"Lead the way."
Lock nodded calmly, asking no questions.
His reaction clearly surprised the ANBU guiding him.
Remembering Hiruzen Sarutobi's instructions, the masked shinobi hesitated before speaking carefully.
"Don't you… Want to ask anything?"
"Hokage-sama said that if you wish to know something, I am permitted to answer honestly."
Lock said nothing.
He merely glanced sideways at the ANBU.
A suffocating killing intent burst outward.
For an instant, the ANBU felt as though a monstrous beast had opened its blood-soaked jaws directly in front of him. Cold sweat soaked his back instantly.
He stopped probing immediately and hurriedly blurted everything he had been ordered to say.
"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura were taken to the Root base this morning."
"Hokage-sama asked me to inform you… and hopes you won't cause excessive destruction."
Without waiting for a reply, the ANBU stiffly turned and began leading the way at full speed, almost fleeing.
Lock withdrew his killing intent and followed silently, expression unreadable.
Inside the mental world, however, Naruto exploded.
"Sasuke and Sakura were captured and taken to Root!?"
"That bastard Danzo is using them to threaten us again!"
"No wonder they weren't at training today—I thought everyone just took a break!"
Only now did Naruto realize something was wrong. Sasuke never skipped training.
Lock let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
"You were training quite happily this morning. Didn't even notice your teammates were missing."
"I—"
Naruto's face flushed red, words dying in his throat.
Truthfully, he had felt a little pleased practicing alone, imagining himself catching up while Sasuke wasn't there.
Lock had sensed that emotion clearly.
Unable to argue, Naruto redirected his anger.
"It's all Danzo's fault!"
"Lock, you have to beat him up this time!"
The resentment from previous encounters burned fiercely within him.
"A beating?" Lock chuckled coldly.
He didn't even need to think to recognize the situation.
This was a trap.
If Danzo truly intended to abduct someone, he would target Sakura—or perhaps Iruka. Sasuke, backed by Uchiha Itachi's shadow, was not someone Danzo would casually provoke right now.
More importantly, Root had recently been suppressed by Hiruzen.
For them to suddenly kidnap people behind the Hokage's back?
Ridiculous.
Lock could already guess the objective.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to use him to intimidate Root while simultaneously proving his control over the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
A political move.
But Lock had no intention of dancing to someone else's script.
Sensing Lock's indifference, Naruto hurriedly added,
"They're still people of the Village! You can't kill innocent people!"
"I'm going to become Hokage someday—not someone hiding behind the Hokage!"
The words carried conviction.
Yesterday, Hiruzen had spoken extensively to Naruto about Danzo—about sacrifices made for the village, burdens carried in darkness, and what it meant to become Hokage.
Naruto had accepted it wholeheartedly.
His trust in the Third had deepened.
Hiruzen had even tried to reach Lock through Naruto.
Lock, of course, never responded.
"Not kill innocents?" Lock laughed softly.
"Heh… your Hokage-grandfather doesn't necessarily think the same."
While they spoke internally, the ANBU led Lock deep into the Forest of Death.
At the base of a massive iron-gray boulder, the shinobi pushed aside a concealed mechanism.
The stone shifted, revealing a vast underground entrance descending into darkness.
"Lord Lock, we've arrived."
The ANBU gestured respectfully, then immediately stepped back, preparing to leave.
He had taken only two steps when Lock's cold voice stopped him.
"Did I say you could go?"
A massive golden-red fox tail appeared instantly.
It shot forward like lightning and coiled tightly around the ANBU before he could react.
Violent chakra seeped into his body, scorching through clothing and skin.
"You—what are you doing!?" the ANBU shouted, forcing down panic.
"I came under Hokage-sama's orders to guide you and help rescue your companions!"
"Then why are you running?" Lock asked lightly, smiling without warmth.
"ANBU and Root wear the same masks. I have no reason to trust you."
"You'll come along with me."
Ignoring the struggle, Lock dragged the restrained shinobi into the underground passage.
Elsewhere.
Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with fingers interlocked beneath his chin, watching events unfold through a crystal ball.
Seeing Lock obediently follow the ANBU, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Just then, the office door opened.
"Hiruzen, did you summon me here to apologize?"
Danzo entered arrogantly, accompanied by Yamanaka Fū and a Hyūga clan shinobi.
After Torune's death, his trusted subordinates had already been replaced.
"It is you who should apologize, Danzo!"
Hiruzen's voice hardened instantly, the smile vanishing.
His gaze carried unmistakable displeasure.
Danzo's recent actions—targeting the jinchūriki repeatedly and recruiting members of the Sarutobi clan into Root—had crossed a line.
For years, Hiruzen had tolerated Root's expansion, suppressed clan complaints, and ignored minor assassinations.
But touching the Sarutobi clan itself was unacceptable.
"Hmph. Those youngsters have potential," Danzo replied calmly. "Proper training would make them excellent Fire Release users."
"You've gone too far."
Hiruzen pushed the crystal ball toward him.
"This time, you abducted Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Uzumaki Lock is already on his way."
"What!?"
Danzo's expression changed immediately as he looked into the crystal.
Sure enough, Lock and an ANBU were entering the Forest of Death.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! What exactly are you planning?"
Danzo understood Lock's strength from the Land of Waves reports.
He had already chosen to withdraw temporarily under pressure.
Yet now prisoners appeared inside Root—and Lock had been informed before him.
The conclusion was obvious.
Hiruzen intended to use Lock as a weapon against Root.
---
A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San