Escape From Konoha

"This meeting ends here. If you have no other questions, please adjourn."

In a conference room located in the Hokage Building, the Jounin of Konoha who presided over the process of the Chuunin Exam stood up from his position and glanced at the people present. When he saw that no one proposed, he nodded and held a card. Good files left.

There were about a dozen ninjas in the conference room, including men and women, chunin and jounin.

They are the examiners responsible for the joint chuunin examination of various countries, and they are composed of ninjas from the ninja villages of each country.

Of course, since the Kingdom of Ghosts did not intervene this time, there was no scene of the ninjas from the Kingdom of Ghosts participating in the meeting here.

After the Jonin who presided over the meeting left, the rest of the people also left one after another. In the end, only two people stayed and did not follow the others.

It was Shikamaru, and Temari, the Jonin of Sunagakure Village.

As if she could see how worried Shikamaru was, Temari patted him on the shoulder and asked directly: "You were very silent in the meeting today. You don't look like you normally. Did something happen? "

Temari quite admired Shikamaru, a boy who was slightly younger than herself.

Apart from his laziness and fear of women, his other abilities are considered to be among the best among his peers.

But at this time, the other party frowned tightly, as if there was an unsolvable depression in his heart. Anyone could see that he had something on his mind.

And this phenomenon has been maintained from the beginning of the meeting, and it is still like this until the end of the meeting.

This made Temari curious, but also very worried about the other party's current situation.

I feel that with the other person's mind, he shouldn't fall into a dead end for something.

"Nothing. Now that the meeting is over, it's time for me to say goodbye."

Shikamaru didn't want to say anything more. Suddenly, the meeting was over. He had been in the meeting for a long time and was about to stand up and leave the meeting room.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stood up, his sleeve was pulled hard by a hand, making him unable to move.

Shikamaru turned his head and looked at the person holding him with helpless eyes, it was Temari.

The other party's expression suddenly became serious, and his eyes looked scrutinizing, as if he was inquiring about something.

"Um, is something wrong?"

Perhaps due to family factors, he would subconsciously give up on women with strong personalities. Unfortunately, Temari was exactly the kind of strong-willed woman he didn't want to face directly.

Therefore, being stared at by her like this, Shikamaru couldn't help but feel sad.

"My intuition tells me that you have something serious hidden in your heart."

Temari judged this.

Actually, it wasn't that hard to guess, and Shikamaru wasn't surprised.

With his appearance, anyone can tell that he has something on his mind.

However, he didn't expect that Temari would be the first to open up to him.

Although he and Temari had gone from strangers to barely friends, Shikamaru felt that his inner thoughts were Konoha's affairs and there was no need to explain them to people from outside the village.

"Well, this..."

Just as Shikamaru was about to excuse himself, Temari interrupted: "Is it because I'm not a ninja of Konoha, so we can't talk about it?"

His thoughts were revealed.

She is worthy of being the daughter of Feng Ying. Not only is she stronger than her peers, but her eyesight is also extraordinary.

Shikamaru sighed at this.

"Since you know, there's no need to ask."

Shikamaru said with a wry smile.

"No, I think just because I am a ninja from another village, I think I can help analyze it from an outsider's perspective. Of course, if it involves the secrets of Konoha, there is no need to tell me."

Temari said.

"..."

Hearing what Temari said, Shikamaru had no choice but to sigh and sit down again.

Temari also let go of Shikamaru's sleeves and sat upright.

"Okay, let me talk to you then. In fact, it's not a secret. You should know Uchiha Sasuke."

"Ah, is that a descendant of the Uchiha clan of Konoha? Of course I know that he was very popular in the chuunin examination of the Demon Country a few years ago. I heard that he became the chuunin of Konoha Village in one fell swoop. It's just that Later I heard that he defected to Konoha and took refuge with Orochimaru, one of the three ninjas, and a few days ago..."

Temari knew everything about Sasuke.

