Chapter 40: Tazuna and Root HQ.
"Although for those of you who have just become Genin, it is only suitable to do D-level missions, but since you think you have the strength to complete C-level missions, I have one here..."
"Really!?" Sakura looked at the Third Hokage expectantly.
"Is it to protect someone?"
"Is it the Daimyo or princess?"
Seeing this, Sasuke, who was finally getting something other than a D-rank mission, was also happy.
"You can look forward to it, come in."
The Third Hokage shouted to the outside of the mission hall.
Squeak.
A figure pushed open the door and entered, holding a liquor bottle.
When he walked over, he was struggling to even walk.
"What is this..."
"Hey, it's just a bunch of brats."
When he approached, a strong smell of alcohol came with him, and Naruto frowned due to the strong smell.
"Especially that short pipsqueak... is he really a ninja?"
"???"
Naruto's eyebrows twitched, was he talking about himself?
He remembered that his height had grown a lot compared to the canon Naruto. In the canon, Naruto was even a little shorter than Sakura, but now Naruto was as tall as Sasuke.
So why was he still called a pipsqueak?
This old man really didn't understand the situation.
"Don't look at their young age, they are all excellent ninjas, especially Kakashi, an Elite Jōnin of Konoha, so they are more than enough to complete your mission."
The Third Hokage said slowly.
"In that case, fine."
Tazuna nodded and thought, 'Since there is an Elite Jōnin, it should be no problem to deal with them'.
"Please protect me with your life! Until I return to the land of waves and finish building the bridge!"
Tazuna said to Kakashi.
"That is what we will do, so shall we leave at nine o'clock tomorrow morning?"
Kakashi took the mission scroll and asked.
"Sure."
Tazuna nodded. It was already very late today, and it was getting dark outside. It would be better to leave tomorrow morning.
"You hear that, you all are dismissed for today. Go back and have a good rest. By the way, prepare your ninja tools and military food pills. Pack for 2 week's trip."
"yes!"
Team 7 disbanded and each went home.
Sakura and Sasuke were very excited, this was the first time they would leave the village.
Naruto was also looking forward to tomorrow, and wanted to take a good look at the world outside the village.
...
Suddenly, Naruto, who was about to go home for dinner, frowned.
"Someone is following me…is it anbu…or maybe root?"
"The Third Hokage can't send Anbu to spy on him again, so, is it the root? What does Danzo want?"
Walking on the street, Naruto suddenly noticed a gaze sweeping past him at a very fast speed. If Naruto hadn't had a strong sense of perception, he might have regarded it as a normal gaze and ignored it.
Knowing that it's Anbu, Naruto activates the Voice of all things instantly with all his strength facing the direction of his line of sight, while sensing his surroundings.
Among all the fragmentary sounds, the sound of a powerful heartbeat was exceptionally clear, and together with it was the sound of breaking through the air caused by rapid movement.
"Where are you going?"
Naruto disappeared from the spot in a blink of an eye and followed closely.
"If it is a root ninja, maybe I can find Danzo's HQ~"
…
"Nine Tails Jinchūriki is about to leave the village. I must inform Danzo-sama of this news as soon as possible."
This was a root ninja. After the Uchiha clan was exterminated, Sarutobi Hiruzen needed someone to blame, so he ordered Danzo to be dismissed from his position of Hokage Aid and asked Danzo to 'disband' his Root.
And this former root ninja took advantage of the opportunity to join Anbu, sticking to the will of the 'root' and obeying Danzo's orders.
Even last year, when the root resumed its formation again, he still did not leave and continued to be a spy placed in Anbu for Danzo.
This also allowed Danzo to obtain all kinds of secret information even if he was in the root base.
Just like today, Naruto's team took over the mission of going out of the village, he had been paying close attention to the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, so he could report it.
Unbeknownst to him, however, he was being followed.
Naruto followed him across the Hokage Rock, into the depths of the forest lurking behind him.
"Is the root base here? This is a good spot since no one comes here."
As he got closer to the destination, several hidden figures appeared in Naruto's perception, scattered around.
Although this forest seemed to be deserted and had a quiet atmosphere, it was full of danger. It was estimated that anyone who approached would be spotted by ninjas in the dark immediately.
"I can't follow him like this anymore, or I won't be able to enter the base… Sharingan!"
There was a change in Naruto's left eye, it changed into Eternal Mangekyō, bursting with a scarlet light, and began to exert its ability.
Naruto's body became distorted in the dim sunset of the evening and then disappeared suddenly.
And the shadow under the ninja became calm after being in a trance for a while.
Naruto had entered into the root ninja's shadow.
Through these two days of practice, Naruto used mostly the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan's ability, and at night, he used the darkness to go to many places in Konoha.
Space-time ninjutsu was really awesome!
No wonder Obito treated Konoha like his back garden, he could come and go whenever he wanted, and now Naruto could do it too.
...