Night had fallen once again over the Hidden Leaf Village. The streets were silent, the lanterns dim, and the faint whisper of wind brushed against the rooftops.
In a small apartment near the outskirts of the village, a single candle flickered softly. Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes half-closed, calmly controlling the flow of chakra throughout his body.
To anyone watching, it looked like a child quietly meditating before bed. But in truth—his senses were stretched outward, reaching through the night like invisible threads. He could feel it. That faint, almost imperceptible disturbance in the air. A chakra presence—weak, but deliberate. Someone was watching him.
Naruto opened his eyes slowly. A cold glint flashed across his blue irises. "So… you finally came. " The corner of his lips curved slightly. He had been expecting this.
Ever since that conversation with the Hokage days ago, he knew the old man would tighten surveillance on him. But the chakra signature outside wasn't from the ANBU that usually tailed him. This one was different—colder, more restrained, and perfectly trained to hide emotion.
Root. Danzo's dogs.
Naruto stood quietly and stretched, pretending to yawn. He walked toward the window, opened it halfway, and glanced out casually into the alley. A shadow flickered on a distant rooftop. It was barely visible even to his trained eyes. But that was enough.
He smiled faintly. "Alright, old man Danzo… you want to play games in the dark? " He rolled his shoulders and whispered softly, "Let's play. "
Naruto extinguished the candle. The room plunged into darkness. At the same moment, he molded a thin veil of chakra around his body—a technique he'd developed recently by combining his Perfect Chakra Manipulation with Advanced Chakra Flow. It completely suppressed his energy signature, erasing his presence even from chakra sensors. Then, he quietly slipped out the window and vanished into the night.
High above, the Root operative known as Crow crouched silently, watching the apartment. Through the narrow slit of his mask, his eyes flicked from the window to the nearby rooftops. "The target is stationary, " he murmured into his communicator. "Still refining chakra. No abnormal movements. "
He waited. One minute. Two.
Then—crack! A faint sound echoed from the direction of the alley. Crow's instincts sharpened instantly. He turned his head, his body moving before his mind caught up.
But there was nothing there. He scanned the rooftops, then the streets below—all clear. Not a single trace of chakra anywhere.
"…Strange. " He turned his gaze back to Naruto's apartment—and froze. The window was open. A cold gust of wind swept through, snuffing out the candle flame inside. The room was empty.
Before he could even move, a voice whispered directly behind him. "Looking for me? "
Crow spun around, kunai flashing from his sleeve—but the blade never reached its mark. A hand shot out of the darkness, grabbing his wrist mid-swing. The grip was like iron.
Crow's eyes widened beneath his mask. Impossible—he suppressed his chakra completely!
Naruto's voice was calm, almost casual. "Danzo's Root, right? "
The operative didn't answer, but Naruto could feel the flicker of surprise. He smiled faintly. "You guys really need to learn to hide better. "
With a twist of his wrist, he sent the kunai clattering to the ground. Then, just as smoothly, he let go and stepped back.
"I'm not going to fight you, " he said lightly. "Not yet, anyway. "
Crow stood frozen, watching as Naruto's expression darkened slightly. "Go back, " Naruto said softly. "Tell your master this—I don't like being spied on. "
His tone was still calm, but there was an undercurrent in his voice—a faint pulse of chakra that carried an almost tangible pressure.
Crow's knees nearly buckled. That aura—it wasn't killing intent. It was something else entirely. An overwhelming, unshakable will.
He stared at the empty rooftop, then turned away, disappearing into the shadows.
Later that night, deep underground in Root Headquarters, Crow knelt before Danzo, head bowed.
"So, " Danzo murmured, "you failed to remain undetected. "
"Yes, Lord Danzo. " Crow's voice was steady, but a bead of sweat slid down his neck.
"The target located and approached me without warning. He showed no hostility… but his control and awareness were beyond normal limits. "
Danzo tapped his cane slowly. "…Interesting. "
He leaned forward slightly. "Describe his chakra. "
"Calm. Refined. No instability. Even when he exerted pressure, I detected no trace of the Nine-Tails. "
Danzo's eye narrowed. So the boy wasn't drawing from the beast at all. Everything—his strength, his control, his speed—came from himself.
He frowned deeply. That made the situation far more dangerous.
A jinchūriki who relied on the tailed beast could be controlled through fear or seals. But one who grew strong on his own? That was unpredictable.
Danzo's fingers clenched around his cane. "…We'll need a different approach. "
Meanwhile, Naruto had returned to the forest of Training Ground No. 66. He sat on a branch, moonlight falling across his face, and looked toward the Hokage Tower in the distance.
He could already imagine the chaos in Root right now. Danzo would be furious—but he wouldn't move openly yet. That suited Naruto perfectly.
He smiled faintly to himself. "You want to play politics and shadows? " "I'll play too. "
He tilted his head back, eyes half-closed. "Let's see who runs out of patience first. "
Then, with a faint rustle of leaves, he disappeared into the night—a phantom in his own village, already moving pieces on a board none of them even realized existed.
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