In the beginning, Root had been approved by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, under the harmless-sounding pretext of the Anbu Training Department. On paper, it existed only to cultivate elite shinobi for the village, a silent reserve to strengthen Konoha's foundations.
In reality, however, Danzo Shimura had long since twisted Root into something far darker.
It was no longer an auxiliary arm of the Hokage.
Root answered to Danzo alone.
Through secrecy, fear, and absolute control, Danzo had transformed Root into his personal army—an organization that operated in the shadows, unbound by law, morality, or oversight. Orders were absolute. Loyalty was enforced. Individual will was erased.
To expand this hidden force, Danzo spared no method, no matter how despicable.
Under the banner of the Anbu Training Department, he demanded personnel contributions from every major shinobi clan in Konoha. Refusal was not an option; resistance was quietly crushed. At the same time, Danzo tightened his grip on financial channels, manipulating village subsidies until the Konoha Orphanage fell entirely under his control.
For years, the Orphanage had been Root's greatest asset.
Children without families, without protection, and without anyone to speak for them were the easiest to mold. They could be broken, reshaped, and indoctrinated into perfect tools. Through Danzo's careful maneuvering, the Orphanage became Root's largest and most stable source of recruits.
Only then did Root grow at an alarming rate—until it became an organization no one within Konoha could truly ignore, yet no one dared openly challenge.
And precisely because of this, Danzo's reaction was so violent when he learned that the Orphanage had refused to supply new blood.
Root's training methods were brutal to the extreme. Survival rates were low, and casualties were considered acceptable losses. Its missions were ruthless, its operatives disposable. Such an organization devoured manpower endlessly.
The Orphanage cutting off its supply was nothing short of an attack on Root's lifeline.
"What exactly is going on?"
Danzo's voice was low and chilling, heavy with restrained fury. He sat in the dim underground chamber that served as Root's command center, his visible eye narrowed beneath layers of bandages and shadow.
He would never allow the Orphanage to slip from his grasp.
"It's Hirakawa Aomizu," came the reply.
The speaker was Aburame Ryoma, one of Danzo's most trusted subordinates. A member of the Aburame Clan, his expression remained impassive as ever, hidden behind dark glasses. Insects stirred quietly beneath his cloak, responding to his chakra. Within Root, he was considered elite—and he now served as Danzo's personal bodyguard.
"He donated enough money to keep the Orphanage operating independently," Ryoma continued evenly.
Danzo's brow furrowed.
In his eyes, a mere Hirakawa Aomizu should have been nothing.
Yet reality was far more troublesome.
Aomizu's current strength, reputation, and influence made any rash move against him extremely dangerous. This was not the Konoha of the future—one weakened by war, internal collapse, and the loss of its greatest pillars.
That era had not yet arrived.
In the future Danzo envisioned, Sakumo Hatake would be dead by his own hand, crushed by the village's scorn. The Three Legendary Sannin would scatter—one defecting, one vanishing, one sinking into despair. The great nations would loom like predators beyond Konoha's borders, while the Uchiha Clan simmered with unrest from within.
Only then would Sarutobi Hiruzen have no choice but to rely on Root.
Only then would Danzo truly hold the reins of power.
But now?
Now, if Danzo dared to touch Hirakawa Aomizu, both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Tsunade would intervene without hesitation. Worse still, Aomizu had earned the tacit approval of Uzumaki Mito.
That alone made him untouchable.
"Hirakawa… Aomizu…"
Danzo repeated the name slowly, tasting it like poison.
Just moments earlier, he had sneered at the boy's so-called frivolity—wasting time and talent on business ventures instead of devoting himself fully to ninjutsu and politics.
Now, he felt the consequences of that "wasted" talent.
Even Danzo could not deny the truth: Aomizu's Pingchuan Film and Television Company was printing money at an absurd rate. Profits flowed like a river, vast enough to make even Danzo feel a rare pang of envy.
With that wealth, the Orphanage no longer needed Root's subsidies.
At the realization, regret stabbed sharply into Danzo's chest.
When he had first noticed Aomizu years ago, he had investigated the boy thoroughly. He knew Aomizu had been raised in the Orphanage. By all rights, such a prodigy should have belonged to Root.
Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen had acted first.
He had taken the boy under his wing.
No amount of bitterness could change that now.
"Lord Danzo," Aburame Ryoma spoke again, his tone cautious. "Shall I dispatch someone immediately to deal with Hirakawa Aomizu?"
He did not finish the sentence. Instead, he raised a finger and drew it slowly across his throat.
Assassination.
Within Root, direct suggestions were unnecessary. Hints were enough.
Danzo's word was law.
Danzo's will was doctrine.
"No."
The refusal came instantly.
"Moving against Hirakawa Aomizu is impossible for now," Danzo said coldly. "Instead, inform him that I wish to meet tonight."
Despite his rage, Danzo remained rational.
"Yes, sir."
Aburame Ryoma vanished in a flicker of movement.
Not long after, he appeared within Konoha Hospital, stepping silently into Aomizu's office.
"Hirakawa Aomizu," Ryoma said, his voice devoid of warmth. "Lord Danzo demands your presence tonight."
Before Aomizu could respond, Ryoma disappeared once more, leaving behind only an address written neatly on the desk.
The method was unmistakable.
It resembled Anbu behavior.
But true Anbu would never barge uninvited into someone's office—let alone act with such naked arrogance.
"Hmph," Aomizu snorted softly. "So Danzo finally can't sit still."
The summons did not surprise him.
In fact, he had already considered a more extreme possibility.
Assassination.
The fact that Danzo had chosen to summon him instead only proved one thing: for now, Danzo still lacked the courage to act recklessly within Konoha.
Aomizu set the matter aside and continued working as usual.
When night fell, he sent a Shadow Clone to the designated location.
"Hirakawa Aomizu," Danzo said, his visible eye gleaming. "Konoha's most dazzling prodigy. I have high hopes for you. Join Root, and you will receive the finest treatment."
Danzo still hoped to recruit him.
If Aomizu agreed, even Sarutobi Hiruzen would have no grounds to interfere.
"Spare me the nonsense," Aomizu replied calmly.
The blunt rejection darkened Danzo's face instantly. Killing intent surged, heavy and oppressive.
"Insolent brat!" Aburame Ryoma shouted, already forming hand seals.
Danzo raised a hand, stopping him.
"Heh," Danzo chuckled softly. "A true young genius."
He emphasized the word young deliberately.
"You should understand," Danzo continued, "the Orphanage falls under Root's jurisdiction. You have crossed a line."
"Oh?" Aomizu replied mildly. "Since when did the Orphanage become Root's subordinate department? I'll confirm that with the Hokage."
Danzo's expression grew pitch-black.
The boy gave him no room to maneuver.
Worse, he invoked Sarutobi Hiruzen openly.
A menace.
This child must not be allowed to live.
Yet Danzo made no move.
He knew the truth.
The Aomizu before him was only a Shadow Clone.
Acting now would accomplish nothing—and would strip away all pretense.
"If all you want is empty talk," Aomizu said, turning away, "there's no point continuing."
He left without hesitation.
"Lord Danzo?" Ryoma began.
Danzo silenced him with a gesture and departed with a cold snort.
That night, consumed by fury, Danzo did not return to Root.
Instead, he went to a place steeped in forbidden research and ambition.
Orochimaru's laboratory.
"Danzo," Orochimaru drawled with a grin, "shouldn't you be rotting in that gloomy hole you call Root?"
Danzo's killing intent flared.
But he restrained himself.
"Orochimaru," Danzo said icily, "I want you to eliminate Hirakawa Aomizu."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)