NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Chapter 16 – Whispers of the Past
Chapter 16 – Whispers of the Past
Tsunade's fingers tightened around the scroll, her golden eyes narrowing as she scanned the contents. The dim candlelight flickered against the wooden walls of her rented room, casting long shadows across her face.
The information she had gathered wasn't much—but it was enough.
Kurozan.
A name with no recorded past. No ties to any known clan. No village of origin.
And yet, he was powerful. Far too powerful.
Tsunade had spent the last few days moving from town to town, speaking in hushed tones with informants and wandering shinobi.
What she found was disturbing.
There were whispers—stories of villages disappearing overnight.
Bodies found warped beyond recognition.
Men turned into something monstrous.
And at the center of every rumor?
Kurozan.
Tsunade set the scroll down, exhaling slowly.
This wasn't just some rogue warrior with delusions of grandeur. This was something else entirely.
And it meant trouble.
She needed more information. Someone who had seen him before. Someone who could tell her who he really was.
But to do that, she needed to track down the one group that no one wanted to talk about.
Root.
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Elsewhere – Kurozan's Camp
The flames of the small fire crackled as Kurozan sat in silence, his piercing gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
His cloak was draped loosely over his shoulders, the wind rustling through his dark hair.
He could still feel it—the remnants of their battle.
Tsunade Senju had been a surprise.
He had tested many warriors before, but she was different.
There was something inside her.
Something unbroken.
Something untamed.
Kurozan smirked.
That was fine.
He had time.
For now, other matters demanded his attention.
His men had intercepted an interesting message—a coded transmission from Konoha.
It seemed that the Third Hokage was growing restless. Good.
It meant they were afraid.
Kurozan's fingers tapped against his knee as he thought.
His power was growing. His influence spreading. But to truly reshape the world—to break the cycle of shinobi corruption—he needed more than just brute force.
He needed allies.
And he knew exactly where to start.
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Tsunade's Search – A Dangerous Lead
The abandoned hideout was barely standing. Vines crept through the cracks in the stone walls, and the wooden floorboards groaned beneath her feet.
Tsunade moved cautiously, eyes scanning the shadows.
She had followed whispers—traces of Root's remnants.
They weren't supposed to exist anymore.
Danzo was dead, and Root had been disbanded.
Officially.
But Tsunade knew better.
The kind of men Danzo trained—they didn't just disappear.
And she needed one of them.
A survivor.
Someone who could tell her what Kurozan's connection to the past really was.
A sound.
A shift in the air.
Tsunade reacted instantly, chakra surging to her fists as she spun—
Only to come face to face with a blade at her throat.
Her golden eyes locked onto a pair of cold, calculating ones.
A man clad in dark armor. A mask covering the lower half of his face.
His grip on the kunai was steady. No hesitation.
A Root operative.
"State your business," he said flatly.
Tsunade smirked. She had found what she was looking for.
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