"Hey, Kakuda, did you find anything?"
"No. What about your side?"
"Same here. Nothing."
In a mountain forest within the Land of Fire, two Root shinobi met up again, exchanging helpless looks.
From the glance they shared, both could clearly sense the other's frustration.
They were newly recruited Root members. Initially, neither of them had held a good impression of the organization. After all, they came from prominent clans.
Danzo's influence had been deeply rooted for decades, and most of Konoha's great clans had always been wary of Root.
But things had changed.
With Ren—a new-generation Senju who possessed Wood Release—taking control of Root, the organization began receiving unprecedented support.
Combined with Ren's reforms, the relationship between Root and the clans gradually thawed.
More and more clans were now willing to try sending their shinobi into Root.
They were among the first to volunteer.
At first they were cautious.
But after joining, they quickly realized something unexpected.
Root followed a strict rule—never operating within Konoha itself.
Everything they did happened outside the village.
And although their missions were often… morally gray, they understood something clearly.
Everything they did was for Konoha.
That realization eased many of their concerns.
On top of that, Root's treatment and benefits were excellent.
They occasionally ran "side businesses," but those operations both funded Root and solved many hidden threats to Konoha.
Naturally, they didn't mind doing them.
Aside from rarely being able to visit home, life in Root was actually quite good.
"Especially now that the Minister has become the Hokage's advisor," one of them muttered.
"With Lady Tsunade as Hokage… who knows, maybe someday Ren-sama…"
The Hokage advisor commanded one of Konoha's most elite forces.
And Ren was Tsunade's fellow clansman—and her student.
Their relationship was extremely close.
On top of that, Ren possessed Wood Release.
The possibility of him becoming Hokage someday was extremely high.
If that happened…
Wouldn't they become the direct faction of the future Hokage?
With that thought alone, there was no reason for them to leave Root.
And after Ren displayed his terrifying strength during the recent events, everyone in Root had become even more motivated.
But the mission they had been given this time…
was really crushing their enthusiasm.
"I really don't understand what the Hokage's advisor is trying to find," one of them complained. "Does something like that even exist?"
"Hey, watch your mouth!" the other whispered sharply.
"How dare you question the Hokage's advisor?"
"I'm not questioning him! I just mean this mission is ridiculously troublesome."
"Troublesome missions are everywhere. Just do your job."
"If the captain heard you saying that…"
The two fell silent simultaneously.
Their gazes drifted toward a distant figure still conducting reconnaissance.
"A Hyuga clan member…" one of them muttered quietly.
"Honestly, they're great at their job… but they're way too strict."
"He's from the branch family. You'll get used to it."
"And besides, Hyuga branch members actually perform extremely well in Root. Honestly, they're the ones least willing to go back to Konoha."
"That's their family's problem."
"Anyway, the captain's coming back."
When the Hyuga shinobi approached, the two quickly walked toward him.
"Captain, did you find anything?"
The Hyuga shinobi wore a mask, but even so it was obvious he looked troubled.
"I found something… but it doesn't exactly match the description."
"We'll need someone to stay here. One of you two return to report immediately."
"Do not delay the Hokage advisor's orders."
"Yes, sir!"
Even though they had complained earlier, when it came to orders they moved immediately.
Still…
they were extremely curious about what their Hyuga captain had actually discovered.
Meanwhile, in Konoha.
Inside Root headquarters.
Kabuto knocked on Ren's office door while holding a scroll.
"This is the list of new applicants. Take a look."
After entering the room, Kabuto glanced around carefully to make sure no one else was present.
Ren nearly rolled his eyes.
"That was extremely rude, you know."
Kabuto shrugged.
"I think accidentally seeing something I shouldn't would be even more rude."
He clearly wasn't bothered by Ren's criticism.
Kabuto had gradually come to understand what Ren meant by "inclusiveness."
The man was truly inclusive.
Even Uchiha weren't spared.
The Third Hokage covered for him.
The Fifth Hokage concealed things for him.
It was almost absurd.
Kabuto didn't question it.
He simply chose to pretend he hadn't seen anything.
"Anyway, the report you wanted is finished," Kabuto said.
"And a lot of Hyuga applicants showed up this time. Should we balance things out and reject some of them?"
"Reject them? Why would we do that?" Ren laughed.
"You really don't understand anything."
After the Chunin Exams and everything that followed, Root's reputation had completely reversed.
Ren's strength had shocked the entire village.
Combined with Tsunade's support, everyone had reached the same conclusion.
Ren was the inheritor of the First Hokage's power.
And almost certainly the future Hokage.
Wood Release and Konoha were too closely linked.
Once Ren demonstrated that overwhelming power—almost divine in its majesty—some conclusions became inevitable.
And once Konoha's propaganda machine got involved…
Root was suddenly flooded with applicants.
Even the Hyuga clan—normally reluctant to involve themselves with organizations like Root or ANBU—had started reconsidering.
But when Hyuga branch family members heard about this opportunity…
they couldn't sit still.
