Konoha: Sage Body

In the evening, in Konoha, in the Hokage Building, in the Hokage's office secret room, Sandaime, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were having a secret meeting.

"Hiruzen, what's the situation with the Roots?"

Mitokado Homura asked anxiously.

After returning from Konoha Prison, he immediately sent someone to contact some known members of the Root, but found that all the members of the Root at the contact location had disappeared. It wasn't just him; the situation with Utatane Koharu was the same.

Later, the two of them tried many ways to find the Root people, and even found several secret bases of the Root, but there was no one inside either, and many things had been destroyed, leaving few useful clues.

After Danzo's death, it seems that the Root did not immediately lose control as they had thought, but rather chose to hide collectively.

This unusual behavior of the Root naturally not only did not make Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu happy, but instead they became increasingly worried, because all signs indicated that there still seemed to be a leader within the Root, who was taking over the command of the Root in place of Danzo.

And who this person was, they had no idea.

"There are no clues. What we have found are just small fry. We have no idea where the core members of the Root have gone."

Sandaime shook his head, his face showing deep concern.

Like Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, the more abnormal the Root's behaviour, the more worried he was about the situation there.

When Danzo was still around, the Root still had channels of communication with Konoha. Now that Danzo was gone, the Root seemed to be deliberately avoiding Konoha, which was not a good sign, at least for Konoha and Sandaime.

This means that the Root has lost control, and events are developing in an unpredictable direction.

What worries them most is that the Root not only has some of their dirty secrets, but also a lot of important information about Konoha. If the Root is used by someone with malicious intent and becomes a tool for use against Konoha, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Damn Danzo, even in death he won't let people rest in peace,"

Sandaime thought with a frown and a headache.

He really didn't expect this abnormal move by the Root. It seems that during the time Danzo was imprisoned, this guy had thought about ways to keep the Root functioning normally without being able to personally command it himself. He may even have secretly arranged some sort of backup plan after he regained control of the Root.

Perhaps Danzo had long since arranged his successor.

"This guy should also be aware of the risks of doing something like that, and have thought about being killed in retaliation. Then who would be his successor?"

Sandaime suddenly found that he could no longer read Danzo's mind at all.

"It's all that Senju Momo thing's fault. If she hadn't colluded with outsiders, Danzo wouldn't be dead, the Root wouldn't be out of control, and the Senju clan, led by her like that, would sooner or later perish, and Konoha would suffer greatly as well."

Utatane Koharu said angrily.

She had lost face badly in front of Senju Momo today, and it was absolutely impossible to say that she would be willing to accept it.

Now that the Senju clan and Sandaime are in opposition to each other, it is clear. She must try her best to ingratiate herself with Sandaime and get him to take action against the Senju clan.

"Koharu, don't say things you don't have proof of. Besides, the Senju clan is a prestigious family in Konoha, the family of the teacher, and they would never betray Konoha."

Homura Mitokado did not target the Senju clan as mindlessly as Utatane Koharu did, and immediately corrected Utatane Koharu's mistake.

In Konoha, it is very unwise to say bad things about the Senju clan. If you let it slip and someone hears you, it may soon reach the ears of someone from the Senju clan.

The Senju clan is famous for its good reputation in Konoha, especially among the general public, and is very popular.

"But what about her, Senju Momo, inviting the heads of the other clans to a banquet at the Senju clan today? She didn't invite them sooner, and she didn't invite them later, but she picked today. The Senju clan is definitely involved with that mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse. It was definitely the Senju clan's idea to have Hiruzen get injured by that mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse..."

Senju Momo was not present, so Utatane Koharu had a lot of nerve. She completely ignored Mitokado Homura's advice and continued to ramble on.

However, when she tried to blame the Senju clan for the mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse's assault on Sandaime, she failed to notice that Sandaime's face instantly turned as dark as an iron pot lid.

For Sandaime, today was definitely the darkest day of his life since becoming Hokage.

As the Hokage, the strongest card of Konoha, he was beaten up by his enemies in front of many Konoha ninjas. This memory is simply unbearable to think back to.

Because of this, he is still full of anger in his heart right now and has nowhere to vent it.

Utatane Koharu really brings up the wrong subjects, and has no discernment at all.

"Ahem..."

Utatane Koharu did not notice Sandaime's expression at this time, but Homura Mitokado did. He coughed a few times to remind Utatane Koharu not to say anything more.

Unfortunately, before Utatane Koharu could react, Sandaime glared at him and shouted angrily, "That's enough, don't say anymore. Don't fabricate facts willy-nilly when there's no evidence. You're the Hokage's advisor, do you want to see Konoha split?"

