Chapter 6 – The Root Organization!
"Coming, please wait a moment."
After a long moment of hesitation, Izaya finally decided to open the door. After all, if someone truly meant him harm, avoiding them now would only delay the inevitable. Besides, he was genuinely curious about who would be seeking him out.
He got up and walked slowly to the wooden door.
As he pulled it open, the visitors were revealed.
There were two of them, both men dressed in identical black robes. The most striking feature was the blank, featureless masks covering their faces.
"ANBU?!"
Seeing their attire, Izaya instinctively took two steps back, his face a mask of surprise. But after a closer look, he realized these might not be standard ANBU. They were members of an even more terrifying organization—the Root.
The Root, also known as the "ANBU Training Division." A mysterious organization established and commanded by Konoha's eternal schemer, Danzō. Figures like Yamato, Orochimaru, and even Kakashi Hatake had all been part of this organization at one point.
Facing members of such a group, a look of pure astonishment instantly appeared on Izaya's face.
"What the hell?!"
Realizing their true identities, Izaya let out a classic, involuntary curse. He never expected the people knocking on his door to be from the Root!
"No, why would Root come for me now?"
For a moment, his mind raced frantically. Suddenly, he thought of something—Uchiha Itachi.
"Could it be because I was in contact with Uchiha Itachi earlier, and the Root has taken an interest in me?"
However, after thinking it through, he dismissed this idea. The reason was simple. While the current Uchiha Itachi wasn't as powerful as he would become, he was still considered a top-tier elite within Konoha. Although Root members were skilled, they were nowhere near Itachi's level. Furthermore, Itachi's own anti-tracking abilities were exceptional. It was highly unlikely he'd been followed by Root.
Eliminating that possibility, Izaya fell into confusion once more. If it were anyone else, he might have been able to guess the reason based on the original story's plot. But the Root organization? Their appearance truly shocked him.
Generally, the Root organization sought people out for two reasons. One, the person was a Konoha genius Danzō wanted to recruit. Two, the Root organization wanted them dead.
Given Izaya's current strength… he was definitely not connected to the word "genius."
"Could it be?!"
In an instant, the second possibility solidified in his mind. Looking at the two Root members standing at his door like stoic statues, Izaya secretly prepared to make a run for it.
"Don't be nervous, kid," the taller of the two Root chūnin spoke first, his voice flat and devoid of emotion, as if sensing Izaya's tension. "We're not here to kill you. Lord Danzō wishes to see you."
He stated their purpose directly.
"Why would that old schemer Danzō want to see me?"
Hearing this, Izaya subtly relaxed his grip on the kunai he'd been holding. But a new wave of doubt washed over him. Based on his predecessor's performance, whether in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu, he was in no way connected to the word "genius." By all accounts, the previous Izaya had been a dead-last, a repeat student for years.
By common sense, such a failure should have nothing to do with Danzō. And yet, here they were, sent by Danzō himself to "invite" him.
"What the hell is that old fool Danzō thinking? Why would he set his sights on me…" For a moment, a conflicted expression flashed across Izaya's face. Judging from the original Naruto story, very few people who went to the Root headquarters came back unscathed. Going could mean death. Not going could also mean death.
Faced with these two bleak possibilities, Izaya didn't know how to choose.
"Please follow us," the Root ninja who had spoken earlier urged, his tone still indifferent but now carrying an underlying threat. This made Izaya, already on edge, even more nervous. He was even preparing to activate his Sharingan.
But at that very moment, the system suddenly presented him with a choice.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for activating a selection—Life and Death?"
{Option 1: Follow the two Root chūnin to the Root headquarters. Reward: The First Four Gates of the Eight Inner Gates.}*
{Option 2: Become a rogue ninja, kill the two Root members, and flee Konoha. Reward: Double Chakra Reserves.}*
{Option 3: Refuse to go! Reward: None…}*
"You've got to be kidding me!" Seeing the three options laid out before him, Izaya felt a surge of anger. The system was at it again!
The first option, both in its objective and its reward, was actually somewhat acceptable to Izaya. After all, for his current stage, aside from obtaining powers like the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan or the Rinnegan, learning the Eight Inner Gates was one of the fastest ways to increase his combat power. If a single meeting with Danzō could net him the first four gates, he was willing to go.
As for the second option… the system was being rude again!
"System, are you obsessed with this? I am never becoming a rogue ninja!" After a silent internal rant, an inexplicable anger showed on Izaya's face. Pushing him toward betrayal was an old tradition with this system, and he was sick of it! If the rewards were substantially better, he might have considered it half-heartedly. But look at these rewards! First, it was the Three Basic Jutsu, and now it was doubling his chakra. While doubling his chakra sounded good on paper, the system didn't consider his actual situation. His current chakra reserves were pitifully small. Doubling a tiny amount was still a tiny amount—it was a drop in the bucket and utterly useless!
Furthermore, this option required him to kill the two Root members in front of him!
"If I could kill these two guys, I wouldn't be standing here hesitating in the first place!" he cursed inwardly.
While silently complaining about the system's unreliability, Izaya made his choice. Tempted by the training method for the first four of the Eight Inner Gates, he slowly said to the two men, "Let's go. I will accompany you to see Lord Danzō."
"Hmph." Seeing that Izaya wasn't going to cause trouble, the two Root chūnin simply placed a blindfold over his eyes. Then, they escorted him directly toward the Root headquarters.
A few moments after they left, a black shadow silently appeared inside Izaya's now-empty house.