Using her tail as a makeshift hand, Ophis rummaged through their gear, pulling out several items. Among them were some standard shinobi tools and two scrolls-one of them was encrypted.
The encrypted scroll needed a special code to be unlocked; without it, the scroll would self- destruct. After a brief moment of thought, Ophis destroyed the encrypted scroll and took the other one with her as she returned to the village.
Having snagged a scroll, Ophis couldn't immediately return to Xin's side.
Not long after she left, a pack of shadowy figures with glowing green eyes appeared at the scene. They grinned menacingly as they looked at the unconscious Root operatives.
To maintain secrecy, both Anbu and Root often used hidden exits when conducting covert missions, and these entrances were usually in remote areas. Wild animals in these locations weren't uncommon, so no one would suspect anything if trouble happened.
"Xin."
Back at home, Ophis curled up in Xin's lap, her voice soft and sweet.
"Ophis? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Xin groggily rubbed his eyes and switched on the light.
"I was out wandering around when I noticed two Root shinobi sneaking out of the village. So, I knocked them out and found this." Ophis handed Xin the scroll, wrapped delicately in her tail.
Root operatives? Sneaking around? Xin thought for a moment. Could they have been unlucky enough to cross paths with Ophis while on a covert mission?
Those two were really out of luck. Ophis had no love for Root or Anbu, especially the Root agents.
They were fortunate she hadn't killed them on the spot.
"Did you kill them?" Xin asked as he unsealed the scroll. "And did they realize it was you?"
Ophis's cheerful expression faltered. She hadn't wanted to cause a mess, so she hadn't gone for the kill.
In hindsight, she probably should've finished the job.
"I only knocked them out. There's no way they could know it was me," Ophis explained, sounding a bit dejected.
Xin laughed, rubbing her head in reassurance. "It's fine. As long as you weren't seen, it's no big deal. Even if they figure something out, Danzo won't dare challenge us."
Xin was confident. After being put in his place several times already, Danzo wouldn't risk provoking him again-unless he wanted things to get messy.
Besides, with Ophis's abilities, knocking out a couple of Root shinobi was child's play. The chances of her being discovered were slim, and she was clever enough to cover her tracks.
If anything, this incident would give Danzo something to stew over, which Xin found rather amusing.
"Let's see what these Root operatives were carrying," Xin said, unrolling the scroll. The moment he saw the contents, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Is this... chakra metal?"