"Naruto," Danzo said, a hint of pride in his voice. "This is my secret base. What do you think?"
Naruto scanned the area, his gaze sweeping up and down. They stood on a round, gray platform surrounded by a haphazard scattering of buildings. Their heights and purposes were unclear, and the entire layout lacked any semblance of design or aesthetic appeal.
Root Ninja, their faces hidden behind masks, were spread out, engaged in various training exercises.
Naruto could feel their gazes on him the moment he stepped onto the platform, lingering for a few seconds before returning to their drills.
Ahead, a winding, rough path made of dark gray wood stretched out, its only distinct feature the slightly eerie red guardrails. No matter how Naruto looked at it, the whole place just wasn't... nice to look at. It looked more like a neglected, battle-scarred dump.
Light here was dim, only occasional cracks letting sunlight filter down in dusty beams. The air was thick with the damp, cold smell of earth and underground spaces. Paths twisted into a tangled web, a true underground maze.
Probably the only things that would like it down here were insects, rats, snakes, and maybe reptiles.
This was one of Root's bases in Konoha, serving as a training ground for their ninja. Danzo had actually brought Naruto to Root.
"Grandpa Danzo," Naruto chirped, his voice echoing slightly in the dim space, "this place is really awful. It looks like where underground rats live."
Danzo's face instantly frowned, only his ninja training preventing him from popping a blood vessel. Meeting Naruto's wide, 'innocent' gaze, Danzo forced himself to suppress the urge to reprimand and punish, muttering inwardly.
'Innocent words... just innocent words of a clueless child.'
Naruto, seemingly oblivious, continued without missing a beat. "Y'know, I read in a book that staying in dark, damp places like this for too long can give you something called Rheumatism."
"And Grandpa Danzo, look at all these bandages you wear, they can't be breathable! Living in this kind of environment... you need to be careful."
'My body is perfectly fine! I won't get Rheumatism!' Danzo thought furiously, his expression tightening.
Naruto acted as if he didn't notice Danzo's reaction, chattering on about a whole list of Rheumatism symptoms and complications.
"Like, your leg joints will really hurt on rainy or overcast days, or maybe your joints feel sticky and stiff after you wake up or resting for a long duration..."
'Hmm... sometimes I do feel a bit stiff,' Danzo found himself thinking. 'And my joints ache a little when it rains...'
Despite his internal denial, the more Danzo listened, the more he recognized a few symptoms. A nagging worry began to take root, what if...?
He started thinking seriously about how he'd treat this 'Rheumatism' problem.
He was destined to be Hokage, he couldn't afford to leave such a potential weakness for his enemies to exploit.
'Wait a minute... why was the Root base underground in the first place?' He dimly recalled choosing the location with the Hiruzen all those years ago...
'Did that old monkey Hiruzen know I'd get sick? Is that why he let me put the base here?' The thought, born from his own twisted perspective, bloomed in Danzo's mind. 'Damn you Hiruzen!?'
In reality, ninja in the Shinobi World were far less susceptible to ailments like Rheumatism. With their strong physique due to chakra, their immunity vastly surpassed that of civilians in most other worlds.
So why did Danzo suddenly fear falling ill? Perhaps it was simply the anxiety of old age, at this point in life, it was easy to find symptoms one could relate to. Danzo was already over 60 years old.
Naruto said, as if stating the obvious, "You know, living up on the surface, under the sun, seems way better for you, Grandpa Danzo."
Danzo paused, surprised. "You think so too, Naruto?"
'Living under the sun... huh?'
'If it were possible, why wouldn't I want that?'
The position Danzo had always craved was the Hokage's seat. Having spent so long in the shadows, Danzo yearned for the light even more. It was one of the driving forces behind his desperate ambition to become Hokage.
'As long as I become Hokage, I can...'
Unfortunately, for all his ambition, Danzo lacked the capability. His aspirations, for now, seemed destined to remain a fleeting illusion.
