The Root agent did not take him underground.
No hidden corridors.No sealed chambers.
Instead—
They stopped at an abandoned training ground at the edge of the village.
Old wooden posts stood cracked and weathered. The earth was scarred from years of impact.
Quiet.
Isolated.
Ken's eyes narrowed slightly.
So not Root.
Naturally.
Danzō would never reveal the true foundation of his power to someone not yet bound to it.
The Root operative vanished without a sound.
At the center of the clearing—
Shimura Danzō stood with his hands folded behind his back.
No guards.
No ceremony.
Only presence.
"You are here," Danzō said.
Ken lowered his head respectfully.
"You summoned me, Danzō-sama."
Danzō studied him in silence.
No tremor in his breathing.No arrogance.No visible fear.
Only restraint.
Good.
"You fought well."
Ken remained quiet.
Danzō began to circle him slowly.
"You do not hesitate."
Not praise.
Assessment.
Internally, Danzō's thoughts aligned with cold clarity.
Ruthless.Disciplined.Exceptionally gifted.
His rate of improvement mirrors that of his teacher.In time, his Earth Release may rival teacher.
And more importantly—
He possesses instinct.
He alters techniques without instruction.Adapts mid-battle.Builds where others merely inherit.
With shaping…
He could become one of the sharpest blades of his generation.
Talent could be cultivated.
Ruthlessness could not.
"You stand at a crossroads," Danzō said evenly.
Ken's mind sharpened.
"I can provide what others will not."
"You seek strength."
It was not a question.
Ken inclined his head.
"Yes, Danzō-sama."
"Hiruzen will make you wait," Danzō continued. "Merit. Rank. Approval."
"You will climb slowly."
True.
Under Minato and Hiruzen, he would grow.
Steadily.Safely.
Eventually—
He could reach the upper tiers of the village.
But that would be the summit permitted to him.
Beyond that lay methods most refused to acknowledge.
Orochimaru understood that.
Danzō understood that.
Without stepping into shadow, he would remain powerful—
But never dominant.
Ken's thoughts shifted.
For days, he had measured himself against genin.
Against Kakashi.
Against those within his generation.
But standing here—
Watching a mere Root agent appear before him without a sound…Watching Danzō command the political current beneath the Hokage's seat…
He nearly laughed at himself.
His competition was never prodigies of his generation.
It was the forces that shaped eras.
Not enough, he thought quietly.
Nowhere near enough.
Danzō stopped before him.
"I will not allow your potential to stagnate."
Silence lingered.
Ken knew.
If Hiruzen truly opposed this, the meeting would not exist.
Minato alone could not shield him from the Hokage's balance of power.
This had been permitted.
"Under me," Danzō continued, "you will gain access to techniques beyond your station."
Sealed archives.Restricted scrolls.Knowledge withheld even from elite jōnin.
No years of petition.No incremental merit.
Immediate refinement.
The price did not need to be spoken.
Danzō did not rely on trust.
The curse seal would come.
A leash.
But a leash was only permanent if one lacked the strength to break it.
If he could not overcome such restraint—
Then perhaps he deserved to be bound.
Ken lifted his gaze respectfully.
"Will I still serve Konoha, Danzō-sama?"
Danzō's expression shifted.
Not into a smile—
But into something deeper.
Conviction.
"Root is the foundation beneath the soil," he said, and for the first time, a faint intensity surfaced beneath his composure.
"We endure what others cannot."
"We stain our hands so the village may remain clean."
His voice did not rise, but it carried weight.
"We are unseen. Unpraised. But indispensable."
There was no deception in him.
Only belief.
The path was dangerous.
And swift.
Power meant leverage.Power meant freedom.
Without power, ideals were decoration.
Ken stepped forward.
Then slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
"For the sake of Konoha," he said calmly.
For my own desires.
"I will serve where I am most useful, Danzō-sama."
I will step onto any path.
Danzō regarded him for a long moment.
Then—
A faint glint of approval appeared in his single visible eye.