Chương 524: INTERLUDE_13.11 (524)

The inn's sliding doors sealed out the outside world and enveloped Takuma in a serenity provided by the polished dark wood and soft, amber-lit paper lanterns. The faint, calming scent of incense mingled with the earthy aroma of woven tatami mats, and leading him was a hostess dressed in a moss-green kimono, an embodiment of grace. A month after he discovered the truth behind Project Sprig and subsequently presented it to the Hokage, he found himself at an exceedingly exclusive inn with a renowned kitchen.

The room had been booked by Lord Hokage, which was part of the reason Takuma had personally come instead of sending a clone. But looking around, Takuma wouldn't mind going for a dip in the hot spring bath after the meeting was done. The hostess stopped before a sliding shoji screen and knelt with a practiced elegance.

"Welcome," she murmured, bowing, her hands pressed flat against the floor.

"The head chef has crafted tonight's kaiseki menu around the morning's freshest local catch. Please, make yourself at home while your first course is prepared. The other guest has already arrived and is seated." She gently slid the door open to reveal a private sanctuary overlooking a mossy courtyard garden. Stepping onto the crisp tatami, Takuma looked out at the stone lantern nestled among the ferns.

He took in the curated and crafted beauty for a moment before turning to face the person he was supposed to meet—and the other reason he was there personally. He waited for the hostess to close the door before approaching the low table in the centre of the spacious room. Sitting opposite him was a young man with short brown hair and black, almond-shaped eyes, wearing a happuri-style forehead protector.

"It's an honour to make your acquaintance, Captain Beaver."

"Lord Hokage only has praises for you, Lieutenant Ratel," the man inclined his head.

"And I will strive to keep it that way," Takuma responded. He knew who he was meeting beforehand because Hiruzen had told him, and it wasn't a surprise given that they shared some history. Sitting before him was an ANBU Captain, a jōnin of the Hidden Leaf Village, and the possessor of the First Hokage's legendary Wood Release bloodline. The man who would one day adopt the alias Yamato for a mission, but currently went by the name of Tenzō.

"How much has Lord Hokage told you about me?" Tenzō asked.

"I didn't see your file—don't have the security clearance for it—but Lord Hokage told me enough. What about you?"

"I saw the Project Sprig file." There was a heavy silence between the two of them because both of them knew what the other had gone through. Takuma waited for Grey, but his partner never showed up, perhaps content to simply observe, or maybe the thought of someone who shared a similar history was too painful for him and dredged up one too many memories. The delicious food eased the awkwardness between them as they continued their chat.

"It's a great coincidence that both of us ended up working for ANBU," Tenzō said while sampling the wide array of dishes, which only made up the first course.

"What was your motivation behind joining the department?"

"Resources," Takuma answered, choosing to answer honestly.

"At that time, it was the greatest opportunity for an orphan like me without much backing. Of course, I was curious about the work I would get to do."

"Is that so? I thought the Police Force would have been equally attractive, if not more so. If I'm not wrong, you share a close relationship with Lady Uchiha. Even now, you share a close relationship with the Uchiha clan." Takuma realised that Tenzō had seen more than the Project Sprig file, which, once again, was expected.

"You're not wrong, but ANBU provided more freedom," he said. Not many people knew the truth about how he ended up in the Steam-Frost War and how that became one of the reasons he left the Police Force.

"In hindsight, it was the correct decision. I'm not tied to the Uchiha clan or any of them despite my relationship with my master."

"Makes you ideal for your current responsibilities."

"That's right," Takuma said and then chuckled.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just remembered something ironic. I'm doing something that I once refused before."

"And? Are you satisfied with it?" Tenzō asked. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"It's among my better decisions," Takuma said. Thinking about where he currently was, he didn't think he could have done better.

"From what I'm told, you never joined the general forces. You directly joined ANBU?"

"I didn't know anything else. Honestly, I still don't. I was trained for this from the very start…"

"By ROOT…" Unlike Takuma, who was subjected to experimentation upon being discovered, Tenzō was trained as a ROOT operative and was one of their most prolific and successful operatives, according to ROOT records. That was the difference between success and a nobody with unverifiable potential. Tenzō nodded, then smiled.

"By ROOT—which you eradicated."

"It's not fair to attribute it to me. It took hard work and sacrifices from many people to make it possible," Takuma said.

"I'm sorry, I interrupted you before. You were saying you've been part of this world for a long time. Have you ever thought of leaving, doing something else?" Going from ROOT to ANBU meant that Tenzō hadn't explored anything else in his shinobi career. Sure, he had probably seen more than most shinobi as part of his job, but it didn't seem like it was entirely his choice; rather, it was a choice made for him by his circumstances.

