The rooftops of Konoha's warehouse district stretched wide beneath the cloak of night, their silhouettes jagged against the faint glow of lanterns far in the distance. Raven moved like a shadow, her adult clone's masked form crouched low beside Yumi, who padded silently, her white tail swaying in rhythm. Their target slept only a few rooms away, inside a shabby apartment that clung to the edge of an abandoned supply building. Raven reached into her cloak, pulling out a small, custom-made smoke bomb laced with sleeping powder. With a flick of her wrist, the sphere arced through the cracked window and landed with a soft thud. A muffled hiss followed, filling the air inside with a haze. Within seconds came the sound of a body collapsing to the floor.
Raven straightened, the mask hiding the faintest lift of her expression. "That wasn't too hard."
Yumi's golden eyes glimmered with amusement as she flicked her tail. "Of course not. She's fresh blood—barely trained, still green. The real miracle is that you even know about her at this stage."
Raven's Rinnegan burned softly beneath the mask. "Please. I know the future. Riko will one day be Danzō's right hand in Root, his second-in-command. She has more potential than half his forces combined."
"Then tonight," Yumi replied smoothly, "we begin rewriting her future."
Without hesitation, Raven slipped through the rooftop entry, her movements swift and silent. The room smelled faintly of mold and stale rice, its furniture little more than broken crates stacked along one wall. Riko lay unconscious on the thin mat, chest rising and falling steadily. Raven crouched, hoisted the girl's limp body over her shoulder, and sprang back toward the open window. Yumi followed with a fluid leap, her paws landing noiselessly as the pair vanished into the night.
Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, Raven adjusted the girl's weight against her shoulder. Yumi paced alongside her, ears twitching as she glanced at the unconscious recruit. "Why was she living in such a run-down place? Even by Root standards, this is pitiful."
Raven's tone was edged with disdain. "Danzō killed her brother and still gave her nothing. Root pay is shit. Only his elite operatives earn privilege and money, and even they are shackled. The rest live in the slums, forced to hide in plain sight. Disposable soldiers for a man who values only control."
"Fitting," Yumi said darkly. "He commands loyalty but gives no life worth living in return. Even his pawns rot where they stand."
Raven's jaw tightened as she vaulted the last stretch of rooftops. "That's why she'll turn. She just doesn't know it yet."
The looming gates of the Forest of Death soon swallowed them whole, its twisted trees rising high like skeletal arms. The air thickened with humidity, carrying the faint stench of venomous plants and unseen predators. Raven pressed forward, weaving between the dense undergrowth until the massive stone boulder appeared ahead, half-sunken at the base of a gnarled tree. Yumi brushed the surface with her tail, activating the hidden seal. The stone shimmered briefly before phasing transparent, revealing the concealed entrance.
Together, they descended into the familiar underground chamber, the walls lined with faintly glowing Uzumaki seals, the air rich with natural chakra. Raven lowered Riko onto a reinforced chair in the center of the room and swiftly bound her wrists and ankles with chakra cord, ensuring no sudden movements when she awoke.
Yumi padded closer, her expression serious now. "Check her. If Orochimaru helped Danzō forge these seals, there could be trackers, listening tags, or worse."
Raven's mask tilted as her Rinnegan flared, glowing rings illuminating the unconscious girl. Threads of chakra unfolded before her vision, pulsing faintly in the rhythm of Riko's life. Raven traced each pathway, each flicker, each foreign mark. After several seconds, she exhaled. "She's clean. No trackers. No listening tags. Only the Seal of Obedience, etched deep into her chakra network."
Yumi's lip curled slightly, her tails twitching. "Surprising. You'd think Orochimaru's paranoia would demand at least three layers of failsafes."
Raven's voice was flat, cold. "Don't underestimate him. This is just one recruit. Danzō and Orochimaru save their true horrors for more advanced subjects. One day, we'll face them both—and I intend to be ready."
Join my patreon today to read up to chapter 78 in advance your support is my inspiration join for only to 3 to 5$
patreon.com/everstone