"Danzo-sama." A tall Root Ninja dropped to one knee before him. He had distinctive dark orange hair, parted on the side and pulled back into a short ponytail.
He wore the standard black uniform of Root and carried a katana about half a meter long on his back.
Fuu Yamanaka.
After the Root team's decimation during the Uchiha Massacre and the Hokage's subsequent disbandment of the organization, only a few valuable members remained.
Officially, Root had been disbanded by the Hokage after the massacre, and these were technically just Danzo's personal guards now, not even wearing the standard Root masks.
Although still only in his teens, Fuu was already one of Danzo's most trusted subordinates, someone Danzo relied on heavily. His Mind Body Switch Jutsu was highly proficient, and he possessed excellent Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, boasting strong explosive power in combat, capable of holding his own even against multiple Jonin.
"Fuu." Danzo nodded with satisfaction, looking at him. 'It was fortunate that he and Torune had been on missions elsewhere that night. Otherwise, the I would've just had to give up on Root altogether.'
'That damned masked man, he will pay for backstabbing me!' Unaware of the true circumstances behind the massacre, Danzo blamed the Root team's destruction on the masked man.
Danzo gestured towards Naruto. "From now on, you will treat him with the same respect you show me."
"Yes." Fuu replied flatly, without a trace of emotional change, doubts nor confusion. It was a characteristic of Root ninja, the first step upon joining was the eradication of emotion.
"Grandpa Danzo, who is he?"
Fuu's face twitched slightly upon hearing Naruto's address for Danzo. As while he was his training had suppressed his emotions, he was used to punishing anyone who disrespected Danzo. 'Grandpa Danzo? What a strange address him, I didn't know he had children. Well Danzo-sama isn't upset, so I don't need to intervene.'
"This is my guard, Fuu," Danzo said. "From now on, this place is always open to you. If there's anything you want to learn, and I'm not here, just ask him." Danzo was indeed very busy. The only reason he'd had so much time to teach Naruto before was the confinement imposed by the Hokage.
Only yesterday, the Hokage had lifted his confinement and sought him out to discuss the matter of re-establishing Root.
Some things Hiruzen couldn't do, things the Anbu couldn't handle... but Root could. And he, Danzo, could. Some things, once you're used to them, you can't quit. Hiruzen, ultimately, couldn't do without Danzo.
Hiruzen cared about his reputation and wanted to portray himself as a kind old man to outsiders. But for some tasks, someone always had to play the villain, someone always had to be the scapegoat, who would 'cross the lines' for Konoha. For Hiruzen, Danzo was the best scapegoat.
Even if Danzo had his own agenda sometimes, he was ultimately someone the Hiruzen could manage. Especially since the Konoha clans were well aware of Danzo's methods. Without the clans backing, the Hokage seat would always be out of his reach.
Finally, before turning to leave, Danzo added, "If you want to train or just mess around, you can have him go with you." He paused. "He's quite strong."
Naruto watched with a smile as Danzo's figure disappeared into the dim light. Once he couldn't sense him anymore, Naruto turned back to Fuu, a playful grin spreading across his face.
"Fuu?" Naruto said, his playful grin widening. "So, I hear you're pretty strong?"
Narrator:
"In the dark, damp depths of Konoha's underground, one bandaged man dares to dream... of sunshine, surface living, and joint supplements!"
"Danzo brings Naruto along to impress him with his hidden lair but gets delivered what no enemy ever could, a soul-crushing diagnosis and unsolicited medical advice."
"And just when things couldn't get worse... enter Fuu, the loyal emotionless sidekick who now must babysit a blonde ball of chaos."
"Is Danzo finally succumbing to the one threat he never prepared for, chronic joint pain and moldy lungs?"
"Will Root survive exposure to Vitamin D? Will Danzo invest in orthopedic sandals? And will Fuu live to regret not wearing earplugs?"
"Find out next time on..."
"Mold, Malice, and Grandpa's Gout! Naruto's Underground Roast Begins!"
-------------------
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