And Ren loved that.
"You really favor Hyuga branch members?" Kabuto asked.
Ren grinned.
"Of course."
"They're perfect."
"The branch family is oppressed by the main family. The Caged Bird Seal controls their lives."
"They have no future inside the clan."
"But Root changes that."
"Outside Konoha, they escape the main family's control."
"Strength and effort determine everything here."
"And our benefits are good."
"Even better—if they ever betray us, the Hyuga main family will deal with them."
"Not our problem."
Kabuto blinked.
"…You're terrifying."
Ren simply smiled.
A short while later, Kabuto suddenly frowned.
"…Something's different about you."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of difference?"
"Better skin?"
"More handsome?"
Kabuto nodded seriously.
"Both."
"But that's not the main thing."
"Your aura changed."
"You feel… calmer. Closer to nature."
"I can't explain it."
Ren paused slightly.
Kabuto's perception was surprisingly sharp.
Because Ren had truly undergone a massive transformation.
After upgrading his chakra and physical attributes, his body had reached a new stage of evolution.
His control over chakra had improved dramatically.
Even space itself seemed easier to manipulate.
And his control over life force had become much stronger.
Previously, Ren could only sense the "flame of life."
Now he could directly influence it with Yang Release.
Even other people's life force.
It meant he could now lock onto the life force of others—similar to what Naruto once did.
His evolution was steadily pushing him beyond the limits of humanity.
And then—
a Root shinobi rushed into the room holding a scroll.
Kabuto opened it.
After reading it, his expression turned serious.
"…We found something."
Ren froze.
"What?"
Kabuto looked up.
"A location that matches what you described."
"A cave?"
Ren immediately asked.
"With a strange pool inside?"
Kabuto shook his head.
"…Not exactly."
"There's no pool."
"But there is a summoning seal array filled with sealing techniques."
Ren frowned.
That wasn't what he remembered.
But it still sounded important.
Soon afterward.
Deep underground inside a mountain cave.
Ren stood silently, staring at the massive cavern before him.
"So this is the place?"
"Yes, Hokage advisor," the Hyuga captain said.
"There's a barrier deeper inside."
"It causes hallucination-like effects."
"But using the Byakugan we confirmed there's a very unusual seal formation."
Ren nodded.
Then he turned around.
"Stay here."
"I'll go inside."
"Hokage advisor?!"
The entire Root squad protested.
"This place is dangerous!"
Ren simply smiled and pointed beside him.
"Don't worry."
"She's coming with me."
Beside him stood Hikari.
Inside Root, she was already legendary.
Seeing the two of them together…
the squad finally fell silent.
Because if those two couldn't handle the danger—
no one here could.
Ren took Hikari's hand.
"Let's go."
They stepped deeper into the cave.
The tunnel stretched endlessly into darkness.
Eventually—
they saw moonlight.
At the end of the tunnel was a massive opening.
Above them—
the moon shone brilliantly.
Moonlight poured down like a pillar of silver light.
Ren stepped into the beam and examined the seal formation on the ground.
The moment his hand touched it—
his chakra reacted.
The moonlight surged.
Space itself began to distort.
Ren smiled.
"I knew it."
"This is spatial power."
"It's different from Flying Thunder God—but I recognize the principle."
Hikari's eyes widened slightly.
"…So this means?"
Ren looked up at the moon.
His smile grew wider.
"We found the right place."
"Our destination…"
"…is the moon."
Moments later.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Yamato all stood inside the cavern staring upward.
"…You're telling me this leads to the moon?" Tsunade muttered.
Ren nodded.
"I already tested it."
"This seal interacts with moonlight and spatial energy."
"And even though it's daytime outside…"
"…we can see the moon clearly here."
"All evidence points to the same conclusion."
"My theory was correct."
Tsunade stared silently at the sky.
She couldn't even begin to process it.
Ren had actually found it.
A path…
to the moon.
Soon after, the teleportation array activated.
White light descended.
Gravity pulled them upward.
They were launched through a tunnel of pure light.
Moments later—
the light vanished.
They landed on barren gray ground.
"…So this is the moon?" Kakashi whispered.
"It's completely different from what I imagined."
Yamato pointed behind them.
"Look."
Everyone turned.
A beautiful blue planet floated in the distance.
The world they came from.
"…It's beautiful," Jiraiya murmured.
Ren glanced at it briefly.
But his attention soon returned to the wasteland around them.
"This place is strange," he said quietly.
"Stay alert."
Far away, inside a palace hidden deep within the moon—
an elderly man suddenly opened his eyes.
His white Byakugan glowed ominously in the dim light.
"…After all these years…"
"…someone from the lower world finally arrived."
At first, he wasn't concerned.
But then—
the teleportation array activated again.
And again.
And again.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
More and more chakra signatures appeared.
The old man's expression slowly changed.
"…Wait."
"…Why are there so many?"
A terrible realization struck him.
"…Did the shinobi world just…"
"…launch an invasion of the moon?!"
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