating unconsciously from Yu, he couldn't help but feel genuine admiration and a shiver in his heart.
"If it's Yu..."
He surely can protect the headmaster and everyone else, right?
"It seems that during this period, Kabuto has become an outstanding spy..."
Feeling the complex gaze from Kabuto, Yu couldn't help but contemplate Kabuto's background. He couldn't shake off his wariness of Danzo, the person known as the shadow of the ninja world. Characters like him, cunning and ruthless, had played a pivotal role in creating too many tragedies.
"Let's go in; please follow me."
Soon, Yu trailed behind Kabuto to a wooded area, where a hexagonal passage on the ground slowly activated and a gate opened.
After the gate opened, revealing a dark staircase inside, Kabuto went in first, and without much thought, Yu followed suit.
The interior scene exceeded Yu's expectations. Under Kabuto's guidance, they traversed a lengthy corridor with dim lights hanging on both sides of the walls.
Layer by layer, the stairs continued their descent underground. Looking down from the staircase, Yu couldn't discern how many more layers lay below. The Root organization's base seemed to be a vast and dark underground world.
"A truly warm welcome, Yu-kun."
After reaching a hall, Danzo's voice echoed as Yu saw a massive stone chair in front of him.
"Yu, be careful."
After leading Yu to Danzo, Kabuto stepped back. However, before leaving, Kabuto gave Yu a deep look and couldn't help but quietly remind him.
"I must say, this underground base really suits your dark temperament."
Ignoring Danzo in the seat, Yu's indifferent tone did not miss the opportunity to mock.
"Bold!"
"To insult Danzo-sama!"
Seeing the young man in front of them daring to be disrespectful to their Danzo, before Danzo could speak, the two masked ninjas beside him couldn't restrain themselves and were ready to teach Yu a lesson.
After a long period of indoctrination, in this organization, Danzo was the only god in the hearts of these ninjas.
"Stop! Yu-kun is an important guest of mine."
Danzo quietly restrained his subordinates, and then presented a smiling face to Yu. "I didn't expect that in such a short time, Yu-kun has already become a powerful ninja that resounds throughout the ninja world. I knew I didn't misjudge you."
"Speak up, what's the reason for calling me here?"
Ignoring Danzo's hypocritical smile and praise, Yu went straight to the point. "Between us, I think there's nothing left to discuss, right?"
"Hehe... all this time..."
"I believe there have been some misunderstandings between us..."
Danzo let out a sinister laugh, but his expression was unusually sincere. "For those unpleasant things that happened in the past, I sincerely apologize to you here."
"What do you mean... Are you intending to reconcile with me like this?"
Watching Danzo's insincere apology, Yu furrowed his eyebrows, but a trace of disdain and mockery appeared on his face.
The astounding strength he consistently demonstrated on the battlefield, his age, his established position in Konoha, and the limitless potential for growth in the future seemed to have finally made the high-positioned Danzo unable to sit still.
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