"That's right. He used to be a good companion of ours, but now it's different. He killed Orochimaru and defected to the Kingdom of Demons. And I'm 100% sure that he will attack Konoha next."

"so……"

Temari's heart skipped a beat.

Shikamaru's expression was slightly silent, but he continued:

"So, I want to kill him before he launches an offensive against Konoha."

"Since you have such an idea, then just put it into action."

Temari thought for a moment and gave Shikamaru her support.

Even if they are former friends, if they betray the village, then it is normal for them to turn against each other and fight each other.

"I know this too. However, Hokage-sama vetoed this proposal."

"Eh?"

Temari was slightly startled.

"Because she thinks my motives are impure."

"Is the motive impure?"

Temari became confused instead.

To purge the village of traitorous ninjas, how could it be possible that his motives were impure?

"Yes, since I was prepared to bear these 'sins' alone, the Hokage took advantage of this and rejected my proposal."

He didn't want Naruto and Sasuke to kill each other, nor did he want Sasuke, a friend, to destroy the peace of the village.

Therefore, in order to prevent Naruto and Sasuke from fighting and to protect Konoha Village, he must attack first and execute Sasuke as the biggest threat.

These things will not be made public or revealed to anyone. He will bear the sin of killing his friends alone and become an executioner in the darkness.

This was his determination as a Konoha ninja.

"Really? Although I don't quite understand the reason, are you really mentally prepared?"

After hearing this, Temari looked at Shikamaru's silent face and saw a trace of coldness on his face.

"Yes, I am ready to kill my friends."

Shikamaru nodded calmly.

He struggled and thought for a long time and thought of hundreds of plans, but in the end he came up with only one answer - kill Sasuke.

As long as Sasuke dies, the bond between Naruto and Sasuke will be severed, and Naruto can not avoid the pain of killing his friend. The grudge between Sasuke and Konoha will also be buried in the darkness with the death of Sasuke himself, and no one will pay attention to it.

This is a two-for-one thing.

He was the only one who suffered.

But he was fully aware of this and decided to move forward with such pain and darkness.

This was the only thing he could do for Naruto and the village at this time.

Therefore, Sasuke must die.

Temari looked at Shikamaru quietly, as if she was getting to know him for the first time.

"Uh...is there something on my face?"

Shikamaru was embarrassed by Temari and touched his face.

"No, I just suddenly felt that you seemed quite manly."

Temari praised like this.

"M...manly?"

Shikamaru didn't understand why this kind of evaluation.

"Yes, after all, a troublesome person like you can make such a decision. It seems that you have really decided to embark on such a path."

Temari said.

Shikamaru couldn't deny it.

Take responsibilities and obligations, maybe Temari is right.

Now, he is gradually beginning to assume the true responsibilities of a ninja.

In the past, he disliked trouble, including being one of the examiners of the Chuunin Exam this time. His father Shikaku forced him to come here. Only Sasuke's matter was something he took the initiative to propose to the Hokage.

"Since you have planned to take on such responsibilities, you cannot go back. But you must also grasp the balance. It is best to discuss it with the other partners. It is not easy to bear all the responsibility alone. It will also misunderstood by others.”

"Is that so? I'll think about it."

"Then don't be so sad all the time. You have to pay more attention to the upcoming Chuunin Exams. If you slip up, I'll beat you up."

Temari was very satisfied with Shikamaru's obedient attitude. She patted his shoulder very hard, stood up from her seat, and left the conference room first.

Shikamaru rubbed the painful shoulder. The woman slapped him so hard that his shoulder almost fell apart.

"But, shall we discuss it with the others?"

Shikamaru looked at the scenery outside the window and sighed with great melancholy.

How do you discuss this kind of thing with an acquaintance?

Especially those in the same village who live together day and night.

Although Sasuke is an enemy, after all, they have been friends for so many years. After they actually meet him, can the others really be ruthless and attack him?

