As Root begins to expand, the shadows of Konoha grow deeper.
Unrolling the scroll, Hoshishita Shu's eyes quickly scanned its contents.
The material was extremely detailed.
It didn't only list the sequences of hand seals—it also contained numerous techniques along with thorough explanations.
Those explanations were likely written personally by Hashirama Senju, later copied and preserved by Root.
The techniques recorded within were equally impressive.
From standard ninjutsu such as Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall, Wood Clone, and Adamantine Wood Technique…
To powerful techniques like Deep Forest Emergence, Wood Dragon Technique, and even True Several Thousand Hands…
Almost everything was included.
One thing was missing, however.
Yamato's Four-Pillar House Technique.
Shu couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed.
After all, that technique was perfect for building shelters during missions in the wild.
An essential survival skill.
"For now, my main training focus will be Wind Release and Wood Release."
Shu had no intention of abandoning Wind Release just because he had awakened Wood Release.
He knew very well that while his Wood Release might surpass Yamato's—
It was still nowhere close to Hashirama Senju's.
At present, he couldn't rely solely on Wood Release.
Wind Release was already his natural affinity.
And he had a solid foundation with it.
Moreover, if he ignored the unreliable "status bar cheat," Shu believed that the only legitimate path forward was mastering more chakra nature transformations and eventually attempting to fuse them into new kekkei genkai.
As for the crooked shortcuts?
Stealing eyes.
Snatching "power banks."
Grabbing the Ten-Tails.
Or even hunting the Ōtsutsuki.
…
Shu shook his head and refocused on the scroll.
He began carefully studying the Wood Release techniques from the beginning.
Once again, he examined Wood Locking Wall.
The annotations beside it were extremely detailed—far clearer than Danzo's explanation.
Danzo's "teaching" had been more like a condensed summary.
Efficient, but lacking elaboration.
Hashirama's notes, on the other hand, were lengthy and full of commentary.
Shu actually preferred them.
Even if they contained more "extra words."
After reading the section several times, Shu finally rolled up the scroll.
Then he slowly formed the hand seals.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
He clapped his hands together.
Wood Release chakra flowed into the earth beneath his feet.
Immediately—
Curved wooden pillars erupted from the ground before him, weaving together into an arched wooden barrier.
This form looked exactly like the version Yamato used in battle.
Rather than merely performing the technique, Shu had improved his chakra control to alter its shape.
Staring at the curved wooden barrier, Shu suddenly thought of something.
Kakashi's Earth Release wall.
The one where he carved a dog's head into it.
Maybe he should add his own style.
Carving a dragon might look far more impressive.
"And it would also help train chakra control…"
"I'll try it once the technique becomes more stable."
Muttering to himself, Shu continued training.
Next he experimented with different variations.
An arch bridge–shaped barrier.
A four-wall enclosure.
Various structural forms.
Each attempt improved his familiarity with the technique and refined his control.
Gradually, the speed of his Wood Locking Wall began to increase.
It was steadily approaching the fastest speed at which he could perform the hand seals.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Hokage's office.
Danzo stood before Hiruzen Sarutobi, presenting his proposal to expand Root.
"Expand Root?"
Hiruzen stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Recently, undercurrents had been stirring throughout the shinobi world.
The pressure on the ANBU had increased significantly.
Originally, Hiruzen had been considering expanding the ANBU instead.
However—
Now that Konoha's political stability was firm and his authority was unquestionable, it might be reasonable to further empower his old friend Danzo.
With one managing matters in the light and the other operating in the shadows…
Konoha's burden could be greatly reduced.
And so could his own.
Seeing Hiruzen's hesitation, Danzo spoke again.
"The great tree of Konoha grows beneath the sunlight."
"But wherever there is light, darkness inevitably appears."
"Root will be the guardians hidden within that darkness."
"Even deeper than the ANBU."
"Hiruzen—you protect the village under the sun."
"And I will protect it from the shadows."
"Root will become the blade hidden in darkness."