As he spoke, a terrifying murderous intent exploded from his body and rushed towards Utatane Koharu.

Utatane Koharu was rebuked in such an angry manner by Sandaime, and was also impacted by Sandaime's murderous intent. The entire person suddenly became confused, subconsciously taking a few steps back, the sound from her mouth stopping abruptly, her face showing a scared expression, her entire body trembling slightly.

"Hiruzen, Koharu is not the enemy. What she just said were just angry words, don't take it to heart,"

Homura Mitokado saw this and immediately reminded him.

After being reminded, Sandaime calmed his murderous intent, but still stared coldly at Utatane Koharu and said coldly, "Koharu, remember, the Senju clan is not Konoha's enemy, it is different from the Uchiha clan."

Although the Senju clan has declined, its status in Konoha has never wavered, and it has always remained Konoha's number one ninja clan.

The reason for this is that the Senju clan still has the support of nearly 60% of the ninja behind them, and most of the civilian ninja class also have their hearts set on the Senju clan.

If anyone dares to go against the Senju clan, it would be equivalent to going against most of Konoha.

Sandaime is indeed very unhappy with the Senju clan right now, but he has no intention of taking action against the Senju clan right now, and is not even willing to be enemies with the Senju clan right now.

Because if he attacks the Senju clan, he fears that he will no longer be able to hold onto the position of Hokage.

Moreover, after today's incident, the prestige of the Senju clan in Konoha will definitely rise further, and many ninja who have secretly defected to the Sarutobi clan because of the loss of the Senju clan's Kage-Level powerhouse may change their minds again.

What worries him most is that if he formally opposes the Senju clan, there may be a serious split within Konoha, which is fatal for Konoha, which is currently at war.

In any case, as Hokage, his ultimate mission is to protect Konoha, which comes second only to his family.

He will never let anyone who dares to create division within Konoha and put it in danger off the hook.

"I, I understand,"

Utatane Koharu replied with a pale face, then lowered her head, afraid to look at Sandaime again, and didn't say another word.

"Alas, after Danzo's death, his bad temper before Hiruzen has gradually revealed itself. This is really not good."

Homura Mitokado looked at Utatane Koharu, who was scared by Sandaime at this moment, and lamented inwardly.

He had also grown up with Sandaime since childhood, so he knew very well that Sandaime was actually not a good-tempered person. He did care very much about his companions and was reliable in critical moments, and had the courage to stand up and protect the rear, but that did not mean that he had a good temper.

On the contrary, he used to have a very bad temper. When he fought his enemies, he was always ruthless. When he was young, it was common for him to break into conflict with his enemies at the slightest disagreement.

The reason why his temper improved was because he became the Hokage and then worked with his subordinate, Danzo.

Standing in the sunlight, he was constantly under the supervision of the villagers, so he always showed his bright side and eventually became a good Hokage who was loved by the villagers.

Danzo became his shadow, taking care of the dark side of his job.

The combination of light and dark was the true Third Hokage.

Now that Danzo is gone, Sandaime, who has lost his lower body, is finally gradually rediscovering his dark side.

"Mitokado, Koharu, Danzo is gone, and the Root under his command has also lost contact and control. This cannot continue, so I have decided to give you two a task: to take over Danzo's work. Can you do it?"

Sandaime saw that Utatane Koharu had calmed down. He also realized that his actions had been a bit rude, and his face quickly softened. He smiled at the two of them and his eyes revealed a look of expectation.

He was used to having Danzo do the dirty work for him, and now that he had lost Danzo and the Roots, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

But he was lucky to have alternative candidates, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu in front of him were good choices.

"Hiruzen, you want us to replace Danzo? You're not serious, are you? I'd love to help you, but I'm afraid my abilities are really limited, and I'm afraid I can't share your burden."

When Homura Mitokado heard this, he was shocked and quickly refused.

"Yes, the work of Danzo is really beyond the two of us. As you know, we are both from the Shinobi clan, and our strength is not as good as Danzo's. We simply cannot control the Roots as firmly as Danzo."

Utatane Koharu also hurriedly declined the job that Sandaime had given her.

At one time or another, the two of them had envied Danzo for having the Root as his own private armed force, but once they truly understood the situation within the Root and the nature of the work, they no longer envied Danzo at all.

It was a big pit. Once you jump in, you basically have to say goodbye to the world of light for the rest of your life, and you have to stay in the dark world of the ninja world for the rest of your life. And because you do so many dirty jobs, you will be feared and discriminated against by the people in the village.

