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Kuro had left.
Rokuro checked his accumulated EXP.
Since leaving the orphanage branch, he hadn't spent any EXP other than a few points here and there to instantly restore his stamina and Chakra. The rest had been meticulously saved.
Currently, his stockpile sat at exactly 42,600 EXP.
In a couple of days, he planned to take his first trip into the Hidden Leaf Village.
For the sake of safety, he decided to give his overall combat strength another major boost before stepping out.
His public "talent" was Taijutsu.
Upgrading his Taijutsu stat was the safest route; it was the least likely to draw suspicion. Furthermore, pushing his [Taijutsu Level] from 3 to 4 required exactly 40,000 EXP.
The remaining 2,600 EXP would serve as his emergency fund for instant stamina and Chakra regeneration.
However, he wasn't going to level up right now.
He had to wait until Kuro was completely gone. He had only been training the Nintaijutsu for two months. If he suddenly spiked his physical strength while his master was still watching, it would look incredibly unnatural. But if he leveled up while Kuro was away on a long mission, he could play it off as the result of his grueling, uninterrupted solo training. When Kuro eventually returned and tested him, the Anbu Captain would be ecstatic and likely reward him with even more privileges. That was the most profitable strategy.
As one of Root's primary combat assets, Kuro's workload was immense. Having rested and trained Rokuro for two months, his backlog of missions was heavy. That evening, after returning from Danzo's office, Kuro packed his gear and deployed immediately.
The massive underground suite was now entirely Rokuro's.
With his master gone, Rokuro didn't hesitate. He dumped 40,000 EXP into his primary stat.
[Taijutsu Level 3 ➔ Level 4]
The familiar, intense heat flooded his body. His muscles density increased, his bones hardened, and his physical power surged massively.
He walked into the training room to test the results. He planted his feet and drove his fist into the testing machine.
BAM!
The needle spiked to an absurd 291 kilograms (approx. 582 lbs).
With raw physical force alone, he was now fully on par with a standard Chūnin.
Rokuro grinned, incredibly satisfied with the result.
With his strength secured, he stayed in the underground suite and trained diligently for another two days, just to solidify his new power.
Finally, unable to resist the urge any longer, he grabbed the wooden Root identification token and headed for the surface.
Getting into Konoha was surprisingly simple.
There was a dedicated, heavily guarded checkpoint within the base that led directly up to the village. When he arrived at the checkpoint, he presented the token Danzo had authorized. The Anbu guards verified the seal and let him through without saying a single word. The entire process was efficient, silent, and incredibly depressing.
He walked up a long, spiraling stone staircase and emerged into the courtyard of a seemingly ordinary surface estate on the outskirts of Konoha.
This definitely isn't the only exit, Rokuro thought. There were undoubtedly dozens of highly classified, emergency tunnels scattered throughout the village that regular operatives weren't allowed to use.
Danzo, for example, definitely had a private tunnel that opened right next to the Hokage Residence. There was no way that paranoid old man walked the scenic route every time he needed to argue with Hiruzen.
The surface building masking this particular exit appeared to be a standard, civilian-run inn.
It was a clever disguise. In a place like an inn, strangers coming and going at odd hours wouldn't raise any suspicion.
Rokuro walked from the restricted back courtyard into the main lobby.
For the first time in months, he saw normal people.
Civilians and off-duty ninja were sitting at tables, eating, drinking, laughing, and chatting loudly. The air smelled of roasted meat and spilled sake.
Looking at the lively crowd, Rokuro felt a massive weight lift off his chest.
Yes!
This is what a human settlement is supposed to look like!
At the orphanage branch, it was nothing but brutal training and dead silence. Down in the Root headquarters, everyone wore masks and ignored each other like walking corpses. It was a suffocating, deeply depressing environment that would drive a normal person insane.
Here, there was life. There was the warmth of humanity.
When Kuro comes back, Rokuro resolved, I'm going to show him my Chūnin-level strength. Whether that gets me assigned to active field missions or just permission to rent an apartment on the surface, I have to get out of that underground crypt.
Feeling revitalized, Rokuro stepped out of the inn and onto the bustling, sunlit streets of the Hidden Leaf Village.
He was practically buzzing with excitement as he began to wander aimlessly, taking in the sights of the iconic village.
After walking for a while, a specific crest caught his eye.
It was a high-collared shirt bearing the emblem of a red and white fan.
The Uchiha Clan.
The man wearing the crest was an officer of the Konoha Military Police Force. He was currently aggressively lecturing two civilians on the side of the road.
Right. The Uchiha haven't been massacred yet. They still run the police force.
Judging by the scene, the two civilians had probably committed some minor infraction and were being hit with a heavy fine by the notoriously strict Uchiha police.
Rokuro didn't have any strong feelings about the Uchiha Clan's impending doom.
In fact, his first thought upon seeing the officer was incredibly pragmatic: When Itachi slaughters the clan, maybe I can sneak in and loot a pair of Sharingan from a corpse. If I install them, I can use my EXP to upgrade them all the way to the Rinnegan.
He watched the Uchiha officer drag the two grumbling civilians away before snapping back to reality.
He continued his tour of Konoha. When he got hungry, he bought some dango and grilled squid from a street vendor, eating as he walked. Over the next few hours, he essentially mapped out the main commercial districts of the village.
The prosperity and peace of Konoha were intoxicating. He really didn't want to leave.
But I have to.
He knew that right now, he didn't belong in this sunlit world. He was a weapon of Root. He had to return to the underground base and keep grinding until he was strong enough to break his chains.
Just a little longer.
As he was walking and thinking, he suddenly stopped.
Without realizing it, his aimless wandering had brought him to a large, familiar set of gates.
The Konoha Ninja Academy.
A crowd of men and women were gathered outside the gates, chatting amicably. It was obvious they were parents waiting to pick up their children after school.
Oh!
Should I stick around and watch?
He was incredibly curious to see which canon characters were currently attending the Academy.
And besides, I'm just a kid. It was perfectly natural for a four-year-old orphan to stare enviously at the Ninja Academy and wish he could attend school like a normal child. Danzo's spies wouldn't find this behavior suspicious at all; in fact, it would reinforce his cover.
Having reasoned it out, Rokuro found a quiet spot near the wall, sat down, and stared intently at the Academy gates.
His sudden appearance drew a few glances from the waiting mothers.
However, no one paid him much mind. Rokuro was clearly only four or five years old—not yet old enough to enroll. It was normal for a little kid to wander over and watch the "big kids" get out of school.