Three Weeks Later –
It was a holiday, and Kazeo was jogging through the streets of Konoha in the morning as usual when he suddenly saw someone who shouldn't be there. His body tensed. Was he seeing things? He quickly ran toward the figure, hoping he was mistaken. But as he got closer, his suspicion was confirmed.
It was him.
With wide eyes, he blurted out, "Kazuma?"
The boy hadn't noticed Kazeo until he heard his voice. He tilted his head and looked to the side. For a moment, his face showed confusion then brightened with recognition.
"Kazeo? Long time no see! How've you been?"
Still in disbelief, Kazeo asked, "I'm fine… but weren't you recruited? How are you walking around free?"
Kazuma blinked, confused.
"Recruited? I was adopted. Did you forget? Or—"
He suddenly burst into laughter. "Did you train so much that you turned dumb?"
{ A/N : Kazuma used to be Kazeo's roommate at the orphanage, but he was adopted later on. }
Kazeo felt a bit embarrassed. 'This kid's still got that sharp tongue.' he thought. But he frowned slightly and asked, "If you were adopted, why has no one seen you since you left the orphanage?"
With a bright smile, Kazuma shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.
"My new family travels a lot. They sell stuff—scrolls, tea, even weird spices from faraway lands. We're barely in the village."
He paused, then added proudly, "They say I'm good at remembering prices and reading people's faces, so they've been teaching me all this merchant stuff."
"Merchant stuff?"
"Yeah! Like how to stand straight, talk politely, and not look dumb in front of customers." He puffed his chest out. "I even know how to bow properly now. Pretty cool, right?"
Kazeo blinked. "You've… changed."
Kazuma's grin widened. "Obviously, my new parents said I had talent… to be a successful merchant, so they're training me to be a proper merchant. See, I only wear clean clothes now and everything."
"Sounds good."
"Hey, speaking of good," Kazuma leaned in with excitement, "I heard you got into the Ninja Academy! That's awesome!"
Kazeo looked away, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah… I did."
Kazuma playfully jabbed his arm.
"You're gonna be a real ninja, huh? Just don't blow yourself up with your jutsu."
"Only if you don't get scammed while selling fake spices."
They both laughed and kept chatting for a while before Kazuma had to leave, he had some errands at home.
-----
From that conversation, Kazeo also learned that the kid named Touka, who had left the orphanage with Kazuma that same day, was also adopted—into a merchant family that sold clothes. Apparently, he too lived outside Konoha but still within the Land of Fire.
As Kazeo walked home, his mind drifted. 'Was everything I experienced just my paranoia? Those three ninja… the man I thought was from Root—could he have been just a normal shinobi on some mission?
Thinking about it… I was pretty unstable back then—reincarnating and living in the orphanage for first time, constantly remembering my parents and crying, worrying about Root. It's hurt to think but maybe I thought I was some kind of main character just because I got reincarnated. And it's not like I have some greater talent than Itachi or Kakashi. Why would Root even care about me?
And now, that theory of 'Root recruiting' kids falls apart. Kazuma and Touka really were adopted.'
He sighed. 'Well, at least I know now. As long as I don't show too much talent, Danzo shouldn't be interested in me.
Actually, even if he is—what can he do? He couldn't touch Minato and Minato was also just a civilian with talent. He had Jiraiya and Hiruzen backing him. The Hokage already has an eye on me because of my strong soul and potential. On top of that, I'm earning a ton of money with just the Demon Slayer novel. If I publish more and earn even more, the Hokage will see my potential in money-making too.
I don't think Hiruzen as a village leader would let someone like me, someone with talent and profit potential—walk into a dark path where my chances of dying are higher.'
Lost in thought, Kazeo looked up and realized he had already reached home.
He sighed again, running his hand through his wet, sweaty hair as he opened the apartment door.
'I still overthink a lot… When will I stop doing that?'
And just like that, more time passed until it was time for the half-yearly exam of the third year.
------
Inside Orphanage -
A gentle hum echoed through the wooden hallways of Konoha's orphanage. Sunlight peeked through the slightly torn curtains, casting golden streaks across the room where children were just beginning to wake. Kaori, the caretaker of the orphanage, moved from bed to bed, her hands soft and reassuring as she gently shook the little ones awake.
"Rise and shine, little ones." she said, her voice warm as a spring breeze.
A five-year-old girl named Hana yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Grandma, can we have pancakes today please?"
Kaori chuckled, brushing the girl's unruly hair. "If you help me gather the others, maybe I'll think about it."
A chorus of excited cheers erupted as the children scrambled out of their beds after Hana woke them with the news of pancakes, their tiny feet padding across the wooden floors. To them, Kaori wasn't just a caretaker, she was a mother figure, the only warmth they knew in a world that had already taken too much from them.
