Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

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A few days later.

The change in the wind direction often comes suddenly and abruptly. Facing the aggressive demands of the Iwa Ninja, Konoha, which was on the verge of compromise, suddenly took a firm stance and rejected the Iwa Ninja's ludicrous demands. Thus, the fuse for war was shortened once again, laying the groundwork for future conflict.

Hokage's Office.

Sitting back in his chair with his eyes closed, Hiruzen was exhausted—both mentally and physically. When the sudden shift in Konoha's stance and the news of Ye Zi joining Root reached him, he was overwhelmed with many thoughts, which contributed to his fatigue.

His index finger instinctively curled and pressed lightly against the desk, his eyes slowly opening to reveal a sharp, cold glint. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, etched by time, also relaxed as he stared silently at the empty office.

"One cannot always force things." he sighed softly after a long pause. That night, Orochimaru chose not to kill Ye Zi, and Hiruzen had no intention of forcibly keeping Ye Zi in Konoha. Subconsciously, he hoped Ye Zi would leave Konoha, so he had ordered the guards not to obstruct him at the right moment. However, Ye Zi still could not leave and did not need to be handed over as a concession by Konoha but ended up joining Root instead.

Why did he join Root?

Hiruzen pondered this question deeply, considering the potential future impacts. Yet, all he could do now was watch silently and wait for the transformation Ye Zi would undergo after joining Root. Whether it would be good or bad remained uncertain.

In the 34th year of Konoha, Kakashi, Guy, and other future ninjas were born one by one.

On this day, Root welcomed a new member, only twelve years old. For Root, which often recruited young members, this was not unusual. Talented individuals often needed a more advantageous training environment, and Root, as the Anbu training division, provided the best training conditions for anyone in Konoha.

The first thing upon entering Root was to update one's identity records, which included an assessment of one's abilities.

Clack, clack…

The sound of crisp footsteps echoed in the dimly lit corridor. This was an essential part of the Anbu training department. Just as the department was named Root, its location was buried beneath Konoha, like roots embedded in the soil, continuously nourishing Konoha.

Ye Zi followed the guide and tester in silence through the dim, flickering corridor. Torches on the walls emitted a faint crackling sound, and the yellowish light cast long shadows on the floor.

After turning a corner, the leader stopped in front of an iron door. He stopped as well and silently watched him.

The leader turned around, his gaze cold as he looked at Ye Zi. His tone was very indifferent. "There are three main tests. After you complete the first one, I will tell you about the second. For now, enter this room. I will explain the details once you are inside."

With those words, the iron door creaked open slowly.

Ye Zi entered the room silently. A blinding light descended from above, illuminating the entire room as if it were daylight. Numerous shurikens were suspended in mid-air, clinging to the walls as if time had stopped, their cold gleam dazzling in the light.

He squinted slightly, observing the shurikens around him. He vaguely understood what the first test entailed, but the number seemed excessive. This suggested that the test was somewhat risky; a slight mistake could lead to being overwhelmed by the shurikens. No wonder the tester had not revealed all three main tests at once. It was likely that if the first test was failed, the second one would not be necessary.

At this moment, a clear voice echoed in the empty room. It was the voice of the person who had led him.

"Move to the center."

Ye Zi silently moved to the center of the room, where the brightest light was focused.

The voice continued, "Do you see the shurikens around you? This is the first test, which primarily assesses your reflexes and dodging ability. I will activate the switch after a countdown of three seconds. At that time, the shurikens will be fired at your location. You can use kunai, jump, crouch, or lie down, but you must not leave the area of the light beam, nor use ninjutsu. If you understand, raise your right hand."

After hearing the explanation, Ye Zi's eyes shifted slightly. He glanced at the area covered by the light beam, which was about one meter in diameter—not small, but given the number of shurikens, it might be filled entirely.

Is this really a test?

He frowned, not raising his right hand but instead silently staring at the area covered by the light beam. The observer in the room watched Ye Zi patiently, then turned off the loudspeaker and looked at the middle-aged man standing quietly beside him. He asked, "Without specialized training, facing such a difficult test on the first try, he might very well die, even with a medical ninja standing by."

The middle-aged man was Danzo. He looked down at Ye Zi, who had his head bowed in silence, and after a moment, spoke slowly, "How do you think he survived under the Cloud Ninja's swift blade, and how did he manage to break through the encirclement of Iwa and Earth Ninja?"

The person was taken aback, unable to provide a satisfactory answer even after several seconds.

Danzo continued observing the silent Ye Zi, slowly saying, "He is neither from the Hyuga clan nor the Uchiha clan, but I believe his eyes are quite good. That is why he was able to survive Kyocho's blade and managed to break through what seemingly was an impossible situation. Since his eyes are so capable, this level of test should be nothing."

The person, still unable to find a satisfactory answer, thought that even if the guess were true, it was hard to be certain. And what if Danzo was wrong?

His gaze towards Ye Zi inevitably carried a hint of pity. The shuriken firing mechanism in the room was set to the highest difficulty. Even he, who had trained countless times in this room could not guarantee a safe outcome.

With the shurikens fired numbering in the hundreds, in the constrained area, moving left and right could only be done in the initial few seconds. After all shurikens were fired, the ground would be covered with them. Thus, after dodging some shurikens by moving, one would have to leap into the air, adjusting their posture to avoid each shuriken. Any delay or mistake, however minor, could be fatal, unless they had exceptional pain tolerance.

The standard response was to move first and then leap. However, could Ye Zi, without similar training, determine this in a split second with his supposedly good eyes?

The person shook his head slightly, his pity gradually fading. He hovered his hand over the switch, patiently waiting for Ye Zi to raise his right hand. Regardless of how it turned out, he had reason to wait patiently as Ye Zi observed the room, even if he was only silently staring at the area covered by the light beam.

"Danzo-sama's chosen child, I hope you pass." the person thought silently. Then he saw Ye Zi finally starting to observe the direction in which the shurikens on the walls were aimed. It seemed he only glanced at each direction briefly before moving his gaze away.

"Hmm?" Both the person and Danzo noticed this detail, contemplating. They had no time for further thoughts when they saw Ye Zi, after just a glance around, begin to show signs of raising his hand.

Danzo, noticing this, slightly curved his lips. It seemed he had noticed another strength of Ye Zi.

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