The week following his strange encounter with the Root operative passed in uneasy quiet. No masked figures in alleyways, no ominous notes by his window. To the rest of the village, it was just another stretch of normal life. Children trained at the academy, merchants shouted in the market square, and the scent of grilled dumplings drifted over Konoha's evening air.
But for him, the silence was its own kind of threat.
Root did not retreat. Root waited.
So when Minato-sensei gathered the team at dawn and said, "We've been assigned to a supply escort mission—straightforward but important," the MC's stomach tightened. Straightforward was exactly the kind of mission Root could twist into something else.
The Mission Begins
The four of them—Minato, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito—assembled outside the village gates. A convoy of three carts loaded with provisions and medicine awaited them. The drivers bowed nervously, grateful for shinobi escort.
"Shouldn't be much trouble," Obito muttered, yawning. "Just a walk in the woods."
Kakashi shot him a sharp look. "That's what you said last time. You nearly got skewered."
"Details," Obito grumbled.
The MC smiled faintly but didn't answer. His eyes lingered on the convoy. The harness straps looked freshly tied—too fresh. One of the wheels bore faint scratches inconsistent with normal wear. And the map Minato handed them? Folded differently than regulation dispatch maps.
The system pulsed in his vision.
[Alert: Probability of tampering detected – 62%.]
[Caution advised.]
He hid the flicker of tension in his chest.
So it begins.
Sabotage Signs
The first day's travel went smoothly. Minato kept their pace steady, Rin tended to the nervous horses, and Obito cracked jokes to fill the silence. Only Kakashi seemed to notice the MC's quiet scanning of every detail.
That night, as they camped, the sabotage revealed itself. One of the supply crates was lighter than expected. Rin frowned, opening it. Instead of bandages and ration pills, it was half-empty, filled with straw.
"That's… strange," Rin said. "The inventory listed this as medical supplies."
"Maybe a mistake?" Obito offered.
Minato's expression darkened but stayed calm. "We'll report it when we return. For now, we carry on."
The MC said nothing. The system's response burned across his vision.
[Confirmed: Supply crate substitution intentional.]
[Origin trace: Inconclusive. Probability of Root involvement – High.]
He clenched his fists under his cloak. They were already inside Root's game.
Into the Ambush Zone
By the second day, the "errors" multiplied. A canteen missing from Rin's pack. A kunai pouch Kakashi swore he had prepared—suddenly gone. Worst of all, the convoy route marked on Minato's map veered them toward a narrow valley, flanked by high cliffs. A perfect ambush site.
The MC slowed, walking at the rear. His thoughts churned.
They want to see how I adapt. They're testing me through my team's misfortune. If I speak up, Minato-sensei might suspect… but Root will know I've broken silence. No—I have to play this quietly.
The system pulsed again.
[Warning: Hostile presence detected.]
[Recommendation: Prepare counter-ambush strategy.]
His breath slowed.
So it's happening now.
The Ambush
It began with a whistling sound. Arrows rained down from the cliffs. Horses screamed, carts rattled, drivers ducked in terror. Enemy shinobi emerged from the rocks—at least ten, maybe twelve, their headbands scratched, missing-nin hungry for loot.
Minato reacted instantly, forming seals. "Stay close to the convoy! Defend the supplies!"
Kakashi and Obito leapt forward, kunai drawn. Rin rushed to shield the drivers. The MC's eyes darted over the battlefield, calculating.
Arrows, narrow valley, high ground disadvantage. But the enemy formation was sloppy—driven by confidence in their ambush. That arrogance could be used against them.
The system highlighted the cliffs in faint red lines.
[Analysis: Enemy advantage – Elevation. Weak point: Left flank ridge. Collapse probability: 48%.]
[Recommendation: Trigger terrain disruption.]
He nodded subtly. Time to turn the trap.
Tactical Response
"Kakashi!" he shouted, voice sharp. "Left ridge—push them down!"
Kakashi scowled at the order but, trusting instinct, hurled a barrage of shuriken toward the highlighted spot. Explosive tags followed, detonating against the cliffside. Stone and dust cascaded down, scattering the ambushers and cutting their formation in half.
Obito blinked. "Whoa! Lucky guess?"
"Not luck," Kakashi muttered, already diving into the fray.
The MC moved next, guiding the convoy drivers to position the carts against the valley wall, reducing exposure. Rin followed his lead, setting up a quick medical barrier around the supplies.
Minato gave him a quick, approving glance mid-combat. "Good thinking!"
But the MC wasn't thinking of praise. His gaze flicked upward—where two masked silhouettes lingered, motionless, just beyond the chaos. Watching. Root operatives. Silent judges.
Close Quarters
The enemy pressed harder. One shinobi lunged toward a driver, blade flashing. The MC intercepted, parrying with a kunai. His movements were sharp, efficient—less flashy than Kakashi's but precise.
The system pulsed.
[Danger: Enemy strike angle – 67% probability lethal to ally.]
[Counter: Sidestep + throat strike recommended.]
He obeyed, shifting smoothly, catching the enemy's wrist and driving his kunai across the throat. The shinobi dropped soundlessly. The driver gasped but lived.
Another enemy rushed him. He planted explosive tags in the dirt, forcing the opponent to retreat into Obito's waiting fireball jutsu. Obito laughed, triumphant, never realizing his victory had been orchestrated.
Bit by bit, they turned the battle. Minato's speed tore through enemy lines, Kakashi's precision carved openings, Rin kept the drivers alive. And through it all, the MC guided silently, letting them believe in their own skill while the system whispered probabilities into his mind.
Victory… and Shadows
The ambush broke. Survivors fled into the cliffs, abandoning the fight. The convoy, though battered, still stood. Minato surveyed the scene, satisfied. "Well done, everyone. That could have gone far worse."
Obito puffed out his chest. "Told you I'd handle it!"
Rin smiled with relief. Kakashi only cleaned his blade in silence.
But the MC did not relax. His gaze flicked back to the ridges. The Root operatives were gone. No trace left—no sign they'd been there at all. But he knew. Every move he had made had been judged.
The system confirmed it.
[Mission Outcome: Success.]
[Note: External interference – Root sabotage confirmed.]
[Status: You are now classified as 'Target of Interest.']
The words felt heavier than the battlefield silence.
Silent Verdict
That night, as they rested after escorting the convoy safely to its destination, the MC sat apart from the campfire. He turned the events over in his mind, every detail sharpened by paranoia.
When he returned to his bedroll, a slip of paper lay waiting where none should have been. Plain white, with a single line:
You adapt. But do you endure?
He crumpled it silently, shoving it into his pouch before the others could notice. His heart beat steady but cold.
Nice try, gramps. I know your schemes. You won't break me that easily.
He didn't say it aloud. The thought remained locked inside, where Root could not yet reach.
Author's Note
This chapter was a shift toward strategy over spectacle. Instead of flashy jutsu, MC relied on tactical thinking, system guidance, and battlefield control to protect his team against both enemy ambushers and Root's silent sabotage.
The shadows aren't attacking directly yet—they're testing, prodding, learning.
But every step deeper means Root is investing more in him… and that's never a safe thing in Konoha.
What do you think? Should Root's next move be psychological (isolating MC, twisting his trust) or physical (forcing him into a dangerous solo mission)?