The graduation exam ended with only a small commotion, and soon after came the assignment of jōnin instructors for the newly minted genin.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi casually flipped through the academy records. His eyes paused on the name at the top of the rankings—Uchiha Feiyu—his expression thoughtful.
With a loud bang, the office doors were shoved open. A middle-aged man with a gloomy face and cold expression strode inside.
"Hashirama's ghost, Hiruzen, I'm here to take someone."
"Oh, you want someone, do you? Haven't you already caused enough trouble, Danzo?!"
The Third Hokage's temper instantly flared. He slammed a hand on the desk with a heavy thud.
"Kakashi Hatake's situation—don't you think you owe me an explanation?!"
Danzo hadn't even said a word yet and was already being blasted, but although the White Fang incident was indeed related to him, there was no chance he would admit it.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Hiruzen. Hatake Sakumo's situation has nothing to do with me."
Hiruzen's gaze chilled.
"Who in this village can silence a special jōnin inside ANBU headquarters? Do you really think I'm old and senile enough to believe that nonsense about Kondō Bangyan being a foreign spy?"
Danzo remained unmoved.
"I said it has nothing to do with me. I don't know any Kunihiko."
Classic Danzo—deny everything, no matter what.
With the Third Ninja War looming, Hiruzen had limited room to move against him. As long as Danzo refused to admit anything, Hiruzen could only grit his teeth. Root had committed far worse deeds before, and each time the punishment had amounted to nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
Without someone playing the villain, how was the Hokage supposed to play the benevolent leader?
Knowing this, Danzo remained fearless.
Hiruzen's anger eventually cooled, and he exhaled sharply.
"We'll settle this after the war. For now… what about intelligence on the other villages? Don't tell me Root has neglected its actual job."
"Hmph. Of course not."
Danzo produced a stack of intelligence scrolls.
Root may have been a poisonous dagger turned inward, but when aimed outside the village, that dagger was frighteningly sharp.
The title "Darkness of the Shinobi World" wasn't something given by Konoha—it was earned. Other villages had also suffered under Danzo's hand.
Hiruzen reviewed the reports, and his expression eased. As infuriating as his old teammate was, Danzo's competence was undeniable.
Seeing Hiruzen soften, Danzo pressed forward.
"To acquire this intelligence, Root suffered heavy losses. I need more personnel."
Hiruzen frowned, but eventually relented.
"Fine. I'll approve funding for twenty recruits. Choose them yourself."
Root kept detailed psychological profiles on nearly every ninja in Konoha. Those with extreme personalities, dark tendencies, or dangerous jutsu were always candidates.
Danzo snorted.
"I don't want ordinary shinobi. I want elites."
Hiruzen's eyebrow twitched.
He knew exactly where this was going.
"Speak plainly. Which ninja are you targeting this time?"
"Hatake Kakashi. He has excellent potential for Root."
Hiruzen nearly exploded.
"You've got to be kidding me! The White Fang incident hasn't even cooled yet! Now you want to drag Kakashi into Root? What, should we advertise to the entire village that after they die in service, their children will be brainwashed into disposable weapons?!"
He slammed his smoking pipe so hard it snapped in half.
"Do you WANT mass desertions?!"
Root had indeed "claimed" orphans and clanless children before, but always from the shadows.
Right now, Konoha was united in grief over the White Fang. Every ninja saw Sakumo's death as a warning. If Kakashi were sent to Root now, it would be like publicly proclaiming:
"Serve Konoha, and your children will become mindless tools."
No sane ninja would remain loyal.
Hiruzen glared.
"You may be my comrade, but I will never allow you to destroy the village from within!"
Danzo's voice lowered.
"He is White Fang's son. How can you be sure he won't harbor resentment toward the village?"
"Let me take him. I will forge him into Konoha's sharpest blade—"
"ENOUGH!"
Hiruzen nearly laughed in disbelief.
Why did Kakashi harbor resentment? Because Danzo caused it!
And now he had the nerve to cite that as justification?
"Kakashi will NOT join Root! If you want a prodigy so badly, you can have the academy's first-place graduate this year."
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