Chapter 90

Hiruzen took a deep breath, trying to control the anger raging inside him. His voice was tight, almost cracking. "Tell me all the details."

The ANBU swallowed hard, clearly strained under the pressure of Hiruzen's chakra leaking into the room. It pulsed around them, like a storm waiting to break loose. But decades of experience kept it from exploding.

The ANBU continued, choosing his words carefully. "The battle started where Daiken was supposed to check on the status of the intelligence operation. It then moved and intensified at a secondary site before ending at a third location with the largest damage and the remains."

Hiruzen's eyes darkened, the lines on his face seeming to deepen all at once. Shuzo leaned forward, his voice low and cold. "They chased him. They made sure he couldn't escape. They targeted him from the start."

Hiruzen gave a small, grim nod, eyes still locked on the floor. His voice came out like gravel. "What kind of damage was observed at the locations?"

The ANBU paused for a heartbeat before answering. "Water, lightning, and wind."

Hiruzen's eyes shot open. His chakra spiked so violently that the ANBU flinched and lowered his head to brace against the suffocating pressure. The air itself seemed to shiver.

Hiruzen drew a deep breath through his teeth, trying to contain the chakra swirling around him. After a long moment, it faded enough for him to speak. He jerked his chin toward the desk. "Leave the report there and go."

The ANBU placed the scroll on the desk, gave a quick bow, then vanished from the office without another word. Silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket.

Hiruzen unclenched his palm and saw blood smeared across his skin where his nails had dug in. He closed his eyes for a moment, steadying his breath, before he finally spoke. "This was an assassination."

Shuzo's expression tightened. "Yes. And knowing Onoki, I doubt he would risk pushing this far. Not now, not with Iwagakure still recovering after the Third War. He's too wary of us to do this on his own."

They both reached the same conclusion at once, though it was Shuzo who spoke it aloud. Hiruzen didn't want to say it himself. Saying it would make it real. Shuzo had no such hesitation. His voice carried a weight that cut through the thick air. "Someone on our side gave them what they needed. Detailed intel. Either someone slipped them the information or worse, it came from inside."

Hiruzen let out a slow exhale. His palm opened and closed, blood dripping onto a stack of old paperwork. "Who would gain anything from this?"

Shuzo didn't hesitate. "It could be Orochimaru. He worked with Daiken before, hated how Daiken questioned him. Or…" He stopped himself, then met Hiruzen's eyes. "Or it could be Dan.."

Hiruzen's head snapped up, eyes narrowing in an instant. "Old man Shuzo, I know you don't like Danzo, but he would never put the village in danger like this."

Shuzo shot him a look that was part disbelief, part bitter truth. "Open your eyes, Hiruzen. He already does it with his Root. Look at the poison you keep buried in the dark."

Hiruzen's teeth ground together. He looked away, voice low. "I know him. He wouldn't kill a loyal shinobi just to weaken me. He cares about this village, and Root does work that no one else will do."

They stared each other down for a long moment, two old men too stubborn to agree. Shuzo finally broke the silence, his voice softer but no less cutting. "One day you will see it for what it is. This might be the first step toward your own seat on the board, whether you want to see it or not."

Hiruzen clenched his bloody hand again, feeling the sting cut deeper this time. He dragged over a clean scroll, dipped the brush into ink, and paused with the bristles hovering. He stayed like that for a long time, staring at the blank paper. When he finally moved, the brush scratched across the scroll in sharp, deliberate strokes.

When it was done, he called out. An ANBU appeared beside his desk within seconds, dropping to one knee without a word. Hiruzen stretched out his hand with the sealed scroll. "Deliver this to the Senju compound. Give it to Takemaru."

The ANBU bowed low, taking the scroll with both hands before vanishing into the shadows outside the office.

Hiruzen leaned back slightly, his thoughts turning heavy. Takemaru was Daiken's closest friend and trusted him completely. With Tsunade away, Daiken had always been the one to oversee the clan's affairs day to day. Whenever Daiken was sent on long missions, Takemaru had stepped in to keep things running smoothly. He knew how to handle their matters better than anyone left. Now that Daiken was gone, that responsibility would fall completely to him.

