Pakura changed her name to Shimura Koyou.
Once a formidable figure on the battlefield, the "Scorch Style User" who struck fear into the hearts of the Hidden Mist ninjas, has now officially joined the Root of the Hidden Leaf.
The envoy who once fought to protect the Hidden Sand has now become a demon striving to destroy it.
It can only be said that the world is cold and unpredictable, evoking a sense of melancholy.
But no matter what, Danzo's efforts were not in vain, as he has gained a seed of a Kage-level powerhouse.
When Danzou left the village, no one knew about it, but upon his return, he made no attempt to conceal his presence.
He entered through the gates of the Hidden Leaf openly, with Shisui pushing his wheelchair.
By his side stood Pakura, wearing a mask.
At this time, the gatekeepers of the Hidden Leaf were not the two legendary figures from the original story, but two unknown ninjas.
Upon seeing Danzou, their faces immediately showed respect, and they greeted him respectfully:
"Lord Danzo, welcome back!"
Danzou nodded to them with a smile:
"Chuunin Kakutan, Chuunin Tomoyama, you've worked hard."
Though Danzou's greeting was simple, the two gatekeepers were so moved that their faces turned red.
"We never expected Lord Danzo to remember our names."
They spoke with surprise and excitement.
To this, Danzo responded solemnly:
"Both of you are part of the Hidden Leaf. I remember the names of all those who work hard to build the village and uphold the Will of Fire."
"That includes you two."
Such a serious affirmation made the two Chuunin's blood boil, and they were ready to pledge their loyalty to Lord Danzo on the spot.
"Keep up the good work. The village will not let down any ninja who strives hard."
Danzo encouraged them and then signaled Shisui to continue forward.
Upon hearing this, the two immediately straightened their postures, standing tall on either side of the gate, and declared loudly:
"Lord Danzo, rest assured, we will not let you down!"
At the same time, a system notification sounded in Danzo's ear.
Two skill points have been credited!
Danzo immediately showed a satisfied smile.
Even a small gain is still a gain.
Victory is built by accumulating such small advantages!
The evidence showed that Danzo's encouragement had an exceptionally effective impact.
Watching Danzo's retreating figure, the two gatekeepers silently puffed out their chests, their faces filled with pride.
After all, they had now been personally praised by Lord Danzo!
They, too, were part of the Hidden Leaf, an important component of the village!
Pakura, who had witnessed all of this, couldn't help but feel an indescribable emotion.
Before arriving in the Hidden Leaf, Pakura never expected that the "Darkness of the Shinobi," who struck fear into all enemies, could also have such a...
Kind side.
It was as if he were two completely different people inside and outside the Hidden Leaf.
When facing enemies, he was the "Darkness of the Shinobi," akin to a demon.
But when facing his own people, he transformed into the "Hero of the Hidden Leaf," praised by all.
Pakura was certain that the respect and reverence the villagers and ninjas had for Danzo was not feigned.
She watched the bustling streets, the children running freely, the villagers waving enthusiastically at Danzo from the sides of the road, and the admiration and longing in their eyes.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
A sense of being in a different world washed over her.
Unlike the Hidden Sand Village, with its endless deserts and solemn silence, this village was filled with the laughter of children, lush greenery, and a vibrant, upward energy!
In the eyes of these children, Pakura saw a future.
A future completely different from that of the children in the Hidden Sand Village!
This made her think of her own student—Maki.
That child with star-like eyes.
When Maki heard the news of her death, she must have been in great pain.
What would her future be like?
Thinking of this, Pakura's mood sank once again.
Fortunately, the mask hid her expression and emotions from everyone.
"From now on, consider this your second home."
Danzo's sudden words caught Pakura off guard.
After a second of hesitation, she realized that Danzo had seen through her earlier emotional moment.
Her expression under the mask immediately turned awkward.
"There's no need to feel ashamed. Everyone has their own value in this world."
"Some may not cherish you, but there will always be those who do."
Danzo's voice was hoarse yet calm, completely devoid of the hostility Pakura had imagined.
She remained silent.
Danzo didn't mind. He knew it wouldn't be easy for Pakura to quickly accept her new identity, especially when she hadn't yet achieved her revenge.
After showing Pakura around, Danzo finally returned to the Root.
The newcomer, Pakura, carefully observed the building before her.
The Root was shrouded in darkness, buried deep underground, with intricate passageways and countless suspended bridges crisscrossing the area.
