With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Yamanaka Shinno brought White Zetsu and Tobi straight into the Root office.
Nonō Yakushi, who hadn't slept all night, was sitting behind her desk, buried in the latest intel from the front lines.
Yamato and Kohaku sat obediently beside her.
One of them held a manga, fully absorbed in its fictional world.
Thanks to Shinno's genjutsu, Hypnosis Academy, the two kids had progressed with astonishing speed over the past half-month.
While still a bit naïve compared to other precocious children in the shinobi world, they had at least gained a degree of independence.
This had significantly eased the burden on Nonō.
Now, she could focus most of her attention on managing Root's affairs.
Don't underestimate a seasoned spy who's survived missions across multiple nations. Just by observing Shinno handle a few tasks, she was already able to replicate his methods with impressive precision.
"Where's Mikoto?"
Shinno flopped onto a nearby couch, picked up a cup of tea, and took a big gulp.
Too much had happened last night.
His body didn't feel tired, but with his brain running at full throttle, he was definitely feeling some mental fatigue.
Fortunately, most responsibilities had now been passed off to Nara Shikaku.
All he had to do now was boost Tsunade's strength—a relatively simple task in comparison.
"She went to oversee the reform of the training program."
"How's the progress?"
"Almost finished."
Nonō reached for a scroll at her side, intending to hand it to Shinno.
But he waved her off, signaling her to keep working.
She pursed her lips in mild exasperation and sat back down at her desk, resuming her work.
The overhaul of Root's training program wasn't especially complicated.
The combat division's new curriculum focused on minimizing injuries and fatalities during training. Those who failed the combat course were reassigned to specialized divisions.
Sensing, administration, intelligence, documentation, ninjutsu development, ninja tool engineering...
There was a wide range of specialized fields. Even children rejected by the combat course could find something they were good at.
And if not?
They could still pick up some practical skills to make a living—then quietly blend into different countries and towns across the shinobi world as ordinary dark operatives.
This new system might lower the overall combat strength of Root's fresh recruits.
But it gave those average kids a chance to survive.
And it made Root's structure more balanced and versatile.
Even though Nonō had once undergone Danzo's brutal training to suppress all emotion, she was still human—not a tool, not a machine.
Like someone who's been drenched in rain... she now wanted to hold up an umbrella for others.
Most of the Root shinobi hadn't said anything aloud, but their enthusiasm in supporting the reforms said enough.
In less than two weeks, the specialized programs had already taken shape and were starting to run smoothly.
Although expenses had ballooned—several times over, in fact—
After Shinno shut down a few insanely costly experiments that he deemed "a complete waste of resources," Root was once again able to maintain a stable financial balance.
In the short term, at least, this new model seemed entirely sustainable.
"Mm."
Shinno nodded in satisfaction and didn't interrupt her work any further. Instead, he beckoned Yamato and Kohaku over.
In his vision for Root's future, it would become something akin to CP0—an elite organization of shadow enforcers.
No matter the time or the world, there would always be a need for people to do the dirty work.
And such an organization must be firmly under his control.
"Sensei!"
Yamato and Kohaku hopped down from their stools, big eyes sparkling as they happily ran over.
They had an instinctive trust and attachment to Shinno—the one who'd rescued them from that dark underground lab and taught them how to live like normal people.
"Tobi, let's see what you can do. Without harming their bodies, how far can you boost their power?"
Shinno gently patted their heads, then addressed Tobi.
"Yes~ my lord~"
Tobi shot a smug glance at Zetsu before strolling over to the two children—who looked more like sisters than siblings—and placed his ghostly pale hands on their shoulders.
"Ohhh nooo, my lord~ this is quite the situation…"
"Spare me the nonsense."
"Ahem! My lord, they're both very promising kids, but their bodies are still too weak. If I possess just one of them individually, I might get them up to jōnin level."
"You can possess them both at the same time?"
"My lord, their bodies and chakra are highly compatible. If they hold hands and synchronize their chakra flow, I can enhance them simultaneously. They might even show greater power together. But if you want zero physical harm... well, probably a strong jōnin at best?"
Tobi's voice drooped, full of sorrow.
These kids were barely five years old, had only just begun chakra refining, and had zero physical training.
How could their little bodies handle his full power boost?
This was the very first task his lord had given him, and he was already about to fail. The despair!
"...You're already stronger than a jōnin yourself, aren't you?"
Shinno facepalmed.
Of course. If even a single possession pushed someone to jōnin level, that meant Tobi was burning through his own life force to achieve it!
...
But once Yamato and Kohaku matured—strengthened their bodies and honed their skills—
Yamato + Kohaku + Tobi?
That combo could produce a powerhouse on Kage level.
"You two need to study and train hard, okay? Once you grow up, the mission of protecting world peace will fall to you!"
Shinno ruffled their hair, his tone warm and gentle.
The two kids blinked their innocent eyes and nodded solemnly.
Nonō nearly faceplanted into the desk.
"Protect world peace"? Seriously?
This guy was totally brainwashing them!
Five-year-olds! He wasn't even sparing five-year-olds! How was he any different from Danzo!?
"Hey, hey, could you lose the judgmental face? It's not like I asked you to show me your panties, okay? Was that really necessary?"
Shinno shot her a sharp look, annoyed.
"Has the great lord finally decided to make a move on his subordinate? As expected... the fate of a Root kunoichi is truly bleak and tragic."
Nonō put down her brush, speaking in a calm, detached tone.
But under the desk, her left hand unconsciously pressed against her left thigh—
Right where the Flying Thunder God mark was carved.
She'd tried everything to remove it, but it was impossible to erase. Even hiding it was a no-go!
"??? Could you not corrupt the kids? Please?"
Shinno turned to the two children with an embarrassed look, switching to a gentle tone.
"Yamato, Kohaku—want to go outside with sensei for a bit?"
"Yeah!"
Yamato grabbed Kohaku's hand.
Having understood absolutely none of the adult conversation, the two kids nodded enthusiastically, faces full of joy.
Fwoosh—
With the shimmer of space-time ripples from the Flying Thunder God Technique, Shinno and the kids vanished from the office.
Zetsu looked at the manga they had left behind.
He casually picked one up and plopped himself onto a nearby couch, flipping it open with practiced ease.
"Ahhh~ workplace X harassment, is it? Oh my~ I really don't get it. Hey, lady boss, who was harassing who just now?"
Tobi rubbed his swirly-brained head and curiously leaned toward Nonō.
She stared at him for a long moment.
It was clear he had more brains than Zetsu.
Without hesitation, she changed the subject.
"Name, gender, abilities, specialties—I need to register you for official employment."
"Huh? Oh! Right! My name's Tobi! Though the lord usually calls me 'Ah-Tobi!' Gender... uh... I don't have anything down there, so maybe you can just fill that part in for me?"
"Now that's sexual harassment!"
"Eh? Me? What? Huh?!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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