Takemaru stood with his arms folded, half-smiling and half-smirking while I lay flat on my back in the dirt, gasping for air like a fish. He had made it perfectly clear that coming here every day was the bare minimum if I wanted to learn the Senju taijutsu style before graduation. Apparently, a bit more than a year would barely be enough to learn it on a decent level.

In just two days, Takemaru had drilled me through the basics, which turned out to be a polite way of saying he and Genta had beaten the hell out of me to build my so-called "resistance." I shot them both a flat stare. They wore the same stupid grin, half impressed by my toughness, half happy they got to smash me into the dirt. Genta I could understand. I did him dirty during the transformation exam and nearly gave him a heart attack at the restaurant. But Takemaru? Maybe dethroning Genta from the top rank in the advanced class rubbed him the wrong way. Either way, they both looked like villains to me right now.

Takemaru shook his head in fake contemplation. "You're resilient, I'll give you that. But your technique is terrible. You'll need to see every move. Genta will keep demonstrating while applying them on you. You'll experience them personally. It's the best way to understand how they work, and toughen you up even more."

Genta nodded solemnly, fists already clenched, voice dripping with the same fake wisdom. "Repetition is the best teacher." His grin widened as he bounced on his toes.

I sighed inwardly. Well, they did start teaching me their secret style. Getting smashed a few… a lot of times is fair payment, especially if it works. I narrowed my eyes at both of them. They glanced at each other, then looked away at the same time, trying to whistle innocently. They were terrible at it.

I dragged myself upright, but something tickled at my senses. A chakra presence was closing in from the east. Fast. My eyes flicked to the treeline.

Takemaru noticed my look. "What is it?"

"Someone's coming. Moving fast," I said.

Takemaru's eyes widened. "You're a sensor?"

I shrugged. "Just starting, but my teacher says I have the knack for it."

He didn't respond. His expression shifted from surprise to something more focused and tense. He placed a steady hand on my shoulder, eyes locked on the trees.

A moment later, an ANBU flickered into the courtyard, landing in front of us, the presence sharp enough to cut through the afternoon calm.

"A message from Hokage-sama," the ANBU said, voice flat. He held out a scroll, the binding tight and marked with the Hokage's seal.

Takemaru nodded and took it. He didn't have a chance to thank him, the ANBU vanished before the last syllable left his mouth. Only the faint swirl of dust in the courtyard showed he'd ever been there.

Takemaru muttered under his breath. "No manners." He pressed two fingers to the seal, chakra flickering as the scroll unrolled in his hands.

His eyes skimmed the lines. For a heartbeat, nothing changed. Then his brow creased. Deep lines carved into his forehead. His jaw tightened until I thought he might break his teeth.

His hands crushed the paper, the scroll tearing between his fists. His shoulders shook once, then twice. The air around him went still, the usual quiet breeze cut off like it was afraid.

Takemaru let out a hoarse shout, driving his fist into the ground beside one of the old training posts. The earth cracked open under the impact. A sharp line split through the dirt and ran beneath the practice stones, knocking them out of place. One of the posts splintered halfway up its length, leaning like it was ready to fall.

"Damn it!" Takemaru's voice was ragged, every word scraping out like a blade on stone. "Damn it! Not him!"

He struck the ground again, another crater blooming beneath his knuckles. Dust rose around him in a haze. He stayed kneeling, his fist buried in the broken earth, shoulders trembling so hard they looked ready to snap.

Genta stood frozen, eyes wide, breath caught in his throat. He stumbled forward and dropped to his knees beside his father, grabbing his arm before Takemaru could fall face-first into the dirt.

"Father! What happened? You're scaring me!" Genta's voice cracked, the words spilling out between shallow breaths.

Takemaru didn't answer right away. He tried to stand but his legs buckled under the weight in his chest. He crashed back to his knees, tears already streaming down his face. Genta's arms wrapped around him, holding him upright as the old man's shoulders shook with grief.

Genta's voice broke again. "Dad… what happened?"

Takemaru's words came out like gravel, voice raw with pain and rage that had nowhere to go. "Someone killed Daiken."