The dim torchlight of the Root headquarters flickered across Danzo Shimura's scarred face as he crumpled the intelligence report in his fist. With a snarl, he hurled the wad of paper across the chamber; it bounced uselessly off a stone wall and rolled into the shadows.
Hiruzen had issued kill-on-sight orders against any Root operative caught near the Uchiha boy or the jinchuuriki.
Kill. Not capture. Not detain.
Death.
Danzo's palm slammed down, splintering the heavy oak desk with a sharp crack.
Of course it had to be that damn Raito.
The name tasted like poison.
A civilian-born orphan—no clan, no bloodline—yet the brat had climbed to S-rank by fourteen. Torune still wore the proof: an empty sleeve where his arm used to be. Entire Iwa jounin squads had been carved apart like rice paper during that border skirmish, bodies left in neat, bloodless pieces.
The door creaked open. Fuu stepped in balancing a tea tray, only to freeze at the sight of the ruined desk.
There goes my pay again, Fuu thought, irritation hidden behind a perfectly neutral mask.
"Danzo-sama," he said calmly, setting the tray down on what remained of the table. "Your orders?"
Danzo's single visible eye narrowed, jaw tight.
"Pull every Root agent away from Sasuke Uchiha. Cease all surveillance on the jinchuuriki. Immediately."
Fuu couldn't hide the flicker of surprise. "Sir?"
Danzo let out a low, bitter chuckle, leaning back in his chair.
"You weren't here for it, were you, Fuu? That little clash a few years ago."
He tapped the bandaged side of his face, voice dropping to a gravel whisper.
"That boy made a mockery of us. Of me."
The old war hawk stared into the gloom, fingers drumming on the cracked wood.
"For now… we retreat."
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The flickering torchlight in the Root chamber seemed to dim as Danzo spoke, his voice a low rasp that echoed off the cold stone walls.
"When the boy was twelve," he began, eye fixed on some distant memory, "I extended an offer. Join Root—under the honorable banner of ANBU, of course."
Fuu stood silent, tea forgotten.
"He saw through the lie in an instant. Refused outright."
Danzo's lips curled in distaste.
"Next thing I knew, Hiruzen snatched him up for his personal ANBU unit. The brat's reputation grew like wildfire. Missions completed without fail. Whispers of him aiming for the Hokage seat."
A pause. The old man's fingers tightened around the armrest.
"I grew envious. Very envious."
He leaned forward, voice dropping.
"That's when I recognized the threat. With how often he took missions, I had the perfect opening. I altered his orders—reassigned him as an 'envoy' near Kusagakure. In truth, it was an ambush."
Danzo's single eye gleamed with faded cunning.
"Iwa and Kiri had both stationed elite squads there. I'd already planted a Root agent—dressed as a Konoha shinobi—to strike first and spark the fight."
He spread his bandaged hand, as if laying out pieces on a shogi board.
"Even if the boy somehow survived, I'd demand Hiruzen hand over his corpse as 'compensation' to the other villages. Blame pinned cleanly."
Fuu shifted uncomfortably.
"To seal it," Danzo continued, "I even hired muscle from Akatsuki. Biwa Juzo—an S-rank missing-nin. Made it look like the boy was colluding with him."
A bitter chuckle escaped.
"But…"
Danzo's fingers trembled on the desk, hesitation flickering across his scarred face.
"All of them died."
Fuu's breath caught.
"Not a single scratch on him. He walked back into Konoha like he'd been on a stroll."
Danzo stared into the darkness.
"The battlefield they left behind… it's called the Fall of a Calamity now. The soil within kilometers turned barren overnight. Nothing grows there anymore. Crops wither. Trees rot. A true curse laid upon the land."
He exhaled slowly.
"Word spread quickly: one unmarked Konoha shinobi annihilated an entire squad of veteran Kiri jounin, ten of Iwa's jounin commanders, and Biwa Juzo himself. Without taking a single wound."
Fuu wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "That's… insane. Not even a Kage could—"
"He was no longer a mere curse," Danzo cut in, voice laced with equal parts reverence, fear, and searing hatred. "He became the King of Curses."
The old war hawk touched the bandages over his right side, almost unconsciously.
"Then he came here. To this very chamber."
Danzo's words grew quieter, heavier.
"Slaughtered his way through my guards. Pinned me to the wall like a bug."