"I joined ANBU because I wasn't ready to join the normal world. I could do it now, but I enjoy my position. My contributions to the village are valuable, and I have come to believe that I'm most useful in my current position."

"That's understandable." Takuma, too, liked his work at ANBU and had no qualms about continuing on, especially given what he was being compensated, but he also liked the competence he demonstrated. He didn't doubt that he would be equally competent in any other job, but he was at ANBU, doing some of the most important work in the entirety of the Hidden Leaf, and he was great at it. It made him feel good about himself. After the second course was served, Tenzō asked something Takuma wasn't expecting.

"Do you wish you had it?" Takuma consciously put a piece of deliciously marinated fish in his mouth and chewed slowly to buy himself some time to think about the question he was asked.

'It', given the context, could only be the Wood Release bloodline.

"Of course, who wouldn't?" In the end, Takuma chose to reply with honesty. If he were the child who had to go through all the gruesome and torturous experimentation, maybe he would have a complicated relationship with the power, but he was not that child—and because of Grey, he didn't even have the memories of that ordeal. Though Takuma was sure that his life would be more complicated if he had the Wood Release. The jōnin named Tenzō was not a secret in the Hidden Leaf. It was simply not viable to hide a jōnin.

However, even if Tenzō was known, there were only a few who knew that the Hidden Leaf possessed someone who had the Wood Release. It was a well-guarded secret of national importance. Even among the clan heads, only a few knew and were under strict orders not to discuss it with anyone, much less record it. Takuma was now among those few people. Keeping an integral part of yourself hidden because it was a monumental secret was a great burden.

Takuma knew it firsthand because he didn't think he could reveal he was from another world.

"Then do you resent me for having it?" Tenzō asked, his poker face not betraying any emotions. Takuma couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I understand why you asked the question, but you don't have to worry about that. You didn't do anything to harm me. It wasn't your fault that you got it and I didn't, Captain. I would wholeheartedly advise that you throw that line of thought away."

"They only experimented on you because I was a success," Tenzō said with a haunted look in his eyes.

"How could you not resent me?"

"That' true, but it wouldn't have been better even if you didn't get the bloodline. My cohort," referring to the other biological children of the First Hokage, "could have very well been trained as ROOT agents, if not for the experiment. And I consider that another type of hell that I'm happy that you escaped, and I never experienced." He had seen stories and news about cults back in his old world. Cults stripped everything unique in a person in service of an ideology.

They isolated people from their loved ones, until most weren't even capable of helping themselves. And a cult where members were trained as assassins sounded much worse. Takuma's life was tough and not the one he wanted to live, but at least he made those choices for himself.

"But if you want to offload some guilt, you can help with Water and Earth Release. I might not be able to combine them like you, but I did get that part of the genetic inheritance," Takuma said, deciding to push his luck. Tenzō looked surprised as though he wasn't expecting something so minor, but he didn't jump at it immediately as he analysed his words to find some catch or ulterior motive—of which there was none. Not that there were any.

Takuma considered training from a jōnin, who had an extremely unique view and insight on Earth and Water Release, as the most valuable thing he could get.

"…I find that agreeable," Tenzō eventually said.

"As long as we can get our schedules in order, I'll always answer your call for training or advice of any kind. I give you my word." Takuma nodded, happy that there was some lightness in Tenzō's eyes and that he got something in return for doing a good thing. After that, they continued to chat about the things in their lives as course after course of delicious food was served to them.

They didn't bare their hearts to each other, but they honestly communicated to understand one another, finding that they had more in common than just their shared background. After everything was done, Takuma was grateful, feeling relaxed from getting it out, even if it was momentary, and he would soon be hit by his clones' memories and experiences, which would tire him out as they always did.

He quickly said his goodbyes to Tenzō so as not to waste the captain's time because it was one of his rare off days, and he didn't want to eat more of his time. However, as he was leaving, Tenzō stopped him to ask one last question.

"Has… Did Lord Hokage ask you to meet someone?" Takuma furrowed his brows. Tenzō was being vague on purpose, like he didn't want to reveal something if Takuma didn't already know it.

"No, he hasn't." Tenzō had a complicated expression for a moment. He nodded.

"If he does, just go along with it, okay?" Takuma didn't know what that meant, and Tenzō didn't explain himself. It would be a while before Takuma would realise what those words meant.