Most of the facilities here were made of steel, exuding a stern and deadly atmosphere, starkly contrasting with the vibrant village above.
It was as if the outside world was heaven, and this place was hell.
Upon arriving at the Root, Danzo's first task was to hand Pakura over to Shisui.
"Shisui, from now on, you will guide 'Koyou' and help her understand our Root."
Hearing this, Shisui instinctively wanted to refuse, as he wasn't the type who was good at interacting with others.
But Danzo seemed to have anticipated his thoughts and directly said:
"This is a task I, your teacher, am assigning to you."
"If you want to become a pillar of the village, you must learn how to communicate with others."
Danzo's words completely shut down any possibility of Shisui refusing.
For the sake of the village and the Root, Shisui reluctantly agreed:
"Understood, Sensei."
Taking on the task, Shisui had no choice but to fulfill his duty and began showing Pakura around the various departments of the Root.
Before Shisui could even start the introduction, the two of them heard a loud, passionate shout.
"Burn your youth! Everyone, taste my Leaf Whirlwind Kick!"
Hearing such a sharp cry, Shisui's expression froze.
Might Guy's intense declaration of youth inevitably caused a look of surprise to appear on Pakura's face, as this was her first time here.
Because in her imagination, the Root should have been a place of silence and solemnity.
A place where one wrong word could lead to being dragged off and beheaded by the "Darkness of the Shinobi."
What was this scene before her?
Pakura looked at the green figure leading the charge in the training field, finding it hard to accept.
This Root seemed quite different from what she had imagined.
Perhaps sensing her confusion, or perhaps trying to salvage the Root's image, Shisui took the initiative to explain:
"To be honest, I wasn't used to this at first either..."
"Atmosphere."
He hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose the word "atmosphere."
However, Shisui continued to explain:
"But don't let Might Guy's seemingly unreliable appearance fool you. In fact, he's the most dependable person in the Root, second only to our teacher."
"He's just a bit... lively."
Shisui scratched his head, his tone somewhat apologetic.
Pakura pursed her lips and honestly said:
"This place is quite different from what I imagined."
Shisui laughed:
"It's fine. It's normal to feel out of place at first. After a while, you'll realize that everyone here is actually quite nice."
Hearing this, Pakura gave Shisui a puzzled look.
Thinking to herself: Isn't the fact that you think everyone is nice the biggest problem here?
The legendary Root should be full of villains, shouldn't it?
Shisui seemed not to notice the confusion in her eyes.
Or perhaps he wanted to avoid the topic, so he said:
"Let me take you to pick out a mask and a codename for yourself."
Unlike the fiery Scorch Style, Pakura's personality seemed cold and detached.
Faced with Shisui's enthusiasm, she simply responded with a faint "Okay."
Shisui didn't mind and took her to the Root's secret base—
A warehouse filled with masks and standard-issue weapons.
"According to our teacher's instructions, you will be directly joining the highest-level group within the Root."
"It's called..."
"The Earth Branch Squad."
Shisui pressed his hand against the wall, and the mask-covered wall slowly slid open to reveal twelve animal masks hidden behind it.
Of course, only ten remained now.
The "Rooster" and "Dog" masks had already been taken by Shisui and Kakashi.
"Choose a codename and mask for yourself."
"The highest-level squad, huh..."
Pakura was somewhat surprised.
Although she had been completely abandoned by the Hidden Sand, to the Hidden Leaf, she was still an outsider.
She never expected Danzo to place such a high level of trust in her right from the start, which left her somewhat unprepared.
Shisui noticed her thoughts and said:
"Don't worry. If our teacher has decided to make you a 'core' member of the Root, there must be a reason for it."
"I will unconditionally trust anyone our teacher believes in."
"Of course, that's provided you don't betray the Root."
As Shisui spoke the last sentence, the gentle smile on his face vanished, replaced by a terrifying killing intent.
Even someone as battle-hardened as Pakura felt a chill from such intense killing intent.
It was as if she were standing before a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!
Fortunately, the killing intent lasted only for a brief moment.
It seemed more like a warning from Shisui.
"Don't worry, my life belongs to Lord Danzo now."
"As long as I can kill Rasa, I don't mind sacrificing anything."
"Including my life and dignity."
Pakura's voice was calm.
But Shisui could tell that the darkness in her heart was no less than his own!
Under Shisui's gaze, Pakura decisively reached out and took a mask from the wall—
"Rabbit."
_
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