Morning.
The alarm buzzed incessantly, disrupting peaceful dreams.
Kanzuki took a long moment to reach out from under the covers and finally shut it off.
Another day...
He pressed his wrist against his forehead, squinting at the morning light streaming through the window.
With a swift motion, he opened the window, allowing the crisp light and breeze to wash over him, gradually dispelling his lingering drowsiness.
This was a single-occupancy bedroom, nearly filled with a fridge, wardrobe, table and chairs, and a kitchen counter.
On the wall hung a set of green flak jackets, while the desk held various daily necessities, a kunai, a forehead protector, and a photo frame.
Inside the frame was a photograph of a young man with three kids.
One of the smiling boys in the picture was once Kanzuki Oboro.
After getting up, dressing, and washing up, Kanzuki didn't prepare a special breakfast. He simply took a slice of bread and a box of milk from the fridge and headed out.
As the sun rose, the streets appeared somewhat quiet. Some people were sweeping the paths in front of their houses.
"Hey, you're up really early, A-Oboro!"
"Quite diligent, aren't you?"
"After all, he is a ninja."
"Haha."
Listening to the neighbors' teasing, Kanzuki couldn't be bothered to respond. At the end of the road stood a large red building. Looking up, he saw a cliff with the carved faces of four men.
As he walked along, a figure suddenly dashed out from the side.
"Sorry, A-Oboro! I'm going to be late!" This person seemed to realize something and kept moving while turning back to apologize to Kanzuki.
Kanzuki watched the girl's retreating back, dressed in a pink qipao and small jacket, with twin buns in her hair.
"This girl…" Kanzuki muttered, glancing at the "75" character that followed Tenten away.
[Name: Tenten
Gender: Female
Age: 8
Affinity Level: 75
Relationship: Neighbor
Not Available for Capture]
...
Hokage Building.
The trees outside swayed gently in the wind. From his birds-eye view, they appeared lush and full.
Kanzuki brought his wandering gaze back to the third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sitting calmly.
"Have you thought it over?" Hiruzen asked in a steady voice, betraying no hint of emotion.
"Yes."
Hiruzen was puffing on his pipe, exhaling clouds of smoke.
"Do you know where you're being transferred to?" he asked.
"Root."
Hiruzen studied Kanzuki intently, his gaze scrutinizing. Kanzuki, however, did not meet his eyes, instead calmly focusing on the desk in front of him, appearing very composed.
"Yesterday, Anko and Ebisu praised your performance in front of me. It seems you did quite well on your mission."
"It's just my duty."
This child...
Hiruzen had not thought much about it before, but suddenly felt an unsettling feeling in his heart.
"What do you think of those two?" Hiruzen asked after a brief pause.
"I've already promised Shisui."
"Oh?" Hiruzen let out a slow puff of smoke.
"What did Shisui say to you?"
"Shisui said that Root might be more suitable for me, offering better training opportunities," Kanzuki answered.
"Oboro..." Hiruzen's voice became incredibly calm.
"Darkness is a quagmire—easy to sink into, hard to escape."
Hiruzen tapped his pipe on the corner of the desk. "Let the past be the past."
"Understood."
"Sen and Haruka wouldn't want you to be like this now. I remember you used to be much more cheerful than you are now."
"..."
Is it really like that…?
Noticing the slight change in Kanzuki's emotions, Hiruzen thought to himself.
Shinkouji Sen and Sakuramiya Haruka were once Kanzuki's teammates.
An ordinary Chunin transfer wouldn't warrant Hiruzen's concern, but the person making the request surprised him.
Moreover, to Hiruzen, Kanzuki Oboro remained a junior with potential, and he was somewhat reluctant to send him to that place.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage. I understand what I'm doing."
Looking at Kanzuki's seemingly indifferent expression, Hiruzen couldn't tell whether his words had been heard.
[Name: Sarutobi Hiruzen
Gender: Male
Age: 64
Affinity Level: 61
Relationship: Superior
Bond Route: Not Chosen]
Knock knock knock!
The knock on the door suddenly interrupted the moment.
"Come in," Hiruzen said.
The door opened to reveal a strikingly handsome young man, appearing only about three years older than Kanzuki. He was dressed in a smart gray combat uniform, which was the standard Anbu flak jacket, and carried a standard short sword on his back.
"Tenzou."
"Hokage-sama." The newcomer only glanced at Kanzuki, showing no extra emotion, before bowing to Hiruzen.
"Uchiha Itachi reported to Team 6 today."
"Uh-huh," Hiruzen nodded slightly.
"I'll take my leave," Kanzuki said respectfully, ready to exit.
"I've mentioned that I would respect your wishes regarding this matter. It will hold true. You'll receive notice about the transfer from Anbu when the time comes." Kanzuki heard Hiruzen's voice just as he was leaving.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Kanzuki let out a long breath.
Root...
In name, it was an "Anbu training department" under Anbu, but in reality, it was a hidden weapon wielded by Konoha's higher-ups.
According to the original plot, after the Uchiha massacre, Root was disbanded by the Third Hokage, with its members transferred to Anbu. It was later reestablished, and by then, Root had completely become Danzo's private army.
