The Root moved fast.
Just as Hanyū Yuuma had reported the day before, a masked Root operative appeared silently in his yard at dawn—no footsteps, no presence, just a shadow materializing from the morning mist.
"This is Lord Danzo's order."The operative handed Yuuma two scrolls.
Yuuma accepted them without a word.
The agent vanished immediately afterward, disappearing into the trees like smoke dispersing in the wind.
Only when the presence fully faded did Yuuma return to his house and unroll the first scroll.
The beginning was the usual Root-style psychological conditioning:You performed adequately.You did not disappoint our training.But you must work harder.That kind of scripted emotional manipulation.
Yuuma skipped over it.
He focused on the actual content.
Danzo's answer about Asuma was exactly what Yuuma expected:
Do not recruit Sarutobi Asuma into Root.Only act as his teacher.Do not behave abnormally.
Of course.
Dragging the Hokage's son into Root was the same as Danzo breaking into the Hokage's office and carving "I rebel" on the walls.
Sarutobi Hiruzen tolerated Root, but Root existed only because ANBU fed it.The Hokage could choke Danzo off anytime.
The rest of the instructions were standard:
• Monitor Uchiha students• Evaluate potential rebellious tendencies• Identify highly talented children for future Root extraction
Yuuma set the task scroll aside.
He opened the second scroll—Inside were several high-grade secret medicines that couldn't be bought even with money.
A reward.
Yuuma pocketed them, then burned the first scroll until nothing remained but black flakes.
"In this world, even ordinary peace is a luxury…"
He brushed the ash into a bin.
Waking up to find a silent, armed assassin in your yard was not the definition of peace.
But Yuuma had no choice.Not yet.
He briefly considered revealing more of his strength to Asuma so Hiruzen would value him directly, letting him escape Root.
But the thought evaporated just as fast.
Showing strength would only give Danzo an excuse to expose him as a "rogue" Root operative.The original Yuuma had been shaped by Root—held too much of Danzo's intel.
Switching sides openly would only make him a target to both.
His strength could only be revealed under three conditions:
Danzo intends to sacrifice him, exposing his power as a disposable asset
He reaches Sannin-level and saves Konoha publicly—becoming too valuable to discard
He becomes powerful enough to overthrow the village entirely
Only in those scenarios would "exposure" stop being a death sentence.
Yuuma exhaled, put on his warm, gentle teacher's smile, and headed to the Academy.
When power isn't enough, persona is armor.
Saturday Training Ground
Obito arrived early.
He picked up a palm-sized ice cube, set it on his palm, and pushed chakra into it—Not raw chakra, but chakra reshaped into heat.
Within ten seconds the ice melted into vapor.
Yuuma nodded.
Six days ago, Obito's nature change hadn't even beaten natural melting speed.
Now?He was on track.Mostly thanks to an unexpected training aid: Yuuma's cooking Skill.
Mapo Tofu had done… miracles.
"You've mastered the basics. Next—maximize output."
Yuuma placed a human-head-sized chunk of ice on the ground.
"Your target: melt it in ten seconds."
"What!? That's huge…" Obito groaned.
"This phase is pure burst output. Don't worry about chakra consumption. Push your limit. Rest. Repeat."
Unless Obito had Naruto's monstrous reserves, he couldn't brute force it with shadow clones—But compared to normal academy kids, Obito's growth was already absurd, boosted by Yuuma's Skills and the "special cuisine buff."
As noon approached, Yuuma clapped once.
"Alright. Break time. Today… we're having hot pot."
All three kids froze.
Then Obito burst into tears of joy.
"Yes! Finally, no more super-spicy tofu!"
"It's not that Mapo Tofu wasn't good, but my bathroom trauma is real," he muttered.
Yuuma continued calmly:
"I only prepared the broth. The ingredients are up to whatever you three gather."
"I want fish!" Obito shouted, brandishing a kunai and sprinting toward the river.
"I'll help!" Might Guy roared, diving into the river with Olympic enthusiasm.
A massive splash drenched Obito from head to toe.
"…Kai."His fists trembled.
Moments later, Might Guy surfaced holding two fish, beaming."Obito! You called me?"
"Yes Kai! You're amazing! My best brother!"Instant switch. Survival instinct at work.
Meanwhile, Shisui quietly collected wild vegetables and mushrooms.
The three of them then cornered a wild boar in the forest.Guy distracted it, Shisui struck vital points, Obito supported with fire.Together, they brought it down.
Yuuma prepared the broth, then summoned shadow clones to help process ingredients.
Fish cleaned. Boar sliced. Vegetables washed.
There was no campfire, so Obito knelt next to the pot, using Fire-Attribute chakra as a human burner.
Training never stops.
The four of them shared hot pot in the forest—simple, wild, warm.
Shisui ate quietly, but there was a softness in his eyes.
He rarely felt this kind of "family."
[System Notice: Uchiha Shisui — Trust Level Increased to 3]
Yuuma tasted the fish broth and smiled faintly.
Progress everywhere.