A shudder ran through him.
"And left. Didn't even bother finishing me."
He looked up at Fuu, the torchlight catching the raw emotion in his one visible eye.
"A demon child."
_________________________________________________________-
The sun hung low over the quiet riverbank, painting the water in shades of gold. Raito and Kakashi sat side by side on weathered logs, fishing rods dipped lazily into the current. A pair of buckets rested between them—one brimming with gleaming walleye and perch, the other containing exactly one very confused tadpole.
"I can't find a single salmon," Kakashi muttered, staring at his empty line.
Raito didn't even glance over. "You won't. Not in freshwater like this. The ones that come upriver are still fry—too small to eat."
With a casual flick, he reeled in another fat walleye and dropped it into his overflowing bucket. "This'll do fine."
Kakashi eyed the haul enviously. "Mind sharing one?"
"Sure." Raito shrugged. "Trout or walleye?"
Kakashi blinked beneath his headband. "What the hell is a walleye?"
Raito clicked his tongue. "You don't even know basic fish? What is this, Minecraft? Think the world only has cod and salmon?"
From the bushes twenty meters away came an indignant shout.
"Can you two stop flirting with fish and actually help us catch this stupid cat?!" Sakura's voice cracked with frustration.
Raito finally turned. Team 7 looked like they'd lost a fight with a cactus. Naruto's face was a roadmap of fresh scratches, Sasuke's sleeves were torn, and Sakura's hair had leaves tangled in it. The target—a notoriously fat tabby named Tora—was perched smugly on a low branch, tail flicking as it evaded yet another clumsy lunge.
Raito raised an eyebrow. "You can't catch one cat?"
Naruto whirled on him, orange jacket shredded. "Shut up! You're just sitting there—you don't get to talk! This thing knows every move we've got!"
"Obviously," Raito said dryly, reeling in his line. "This mission's been dumped on genin hundreds of times. Even a donkey would learn escape patterns by now. This cat's basically a veteran."
Sasuke stepped forward, brushing dirt off his arms. "Then what do we do?"
Raito leaned back, arms crossed. "You know it's agile. You know it can squeeze through tiny gaps. You know it's seen all your usual tricks a hundred times over. So either do something it's never seen before… or overwhelm it with raw power."
Sasuke's dark eyes glinted. Gears turned.
He turned to Raito. "Lend me some of those fish."
Naruto threw his hands up. "We already tried bait, teme!"
"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke caught the handful Raito tossed him without looking. "Sakura—your Transformation Jutsu is better than mine. Turn into a cat. Make yourself look almost identical to Tora, but… slightly more feminine."
Sakura blinked. "Uh… okay?"
Raito smirked faintly as the plan unfolded.
"Scatter the fish here as bait," Sasuke continued. "Sakura-cat, act like you're eating. We pretend to leave, then melt into the surroundings. The real cat sees another cat eating safely—it'll think the coast is clear. Then we grab it."
Not bad, Raito thought. Good enough to fool a cat
––––––––––
Minutes later, Sakura crouched in perfect cat form, delicately nibbling at the fish pile while muttering internally: Hurry up already… I can't hold this forever.
Naruto fidgeted behind a tree. Five minutes in, his patience shattered.
"How do you even know it'll come back here?! It probably left the district by now!"
Kakashi's hand clamped over Naruto's mouth. "Quiet. The cat can't leave. Raito and I have shadow clones boxing the entire block. It's still in the area."
Raito gave a lazy thumbs-up from his perch.
Sure enough, a rustle in the bushes. The fat tabby slunk out, ears perked, eyes locked on the imposter cat enjoying "its" meal. It crept closer… closer…
Snap.
Sasuke's arm shot out like a viper. Tora yowled once in betrayal before going limp in defeat.
Naruto pumped his fist, clutching the mission scroll with the reward slip. "Yes! Eight hundred ryo! I can eat ramen for, uh… a really long time, dattebayo!"
Raito glanced at the amount and thought, That'll buy you exactly eight bowls, genius.
He stood, stretching, and slung his bucket over his shoulder.
"Good work, rookies. Next time, think three moves ahead instead of charging in like idiots."
Naruto stuck his tongue out. Sasuke just smirked faintly.
Even Kakashi's eye crinkled in quiet amusement.
Mission complete.