An extremely well-hidden underground chamber?
A strange presence that intended to act against the Anbu—and one that even made a seasoned Anbu like Natsuhiko deeply wary?
And reporting the matter required extra caution and care?
As Minato Namikaze read these details, his expression shifted.
Of course he knew who those people were.
There weren't many in Konoha who could act so brazenly.
But there was one deeply entrenched organization within the village that absolutely could.
They operated without bottom lines or hesitation.
Their existence was Konoha's darkest shadow—
And yet, also one of its most important components.
They were Root.
The Root of Konoha.
More shadowy than the Anbu.
More ruthless than the Anbu.
They were the very foundation that made the entire village uneasy.
Only they would dare to openly obstruct the Anbu—and even appear ready to make a move.
"…But wouldn't that be too unprofessional? Wait…"
Minato suddenly recalled a previous secret operation conducted by Root.
It had been so classified that even he, the Hokage, had been unable to learn the details.
After that mission, it seemed only Danzō had returned.
And shortly afterward, Root had begun recruiting large numbers of new members.
Could it be that Root had suffered heavy losses during that operation and had been forced to rebuild?
If that were the case, it would explain why those operatives had behaved so unprofessionally.
When Root made a move, they would never recklessly use chakra to lock onto a target, nor would they easily clash with the Anbu.
After thinking it through, Minato's expression didn't improve.
It grew darker.
That hidden underground chamber—
If it was enough to alert even these inexperienced Root ninja and prompt them toward action, then what exactly lay beneath?
"Human experimentation…"
A thought suddenly surfaced in Minato's mind.
Before he became Hokage, there had been rumors circulating in the village about Orochimaru.
He also remembered a casual conversation with Nara Shikaku.
When the Fire Daimyō had been selecting the Hokage, Danzō had fully supported Orochimaru.
Yet the Third Hokage had suppressed that nomination.
The stated reason was that Orochimaru had developed inappropriate ambitions.
Did that have something to do with human experimentation?
Did the Third Hokage know about it?
And was Root still cooperating with Orochimaru in conducting such experiments?
The more Minato thought about it, the more interested he became in that underground chamber.
What exactly was hidden inside?
Could it truly be, as he suspected—
An illegal human experimentation facility buried deep within Konoha?
"I have to find out. No matter how troublesome it may be."
Minato silently made up his mind.
It could bring enormous trouble.
But as Hokage, he had responsibilities he could not avoid.
"Setting that aside… Natsuhiko really surprised me this time."
He set the scroll down and looked at Kakashi, who was still kneeling on one knee.
When Kakashi had entered earlier, Minato had already sensed a significant change in his demeanor.
At first, he hadn't understood what had caused it.
But after reading the latter half of the scroll—especially the part where Kakashi and Natsuhiko visited the Memorial Stone together—
He finally understood.
"Failure is the main theme of life…"
It sounded extremely pessimistic.
Yet upon truly understanding its meaning, one realized just how optimistic and forward-looking its core really was.
Indeed, when Minato first read the line Natsuhiko said to Kakashi, he couldn't help but shake his head.
But after reading everything, he realized that Natsuhiko had actually been using those words to comfort Kakashi.
And Minato had to admit something—
Natsuhiko's words made a great deal of sense.
That child was truly thoughtful and gentle.
"And also… is this child planning to learn sealing techniques?"
Minato pondered silently. He already had some ideas forming. Perhaps he should meet this young Anbu himself.
Whether out of gratitude—or for other reasons.
With that thought, Minato looked up at Kakashi.
"It seems I owe Natsuhiko a proper thank-you, don't I, Kakashi?"
"Hokage-sama…" Kakashi lowered his head even further.
"Alright, you may go," Minato waved casually. "Today is your day off. Get some proper rest. After your break ends, bring Natsuhiko to see me."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded seriously.
Minato wanting to meet Natsuhiko did not surprise Kakashi.
Natsuhiko knew quite a lot—surely his teacher wanted to learn more.
Besides, Kakashi could tell that his teacher didn't intend for certain matters to spread. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken about "properly thanking Natsuhiko."
Clearly, that was just an excuse.
Kakashi stood up obediently and left the Hokage's office.
As far as he was concerned, his report for the day was complete.
As for what would happen next, he wasn't entirely sure—but he didn't dwell on it.
"Still… I should inform the captain."
With that thought, Kakashi headed straight toward Natsuhiko's residence.
Since Natsuhiko was his captain, Kakashi had naturally made an effort to learn about him.
Interestingly, Guy and the others seemed fairly familiar with Natsuhiko.
They knew about his personality and even where he lived—though they had no idea what his actual work entailed.
That made Kakashi realize something:
Natsuhiko's gentle personality seemed consistent wherever he went.
Still, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder—
Why would someone as gentle as Natsuhiko choose to join the Anbu?
In Kakashi's view, the Anbu wasn't a suitable place for him.
Even though he had only joined recently, he had already learned quite a bit about its nature.
While thinking about all this, Kakashi quickly arrived at Natsuhiko's home—
Only to be disappointed.
Natsuhiko wasn't there.
However, after speaking with a neighbor, Kakashi learned that Natsuhiko had left very early that morning and had likely gone to a nearby training ground.
With that information, Kakashi didn't hesitate and immediately headed there.
"Looks like the captain is very disciplined."
Training even on a day off—
That kind of person truly deserved respect.
Kakashi now seemed to understand why Natsuhiko had been so unremarkable at the academy, yet was now so frighteningly strong.
Having witnessed Natsuhiko's speed, Kakashi knew very well—
If Natsuhiko went all out, he himself might not be a match for him—
Even with the Sharingan.
Being able to see Natsuhiko's movements was one thing.
Being able to keep up with them was another entirely.
It didn't take long before Kakashi reached the training ground.
He quickly found Natsuhiko at the innermost section.
Without thinking much—perhaps out of trust—he walked up and called out directly:
"Captain…"