The leader of Root, Shimura Danzo, was one of the few dark figures in the Ninja World. In his old age, Danzo held an extreme and pathological obsession with Konoha.
"Wait a moment."
As Kanzuki was about to head back, he heard a call from behind and turned to see Tenzou from earlier.
"Hello, I'm Tenzou," Tenzou approached Kanzuki, his expression friendly as he introduced himself.
"Kanzuki Oboro."
"I'm a member of Anbu. I heard from Lord Hokage that you're going to join Root?"
Kanzuki assessed him. He remembered that Tenzou had previously been one of Danzo's subordinates, and now it seemed he had been brought into Anbu by Kakashi.
"I used to be a member of Root too but was transferred away," Tenzou said, speaking to Kanzuki.
"Uh-huh."
"Lord Hokage suddenly mentioned you to me. Since I grew up in Root, I was surprised to hear about someone actively transferring in," Tenzou explained.
Kanzuki remained silent for a moment before responding, "Not really an active choice."
"Just a favor from a friend."
Tenzou raised an eyebrow at this, unable to suppress his curiosity. "You seem to know a lot about Root?"
Receiving no answer, Tenzou noted Kanzuki's thoughtful expression and could only sigh. "Then that person must be a really good friend of yours."
"… I suppose."
"I might be a bit indiscreet saying this, but I want to remind you," Tenzou turned serious.
"Root operates quite differently than you might expect, and..."
"Danzo is not an easy person to deal with."
Yakiniku Restaurant.
Anko was examining the menu closely.
"It's rare for you to bring me to a place like this."
From across the table, another girl, who looked to be of similar age to Anko, spoke up.
This girl was dressed in a flowing white dress with a red half-sleeve top and fishnet armor underneath. Her long, dark hair was slightly curled, and she had an aura of feminine charm entirely different from Anko.
"Ah, it's not that. I'm inviting someone to dinner and just happened to bring you along," Anko raised her head and smiled.
"You're treating someone to dinner?" Yuuhi Kurenai replied, surprised.
"Yeah, I think you know this person."
Kurenai's expression shifted slightly. When Anko had invited her for dinner, she assumed it would be at a dessert shop as usual, so she hadn't expected to be brought here instead.
"You went out on a mission with Ebisu a couple of days ago, right? Are you treating him?" Kurenai asked.
"Him?" Anko scrunched her face dismissively. "He was completely useless on the mission. He couldn't help at all."
"Don't say that. He's a decent Chunin," Kurenai replied.
"Always bragging about being an 'elite' while being absolutely worthless," Anko scoffed.
"The person I'm inviting is just a kid from that mission."
Kid… the same as a junior.
"Considering you're inviting a kid to such a place for dinner, he must be special," Kurenai said with a smile.
Anko shrugged. "He just specifically told me he doesn't like sweets when I said I wanted to treat him."
"Although, he really is quite extraordinary, probably one of the best among his peers."
"It can't be Shunshin Shisui, right?" Kurenai raised an eyebrow.
"How could I possibly invite someone like him?" Anko replied, exasperated.
"You're making me more curious. Who is he?" Kurenai asked, intrigued.
"Kanzuki Oboro," Anko stated.
Kurenai paused at the name, which was somewhat familiar yet infrequently heard. After thinking hard, a certain image flashed through her mind.
"That's right—it's that Kanzuki Oboro," Anko confirmed, observing Kurenai's reaction.
"He's..." Kurenai pondered, "the one who went on that mission with you?"
"Thanks to him, I and Ebisu didn't die there." Anko nodded, speaking in a casual tone.
After scanning the menu multiple times, Anko waved over a waiter, ordering a variety of desserts.
Though they hadn't interacted much, Kurenai still knew about him.
After all, the incident from years back had stirred quite the uproar. After the war, she had hardly heard anything about him. It seemed no one wanted to team up with him, as he was known for solo missions.
Watching her friend talk to the waiter, Kurenai felt a twinge of worry.
Getting involved with someone with a not-so-great reputation wasn't exactly a good idea.
Noticing Kurenai's unusual gaze, Anko smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry! I think he's not like the rumors say."
"Really?" Kurenai replied noncommittally.
"You'll see once you meet him. But he does have a genuinely difficult personality and is hard to get along with."
"He's here." Anko pointed her chin toward the entrance.
Kurenai looked over toward the door of the yakiniku restaurant and saw a handsome young boy of around fifteen or sixteen enter, dressed in the standard Chunin uniform. He was tall and lean, and Anko's description held true; just looking at his cold and indifferent face made Kurenai realize he would be hard to deal with.
But he was indeed good-looking.
"Over here!" Anko waved to him.
Kanzuki's gaze scanned over the room, passing Anko before stopping on Kurenai for a moment, with a hint of surprise in his eyes that Kurenai swiftly caught.
[Name: Yuuhi Kurenai
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Affinity Level: 51
Relationship: Fellow Villager
Capture Difficulty: A
First Kiss Reward: Genjutsu Mastery
Sex Reward: Genjutsu Counter]
Genjutsu... Counter?