Inside the Hokage Tower, in the office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, eyes downcast in silence, puffing smoke from his pipe. The air was as heavy as a clay pot under high pressure, making one want to smash the walls or tear open the lid to escape.
"Cough cough!"
It wasn't until Koharu Utatane couldn't help but cough that the unbearable silence was broken.
"Hiruzen, about this matter..."
Homura Mitokado let out a sigh of relief, glanced at Danzo, who stubbornly refused to lower his head, and then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, advising, "This time, Danzo really did go a bit too far..."
"Conducting Wood Style experiments in secret, hoarding research results and Wood Style ninjas, isn't that going too far?"
Before Homura Mitokado could continue to defend Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him expressionlessly, "That's Wood Style, don't tell me you don't understand what that implies!"
At these words, Homura Mitokado's old face flushed slightly, and he looked helplessly at Danzo Shimura. Yes, Wood Style ninjas. Who would have thought Danzo had grown so bold as to secretly keep Wood Style ninjas? If it weren't for the investigation into Orochimaru's defection, they still wouldn't know that Wood Style had reappeared. Danzo's current control over "Root" made even Homura Mitokado feel a chill.
"Root is Konoha's root, the Anbu's root, and my root. But now, it dares to hide such crucial information from me, the Hokage. Does that mean..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, narrowed his eyes at Danzo, and questioned, "It has become an independent organization serving someone's personal gain?"
Hearing this, Danzo, who had been expressionless, said in a deep voice, "Everything I do is for Konoha."
Listening to his old comrade's resounding reply, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently exhaled a puff of smoke, his face shrouded in the swirling white mist, appearing unpredictable from Danzo's perspective.
"Hiruzen..."
Koharu Utatane, who had remained silent, also couldn't help but speak.
"Enough." Hearing them about to plead for Danzo again, Hiruzen Sarutobi impatiently waved his hand, signaling them to stop. After Tobirama-sensei died due to the assassination attempt by the Cloud Village, he was entrusted with the position of Hokage in a time of crisis. But "Hokage" was different from his youthful fantasies; he immediately faced the pressure of war and ninja clans upon taking office, instantly shattering his illusions about the Hokage position.
Both the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan initially showed him a dismissive attitude, only obeying orders but not declarations. Fortunately, as Hokage, he had a righteous cause when vying for power. Besides the Sarutobi clan, he also had the support of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. So he adopted a strategy of balancing coercion and appeasement, and with the assistance of Danzo and others, he used some special methods to create animosity between the Uchiha and Hyuga, two prominent ninja clans. Only then did he firmly secure the Hokage position, holding the Hokage's power in his hands and placing his trusted aides in important departments.
During Tobirama Senju's era, "Root" was actually just a training division of the Anbu. It wasn't until he allowed Danzo to control "Root," to handle unsavory matters that couldn't be dealt with under the Anbu's name, such as monitoring ninja clans, that it gradually evolved into an intelligence organization.
The "Root" under Danzo's charge was, in essence, equivalent to an Anbu squad. According to Anbu structure, Danzo, as a squad leader, should only lead four teams, totaling seventeen people. However, with Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentional or unintentional indulgence, "Root" continuously expanded and grew stronger. Under Danzo's influence, its methods became increasingly dark, until now...
If "Root" were allowed to continue developing this way, it would surely become too large to control, completely devolving into Danzo's personal armed organization. Therefore, it had to be restricted.
"There's no need to mention 'Tenzo,' the Wood Style ninja. I've already assigned him to the Anbu. Now, there's another matter."
Ignoring Danzo's resentful expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three before him with profound eyes and asked, "Intelligence from the border indicates that the Cloud Village seems to be mobilizing troops. They might be planning another small move."
"What are your thoughts on this?"
At these words, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado simultaneously frowned.
"Again? How disgusting!"
Homura Mitokado's brows were tightly furrowed, his tone serious, "No matter what, we cannot act rashly."
"Homura is right," Koharu Utatane nodded. "Whatever they intend to do, we just need to be on guard. We mustn't give them any reason to start a war!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was noncommittal, shaking his pipe as he looked at Danzo and asked, "What do you think?"
Danzo's gloomy eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low, husky voice, "Of course, we make them hurt!"
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing, pipe in his mouth, taking a deep drag, holding the smoke in his lungs, then exhaling it. Although the Third Great Ninja War had ended, in reality, the current ninja world was far from peaceful. This was mainly due to the severe lack of high-level combat power in Konoha. First, the Konoha's White Fang, who had gained immense renown in the Second Great Ninja War, committed suicide. Then, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, died during the Nine-Tails' attack.
The combat power that suffered heavy casualties on all fronts during the Third Great Ninja War had not yet recovered, and many ninjas had died in the Nine-Tails' attack orchestrated by the masked man. No matter how vast and deeply rooted Konoha was, it was struggling to cope. Anyone could see Konoha's awkward position of having insufficient successors. Although the Cloud Village and Stone Village had been somewhat hurt by Konoha, they couldn't help but stir with ambition when presented with such a rare opportunity.
So, both had been probing the Land of Fire's borders. Almost every few months, border conflicts would erupt due to provocations from Cloud and Stone, and the number of injured was increasing. There was no other way; Konoha had consistently shown a weak and easily bullied attitude, greatly fueling the arrogance of the Cloud and Stone Villages.
Fortunately, it hadn't been long since the Third Great Ninja War ended. The war-weariness among the people of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth was still very strong. The Cloud Village and Stone Village dared not risk universal condemnation by unilaterally declaring war on Konoha without a valid reason. However, they were just one proper reason away from escalating the conflict and starting a war. A "just" reason that could ignite the warlike sentiments of the Daimyo, nobles, and common folk.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to give them this reason, which was why he had repeatedly chosen to endure provocations. He truly dared not gamble. Konoha couldn't afford to gamble either.
"Hoo."
With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and lowered his gaze to the intelligence report submitted by the Anbu. His gradually aging face was shrouded in smoke, and even with the sunlight streaming through the window, his expression remained unreadable.
"Stone Village, Cloud Village..." After a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, "For now, we endure. Gather a group of ninjas and send them to the border to guard against Cloud."
Danzo frowned, instinctively retorting, "Doing this will only make those damned bastards even more arrogant!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him calmly, "In that case, you can dispatch a group of people from 'my' Root to aid at the border."
"What?" Danzo was startled.
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes meaningfully, "Is there a problem?"
If there were any more problems, he would be removed from his position as Root's leader. Realizing this, Danzo's expression shifted unpredictably. He coldly snorted and turned away, saying resentfully, "Hmph, what problem could I have? After all, that's your 'Root'!"
With that, he turned to leave, then suddenly stopped, his voice filled with unwillingness. "Hiruzen, remember your choice today! You will regret it!"
"Watch your tone, Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his pipe, stating gravely, "Remember, I am the Hokage!"
At this remark, Danzo's face twitched.
"Then be a good Hokage!" he growled through gritted teeth, gripping the doorknob.
Bang!!