As she walked toward the small kitchen, Kaori paused, glancing at the old, framed photograph hanging near the entrance. It was a picture of her when she was a child, standing among other orphans. The caretaker back then had been kind, but distant. She had never knelt to tie a shoelace or kissed a scraped knee. Kaori remembered crying in silence most nights, waiting for someone who never came.
'No child should grow up feeling unloved.' she thought. "I won't let that happen. Not under my watch."
------
Kaori had always noticed strange things about the orphanage—certain children, especially the quiet and talented ones, would disappear without a word. She had asked the administration, but they brushed it off as "adoptions" or "transfers to distant relatives."
But she had worked in this orphanage for decades. She knew the adoption process, the procedures. There was never any paperwork.
They were just gone.
Two years ago, she began keeping a secret record of the vanished children. She had dug through old papers, asked discreet questions, and even followed a strange masked shinobi who visited the orphanage at night. The deeper she looked, the darker the truth became.
Root.
A hidden faction led by Danzo Shimura, one of Konoha's shadow leaders. They took children, erased their identities, and turned them into emotionless weapons. She had proof now. But who could she trust? Hokage ? He was kind but old, surrounded by politics. What if he knew and chose to look away? That thought haunted her.
"No. I have to expose them. Someone has to protect these children."
Her hands trembled as she clutched a folder filled with handwritten notes, each name a child that had vanished. They had no graves. No goodbyes. Just erased from existence.
That evening, Kaori gathered the children outside under the setting sun. She sat with them, listening to their innocent laughter as they played tag. Hana curled up beside her, her tiny hand gripping Kaori's sleeve.
"Grandma, You will always be with us, right?" the little girl asked, her eyes shimmering with hope.
Kaori smiled, pressing a kiss to the girl's forehead. "Of course, silly. As long as you need me, I'll be here."
And she meant it.
That night at nearly 7:45 p.m. , Kaori sat outside under the stars, letting the cool breeze wash over her. She glanced at the children playing, her heart heavy with a feeling she couldn't shake.
"Grandma ?"
She turned and saw Kazeo standing near the doorway, arms crossed.
She smiled warmly. "Can't sleep, my little wind?"
Kazeo hesitated before sitting beside her. "You seem… distracted lately."
Kaori chuckled, brushing a strand of white hair behind her ear. "You always notice too much, Kazeo."
There was silence between them, comfortable yet heavy.
"Do you… ever think about your parents?" she finally asked.
Kazeo looked away and his jaw tightened a little. "Sometimes."
She sighed. "I also do. Every day. I wonder what kind of people they were. If they would have loved me. If I would've been different if they had been there."
Another silence. Then, Kazeo muttered, "You don't need parents to be strong."
Kaori gave him a sad smile. "Strength isn't everything, my child. Love… love is what keeps the strong from becoming monsters."
Kazeo didn't reply, just nodded.
------
At nearly 9 p.m., as the children slept peacefully, Kaori stepped outside, her heart pounding. She needed to deliver the evidence she had gathered. If she could just make it to someone trustworthy maybe a Jonin, maybe even "Kakashi Hatake" then the truth would come to light.
She moved through the dimly lit streets, every step heavy with purpose. She wasn't a ninja. She wasn't strong. But she had to do this.Then, she felt it. A chill ran down her spine. She was being watched.
A flicker of movement and there was the sound of something slicing through the air. Kaori turned but it was too late. A kunai sliced into her stomach, the force knocking her back against the cold stone wall of the alley. Her vision blurred as masked figures stepped out from the shadows, their movements precise, silent.
She coughed, warm blood spilling down her lips. "Y-You…"
The shadows shifted, and three masked figures emerged.
A masked figure tilted his head, his voice cold and emotionless.. "You shouldn't have known this, Grandma."
"Dispose of her." one of them ordered.
Kaori's body trembled, her hands clutching her wound. She had expected fear but all she felt was sorrow.
Sorrow that she wouldn't see Hana's smile again.
Sorrow that she had failed to protect the children.
Sorrow that her warmth, her love would end here. When they still needed her.
'Hana… Sho… Kazeo…'
She tried to speak, but her lips wouldn't move. Tears welled in her eyes. Not from fear but grief.
'They need me. I can't leave them.'
Another kunai.
This time, to the heart. The force of it knocked her back. Her body collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath her. Her fingers twitched. Her breath came out in short, painful gasps.
Darkness was closing in.
"No... not yet..."
Her vision swayed, tilting toward the sky. The stars above were bright tonight, so cruelly beautiful.
The last thing she saw was a small figure in the distance, watching from the roof.