"Correct. Your father was an Jōnin of the Senju clan.
He died during a mission. Not long after, your mother followed him in death. Before she passed, she entrusted you to me and asked that you be allowed to live as an ordinary person.
That is why I did not send you to the Ninja Academy. However, I have always believed that without power, one cannot obtain the life one desires. So I arranged for you to be trained."
"Yes, Lord Danzō. I know everything you've done was for my sake."
That was what Kagura said aloud.
But inwardly, he sneered.
You want to cultivate me into your personal weapon. That's how Root was built in the first place.
"The village is in a time of crisis," Danzō said gravely. "I have decided to personally oversee your training and mold you into an outstanding shinobi."
"I… I will train with all my strength and not disappoint Lord Danzō. Thank you, Lord Danzō," Kagura replied gratefully.
"Hmm."
After a brief silence, Danzō asked slowly, "Kagura, do you know what is most important for a shinobi of Konoha?"
Kagura's heart tightened, but he forced himself to answer, "To protect Konoha—and Lord Danzō."
Danzō gave a faint snort. "That is only part of it. A shinobi must possess loyalty—absolute obedience to orders. Do you understand?"
Kagura raised his head and stared firmly toward Danzō's shadowed figure. "I understand, Lord Danzō."
Danzō's voice seemed to lower further. "Then are you willing to shoulder greater dangers for Konoha's future—for the stability of the village? Even if it is a path filled with hardship?"
Without hesitation, Kagura answered, "I am willing. As long as I can protect Konoha and everyone in it."
In the darkness, Danzō gave a slight nod.
"Very well. From this moment forward, you will enter Root's special training program."
Kagura clenched his fists. "I do not fear challenges. I will not fail Lord Danzō's expectations."
"Report to the designated location tomorrow," Danzō said, waving his hand dismissively. "Remember the rules of Root. Without orders, you are not to reveal even a word about your training. You may leave."
Kagura bowed respectfully and turned to leave the dim chamber.
As soon as he stepped outside, sunlight poured onto his face. He drew in a deep breath.
Though he could faintly sense that the road ahead would be covered in thorns, his heart was filled with determination to protect Konoha—
Yeah, right.
The moment Danzō ordered him to join Root, Kagura had nearly panicked to death.
Deep down, he absolutely did not want to enter that organization.
But standing before Danzō, he neither dared to refuse nor show even the slightest hesitation.
He knew Danzō's temperament well. Any trace of doubt would bring consequences too terrible to imagine.
And Kagura knew exactly what Root was.
It was the faction that trained the most ruthless operatives within the Anbu system—a place steeped in coldness and cruelty.
It was said that Root shinobi were stripped of emotion and individuality, forged into tools of assassination. The missions they undertook were often highly classified and extraordinarily dangerous.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.
Step by step, Kagura walked home.
He suspected it might be a long time before he returned.
Because of Danzō, he had always been careful not to act out of line.
His official identity was that of a child from an ordinary shinobi family whose parents had died shortly after his birth. He had no memory of them—perhaps that, too, had been arranged by Danzō.
The neighbors around him were all placed there to look after him. Though his movements had always been restricted to a certain area, he had lived here for ten years.
As he looked at the familiar streets, each step felt unusually heavy.
Danzō's words echoed in his mind, along with everything he knew about Root.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.
When he entered his house, everything was still warm and peaceful.
He knew he was about to step onto a path of no return.
Perhaps he would never again experience such fleeting tranquility in this familiar home.
He looked around. Every piece of furniture, every decoration carried fragments of childhood memories.
The years of quiet guardianship arranged by Danzō would soon become part of the past.
A deep sense of attachment and reluctance welled up within him.
That night, setting aside his fear of Root for the moment, Kagura replayed his conversation with Danzō.
A member of the Senju clan.
When he first heard it, he had been shocked—and thrilled. It felt as though his life had suddenly switched to "easy mode."
But the moment Danzō ordered him into Root, that excitement vanished.
Do I really possess Senju blood?
Logically speaking, wasn't Tsunade supposed to be the last known member of the Senju clan?
And why had Danzō kept silent about this for so many years, only to reveal it now?
After careful thought, Kagura reached his own conclusion.
At this point in time, Konoha was at its most fragile in the wake of the Nine-Tails' Attack.
Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, had long since taken his own life.
The Fourth Hokage and Kushina had sacrificed themselves.
Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, had already left the village.
As for Orochimaru, it was unclear whether he had defected yet—but if he had, Jiraiya would undoubtedly be pursuing him.
Konoha's top-tier combat power seemed to be disappearing one by one.
If those figures were still present, even the arrogant Uchiha clan would not dare entertain thoughts of dissent.
Was it precisely because of this power vacuum—and because he had failed to become the Fifth Hokage—that Danzō could no longer restrain himself?
Kagura recalled that Danzō had once arranged an assassination attempt against the Third Hokage—and failed.
The operative involved had been Tenzo, a wielder of Wood Release, later known as Yamato.
Now that Danzō had revealed Kagura's heritage, it could only mean one thing:
He hoped Kagura would awaken the Wood Release kekkei genkai.
And then he would use that power.
With such strength in his grasp, Danzō's path to becoming Hokage would become far more attainable.
Lying in bed, Kagura tossed and turned, his thoughts in turmoil.
He pressed a hand to his chest, as if trying to feel the pulse of Senju blood within him.
If he truly possessed the bloodline of the Senju, did that mean tremendous power slumbered inside him?
If properly guided and developed, could that power make him an exceptional shinobi?
But whenever he thought of Root, his mood darkened again.
The training there was merciless.
Could he endure it?
And once inside Root, would he still be able to preserve his true self—or would he be forged into a killing tool?
Doubt and fear filled his heart.
Suddenly, a faint sound came from outside the window.
Kagura shot upright, staring toward it in alarm. His nerves were completely on edge.
A black cat darted past in the moonlight, vanishing into the night.
Kagura exhaled and lay back down.
He closed his eyes, trying to sleep.
But Danzō's words, Root's training, the Senju bloodline… the thoughts tangled and clashed in his mind, refusing to let him rest.
Thus, he spent the long night in conflict and struggle.
When the first ray of sunlight filtered through the window and fell upon his face, Kagura slowly opened his eyes.
A resolute light shone within them.
No matter how difficult the future, no matter how cruel Root might be—
He would face it head-on.