"Lord Danzo, the Young Master has been brought back!"
"He is currently within the Shimura Clan territory!"
After leaving the Custody Center, Danzo returned directly to his Root headquarters.
Root had been established for many years by this point and was already firmly under Danzo's control.
"Mm, I understand."
"From now on, you will stay by his side and protect him closely!"
Danzo didn't even lift his head, settling Aburame Ryoma's mission in a few words. As the leader of Root, he had the authority to assign Root members to any task.
"Yes! Lord Danzo!"
Aburame Ryoma bowed slightly to Danzo, then immediately vanished from the room.
After seeing Aburame Ryoma leave, Danzo slowly raised his head. His face was hidden in the shadows, and the kerosene lamp on the table cast flickering light across it.
"The wind that brings hope to Konoha... my child..."
"Kaede..."
..."System! Give me back my Five Release Techniques!"
On the tatami mat, Shimura Kaede slowly sat up, raising his small head.
Ever since receiving the reward, Shimura Kaede would scold the System every day.
[Host: Shimura Kaede.]
[Age: 3.]
[Bloodline: None.]
[Talent: Wind (Heavenly Spiritual Root)]
[Divine Power: None.]
[Techniques: None.]
After accepting the 'Hundred Families' Rice' mission, Shimura Kaede received his reward: strengthening his talent once.
When he received this reward, Shimura Kaede was ecstatic.
He thought the System would give him a Bloodline Limit, or even better, a Bloodline Eradication.
Whether it was Wood Release, Dust Release, or Sharingan, Shimura Kaede genuinely wasn't picky!
But after actually receiving the reward, Shimura Kaede was dumbfounded.
His five chakra natures were forcibly removed by the System.
It only left him with the Wind nature, which it euphemistically called the Heavenly Spiritual Root.
Isn't this supposed to be a joke?!
Without the Five Releases, how was he supposed to do 'Cage and Fire'? How was he supposed to use 'Five Release Great Consecutive Bullet Infusion'?
Shimura Kaede was furious. The first thing he did every day was curse the System, but it was useless. The System ignored him completely, acting like it had crashed, apart from issuing daily tasks.
Since then, the System had not issued any major missions.
There were only daily tasks, such as breathing exercises, meditation, and contemplation.
"Hoo!"
Finishing half an hour of meditation, Shimura Kaede slowly exhaled a mouthful of foul air.
[Ding!]
[Daily mission complete. Reward: Constitution +1]
A warm current reappeared in his body, flowing from his dantian into his limbs. Shimura Kaede patted his bottom and stood up.
Daily meditation was quite easy, as Shimura Kaede didn't know what he was meditating on; he just sat there spacing out every time, but the System would reward him afterward.
Over time.
Shimura Kaede genuinely felt like he was cultivating immortality.
"Phew, what should I do today?"
"Maybe I should go play with Rin-chan?"
After Shimura Kaede finished washing up, he sat on the floor under the eaves, swinging his little feet.
Two and a half years had passed since he was brought home by Danzo Shimura.
Quite a few things had happened in those two and a half years.
First, Tsunade's boyfriend, Kato Dan, died unexpectedly, with even his internal organs being emptied out.
Then, Tsunade developed hemophobia.
She retreated from the front lines of the Land of Rivers.
After Tsunade left, Hidden Sand Village seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack on Konoha.
Led by the Third Kazekage, Konoha suffered repeated defeats.
If the Uchiha Clan hadn't been holding the line, Konoha would likely have suffered a major defeat on the battlefield in the Land of Rivers.
The Third Hokage sent Konohas White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, to the front lines of the Land of Rivers.
Sakumo Hatake's swordsmanship and speed were naturally superior to certain Ninja and puppeteers.
He personally penetrated deep into enemy territory, leading his men all the way to the Land of Wind, wiping out the son and daughter-in-law of Elder Chiyo, an elder of Hidden Sand Village.
After more than two years of fighting, the Second Great Ninja War had now ended.
Only small skirmishes continued.
But they were harmless now.
"Young Master, Lord Danzo is back!"
Swoosh!
A person appeared in front of Shimura Kaede, wearing a white fox mask, dressed in tight clothes, and carrying a long sword on his back.
"Uncle Ryoma, you don't need to wear a mask at home, do you?"
The person in front of him was Aburame Ryoma, his father's number one subordinate and true confidant.
