"Lord Danzo!" The nearby "Root" ninja, seeing Lexon suddenly activate his Sharingan, became vigilant and rushed forward.
"Stop." Danzo raised his hand, signaling them to halt. He stared at the strange pattern spinning in Lexon's eyes and said, "You've actually awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan..."
Normally, with Danzo's cautious and prudent personality, he would have averted his gaze the moment he saw a Mangekyo Sharingan to prevent being affected.
However, his subconscious had already been imprinted with "trust," so he instinctively did not look away.
Because he "believed" the other party would not move against him.
"Kotoamatsukami" was just that terrifying of a technique, altering another's subconscious cognition without them noticing, leaving them unaware.
As long as the hypnotic effect wasn't too outrageous, it was difficult to detect.
Even if detected, "Kotoamatsukami" was difficult to break.
After all, it was a skill that required a cooldown of over a decade after a single use, hailed as the most powerful genjutsu in Naruto. It wouldn't make sense if it didn't have this kind of effect.
Moreover, Danzo falling for it was also partly due to his underestimation of Lexon.
He had thoroughly investigated this Uchiha clansman from the outside.
'Three-tomoe Sharingan, neglects training, strength capped at top-tier Elite Jonin at best.'
Therefore, Danzo believed that surrounded by "Root" ninja, and with himself being Kage-level, the other party absolutely could not turn the tables.
How could he have imagined that Lexon didn't need to train to improve his strength at all? By checking in daily, his strength had undergone a qualitative leap to that of a Kage-level expert.
He could activate the Mangekyo Sharingan at will, and even possessed Shisui's "Kotoamatsukami"...
When facing Shisui, Danzo had directly expended a Sharingan to use "Izanagi"... precisely to guard against Shisui's terrifying "Kotoamatsukami".
But the reality was that Lexon was stronger than him, possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, had "Kotoamatsukami," and used it directly without hesitation.
Thus, as expected, Danzo, one of the foremost schemers in Naruto, fell for it.
The suggestion Lexon implanted with "Kotoamatsukami" was even a simple and direct "trust," and the effect was outstanding.
Furthermore.
"It's because I wanted Lord Danzo to understand my strength," Lexon said with a broad smile.
[Pure Heart] activated.
'Kotoamatsukami stacked with the effect of [Pure Heart]...'
'Tsk tsk.'
"Very good, not bad!" Danzo patted Lexon's shoulder in admiration.
His expression left the nearby "Root" members stunned.
'Hey, hey, Lord Danzo, this guy just joined "Root"... He hasn't even been tested yet.'
'Just because he showed his Sharingan, you're being so kind to him?'
'This doesn't fit your personality at all!'
"Lord Danzo..." A ninja wanted to remind Danzo that this guy couldn't be "trusted" yet and needed to pass a test.
However, Danzo shot him a sharp glance, forcing the words he was about to say back down his throat.
"Kaku, you will lead the team. Let Uchiha Lexon join your squad and execute the 'Merchant Idu' elimination plan," Danzo said to a "Root" ninja beside him.
"Yes."
Next, Danzo said to Lexon, "Your first mission. Do it well. Don't disappoint me."
"Okay," Lexon replied.
Danzo then left... leaving behind the ninja Danzo had called "Kaku".
Swoosh.
The sound of an object flying through the air suddenly rang out.
Lexon caught it.
It was the exclusive "Root" mask.
"'Root' exists to support the village, a hidden root buried deep in the earth, existing to protect the village," a deep voice emerged from under Kaku's mask, instructing Lexon.
"Compared to that, I'm more interested in what the 'Merchant Idu' elimination mission is," Lexon said, his voice curious as it came from under the mask he was trying on.
"Don't think you can act casual just because Lord Danzo values you." Kaku seemed quite unhappy with Lexon's attitude, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.
'Act casual? If I were acting casual, I would have already pinned Danzo down and checked in on him every day until he was drained.'
'Isn't it just because my current strength isn't enough to crush you all?'
"Don't worry, I'll be very obedient," Lexon said calmly.
'That's a lie...'
He added this sentence in his heart.
However, the [Pure Heart] that now passively accompanied his words still made people feel his sincerity.
Therefore, Kaku's attitude softened somewhat, and he explained to Lexon: "Recently, two minor ninja villages have had a conflict. Idu is the financial backer for one of them. Both villages are vassals of Konoha. We don't want one side to overwhelm the other. Having both sides in a stalemate and asking the village to step in and preside over the situation is what best suits Konoha's interests..."
'They don't want one of the minor villages to become too powerful and defeat the other, so they're going to assassinate their financial backer...'
'As expected, "Root" really does the dirty work...'
After hearing Kaku's words, Lexon thought silently.
He knew very well in his heart that when the other party said, "'Root' exists to support the village, a hidden root buried deep in the earth, existing to protect the village"... it sounded quite noble.
In reality, it was just an organization fostered by the "glorious and righteous" Konoha specifically to do bad deeds, with Danzo as the scapegoat.
"Then when do we set out?" Lexon asked.
He wasn't opposed to carrying out this kind of mission.
'Since Idu got involved in matters between ninja villages, he should have been prepared for this.'
'There's no right or wrong, just different standpoints.'
Of course, if Merchant Idu seemed like a decent person, Lexon wouldn't mind saving him. After all, the Mangekyo Sharingan's hypnotic ability was very strong; he could just hypnotize the accompanying "Root" squad members one by one.
In any case, their strength wasn't high, so he could hypnotize them however he wanted.
However, doing so still carried the risk of Danzo finding out.
"Assemble here in three days in the morning. And don't let the Uchiha clan know you've joined 'Root'," Kaku specifically instructed.
"Oh," Lexon replied casually. "Then I'll be going."
"Do not reveal your movements," Kaku emphasized.
"Oh."
It was already late by the time Lexon returned to the Uchiha clan grounds.
It was already evening.
As soon as he returned to his residence, he saw a pair of brothers standing at his door: Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
"He was clamoring to come here and play..." Itachi had a helpless look on his face.
"It's already very late," Lexon rubbed Sasuke's head.
"Brother is leaving tomorrow..." Sasuke shouted.
He wanted to play here with his older brother and Lexon.
Because Itachi was in Anbu and had to carry out missions, he wasn't home often, only returning occasionally.
That's why Sasuke still wanted to play, even at this hour.
"Then just let him..." Lexon opened the door to his residence, unconcerned.
"Yay..." Sasuke was overjoyed, jumping directly onto the sofa.
Itachi looked at Lexon, somewhat helplessly. "I thought you would help me stop him."
"He's just a kid..." Lexon mused.
'Anyway, Sasuke doesn't have much happy time left...'
He didn't say that part out loud.
"You spoil him even more than I do," Itachi said.
"Who knows..." Lexon patted Itachi's shoulder, signaling him to sit. "Missions must be tiring... Just forget everything and rest for a bit."
Itachi looked at him, somewhat silent.
The next moment, his expression gradually relaxed, and he sat down next to Sasuke.
"Come on, Sasuke, try your best to beat me!" Lexon turned on a fighting game.
"I'll definitely win against Lexon this time!" declared the young Sasuke, who always lost.
"Then do your best," Lexon said with a smile, picking up a controller as his gaze shifted to the smart screen.
But what was reflected in his eyes were lines of text.
[Susanoo (First Stage)]
'You've gotten stronger... Itachi.'
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]