"A blade that eliminates all enemies threatening Konoha."
"Even enemies within the village itself."
Danzo had held this idea for a long time.
But until recently it had been vague.
After Hoshishita Shu's reminder, however, the concept had suddenly sharpened.
He now fully understood his role within Konoha.
Light.
And darkness.
Hiruzen pondered silently, weighing the advantages and disadvantages.
Danzo continued.
"Hiruzen, Konoha has finally stabilized."
"It's time to remove certain internal tumors."
"Every major village is expanding its military."
"Another war may break out sooner or later."
"We must eliminate internal threats now."
"Only then can we face the coming changes in the shinobi world."
"These matters…"
"Leave them to me."
Danzo was speaking bluntly now.
No more hiding behind euphemisms.
Hiruzen responded firmly.
"I will allow you to expand Root."
"But I absolutely will not allow you to target your comrades."
Danzo replied in a deep voice.
"Root protects Konoha."
"It targets only the enemies of Konoha."
"And anyone who becomes an enemy of the village must be eliminated."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"In that case… go ahead."
"In urgent situations, you may act without reporting beforehand."
A faint smile flickered in Danzo's eyes.
"Hiruzen."
"With the two of us working together…"
"No one will be able to harm Konoha."
…
Time passed quickly.
Hoshishita Shu spent the entire morning practicing Wood Locking Wall.
After lunch, he returned to his room within the Root base.
There, he resumed training the chakra sphere technique he wanted to recreate—compressed, rotating chakra.
The difficulty of mastering it was far greater than Shu had expected.
Of course, he had Naruto's training method as a reference.
That alone reduced the difficulty considerably.
For instance, Naruto used Shadow Clones to assist in the process.
But Shu's goal wasn't merely to learn a move.
He also wanted to train his chakra control.
So he deliberately avoided shortcuts.
After all—
Forming it with one hand looked far cooler.
Just like driving a Ferrari with one hand on the wheel.
The entire afternoon passed quickly.
Shu looked down at the balloon in his hand.
It still hadn't burst.
He stretched his stiff body.
Training ninjutsu was unbelievably tedious.
He decided to go stroll around Konoha's marketplace for a change of pace.
Just as he began preparing a disguise—
Knock knock.
Someone was at the door.
Opening it, Shu saw a masked figure.
Nakamura.
"Codename A."
"We have a mission."
After saying those words, Nakamura disappeared instantly.
"So soon?"
Shu was slightly surprised.
But his movements were quick.
He changed clothes and put on a ghost-faced mask.
A short while later—
Shu arrived at the gathering point.
Four other Root shinobi were already standing before Danzo.
Beside them stood more than a dozen additional shinobi wearing Root-style uniforms.
But their demeanor was clearly different.
New recruits.
Shu glanced at them briefly before stepping into formation.
Danzo spoke without expression.
"The Third Hokage has approved the expansion of Root."
"From now on, Root will no longer function merely as a training division for the ANBU."
"Like the ANBU, it will carry out missions directly."
"From the darkness, we will protect Konoha."
Shu's heart jolted slightly.
Danzo had moved incredibly fast.
He had secured Hiruzen's approval already.
Those two truly were inseparable partners.
But Shu couldn't help thinking—
This development might also be exactly what Hiruzen wanted.
Danzo continued.
"From now on, Codename A."
"You five will serve as squad leaders."
"Ten—read the list."
Standing beside Danzo, Shimura Daichi—codename Ten—produced a roster and began announcing names.
"Sarutobi Atsushi — Codename: Ape."
"Inuzuka Ryo — Codename: Three Heads."
"Aburame Hiiichi — Codename: Flying Insect."
Soon Shu heard the names and codenames of the three shinobi assigned under his command.
He couldn't help wondering—
Were these people personally requested by Danzo to strengthen Root?
Or had Hiruzen intentionally placed eyes inside Root?
But in the end…
It probably didn't matter.
For Danzo—
Everyone was expendable.
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