The mission was finished, supplies delivered, enemies defeated. On the surface, it was another success for Minato's squad. They returned to Konoha without casualties, with even the convoy drivers praising them as heroes.
But beneath the surface, something had shifted.
The MC could feel it in the air. Root was no longer watching from a distance—they were inside the cracks of his everyday life, tugging quietly at the threads of his world.
Whispers in the Village
The day after their return, Minato dismissed the team to rest. Obito bounded off, probably to nap, Rin left with her healer's kit, and Kakashi vanished without a word, as usual.
The MC lingered. Walking through Konoha should have felt safe, but today every corner, every rooftop, every shifting shadow felt loaded.
A merchant's smile lasted a fraction too long.
A child pointed at him, whispering to their parent before being hushed.
A shinobi he didn't recognize paused, gave a nod, and walked away.
The system confirmed his paranoia wasn't just paranoia.
[Social environment altered.]
[Probability of observation – 73%.]
[Recommendation: Do not react visibly.]
He exhaled slowly, forcing his body to stay relaxed. Root was testing his composure now.
First they test my tactics. Now they test my mind.
The First Cut
That evening, Obito barged into the training grounds late, waving his arms. "You won't believe it! They say you—" He stopped mid-sentence, eyes wide. "Wait. You don't know?"
"Know what?" the MC asked flatly.
"That you… uh…" Obito scratched his head nervously. "They're saying you were the reason half the supplies went missing on the mission. That you mixed up crates."
The MC froze. Rin, who had just arrived with a basket, frowned. "That can't be true. He was the one keeping everything organized."
Obito bit his lip. "Yeah, I know. But the rumors… they're spreading. Fast."
The MC's expression didn't flicker, though his stomach clenched. Root wasn't just watching—they were rearranging reality around him.
[Observation: Reputational sabotage confirmed.]
[Warning: Trust of allies at risk.]
Rin placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't believe them."
Her warmth helped, but the MC caught Kakashi watching from the side, his single visible eye unreadable.
So this is their next step, he thought. They'll make me the villain from the inside out.
The Broken Letter
Two nights later, a message appeared under his door. No seal, no signature. Just a folded sheet of parchment.
Inside was a crude imitation of Minato's handwriting.
Your mistakes on the last mission nearly cost us. If you continue to endanger the team, I will have no choice but to remove you from active duty.
The MC stared at the paper in silence. The letters were almost perfect, but he knew Minato's style—this was a forgery.
The system confirmed it.
[Forgery detected.]
[Purpose: Psychological destabilization.]
He burned the paper immediately, watching the ash curl into nothing.
But the damage had already been seeded. A message like that didn't need to be true—it only needed him to wonder if Minato could think it.
And that doubt was poison.
A Friend's Question
Days later, Rin approached him during training. She hesitated, chewing her lip before speaking.
"Can I ask you something? …Did you really… forget to check the supply crates before we left?"
The MC blinked, his heart tightening. Rin—gentle, loyal Rin—was asking the question now.
He forced his voice calm. "No."
Rin's eyes softened immediately, though guilt shadowed her face. "I knew it. I just… needed to hear it from you."
She smiled and returned to practice, but the MC stood rooted, his chest heavy.
They're good. They don't just want to break me—they want me to watch my bonds fray in front of me.
The Test of Endurance
One night, on his way back from patrol, he sensed it. A flicker in the alley, a shift in the air. He stopped, hand on his kunai.
From the shadows, a figure stepped out. Masked. Silent. Root.
They said nothing. Instead, they tossed a bundle at his feet. The cloth unrolled to reveal a bloodied Konoha headband.
The MC's pulse quickened, though he didn't show it.
"Yours?" The Root operative's voice was flat, distorted. "Or theirs?"
Another figure stepped out, dragging a bound shinobi—barely conscious, bruised, gagged.
The MC's jaw clenched. He recognized the face—it was one of the drivers from their last mission.
The Root operative tilted their head. "You are efficient. You adapt. But… do you endure?"
A kunai dropped between them. "Prove it."
The system pulsed.
[Root Test: Terminate or Spare subject.]
[Consequence: Unknown. Both paths lead to observation.]
The MC's chest rose and fell. He could kill the driver and prove "loyalty" to their twisted creed. Or he could refuse and mark himself as "weak."
But either choice was a trap. Root didn't care about the answer—they cared about the cracks it left inside him.
He crouched, meeting the captive's eyes. "I'm sorry."
And with one swift strike, he cut the ropes instead of the throat. The driver gasped, scrambling backward.
The Root operatives didn't move. After a long silence, they melted into the shadows.
No attack. No reprimand. Only silence.
[System Note: Action recorded.]
[Verdict: Inconclusive.]
The MC let out a slow breath, his body trembling only after they were gone.
Not today. You don't break me today.
Shadows Remain
The next morning, he walked with his team as if nothing had happened. Obito bickered, Rin smiled, Kakashi stayed cold. Minato handed out new assignments with his usual calm.
But the MC felt the weight of the unseen. Root hadn't finished. This was only the beginning.
And in his pouch, hidden deep, was the driver's discarded rope—proof of a night no one else would ever know.
Author's Note
Chapter 19 pushed Root into psychological warfare: rumors, forged letters, reputational sabotage, and a silent trial of endurance. MC's resilience was tested not in battle, but in trust and loyalty.
He refused to play by Root's script—but every choice makes the net tighter.
👉 Should Chapter 20 escalate into a solo mission "assignment" forced by Root (physical danger) or deepen the mind games with his teammates slowly doubting him?