Chapter 37 The Meaning of "Nine"

Shimura Danzo and his Root operatives arrived at the riverbank.

The sight before them was grim—three charred bodies reduced to ash, barely recognizable.

The Root ninjas remained silent, their expressions unreadable behind their masks.

"This… wasn't Uchiha Shisui's doing," one of them finally said.

A Yamanaka clan member knelt down, scanning the surroundings with a careful gaze. His voice was cold and detached.

"This was caused by an extremely high-temperature fire. The same kind of flames that burned our Root operatives not long ago."

Nearby, an Aburame clan member sent out a wave of kikaichu to investigate. The insects scuttled through the ashes before returning. He nodded.

"Only one fatal wound. A piercing strike. The enemy was strong—far beyond these operatives. They were eliminated in an instant, without time to react."

Danzo's face darkened.

"A fire technique hotter than any standard Fire Style… Who could wield such a thing?"

His voice was laced with irritation. "Do the Uchiha truly possess such a ninja?"

For the first time, Danzo began to doubt his previous conclusions.

Could this truly be the work of the Uchiha?

Suddenly—

The Yamanaka operative, still crouched, pressed his hand against the ground. His expression shifted slightly.

"There's blood here. It looks like someone tried to write something."

Danzo's single eye gleamed with focus. "What does it say?"

The Yamanaka hesitated for a brief moment before speaking.

"…Nine?"

---

"Nine?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, staring at Danzo across the desk.

"Could this be some kind of Root communication code?"

Danzo shook his head. "No. We don't use such methods." His voice carried a rare trace of unease. "But if one of my operatives left this message, then it must be important."

Sarutobi tapped his fingers against the wooden desk, deep in thought.

"Important enough," Danzo continued, "that they prioritized writing it over reporting Uchiha Shisui's status."

Both men fell into silence.

The weight of the single character hung between them.

"Nine…" Sarutobi muttered again, his brow furrowed. "What could it mean?"

For the first time in a long while, both men found themselves at a loss.

Shaking his head, Sarutobi pushed the question aside for now. His gaze hardened.

"Regardless, we must act swiftly. We cannot allow the Uchiha to gain the upper hand."

Danzo nodded. "I will contact the mercenary organization immediately. We must eliminate the Uchiha before things escalate further."

Sarutobi exhaled sharply. "And I will deal with Uchiha Itachi."

With that, Danzo rose from his seat and left.

Sarutobi sat alone in the dimly lit office, fingers interlocked beneath his chin.

"Nine…"

His eyes narrowed.

What was the true meaning behind this single, ominous word?

---

The next morning, Naruto made his way to the Forest of Death.

The entrance was blocked by a couple of black bears. Again.

"Scram."

A casual flick of his chakra-infused hand sent them running.

He entered the hidden cave.

Shisui was still unconscious. His breathing was steady, but his body remained weak.

Naruto checked his bandages, rewrapping them carefully.

Satisfied, he left the cave, blending back into the village as if nothing had happened.

At the Academy, things were… as chaotic as usual.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

Naruto looked up from his seat just as Inuzuka Kiba slammed a hand on his desk, baring his fangs like an angry mutt.

The classroom fell silent.

Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Aburame Shino—all eyes turned toward them.

Then—

Kiba grinned and shoved a cup of water toward Naruto like an eager salesman.

"Boss, do you have any tips on making money?" he asked shamelessly.

The entire class nearly fell over.

Naruto blinked. "…Huh?"

Kiba sighed dramatically. "The dog food you bought for Akamaru is more expensive than what I eat!"

Akamaru barked happily, rubbing against Naruto's leg as if in agreement.

Naruto smirked. "Sounds like a you problem."

Kiba almost coughed up blood.

His allowance? One thousand ryo a day.

Akamaru's food? Three thousand.

Truly, life was unfair.

Naruto stretched lazily. "Man, my shoulders are sore. If only someone could give me a massage…"

The class twitched.

Kiba sighed in defeat, moved behind Naruto, and started rubbing his shoulders.

"Boss, is this good enough?"

"Hmm… not quite. A little harder."

Kiba's eyebrow twitched, but he obediently applied more pressure.

Naruto smirked.

The surrounding students exchanged knowing glances.

Smart. Kiba had chosen the lesser evil.

After about half an hour of labor, Naruto finally gave Kiba the "secret" to making money.

"You know Taiman Tendo and Taimanin, right?" Naruto asked casually.

Kiba's eyes widened. "Of course!"

"I've got a source. I can sell you copies at cost price. You can resell them for a profit."

Kiba's jaw dropped.

"…Wait, you mean that book?"

Naruto gave him a sly look.

Kiba's shock quickly turned to glee. "Boss, you're a genius!"

The surrounding students suddenly leaned in.

Kiba noticed.

His face darkened.

"You guys… You just sat there while I gave this guy a shoulder massage, and now you wanna listen in?"

Shikamaru and the others looked away awkwardly.

"Tsk. Shameless."

Chaos erupted as Kiba lunged at his classmates in fury.

Naruto sat back, watching with a satisfied smile.

Compared to the filth and deception of the adult world, his classmates were refreshingly simple.

"Naruto-kun…"

A soft, familiar voice called out.

Naruto turned just as Hinata arrived, her face a deep shade of red.

She set down a bento box nearly half her size beside his desk.

Then, she hesitated before timidly reaching out.

"N-Naruto-kun… I can… give you a massage too, if you'd like…"

Naruto chuckled, rubbing her head. "You sure?"

Hinata nodded.

The moment her delicate fingers pressed against his shoulders—

Naruto felt an instant, soothing warmth spread through his body.

His eyes fluttered shut in contentment.

"Damn."

This wasn't just a massage.

Hinata had unknowingly tapped into her Hyuga clan's precise chakra control, stimulating his tenketsu points.

"Little Hinata… this is heaven. Harder."

Hinata's blush deepened, but she obediently increased the pressure.

Yamanaka Ino, watching from the side, pouted.

"Hey, Naruto-kun! I can give you a massage too!"

Hinata, usually gentle, suddenly straightened up.

"No!" she declared, puffing out her cheeks. "Naruto-kun is mine!"

Naruto grinned.

Meanwhile, across the Academy…

Hyuga Hiashi's tea cup shattered in his grip.

His veins bulged.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!!!"

---

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