Telling those people what you think is just adding more trouble to yourself.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Shikamaru turned his head to look at the exit of the room. A figure stood there, tapping on the door panel with his fingers to attract his attention.

The other party looked over with a smile on his face, without saying a word.

Root member——Sai.

◎

Konoha is now divided into four factions.

The most powerful one is undoubtedly the orthodox Hokage faction, among which the biggest supporters are the Inokacho clan, the wealthy Hinata, and more than half of the civilians.

The second is the martial arts faction headed by Genbe. The leader is Shimura Danzo, the former high-ranking elder of Konoha. He is currently serving a severe sentence in Konoha for the crime of attacking the former Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. No release is allowed without special reasons.

Next is the traditional force of the ninja clan, headed by the Sarutobi clan, which occupies many important positions in Konoha and has a good reputation among the people of Konoha.

Finally, there is the advisory group, which belongs to a relatively neutral camp. Their position will be easily changed as the various factions fight. They are also a typical clinging group.

In the eyes of other factions, they are nicknamed the "old-age faction" and are a group that has more than enough self-preservation but not enough offense.

Shikamaru sees the current internal situation in Konoha very clearly.

The advisory group has no room for growth. As soon as the two members of the advisory group step down, the faction will immediately fall apart and be annexed by other factions.

In addition, the Sarutobi clan and the martial arts faction led by the root leaders are the most powerful enemies of the Hokage faction.

The former has the foundation of dominance. No matter how weakened it is, it will not die. It can only indulge in it and find another opportunity.

The latter is the same. A ninja village cannot only have doves, otherwise it will continue the appeasement policy of the Third Hokage, balancing internally and compromising externally.

Therefore, as the representative of the fighting hawks, even if it is removed in the future, it will just change its name. But in essence, they are still the powerful representatives in Konoha.

Compared to the former, Shikamaru believed that the latter was the greatest threat.

The Ninja clan can rely on the Hokage's orthodox power to annex them. They are not essentially rule-breakers.

But the fighting faction headed by Genbu is different. What they like to do most is to jump outside the rules and not hesitate to use force to get what they want.

Even attacking and controlling the Hokage to seize the power of Konoha, such a treasonous thing can be done without any hesitation, which shows how difficult and terrifying the root is.

But thinking about it from another perspective, in this turbulent era, with an extremely powerful organization like Genbu, and with Konoha as the orthodox martial arts organization, as a member of our own people, in terms of attitude towards the outside world, it can make people feel at ease. .

At least that's what Shikamaru thought.

Although he doesn't like some of the styles of the roots, such as no-lower-limit behavior... but it also means that they will be a sharp knife in Konoha's hands, destroying any enemy who threatens Konoha's existence by any means.

Now, he wants to borrow this sharp knife.

Follow Sai all the way to Konoha's torture chamber, not through the main road, but through a small road.

This path, from the moment Danzo entered the torture room, was taken over by the roots and became a place of entry and exit exclusively controlled by the roots.

Even so, when Shikamaru followed Sai onto this path, he was still wrapped in a black robe, wrapping himself tightly, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

It was noon and the sky was sunny, but Shikamaru's heart was filled with clouds.

He knew exactly what it meant to contact someone like Danzo.

Once this is done, it is equivalent to putting one of his own levers in Danzo's hands.

Danzo may use this as a reason to ask him to do things in the future.

But he couldn't use this to blackmail Danzo and restrain each other.

He has lost the power of political promotion, and he can only live in darkness for the rest of his life, unable to see the light.

Therefore, threats, excuses, frame-ups, and frame-ups are the last things Danzo cares about.

This was something that was unilaterally detrimental to Shikamaru.

Sai, who was leading the way, would glance at Shikamaru behind him from time to time. When they came to the side door of the torture room, the shadow of the huge building swallowed up the two figures.

Before officially stepping into the dark entrance, Sai stopped and turned to stare at Shikamaru.

