Chapter 35 — Becoming an Itinerant Merchant
The Root operatives' behavior had completely ruined the mood, and even Uchiha Yashiro lost any interest in sparring.
Instead, he turned his attention to relentlessly pressing the Root operative—so much so that even after the Root ninja withdrew, Yashiro still refused to let the matter drop.
The Konoha Police Force, which already harbored deep dissatisfaction toward Shimura Danzō, seized the opportunity. They formally summoned Namikaze Yami back to headquarters to take a statement, clearly intending to use the incident to pressure the Hokage into dealing seriously with Danzō's overreach of authority.
After finishing his testimony, Yami sincerely thanked Yashiro.
"Thank you for stepping in, Yashiro-senpai. Being watched nonstop by Root while training these past few days was honestly unbearable."
Yashiro merely waved it off.
"As a member of the Uchiha Police Force, maintaining village order is our duty."
With that, he dismissed Yami and returned to his work without another word.
---
Hokage's Office
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his aching temples as he stared at the urgent report sent over by the Police Force, his expression complicated.
"Why has Danzō gone and provoked the Uchiha again…"
The war had only just ended, paperwork was already piled high, and this sudden flare-up was the last thing he needed.
After a moment, he sighed and instructed the ANBU behind him,
"Summon Danzō."
Not long after, the bandage-wrapped advisor entered, his expression dark. Hiruzen slid the scroll across the desk without saying a word.
Danzō picked it up, skimmed it briefly, and replied coolly, unfazed.
"The Uchiha Police Force is overstepping. Since when does Root need to report its actions to them?"
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe.
"Danzō, this time you crossed the line. Why were you monitoring a fellow Konoha ninja?"
"A civilian-born ninja displaying that level of strength is suspicious," Danzō answered smoothly.
"Investigating him was for Konoha's safety."
Naturally, he made no mention of having been rejected by Yami.
Hiruzen studied him for a long moment before responding flatly,
"Regardless, withdraw your people immediately. This matter ends here."
"These Uchiha were born—"
"That's enough, Danzō," Hiruzen cut him off sharply.
"The authority of the Uchiha Police Force was granted by our teacher. The village needs Uchiha power—both internally and externally."
"…Hmph."
Danzō snorted softly, saying no more.
Interrupted mid-sentence by Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō fell silent—but the resentment in his heart only deepened. To him, the very existence of the Uchiha Police Force was an obstacle that eroded his authority.
Having failed to get what he wanted, he dismissed the matter as simple bad luck on Namikaze Yami's part—just another upstart who happened to latch onto the Uchiha at the right moment.
Leaving the Hokage Tower, Danzō temporarily withdrew the surveillance on Yami, biding his time. The score would be settled later—this one he'd put on the Police Force's tab.
---
At the Three-Colored Dango Shop, Yami swallowed the last bite of his sticky rice dumpling with satisfaction. The maneuver of redirecting trouble elsewhere had worked flawlessly—he'd shaken off Root while letting the Uchiha take center stage.
He knew full well that Uchiha Yashiro wasn't fooled. The traces of deliberate setup were obvious enough.
But Yami also understood the Uchiha temperament. This little ploy wouldn't offend them—on the contrary, as long as it wasn't a scheme aimed at the clan, they were more than happy to leverage it to assert their presence.
At this time, under the leadership of hardline elders, the Uchiha were tightly united and aggressively assertive—nothing like the later era under Uchiha Fugaku. If it weren't for Fugaku's "pseudo-hawk" leadership during the Third Shinobi War—suppressing internal radical voices while inadvertently intensifying clan-wide resentment—the Uchiha might not have met such a swift end.
Yami specifically told the shop owner to put all of Yashiro's future expenses on his tab. Visiting to thank him outright would have been too obvious; this kind of understated repayment suited Uchiha sensibilities far better.
---
Peace didn't last long.
Just a few days later, an unexpected mission landed on his desk.
"Kirigakure?" Yami stared at the mission scroll, his mouth twitching.
"You're sending a freshly discharged chūnin into an enemy village? Which genius came up with this?"
The chūnin responsible for issuing the mission scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well… originally, ANBU were supposed to go. But Kirigakure's security is tight right now. Someone like you—who hasn't been widely seen—actually has a better chance of slipping in."
Yami read the details carefully. Kirigakure was experiencing internal turmoil, and Konoha needed intelligence from within. The reward was outrageously generous—matched only by the equally outrageous danger rating.
"This mission…" Yami stroked his chin. "This isn't Danzō taking revenge on me, is it?"
"Ahem—it was approved unanimously by the high command," the chūnin hurried to explain.
"It's a recognition of your abilities."
Yeah, right.
Yami scoffed internally and mentally pinned the blame squarely on Danzō anyway.
The long string of zeros in the reward wasn't what tempted him most. What he really wanted was the chance to leave the village alone and move freely for a while.
"Fine. I'll take it."
Confident in his strength, he accepted without hesitation.
---
Before departing, Yami prepared meticulously. He acquired a full merchant's outfit and stuffed his pack with all kinds of small goods—trinkets, nail clippers, accessories—and even a few "secret weapons" he'd tinkered with in his spare time.
Fully disguised, he checked his reflection and nodded in satisfaction.
"Perfect. I'm now a completely ordinary traveling merchant."
The moment he passed through Konoha's gates, he felt a gaze on his back. Turning around, he saw Tsunade standing atop the hospital building, giving him a small nod.
"I'll be back," he mouthed.
She rolled her eyes at him, half-annoyed, half-amused.
---
Along the way, Yami fully committed to his role, pitching his "quality merchandise" to anyone he passed.
"Brother, take a look at this comb—perfect for managing such a… distinctive hairstyle."
"Sister, this mirror is crystal clear. Guaranteed to show you just how beautiful you are!"
The results were immediate: everyone he approached quickened their pace and left.
Just as he neared the borders of the Land of Water, several Kirigakure ANBU suddenly emerged from the forest, surrounding him.
"Stop! Identify yourself!"
Yami instantly put on his most harmless smile, raising both hands.
"Easy there, big brothers. I'm just a small-time traveling merchant."
He opened his pack to display the contents.
"Care to take a look at the latest perfume? The water in the Land of Water is pretty hard—this stuff's perfect for it!"
The ANBU captain frowned, scrutinizing him.
"A merchant? At a time like this?"
"Sigh… a man's gotta eat," Yami said with a weary sigh.
"I've been drifting since I was young, scraping by wherever I can. Thought I'd try my luck here."
While they hesitated, Yami quietly surveyed the terrain, calculating escape routes.
Looks like this trip to Kirigakure was never going to be easy…