In Their Shadow

Chapter 28: Chunin Exams Start!

Danzo remained passive as he walked into the smoked living room, an arm strewn across the floor, seemingly having came from a room in the back of the house. He walked into the room all the smoke was coming from, only to find the charred remains of a civilian family. The child had his eyes melting in the sockets of his now partially exposed skull. It seems the arm had come from the boy's left side, and probably blown off of him in the explosion.

The mothers tongue was fizzling in her mouth, her entire face burned off as her guts were strewn across the floor, almost like she had been exploded from the inside out. The fathers legs were practically gone, the blast melting them into jelly, his entire head was blown off, resting in his lap as the top was completely missing, exposing his now charred brain.

Their bodies were laid across the floor.

As if they were trying to escape.

"Did you pay off the neighbors?" Danzo asked the ROOT member standing passively behind him.

"Yes Lord Danzo, they will not be alerting the Hokage." The ROOT ninja affirmed.

"Good, the last thing I want is that fool Minato knowing anything about this. We must keep my past involvement with the Akatsuki a secret at all costs." Danzo said.

"Of course, Lord Danzo."

"Dispose of the bodies, and make sure this place is cleaned up and up for sale within the next hour." Danzo ordered.

He looked at the dead family's body one last time, before turning away from their corpses.

'Its not my fault.'

"Yes sir, good luck with your tutoring of the boy." The ROOT member said, preparing to carry out Danzo's orders.

Danzo nodded, walking out of the house, the morning sun shining down on him. He walked into the nearby alley way and proceeded to press several spots on the wall, a passageway opening up in response. He walked down the stairs and into the interconnected tunnel ways that encompassed the entire underground of the village.

They were the ROOTS of the mighty leaf bearing tree after all.

After many minutes, he pressed a spot on the wall to his side, opening another entryway that led into his underground ROOT Dojo that lay beneath the Shimura Dojo above ground-level. After walking across the large dojo, he walked up the stairs and pressed another spot on the wall, opening up the wall that led into the Shimura Dojo.

Sitting with Sai and waiting for Danzo, was Yuma. He looked up with delight at his precious persons arrival, smiling. Yuma got up from sitting position, and walked over to Danzo, bowing in respect. Danzo smiled briefly in return, patting the boys head, before his expression returned back to one of dead seriousness.

"So, have you decided on what you wish to learn on this three day training period?" Danzo asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes sensei! I have decided on the Taijutsu Form: The Acrobat. I have come to learn that my fighting form and Taijutsu are sloppy, sensei!" Yuma said.

"Good, nice to see you chose right. I knew my faith in you was not misplaced." Danzo said, pride shining in his eyes for Yuma.

"I aim to impress!" Yuma affirmed with a nod.

"I hope so, for these next three days will be the worst of your life. Make no mistake in thinking this will be easy for you. When I say it will hurt like hell, I mean it." Danzo said without even an ounce of pity.

"As long as it makes me stronger, then I say the pain will be well worth it." Yuma said.

"Good answer. Now then, shall we get going?" Danzo said, motioning for Yuma to follow him into the Dojo below.