The smile on his face disappeared, and it was no longer the fake smile that made people feel fake.

"You can't regret it after you go in. It's too late to stop now. To be honest, I don't know what you are going to do, but making a deal with Danzo-sama is an extremely stupid decision."

"Of course I know, but now I must borrow the power of roots to accomplish one thing."

Shikamaru said with calm eyes.

Before coming here, he had gone through quite an intense psychological struggle.

But in the end, it was discovered that apart from the Hokage, only Danzo's roots could accomplish this alone.

The Hokage gave a clear rejection. Although he knew that the Hokage was thinking about himself and was unwilling to let him bear such a burden alone, now was not the time to hesitate.

Sasuke may launch revenge against Konoha at any time, and he must be prepared before then.

But now, only Danzo can help him.

This opportunity must be seized.

As if sensing Shikamaru's determination, Sai said nothing, turned around, and continued to lead the way.

"Naruto's place..."

"Don't worry, I won't talk nonsense."

Sai gave an affirmative answer.

"Naruto and I are friends, but even between friends, it is impossible to share all secrets. This is what I read from the book, so I won't talk nonsense, and I don't want to know the reason why you are looking for Danzo-sama. ."

Sai's words made Shikamaru feel reassured.

Leading the way, there was only the sound of two people walking in the dim passage. Other than that, there was no sound. The silence was a bit eerie.

Finally, Sai stopped in front of an iron door, stepped aside, and stood on one side of the iron door.

"Next, you need to face it alone. Don't make Danzo-sama angry, otherwise even your father will not be able to save you."

The root is the ultimate darkness of Konoha, which revolves around Danzo's will.

Even if nothing could be done to Shikamaru on the surface, countless assassinations would follow.

Even the power of the Pig, Deer and Die tribes cannot protect them.

However, Sai just mentioned it and asked Shikamaru to be more cautious.

After all, it is impossible for Genji to really kill Shikamaru and offend the Ino, Deer, and Butterfly clans, especially if there is no conflict of interest.

"Thank you, I will treat you to dinner later."

Shikamaru nodded, pushed open the iron door and walked in. Darkness rushed in his face.

As the sound of the iron door closing sounded, Sai kept standing beside the iron door and did not leave, because after the conversation between Shikamaru and Danzo ended, he still had to lead Shikamaru away from the root stronghold.

The iron door was closed, and there was only one candle burning in the room, bringing a small amount of light in the darkness.

Shikamaru also got his wish and saw the person he wanted to see.

Former Konoha senior elder and root leader Shimura Danzo.

There was a heart-stopping darkness in the gloomy face and the all-seeing eyes.

Not sure if it was an illusion, Shikamaru noticed that Danzo's face seemed older than the one he saw a few years ago.

Although the aura was still sharp, Chi Mu's aura could not be concealed and leaked out.

Time is running out. This was Shikamaru's judgment.

If nothing else happens, this all-powerful leader in the darkness of Konoha is already in his twilight years, with half of his foot on the coffin board.

Even so, Shikamaru didn't dare to take it lightly.

He had a hunch that even if Danzo was in this state, it would be easy to kill him.

What's more, in the darkness, he felt countless dangers that could kill him.

How many deep-rooted ninjas are hidden in the darkness?

This answer is probably only known to Danzo himself.

He sat there, just staring at Shikamaru, and Shikamaru looked at him without speaking. The first private meeting between the two people started with silence.

After a long time, Danzo said in a resounding old voice: "In your eyes, I see darkness."

Shikamaru still didn't speak, letting the old man look at him.

"But this darkness is different from the darkness of the roots. You are still longing for it, and you still want redemption in your heart. Your determination and your capacity are not enough to bear this darkness."

"I'm here to make a deal with you."

Shikamaru was not swayed by Danzo's words and chose to take the initiative.

Danzo sat there and listened patiently.