He had been by his side for the past two years.
Protecting him.
In the beginning, Shimura Kaede was genuinely afraid of interacting with Danzo Shimura.
After all, Danzo's reputation preceded him, and Shimura Kaede was very wary.
The title of 'Ninja World's Darkness' was not earned lightly; slaughtering people could not even begin to describe the things Danzo Shimura had done.
However, as they interacted, Shimura Kaede gradually lowered his guard.
Although his father always wore a cold face, he was truly good to him. He never scrimped on his food, clothing, or expenses, and even assigned Aburame Ryoma, an Elite Jonin, to be his personal guard.
This level of treatment would make Sarutobi the Errand Boy weep if he saw it.
Clack clack clack!
By the time Shimura Kaede snapped out of his thoughts, Aburame Ryoma had vanished, and the sound of a cane echoed down the corridor.
"Father!"
Upon seeing Danzo, Shimura Kaede didn't hesitate, rushing forward immediately and hugging Danzo Shimura's leg, looking up sweetly as he spoke.
"Father, I missed you so much!"
"I..."
Danzo Shimura lightly coughed. His usually cold face instantly broke, a faint, almost imperceptible curve appearing at the corner of his mouth, and a hint of tenderness flickering in his eyes.
"My work is very busy. If you need anything, just tell Ryoma."
"However... I will eat lunch with you today!"
Danzo Shimura patted Shimura Kaede's back. Although his voice still carried a hint of coldness, the softness within was clearly discernible.
"Sure enough! Even a venomous tiger won't eat its cubs!"
"I'm a child right now, so there's nothing wrong with being cute!"
This was the strategy Shimura Kaede had developed. Since he was only a three-year-old child, wasn't it normal to act cute and adorable?
After all, Danzo was truly terrifying.
Over the past two years, Shimura Kaede had completely understood Danzo's ruthlessness.
When the entire Shimura Clan first joined Konoha, they were a major clan, no weaker than the Sarutobi.
Although they couldn't compare to top-tier clans like the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga.
They were still a first-tier clan, just like the Sarutobi Clan. The Ino–Shika–Chō trio, the Aburame, and the Inuzuka Clan were all somewhat inferior compared to the Shimura Clan.
But what about now?
The entire Shimura Clan territory was desolate.
The population had been drastically reduced by more than half.
Aside from those who sacrificed themselves on the battlefield, most were taken by Danzo into Root.
When Danzo first established Root, he couldn't easily poach people from the major clans.
And civilian Ninja didn't meet Danzo's expectations, so he started taking people from his own clan, nearly causing the entire clan to fracture due to his constant draining.
Even now, the Shimura Clan couldn't publicly produce a single Elite Jonin.
One can imagine how ruthless Danzo Shimura was.
Shimura Kaede was terrified that if he wasn't careful, Danzo Shimura would take him to Root next, claiming it was for Konoha, and that his own son was no exception!
If that happened, Shimura Kaede would truly be stunned.
But luckily, I'm smart!
Shimura Kaede sat on the tatami mat, leisurely sipping a drink, giving a thumbs-up to his own cleverness.
Inside the kitchen, Danzo Shimura was meticulously preparing lunch.
It was hard to imagine.
Danzo Shimura, wearing an apron.
But Shimura Kaede was seeing it now.
"Father, let me carry the dishes!"
Seeing that Danzo Shimura had finished cooking, Shimura Kaede quickly scurried over and carried the food to the dining table.
"You must be starving? Start eating."
Danzo Shimura wiped his hands, sat upright at the dining table, and nodded to Shimura Kaede.
"Okay, Father!"
Shimura Kaede nodded obediently, clasped his hands together: "I'm digging in!"
The next second.
Danzo saw a piece of chicken appear in his bowl. He looked up and met Shimura Kaede's expectant smile.
"Mm, eat."
Danzo nodded, put the meat from his bowl into his mouth, and couldn't help but think as he chewed.
"The meat today seems tastier than usual."
Seeing Danzo nod, Shimura Kaede immediately started eating, constantly praising Danzo Shimura's cooking while wolfing down his food.
"Delicious!"
"Father's cooking skills are truly amazing!"
Actually, the taste was mediocre.
It was much worse than Aunt Nohara's cooking.
But Shimura Kaede had a sweet mouth, and his flattery improved Danzo's appetite significantly, causing him to eat an extra bowl of rice than usual.