Naruto Uzumaki, having just regained consciousness, sensed something was terribly wrong.
"What's going on? Where am I?"
Questions flooded his mind. His hands and feet were bound, rendering him immobile.
A blindfold covered his eyes, and a gag silenced him, preventing even a whimper.
The surroundings were eerily silent and shrouded in darkness, everything terrifying and strange.
His memory stopped at Mizuki's mocking taunts and the moment he was knocked unconscious.
He had no recollection of Chu Ran controlling his body to kill Mizuki—not even a fragment of memory.
[I didn't expect Danzo Shimura to target the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki so aggressively.]
[So eager to have Root arrest him and lock him up here.]
[Truly an ambitious old fox.]
In Naruto's subconscious, Chu Ran couldn't help but sigh.
Yet he remained unruffled, knowing the Third Hokage would soon intervene.
Hiruzen Sarutobi would never allow Danzo to act unchecked, let alone permit him to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
After all, Hiruzen was the true Hokage, the one who held the reins of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Allowing Danzo to establish Root was already his greatest concession.
How could he tolerate Danzo seizing the Nine-Tails' power?
At that moment, in Root's headquarters, Danzo glanced at the awakened Naruto but said nothing.
He turned and left. Bringing Naruto to Root wasn't about uncovering the truth.
Two dead Chunin were insignificant to him.
"Lord Danzo, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is awake. Shall we interrogate him?"
A Root ninja, dressed as Anbu, knelt before Danzo, asking respectfully.
"No need. Let the brat experience some darkness first."
"Once he's steeped in it, brainwashing him will be easier."
"Two Chunin are nothing. We don't need a big investigation. The real goal is controlling the Nine-Tails."
Danzo shook his head, aware his time was limited.
If Hiruzen got wind of this, he'd arrive soon.
Danzo needed to break Naruto's spirit before that happened. Even if he had to release Naruto to Hiruzen, a broken Naruto would thwart Hiruzen's naive plans.
If luck favored him, Danzo could claim the Jinchuriki. If not, events would still follow his script.
But Danzo never imagined that Naruto's subconscious housed someone who knew the entire Naruto storyline.
…
Two days later, Naruto had been confined in Root for a full day.
No sound reached him, and his blindfolded eyes saw nothing.
Naruto's mental state was on the verge of collapse.
Without Chu Ran's constant encouragement in his subconscious, he might have succumbed to despair.
For a seven-year-old, breaking their spirit wasn't difficult.
Just as Danzo thought his plan was succeeding, several Special Jonin and over a dozen Anbu, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, stormed into Root's headquarters.
Like the Anbu, Root's base was hidden in a highly secretive location.
Only Root members knew its whereabouts, which fueled Danzo's confidence.
But in just two days, Hiruzen not only returned but located his secret base.
Hiruzen's face was grim, a faint anger simmering beneath the surface.
Facing him, Danzo closed his eyes and remained silent.
"Danzo, hand him over."
"I'm not negotiating."
"You've crossed the line this time."
Hiruzen's tone brooked no argument. Had he been open to discussion, he wouldn't have brought so many trusted ninjas.
Behind him stood the backbone of the Hidden Leaf's forces.
Taking Naruto from Danzo was easy—dismantling Root entirely wouldn't be much harder.
His entourage included elite Special Jonin like Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, and Asuma Sarutobi.
"Come with me, Hiruzen."
Danzo knew there was no room for negotiation. Without a word, he turned and led the way inside.
Hiruzen followed Danzo to Naruto's cell.
Seeing Naruto's treatment in Root, Hiruzen's eyes flashed with pity.
"If you cross the line again, Danzo…"
"You know the consequences."
As Hiruzen passed Danzo, his sudden words made Danzo's heart skip a beat.
He knew Hiruzen was truly enraged.
Hiruzen hadn't become Hokage, suppressed neighboring nations in a chaotic era, and maintained the Hidden Leaf as the strongest ninja village by being soft-hearted.
If he resolved to eliminate Danzo, not even the two advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, could stop him—they wouldn't dare try.
Danzo, outmatched, turned and left.
Naruto was teetering on mental collapse. Hiruzen didn't immediately free him.
Instead, he took Naruto to the hospital.
Only there did they remove his restraints and administer medication.
With medical ninjas' treatment, Naruto's mental state began to stabilize.
[Ding! Blackening Progress increased by 1%!]
[Ding! Gained 50 Blackening Points!]
The system's chime roused Chu Ran, who'd been resting in Naruto's subconscious.
He promptly opened the Darkening Protagonist System.
[Host: Chu Ran]
[Host Vessel: Naruto Uzumaki]
[Physique: 0.9]
[Soul: 3]
[Blackening Progress: 11.97%]
[Blackening Points: 510]
[Blackening Shop: Unlocked]
Seeing the Blackening Progress exceed 10%, Chu Ran smiled with satisfaction.
[Let's check out the Blackening Shop.]
As the Blackening Shop opened, Chu Ran eagerly browsed it.
It was filled with a dazzling array of items from the Naruto world.
Not just ninjutsu, but Bloodline Limits, weapons, Sage chakra, and even Tailed Beast chakra were available for exchange.
(End of Chapter)