The morning after Naruto returned to Konoha, he headed directly to the one place he believed Sai and Maki would be—Root's old base.
This base had once been his sanctuary, having played a vital role during his formative years.
Ever since three years ago, when he came searching for Danzo and found the base already abandoned, he hadn't returned.
Now, the gray, lifeless walls stirred a deep wave of nostalgia within him. Naruto instinctively lightened his footsteps, as if returning to the past—back when even the faintest noise in the hallway during Danzo's harsh training meant punishment. That stern old man…
Even though he's long dead, sometimes Naruto still feels as though he's lurking somewhere in the shadows.
It was a strange feeling—one that even now made Naruto think about him unwillingly.
Danzo's death didn't cause much stir within the village; perhaps this was exactly what he wanted.
But Naruto believed he shouldn't be forgotten. His contributions to the village were too great to let him fade into history as a mere footnote.
Naruto's footsteps finally stopped at the old, dimly lit training ground deep inside the base.
He stepped inside, let out a quiet sigh, and made his way to the training room he once shared with Maki.
More accurately, it originally belonged solely to Maki, but Naruto trained here for over a year before her arrival, most of the time under Danzo's supervision. It became their shared training space only after Maki arrived.
As expected, Maki sat cross-legged in the training room meditating.
Naruto didn't interrupt her. He simply walked silently into the room, leaning against the wall while savoring the long-lost peace found within the Root base.
He hoped one day this place could regain its vitality.
Once he became Hokage, he would restore Root into a strong defensive force for the village—a true covert operations unit.
Only those at the highest levels of power would even know of their existence, just like originally intended.
They would remain hidden among the masses—some as officially registered ninja, others masquerading as ordinary civilians. Yet they all shared the same goal—accomplishing their missions.
"Naruto-senpai," Maki spoke up suddenly, her eyes still closed, "do you know how I originally joined Root? I think you probably don't—we've never talked about it."
Naruto shook his head. He genuinely didn't know, but he could guess.
Their generation either sought out Danzo themselves, like most Root members did—learning about his organization after becoming full-fledged ninja and choosing to join Root, as it was then an official branch of Anbu;
Or they were orphans like himself, specifically recruited.
After all, most kids entering the Ninja Academy came from ninja families. Civilian-born children could also attend, but required a guardian's guarantee.
Without a parent or legal guardian to sponsor them, children could not enroll in the Ninja Academy.
Therefore, the reasons why Maki and Sai joined Root seemed obvious enough, especially since Naruto now knew that most of Danzo's forces had been wiped out by Pain during the last great war—including many Rain ninja who had fought alongside Sanshouo Hanzo.
They were all orphans, just like Naruto. No one could support them at the Ninja Academy, so joining Root became their only path forward.
Danzo gave them a place, trained them, and eventually made them members of Root.
Of course, those with the greatest talent ultimately entered the Ninja Academy, people like Maki and Sai.
Danzo did this to ensure that Root had a visible presence in the open, allowing him to keep track of what was happening within the village while maintaining his control from the shadows. Those who didn't make it into the Ninja Academy remained within Root, becoming its core strength and carrying out most of the missions.
"I'm not sure how you ended up joining Root, Maki, but I can guess," Naruto said, leaning against the wall. "It was probably similar to my experience. We were all part of the same generation. All of us wanted to get into the Ninja Academy, but we never got the chance. Danzo gave us a place."
He shrugged his shoulders. "I joined when I was four. What about you?"
"I was four too," Maki opened her gray eyes and looked at Naruto. "My parents were killed in the Land of Rice. It was much more chaotic there back then than it is now. I became an orphan, barely able to walk or speak, dirty and frail. Nobody wanted to adopt me. Later, I was rejected by the Ninja Academy. Not that I can really blame them—back then, I looked weak and fragile, like I might die any moment."
Listening to this, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little sadness. Not every orphan was as lucky as he was.
Back then, without his unique background, he probably wouldn't have made it either.
Maki continued, "I stayed at the orphanage for three years and got some basic training before Danzo-sama dropped me straight into Root." She looked at Naruto and said, "I remember our first fight. You hit me really hard, Naruto-senpai."
Naruto grinned. "I didn't know you were a girl back then. Even if I had known, I still wouldn't have gone easy on you—and I sure as hell wouldn't now."
"I joined when I was six," Sai's voice came from the hallway. He walked into the room smiling. "Before that, I lived in the orphanage just down the road from the northern side of Konoha, very close to the Ninja Academy. After joining Root, I met Shin. Shin was like an older brother to me. I don't know if we were always meant to end up fighting each other to the death before he died of illness, but without Danzo-sama, we would never have met each other at all."
He glanced at Naruto and Maki. "We might never have met either."
Naruto smiled back at Sai—this one actually felt real. Either Sai was getting better at faking emotions, or he was finally feeling them for real.
"You're right," Naruto said, stepping away from the wall and starting to pace the room. "Danzo is a bastard—I'll admit that, and I'm the first to say it. He was extremely harsh toward me. My childhood was practically hell, and he made sure you all got the same harsh treatment. But he gave us the opportunity to do what we wanted to do, and the only price we paid was our ruined childhoods."
Naruto stepped behind Maki and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, continuing to speak.
"Grueling training. Dangerous missions right from the start. Yes, we really are in danger... That's right—we chose to bear all this. But the key point is that it was our own choice."
He started pacing again, his eyes scanning the two Root members present.
"No matter what happens, I will become a ninja—that's just who I am. But you two—and everyone else our age—never even got the chance to chase your dreams. Our generation lost our parents in the last war. Without Danzō, we might not have had any chance of becoming ninja at all."
As he spoke, Naruto walked toward the open doorway of the training room and stepped into the hallway beyond—once empty, now teeming with Root members. Hundreds of young ninja and a handful of veterans left over from Konoha's Anbu days were training there.
"He gave us a place where we could matter. We matter because we do what no one else can. Because we joined Root, we're no longer outsiders. Maybe you think I'm cold-hearted, but the truth is, this was the chance we always longed for. So no matter what, I'll remember Lord Danzō... because he gave us a shot when we were running out of options. Danzō may be gone, but Root still stands—because all of us are still here. We can't afford to stop moving forward now."
Sai followed Naruto out of the room, and Maki came right after them. The three stood together, gazing at the assembled Root members.
After Naruto finished those final words, Sai, whose face had paled, shared his thoughts:
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