Inside Konoha Village, in a grove near Naruto's home…
Uzuki Yugao, masked and cloaked in a grayish-white cape, blended into the deadwood and snow. She watched, a bit bored, as the blond kid inside the house stared blankly at a wall.
Winter had crept in before she knew it.
Three months ago, as a fresh Anbu recruit, Yugao received sudden orders to make contact with a mysterious Uchiha girl. She'd witnessed firsthand how that girl "persuaded" the Third Hokage, somehow becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's temporary guardian.
But just two weeks later, that Uchiha girl abruptly left the village—and was ambushed by Root assassins outside.
Then…
Over a dozen of Root's elite were wiped out.
The girl's whereabouts became unknown.
At first, the Third Hokage was on edge, summoning the advisors for multiple tense meetings. He'd cracked down hard, halting all Root operations. Word was, Shimura Danzo was furious—slamming tables so loud even the Anbu outside the room could hear the shouting.
But as time passed, the tension faded.
After all…
If she hadn't shown up for months after an assassination attempt, that Uchiha girl was probably dead.
Though the Third reprimanded Root harshly, Yugao suspected he was secretly relieved.
You could tell from how the surveillance around Naruto went back to normal.
Thanks to that Uchiha girl, though, Naruto's living conditions hadn't taken a hit. His daily apples and eggs never stopped coming, and his routine was more structured than before. If you ignored the hours he spent staring at walls, he was almost like any other kid.
"Speaking of… didn't she teach him those habits? Something about balanced nutrition…" Yugao yawned, her mind wandering.
"So boring. I heard Captain Kakashi's team got a new recruit—an Uchiha kid named Itachi or something. Haven't met him yet…"
"Wonder if that Uchiha Hikari lady is really dead… Well, with *that guy* targeting her, it's not surprising."
Even among the Anbu, Root and Danzo had a lousy reputation.
Still, Yugao felt a twinge of regret for a girl around her age—maybe even younger—fading like a shooting star.
Suddenly, a faint commotion stirred nearby.
It seemed the other Anbu on surveillance duty were arguing about something. Their voices were low but noticeable.
Yugao's brow twitched, and she finally turned around. "Hey, what're you guys doing? Making all that noise—don't you think the kid inside might hear—"
Her words cut off.
Yugao's eyes widened, her mouth agape behind her mask, looking like she'd seen a ghost. "Y-You're… Hikari…"
"Uchiha Hikari," the girl finished, smiling faintly. "Miss Rabbit, long time no see. Doing well?"
Before Yugao could process, Hikari leaped onto the branch beside her, crouching on the trunk with ghostly grace.
Yugao instinctively reached for her weapon, but halfway through, Hikari gently grabbed her wrist. The touch was soft, almost tender, like a lover's caress, yet Yugao felt like a boulder pinned her arm—she couldn't break free no matter how hard she tried.
"Relax," Hikari said, exhaling a puff of white mist into the chilly air. "I'm alive, not a ghost."
As she spoke, Hikari glanced casually at Naruto inside the house before looking back. "I'm a tad later than planned, but I made it back in one piece… You're watching Naruto, huh? Thanks for keeping an eye on him all this time."
"I…" Yugao opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but didn't know where to start.
Maybe it was her imagination, but this girl—despite the warm smile—felt *way* more dangerous than before.
"One question," Hikari said, cutting to the chase. "Where's Danzo?"
"?"
"I won't ask twice. If you don't know, tell me who does."
"Miss Hikari, you're not… planning to go after Lord Danzo for revenge, are you?" Yugao ventured, piecing it together. "I heard—"
"Shh." Hikari raised a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Just answer. You can report to whoever you want afterward—I won't stop you."
"…"
Yugao swallowed hard, her eyes flickering with hesitation. Under Hikari's steady gaze, she slowly pointed in a direction. "That way, about twelve kilometers from the residential area. There's a big cypress forest. In the northeast corner, there's an underground base…"
The words barely left her mouth before Hikari's figure blurred and vanished from sight.
Only then did Yugao slump, lifting her mask to wipe the cold sweat from her brow. "Oh no, I've gotta report to the Third right away… Root's in for some serious trouble!"
---
Hikari moved fast.
The two months of training in the *Dragon Ball* world had boosted her abilities significantly. Under the round-the-clock guidance of Karin-sama and Namikaze Minato, her chakra control had improved at a visible pace.
*Bukujutsu* wasn't quite there yet.
Mostly because her balance wasn't perfect—like someone learning to rollerblade, struggling to steer.
But when it came to channeling chakra to her feet to speed up travel, her current skill rivaled most Kage-level ninja in this world.
In just over ten minutes, she zipped through the residential district, dashed along a suburban path, and reached the forest Yugao mentioned.
She scanned the area. No signs of life.
So, Hikari activated *Bukujutsu*, lifting herself into the air and gliding over the forest at thirty or forty meters up, surveying the ground below.
Soon…
A square, concrete structure, camouflaged by dense shrubbery, caught her eye.
"If Yugao wasn't lying, this should be Root's base," Hikari muttered.
She looked around again. Still no one.
Made sense.
Root's numbers were always small, and they'd thrown everything they had into that assassination attempt on her. With Danzo's paranoid, turtle-like nature, he'd likely hunker down and go quiet while shorthanded. To find him, she'd have to crawl into this rat's nest.
Or…
There was a simpler, more direct way in.
"*Susanoo*, Third Form… Activate!"
(Chapter End)