"That Uchiha brat really said that?"
Inside the Root base, Danzō sat in his position of authority, a large calligraphy scroll hanging behind him: "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternal," signed by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
Beside Danzō, Ikku knelt on one knee, personally confirming the report's accuracy.
Receiving Ikku's definitive response, Danzō leaned back, eyes narrowing. After a moment, he snorted coldly: "Hmph, rare to see a clear-headed child emerge from the Uchiha Clan."
Clear-headed...?
Ikku tilted his head slightly in contemplation. Based on his observations, Uchiha Obito bore no resemblance whatsoever to "clear-headed."
But since Lord Danzō had spoken, so be it.
"Just like Uchiha Kagami in the old days..."
Meanwhile, still pondering Obito's words, Danzō mentally superimposed Obito's image over Kagami's.
"If memory serves, this child has always believed in Hiruzen's Will of Fire, hasn't he?"
Opening his eyes, Danzō tapped his fingers rhythmically against the armrest.
"Correct."
Ikku's response was crisp and direct.
"I see..." Danzō supported his body with one arm, his remaining eye gleaming with calculation.
"Lord Danzō."
Before Danzō could issue his next directive, Ryōma, having completed his report with Hiruzen, appeared before him.
Ryōma bowed respectfully to Danzō, ignoring Ikku kneeling nearby, and approached Danzō's side directly, leaning down to whisper in his ear.
"Understood. Ikku, you're no longer responsible for Feng Bai's training. Henceforth, your sole duty is close protection of his safety. Also, the lighting system in the tunnel connecting the manor to the base appears problematic—inspect it during your return. That's all."
After hearing Ryōma's whispered report and confirming both accounts aligned, Danzō raised his chin slightly, glancing at Ikku still kneeling motionless, signaling his dismissal.
"Yes!"
"In that case, let Feng Bai and his team participate in this year's Chūnin Exams." Once Ikku departed, Danzō turned his head toward Ryōma: "You've worked hard during this period. Once Feng Bai achieves jōnin rank, you can focus entirely on Root operations."
Though Ryōma served as Team Eleven's leader, he hadn't neglected Root duties, currently operating in dual-thread mode.
"Yes, Lord Danzō. Regarding the new recruits..." Ryōma referred to the batch of children Danzō had ordered selected from Konoha's war orphans to fill casualties in Root's ranks.
Following standard training protocols, these children would be thrown into a secret training ground for mortal combat against criminals with no background, connections, or anyone caring about their survival.
Only survivors would qualify for Root membership, becoming Konoha's true guardians.
Hearing Ryōma's words, Danzō's finger-tapping ceased. For Feng Bai's sake, he'd already suspended all Root human experimentation—he certainly wouldn't allow training incidents to stain Feng Bai's advancement path.
"Aren't we the ANBU Training Department? If so, we should select members using ANBU methods." Danzō's meaningful words conveyed his stance clearly. Ryōma nodded, saying nothing further.
Seeing Ryōma remain silent, Danzō prepared to rise when he suddenly recalled two secret bases within the village where unauthorized human experiments had occurred, still requiring cleanup. Since these experiments lacked Hiruzen's approval, only he and Orochimaru knew of their existence.
Time for a personal visit to bury those secrets permanently in history's refuse heap.
Danzō contemplated internally, maintaining an impassive expression.
...
Elsewhere, Hiruzen, having concluded remote surveillance, found time to inquire about his son's training progress from the jōnin before him.
The jōnin standing before Hiruzen belonged to the Sarutobi Clan—technically Hiruzen's cousin.
"Asuma possesses exceptional Wind Release talent beyond Fire Release, but unfortunately, neither I nor other clan members understand wind techniques deeply. Only you can instruct him properly." Sarutobi Santō gazed at the man known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, displaying embarrassment.
"No matter. Asuma remains young—mastering Fire Release is already impressive. After all, biting off more than one can chew leads nowhere, hahaha."
Hiruzen laughed heartily, signaling Santō to relax his formality.
"Our Sarutobi Clan has been renowned for Fire Release since the Warring States period. Regarding Wind Release mastery, that belongs to the Shimura Clan, so..." Hiruzen smiled while speaking, suddenly realizing something and falling into contemplation.
Observing the Hokage's thoughtful state, Santō dared not interrupt, quietly focusing on Hiruzen's personally-inscribed calligraphy.
"My apologies—seems I'm truly aging." After prolonged reflection, Hiruzen resolved certain matters, looked up to find Santō still standing respectfully, and apologized.
"You're too modest. You've sacrificed greatly for the village, and your age isn't advanced—isn't Ōnoki from your generation still governing Iwagakure?"
Santō hastily deflected the apology with flattery.
"Hahaha, regardless, I'll entrust Asuma to your care. As for Wind Release, I'll locate an excellent instructor." Hiruzen smiled warmly, declining to pursue the topic.
An excellent instructor...
In Santō's mind, Konoha's finest teacher stood before him—this Hokage cousin. His visit aimed to secure Hiruzen's personal guidance for Asuma.
However...
Observing Hiruzen's wrinkled features, Santō sighed internally, said nothing more, bowed respectfully, and departed.
Watching Santō leave, Hiruzen lit his pipe and directed his gaze toward the First Hokage's photograph.
He understood Santō's intentions perfectly, but having received instruction from both the First and Second Hokage, he'd consistently worked to minimize clan influence on the village. For this reason, he'd deliberately assigned his exceptionally talented eldest son, Sarutobi Shinsuke, to ANBU, keeping him from public attention.
"Time to visit an old friend."
Exhaling smoke, Hiruzen studied Tobirama's photograph and reached his decision.
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