"Useless! All of you are useless!"
The next day.
In the early morning.
Within the headquarters of the Root organization, Danzo was in a furious rage as he stared at the intelligence reports in his hands.
This was freshly received news from the frontline command post on the East Coast, stating that although the support team had been ambushed and suffered severe losses, the target individuals—Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Qingming—had both safely arrived at the command post.
If it were just that, it would be acceptable.
The key issue was Qingming's strength. According to the available intelligence, the majority of the elite jōnin and jōnin from the Mist ninja who ambushed the support team had been eliminated by him. Among them were even two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
This level of power was already causing Danzo to feel troubled and even fearful.
"Damn it!"
Danzo cursed again and then turned to the Root ninja kneeling below him, asking, "Has Ryoma's team made contact yet?"
"Report, sir, they haven't."
Just as the Root ninja finished his response, there was a knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
Hearing the sound, Danzo called out, "Come in!"
Immediately, a figure entered.
As soon as this person approached, Danzo could tell who it was without looking; there was no one else who would dare enter without knocking except for him.
Before Danzo could ask anything, the figure spoke first, "Hiruzen, what did you want to see me about? I'm busy here!"
Hearing Danzo's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, removed his pipe from his mouth, and asked in a deep voice, "Danzo, don't you have anything to tell me?"
"Something?"
However, upon hearing the slightly interrogative tone, Danzo completely ignored it and played dumb, saying, "What is there to discuss?"
"Hmph!"
Seeing Danzo's attitude, Hiruzen coldly snorted, threw the report onto the desk, and questioned, "Then you explain this to me."
Upon hearing this, Danzo picked up the report and briefly scanned it. He then casually remarked, "Isn't it just that the defense line was breached? What's there to explain?"
"Danzo!"
Hiruzen, now furious, directly confronted him, "Do you dare say this has nothing to do with you?"
"I—"
Danzo opened his mouth, about to say "yes," but seeing the anger in Hiruzen's eyes, he ultimately lowered his head.
Reluctantly, he explained, "Don't worry, Hiruzen, I can assure you one hundred percent that those Mist ninjas could only breach that one gap; there won't be any further issues."
A silence fell over the office.
"Sigh."
After a long moment, Hiruzen sighed and said, "Let's leave this matter behind. I don't want to see anything like this happening again. Danzo, do you understand?"
"Hmph!"
Danzo let out a cold snort but didn't say any words of assurance.
Hiruzen felt helpless about this.
The office fell into silence again, leaving only the sound of Hiruzen smoking his pipe.
Puff~ Puff~
"Hmph~"
He exhaled a long plume of smoke before continuing, "Alright, we'll let this matter go. Now, let's talk about the second issue."
"Second issue?"
Danzo's interest was piqued, but he feigned ignorance, asking, "What is it?"
"Hmph! What is it?"
Seeing Danzo still pretending to be clueless, Hiruzen took out another report and threw it at Danzo, saying, "You explain to me what happened with these five people!"
Hearing this, Danzo quickly caught the report and began to read through it carefully.
After a moment, he cursed under his breath, "Truly useless!"
These five individuals had photos and autopsy reports.
Although their features were indistinguishable due to being charred, identifying a ninja's identity didn't rely solely on their appearance.
Compared to easily changeable looks, the traces of special drugs and curse marks left on the bodies could reveal much more about a person's identity.
And indeed, the traces on these five bodies matched the methods used to cultivate ninjas within the Root organization.
Without a doubt, they were ninjas from the Root.
This was also the reason why the Anbu ninjas were required to leave no corpses during missions; enemies could easily determine their origins from the traces left on the bodies.
Unfortunately, Yamanaka Ryoma and his subordinates died too suddenly, unable to activate their contingency plans, resulting in their bodies being preserved.
Indeed, the five individuals listed in the report Hiruzen presented were Yamanaka Ryoma and his four subordinates.
With the evidence laid out before him, Danzo gave up on pretense, tossed the report aside, and said, "It's nothing; just sent a few people to deal with some dangerous elements."
"Dangerous elements?"
Upon hearing Danzo's words, Hiruzen slammed the table and exclaimed, "The Uchiha are members of Konoha, not dangerous elements!"
"Not? Heh~"
Danzo laughed lightly, pointing at the first report, and said, "Hiruzen, look at the achievements of those two kids inside, especially that Uchiha Qingming. Are you really going to say they pose no threat to the village?"
"…"
Hiruzen was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he stammered, "They are elite jōnin of Konoha; they have always fought for Konoha."
"Enough!"
However, before Hiruzen could finish his words, Danzo interrupted loudly, "Hiruzen, stop being naive. This is a time of war. Of course, they will fight for Konoha, but what about after this?"
"Who can guarantee they won't rebel?"
"Don't forget how that individual left the village!"
Mentioning that individual made Hiruzen shiver involuntarily.
He immediately recalled the terrifying scene from his childhood.
That towering figure, akin to a deity, was not something mere mortals could withstand, and only the First Hokage's Wood Release could counter it.
But now, the First Hokage was already dead. If another 'Uchiha Madara' were to arise, would the village have the strength to contend with him?
Amidst the haze of smoke, Hiruzen's expression shifted.
However, in the end, he said, "Danzo, you're overthinking this. Whether it's that individual or the First Hokage, they are unique cases; no one can reach their level again."
"Is that so?"
Danzo retorted, noncommittal.
Seeing this, Hiruzen's tone softened as he said, "Currently, during wartime, your previous suggestion to concentrate the Uchiha ninjas in the Mist and Sand battlefields has already caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the Uchiha. Please refrain from taking any more unilateral actions."
"Heh~"
Upon hearing this, Danzo chuckled lightly but said nothing and turned to leave the office.
As he reached the door, he suddenly said, "Hiruzen, you are the light of the village, while I am its shadow. I will not let any existence that could threaten the village go unchecked."
With that, he left the office without looking back.
Watching Danzo's departing figure, Hiruzen picked up the first report again, staring at Uchiha Qingming's achievements recorded on it, his expression unreadable.
At that moment, no one knew what he was thinking.
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