Root Base – The Price of Failure
Shimura Danzo sat in his dimly lit chamber, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his cane. His one visible eye was cold and calculating, but beneath that calm exterior…
He was furious.
'That brat…'
Naruto Uzumaki had mocked him. Humiliated him. And worst of all? He hadn't even been there in person.
Danzo clenched his jaw. A shadow clone. That's all it was. He had wasted time and energy talking to a mere copy, only for it to vanish in a puff of smoke.
Ding!
[Shimura Danzo anger value +37]
Danzo inhaled deeply, forcing himself to remain composed.
'This… is fine.'
Naruto's boldness was infuriating, but it also revealed something important. The boy was becoming smarter. More cautious. He had never sent a shadow clone to a meeting before.
This meant that Naruto was starting to view him as a threat.
And that was useful information.
A Root member knelt before him, head bowed low.
"Danzo-sama… regarding yesterday's mission… I regret to report that the Naruto Uzumaki we monitored was a shadow clone."
Danzo's fingers stopped tapping.
"...I am aware."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly. The Root ninja felt a cold sweat forming under his mask.
"B-but we did not realize it until—"
Crack.
Danzo's cane struck the floor sharply.
"You let me waste time speaking to a mere clone," he said, his voice as sharp as a blade. "You failed to verify his presence. You failed to detect a simple deception."
The ninja swallowed. "I—"
"You failed."
The Root ninja trembled. He knew what was coming.
Failure in Root was unacceptable.
Danzo did not tolerate incompetence.
With a shaking hand, the ninja reached for his kunai. Without hesitation, he extended his left hand onto the cold stone floor and—
Slice.
Blood dripped onto the ground as his severed pinky fell beside him.
Pain shot through his hand, but the ninja did not make a sound. He simply bowed deeper, pressing his bleeding fingers into the floor.
Danzo did not even look at him.
"Leave." His tone was emotionless. "Tend to your wound. Do not fail again."
The ninja bowed lower before swiftly scooping up his severed finger and retreating.
As the door shut behind him, Danzo exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening on his cane.
Naruto Uzumaki.
This boy was dangerous. Not just because of the Nine-Tails—but because of his mind.
And that meant Danzo had to act soon.
He could not allow Naruto to remain unchecked.
Danzo's one visible eye gleamed coldly in the dim light.
'You may laugh now, Naruto Uzumaki…'
'But in the end, you will serve me.'
Naruto's Perspective – The D-Class Grind
Naruto yawned as he strolled into the village square, unaware of how much mental agony he had just caused Danzo the day before.
Yesterday's meeting had been hilarious. The old warhawk had probably never been insulted like that before.
'He must be losing his mind.'
Ding!
[Shimura Danzo anger value +21]
Naruto smirked. "Guess he's still pissed."
Sakura, who had just arrived, frowned. "What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing," Naruto said innocently. "Just thinking about how much I love doing D-rank missions."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. You literally whine about them every single day."
She wasn't wrong.
Catching escaped pets, pulling weeds, carrying groceries… Was this really what a ninja was supposed to do?
'If I have to chase that damn cat again, I swear I'll teach it a Rasengan.'
The Joys of Being a Ninja
And just like that, Team 7's D-rank grind continued.
One day, they were knee-deep in a river, fishing out trash that some very environmentally unconscious villagers had dumped.
The next, they were weeding old man Genzo's massive vegetable farm.
And then there was that time they had to help move furniture for a very enthusiastic old lady who refused to believe Naruto wasn't her grandson.
"Oh, my dear Yuki-chan, you've grown so tall!" the woman had cried, pulling Naruto into a crushing hug.
Naruto had struggled. "LADY, I'M NOT YOUR GRANDSON!"
"Nonsense, Yuki-chan! You've always been such a naughty boy!"
Sasuke, for once, had completely lost his usual broody demeanor and was straight-up wheezing with laughter.
Kakashi, the so-called adult of the group, had just stood there and read his book.
By the time they finally escaped, Naruto swore he could still smell the old lady's perfume on his clothes.
The Real Rewards of Being a Ninja
Despite the humiliation, the money was good.
Naruto had already saved up a decent amount of ryo. At first, he was tempted to splurge on ramen, but then a more responsible (and slightly terrifying) voice echoed in his head.
'Naruto-kun, you should manage your finances wisely.'
Yep. Hinata had been helping him with his money.
Thanks to her influence, Naruto had actually started saving instead of spending everything on instant noodles.
Ding!
[Hinata Hyuga affection +12]
"Ah, worth it."
Occasionally, Naruto would shamelessly flirt with Hinata, holding her hands, teasing her gently, and making her blush with his affectionate gestures.
In short, over the past three months, their relationship had grown exceptionally close.
It was only a matter of time before they officially confirmed their status as a couple.
This was also the happiest period of Naruto's life—he not only had a close companion but also a soon-to-be girlfriend.
Another morning arrived, and Naruto put on his signature Uzumaki orange tracksuit before heading to the Hokage office building.
"Naruto, you're actually on time today. That's rare."
Sakura looked at Naruto with mild surprise as he arrived promptly.
"Heh, I went to bed early last night, so I'm not sleepy this morning. Figured I'd show up on time for once."
Naruto scratched his head with a grin and sat down on the nearby sofa.
"Wait... You're not sleepy today?"
"That means all those times before, you were just making up excuses, right?! Naruto!!"
Sakura clenched her fists, veins popping on her forehead, itching to knock some sense into him.
With a swift whoosh, Kakashi appeared through the window, landing beside Naruto.
"Now, now, Sakura, no need to get so worked up. Naruto's habit of being late does need some fixing, though."
Sakura turned to him, eyes blazing, and unleashed Iruka's signature Roar of Doom.
"Kakashi-sensei!! You have no right to talk! You're just as bad as him when it comes to being late!!"
"Uh…" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, struggling to come up with a defense.
She had a point—he and Naruto were practically like brothers, always using the same lame excuses to justify their tardiness.
Hiruzen sighed, exhaling a long puff from his pipe. "D-rank missions are essential for building teamwork, responsibility, and discipline. Every shinobi starts with them—"
Naruto leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, what do you think I should eat today? I'm kinda in the mood for ramen, but maybe I should try something else for a change."
Sasuke scoffed. "Like you'd ever eat anything other than ramen."
Sakura sighed. "Honestly, Naruto, how can you even think about food right now?"
Naruto grinned. "Because food is life, Sakura-chan!"
Hiruzen's eye twitched before he slammed his hands on the desk. "LISTEN TO ME!"
The room went dead silent.
The Third Hokage sighed again, rubbing his temple. "Fine… since you're so eager, I'll assign you a C-rank mission. Bring him in."
Creeeaak~~
The office door suddenly swung open, and an old man with a white beard and glasses stumbled in.
A bamboo hat hung around his neck, and he clutched a bottle of sake in one hand. He was so drunk that his steps wobbled as he walked in.
"Hiccup~~"
"You kids... are ninjas too? So young..."
The old man hiccupped, leaning against the doorframe as he squinted at Naruto and the others through his drunken haze.
'Wait, isn't that Tazuna?'
Naruto's eyes widened in recognition.
This was the very man he had been assigned to protect during his first major mission in the original timeline.
That mission, in truth, had been a high-risk B-rank or even A-rank task, far more dangerous than advertised. But since Tazuna had only been able to afford a low-level escort, he had deliberately downplayed the mission's true difficulty.
(End of this chapter.)