"Uchiha Sasuke will soon launch a revenge campaign against Konoha. The advisor, as well as you, are all targets of his revenge."

Danzo neither affirmed nor denied Shikamaru's judgment.

"That chick has indeed begun to spread its wings and fly high, just like the chick named 'Uchiha Itachi' that once flew away from my hand... Hatred has turned into a seed in his heart, and this seed will make him... The Sharingan enters a more powerful state. The more suppressed it is, the more ferocious the hatred will rebound."

Shikamaru nodded, something that even the Hokage could understand, it was impossible for Danzo, as a fighting sect, not to be able to see it.

In fact, he got far more information than they did.

"I will give you what you want."

As if he knew what Shikamaru wanted to do, Danzo agreed directly.

Shikamaru felt bitter in his heart. Before he could speak, his thoughts were read.

This shinobi's darkness is far more terrifying than imagined.

"What do I have to give?"

After clearing up his complicated emotions, Shikamaru's expression became solemn.

Danzo's gaze was neither cold nor sharp, it was just like a mass of darkness and turbidity, swallowing people's hearts.

"Are you interested...in getting to the roots?"

◎

Ghost country, military jurisdiction.

On the training ground, two figures collided with each other.

The shock wave that unfolded after the collision of the figures made the ground vibrate and tremble.

But if you take a closer look, you can see that the two are not evenly matched, but that one of them is standing at an absolute advantage, acting like a superior, and giving tricks to the other.

"God's Sky Strike!"

Under one of Ayane's fleshy palms, the floor directly caused an earth-shattering explosion.

The stone slab exploded to pieces, and the scattered fragments were like shotguns exploding in all directions. A shockingly large hole appeared in the center where the flesh palm was bombarded.

While sweating coldly, Sasuke kept moving backwards, trying to distance himself from Ayane.

But when he retreated, Ayane followed closely, not giving Sasuke a chance to breathe.

As a last resort, Sasuke had no choice but to stop his steps, stamp on the ground hard, and swing his sword forward.

Not to be outdone, Ayane struck out with a palm, and a surge of force was reversed from the sword, making Sasuke's arm numb and almost losing consciousness.

It’s this unreasonable defensiveness again. Sasuke cursed silently.

If he hadn't known that his Kusanagi sword had not been swapped, he would have doubted whether the Kusanagi sword Orochimaru gave him was a fake.

Only a white mark appeared on the palm of Ayane's fleshy palm that had repelled the Kusanagi sword, and the wound did not even open.

Every time he saw this scene, Sasuke kept wondering whether the white-eyed woman in front of him was a human being, but a tailed beast wearing human skin fighting with him.

Even the Kusanagi sword, which was as sharp as iron as clay, could not scratch the opponent's skin. Sasuke suspected that the opponent was not practicing soft fist at all.

"Looking at the expression on his face that doubts life, it seems that he was hit hard."

At the edge of the training ground, two figures stood, looking at the two people fighting on the ground. One of them looked at Sasuke and couldn't help but curled up the corner of his mouth. It was Kazuhime who came here to visit.

"With the secret body-refining technique from Mt. Myoboku, Ayane's body is already close to that of a tailed beast. The difference in physical strength between the two is too big, and the winner will be determined soon."

Liuli commented.

"Aren't you going to teach him how to use Susanoo? He already has the basics to learn, right?"

Yiji glanced at her mother Liuli and asked tentatively.

Using the three Magatama Sharingan to activate Susanoo's power, although there is a gap between it and Susanoo in the kaleidoscope state, it is undoubtedly a trump card that can turn defeat into victory at a critical moment.

With Sasuke's current strength, he is already qualified to learn this move.

Liuli looked at Sasuke in the field and slowly shook his head.

"Not yet. After defeating Orochimaru, he felt a little restless. He must be calmed down. Otherwise, it will be difficult to learn Susanoo in this state."

After Yi Ji heard this, she was speechless.