Root.
Whether by design or otherwise, the headquarters of this massive organization was cloaked in perpetual dimness.
It was Oboro's first time reporting for duty at Root, and he was summoned directly by Danzo.
Danzo now walked with a cane. His entire right arm was hidden beneath his robe, and his right eye was covered with a bandage of stark white.
"You're Oboro, yes?"
"Yes, Lord Danzo." Oboro kneeled respectfully, already dressed in the new uniform he'd been issued. A black mask with a flame pattern concealed his face.
Danzo stared at the young shinobi before him. He'd reviewed Oboro's full dossier. Given Shisui's unusual status, anyone recommended by him naturally piqued Danzo's interest.
Oboro Mitsuki, age fifteen. Chūnin. Competent across the board, with a particular edge in taijutsu. A classmate of Shisui during their academy days, ranked just below him. Once considered a rising star during the last shinobi war… until a certain scandal brought him down. Since then, he had worked alone, never forming new teams, with only a rare few joint missions.
These days, he was nothing more than a somewhat above-average ninja.
"You and Shisui are quite close, I hear."
"We were classmates."
"You're something of a special case. If Shisui vouched for you, then there must be something special about you," Danzo said, his one visible eye scrutinizing Oboro.
"Root exists to house those who dwell in darkness. Such people understand how to wield power."
"Are you one of them?"
"I don't know," Oboro answered calmly. "I only intend to fulfill my duties to the best of my ability."
"'Fulfill your duties'?" Danzo narrowed his eye. That answer made him even more curious.
At such a volatile time, for someone like Shisui to bring in an outsider, Danzo couldn't help but be suspicious.
This boy… definitely hiding something.
Danzo's expression darkened, unreadable. After a long stop, he finally spoke.
"Kaku."
Whoosh!
A black-cloaked, hooded man appeared beside Oboro. He wore no mask, but had a tattoo along the side of his face and dark sunglasses obscuring his eyes.
"Shisui has been assigned to another mission. From now on, Kaku will supervise your assignments," Danzo said.
"Yes, sir."
After they left Danzo's chambers, the man in black continued to walk beside him.
"Root has missions constantly. Be prepared."
The man's voice was deep and steady, middle-aged.
"I won't be with you long. Once you prove yourself as a proper member of Root, I'll step aside."
"Kaku, was it?" Oboro asked.
"It's my code name," the man replied. "And on missions, I won't be calling you by your real name either."
"Call me Katsura," Oboro said offhandedly.
Kaku froze for a moment, then recomposed himself. "A Root shinobi has no name, no emotion, no past, no future. We live only for the mission."
"Report here again tomorrow."
With that, he vanished.
[Name: Ryoma Aburame (Codename: Kaku)]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 45]
[Affection: 51]
[Relationship: Colleague]
[Bond Route: Unchosen]
Aburame… Ryoma?
Aburame clan, huh? The outfit fits, I guess.
Oboro thought to himself. The name didn't ring any bells.
When Oboro returned home and pushed open the door, a familiar figure was already waiting for him inside.
"Welcome home," Shisui said with a bright smile.
Oboro's face darkened slightly. After closing the door, he silently walked over to shut the open window.
"You're trespassing again."
"Oh, come on. It's your house," Shisui said casually, completely unbothered.
"So that makes it okay to just waltz in?"
"With our relationship, you're really going to nitpick that?" Shisui rolled his eyes.
Oboro ignored him, placing his mask and blade on the table and hanging up his uniform.
"You reported to Root today?" Shisui asked, glancing at the black-patterned mask.
"Mm."
"Met Danzo?"
"Mm."
"How did it go?"
"He's wary."
Shisui nodded, unsurprised.
"Danzo's an extremely suspicious man. He's probably already second-guessing why I brought you in. Earning his trust won't be easy. Even back when I was in good standing, he never fully let his guard down."
So saying, he now acknowledged it outright, he was no longer trusted by Danzo.
"Going out of my way to earn someone like that's trust sounds like playing the game on hard mode," Oboro said.
"As long as you show enough value, even if he knows you're a double-edged sword, he won't be able to resist using you."
Shisui blinked, then chuckled. "Then do it your way. I believe in you."
Oboro gave him a sidelong glance, saying nothing.
"I'll be returning to the regular shinobi forces soon," Shisui said lightly. He sat in a chair, gently swinging his legs over the edge. "We may not be working side-by-side, but this kind of joint effort, it feels nostalgic. Like old times."
"I can work well with anyone," Oboro replied flatly.
"No one compares to me!" Shisui declared righteously. "We've known each other for so long!"
"Besides, I know what you're really capable of."
"Do you?" Oboro raised an eyebrow.
"Of course." Shisui grinned. "But… you still can't beat me."
"You're a Jōnin. I'm a Chūnin. What's there to compare?"
"Chūnin?" Shisui laughed. "Seriously?"
"What else?" Oboro said evenly.
"Fine, fine. Life's about to get a lot smoother for me anyway," Shisui stretched and stood up. "Just finished a mission, figured I'd stop by and check on how things went."
"What mission?"
"Just a routine Root op. Nothing too different from ANBU, you'll see for yourself soon." He sighed.
"Danzo's already pushed me out of his inner circle. It's all on you now."
"One person's not enough," Oboro said.
Shisui stopped.
"You need someone on the Hokage's side too," Oboro said calmly.
"…Oboro, you…" Shisui stared at him, but Oboro's expression was unreadable.
"You don't still see yourself as part of the Hokage faction… do you?" Oboro asked from beside the window, his eyes calm as still water, and somehow, it made Shisui uneasy.
He didn't know what mindset Oboro had when he said that.
"…Shouldn't I be?" Shisui steadied his breath and replied.
"Shisui. Don't forget your surname."
"…Lord Hokage trusts me," Shisui said firmly. "He entrusted this entire matter to me."
"Trust?" Oboro let out a faint scoff. "That's just the freedom you got after baring yourself completely."
Shisui froze, at a loss for words.
"No way… Lord Hokage wouldn't do that…" he murmured.
Oboro looked at him silently.
If he had agreed to step into this mess for Shisui's sake, then he wasn't going to let history repeat itself.
The Uchiha didn't matter. Danzo didn't matter. Even the Hokage didn't matter.
As long as this man, who called him a friend, stayed alive, that was enough.
"You were too eager to lay your cards on the table," Oboro said quietly. "To people like them, you'll just be a disposable piece."
"This incident… is far beyond the control of any one person now."
"But the two of us, together, we can shift the entire outcome."
"Shisui… if you're willing."
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters
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• TL/N •
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
> Naruto: Mind Control
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed