"Any benefits in it?" Akira asked with a smile, looking up at Hiruko standing on the branch. "I wouldn't say no."
If the conditions were right, defecting wasn't off the table.
These days, people climbed upward, water flowed downward.
Wherever he went, he'd still be farming enemies.
Hiruko's expression darkened.
"What do you mean rogue ninja? What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"…So that attack just now—it was you."
He glanced toward the distant house.
There wasn't even a trace of damage.
Just moments ago, he had sensed a surge of chakra and immediately used Reverse Summoning.
A habit he'd developed on the Mist battlefield.
"You already know the answer," Akira said, summoning the Dark Blade into his hand. "Sensei, those people were planning to betray Konoha."
"They weren't!!" Hiruko roared.
After a pause, he asked through clenched teeth,
"…What happened to them?"
Akira looked at him strangely.
"Of course they're all dead."
Hiruko's breathing grew heavy.
"Who told you they were defecting?! And who are you?!"
Akira scratched his cheek awkwardly.
So after all this time—
Hiruko hadn't even recognized him.
He pointed at his face.
"Sensei, don't you recognize this? You were the one who sent me undercover to the Rain Village using this identity."
Hiruko's face twisted.
Memory clicked into place.
His former student—
assigned to Amegakure—
"Hyuga Akira!!"
His hands flew through seals.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon Strike!!"
Lightning surged behind him, coalescing into the rough shape of a dragon that shot toward Akira.
Akira inhaled deeply.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu!!"
A massive fire dragon burst forth to meet it.
Lightning and fire collided—
exploding outward.
Arcs of electricity crackled through the air as flames devoured the surrounding forest.
"ROAR—!!"
The fire dragon let out a cry—
and smashed through the lightning dragon.
"What?!" Hiruko's eyes widened in disbelief.
The fire dragon—
was alive.
No—
it was alive.
He could see its eyes moving within the flames.
Since when did ninjutsu… come alive?
The blazing dragon charged toward him—
ready to devour him whole.
Hiruko prepared to use Reverse Summoning—
"—!"
The fire dragon suddenly vanished.
Akira appeared behind him, descending slowly—
his blade resting against Hiruko's neck.
The dragon he had swapped with circled once before dissipating.
Hiruko had already completed his hand seals.
One pulse of chakra—
and he could escape instantly.
"Sensei, I'm not here to kill you," Akira said lightly. "I just need an explanation."
"Why were you with those rogue ninja?"
Hiruko stopped channeling chakra and took a deep breath.
"They weren't rogue ninja."
"I don't know where you got your information, but it's wrong."
"You'd better think carefully about how you explain this to the Hokage."
Those people…
had only considered leaving.
He had been trying to persuade them.
Some of them were his classmates.
They were still hesitating—
and Akira had killed them all.
Why?
Just because he was a genius?
The Hokage would never allow this to pass.
Their deaths wouldn't go unanswered.
But what shocked him more—
was how strong Akira had become.
That once insignificant genin—
now stood on equal footing with him.
If Hiruko hadn't lost his composure, the fight might not have ended this quickly.
"Explain?" Akira dispelled his transformation with a poof, revealing his original appearance.
A mask covered his face.
ANBU uniform.
"You should be explaining to them," Akira said, glancing behind Hiruko.
Figures appeared—
masked, clad in ANBU gear.
They had been drawn by the commotion.
The clash of lightning and fire had been visible across half of Konoha.
"Player, you went too far this time," said the Root operative who had delivered the mission.
"You were told to assassinate—not start a full-scale clash."
"I completed the mission," Akira replied casually. "And he—Hiruko, a jonin—had close contact with them."
"ANBU…!" Hiruko ground his teeth. "They were innocent!!"
He refused to believe his comrades would betray the village.
"We're sorry, Hiruko-jōnin," one of the Root agents said in a disguised ANBU tone.
"We have confirmed evidence they were already planning to defect."
"And you had close ties with them. We need to investigate."
"Please come with us."
Hiruko closed his eyes briefly.
There was no point arguing.
If ANBU acted—
they always had evidence.
That meant this was the Hokage's will.
"…Fine. I'll go with you."
Unwilling, Hiruko followed them.
Akira watched silently.
Behind his mask, his expression turned strange.
That wasn't ANBU.
That was Root.
And Hiruko—
was a research-type ninja.
Would Danzō really let him go?
Would he still defect like in the original timeline?
…Doubtful.
The Root operative who had stayed behind spoke.
"Your mission is considered complete. You may leave."
"Considered complete?" Akira frowned. "I did it perfectly. Aren't you even going to take me to Root headquarters?"
"Lord Danzō has not issued such an order."
"…Am I even a Root member?"
The operative hesitated for a moment.
"Hey—you hesitated!" Akira pointed accusingly.
The man quickly replied,
"Your identity has been registered within Root."
…Just without emotional suppression.
Without the Tongue-Sealing Curse Mark.
Damn it. I'm jealous.
Meanwhile—
on the way out—
Hiruko spoke in a low voice.
"How did Hyuga Akira become this strong?"
In just one year—
he had reached, or even surpassed, his level.
"We don't know much about the Player either," a Root ninja replied.
His general information was known—
but the deeper details were sealed.
Even within Root, Akira was an anomaly.
Hiruko fell silent.
His fists clenched.
"…A genius."
In one year—
he had surpassed over a decade of effort.
Orochimaru.
Jiraiya.
And now Akira.
"…Are Hyuga really this gifted?"
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