This job really isn't for the average person. The person who can do it must have a big heart and an unyielding will.

To be honest, Danzo was able to serve as the leader of the Root for more than twenty years, and he even developed and strengthened the Root, the dark organization of Konoha. His willpower and talent are actually not much different from Sandaime's, and to some extent, he is even better than Sandaime.

"Is it that you can't or you don't want to?"

Sandaime's expression instantly turned cold when he saw the two of them refuse, and he questioned them.

The reason he asked the two to come over was of course not to hear their information about Root, but to ask them to take over Danzo's work and serve him.

This was what he now considered to be the remaining value of the two.

If the two were unwilling to accept this job, then he no longer needed the two.

In fact, he also had evidence of the two abusing their power for personal gain, but he turned a blind eye because they were old comrades-in-arms, could help him in high-level decision-making, and were not greedy.

However, once he feels that the two are worthless, then this black material will become a good tool for him to bring them down.

Hearing this, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked at Sandaime's indifferent face and cold eyes, and fine sweat trickled down their foreheads. They had already realized that this was a request they could not refuse, and if they refused, the consequences would be severe.

"Hiruzen, please don't make this difficult for us,"

Mitokado Homura said with a stiff upper lip.

"I was told that a while ago, a batch of supplies sent to the front line had the wrong quantity, with a shortage of a new type of anesthetic, and some of the weapons were of poor quality."

Sandaime said coldly.

Upon hearing this, the pupils of Homura Mitokado's eyes instantly shrunk to pinpoints, and more sweat broke out on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and finally said with a dejected face, "Fine, I'll give it a try."

Seeing that Homura Mitokado had given in, Sandaime shifted his gaze to Utatane Koharu.

Utatane Koharu suddenly felt a chill run down her spine when she was looked at by Sandaime's cold, knife-like gaze. She nodded and said, "I'll do as you say."

She was no fool. Since Sandaime was able to threaten him with Homura Mitokado's black material, he must also be prepared to threaten her with her black material.

If she disobeyed Sandaime, the Hokage advisor sitting on her bottom would no longer be able to hold the position, and even the ninja clan behind her would be implicated.

In order to keep her position as the Hokage advisor, she had no choice but to follow Sandaime's instructions. Now that she thought about it, she really regretted it. She should not have been greedy and used her power for personal gain.

"Very good, with two people helping me, the new Root will definitely be able to get up and running very quickly. Don't worry, the construction of the new Root will not be done by just the two of you. I will get my son Sarutobi Takashi involved, and Hatake Sakumo will also join the new Root at that time."

After Sandaime successfully made Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu submit to his will, a smile once again appeared on his face as he spoke of his plans.

"Hatake Sakumo will also join?"

Hearing Sandaime's words, Homura Mitokado's eyes lit up with surprise.

For a leader of a dark organization like the Root to get his subordinates to do as he says, he must be strong enough, otherwise he simply won't be able to control the ill-tempered, brutal, unruly and rebellious ninja of the Root.

His personal strength was previously acceptable, but since he has retreated to the second line, he has become negligent in his training and has aggravated some old injuries. His strength has seriously declined. In terms of strength, he is still considered to be among the best among the elite ninjas, but this level of strength is probably not enough to keep the Root ninjas in check.

However, the addition of Hatake Sakumo has undoubtedly given him a peace of mind.

The strength of this Konoha White Fang is enough to silence all the disobedient voices in the Root.

"Of course,"

Sandaime nodded.

Hatake Sakumo was a ninja who was loyal to Konoha. As long as he was Hokage, Hatake Sakumo would obey his orders. However, this person was a man with a pure will of fire, and was not suitable for handling dirty work.

But it didn't matter, he only needed to let Hatake Sakumo have a name in the new Root.

In fact, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also played a role in the new Root.

The real person in charge was his son Sarutobi Takashi.

"Hiruzen, I heard that Hatake Sakumo is now the teacher in charge of Nawaki, Chizuru, and Kirito, and that you sent him on a secret mission,"

Utatane Koharu suddenly asked.

"That's right,"

Sandaime nodded in acknowledgement.

"I think you should immediately suspend their mission and bring Hatake Sakumo back as soon as possible. That mysterious Kage-Level powerhouse is likely to appear again, and we have to be on guard. If Hatake Sakumo had been here today, today's outcome would definitely have been different,"

Utatane Koharu got her confirmation and immediately spoke her proposal.

She no longer had any good feelings towards the Senju clan, because the Senju clan colluded with outsiders to harm Danzo, and as a result, Sandaime had to forcibly hand over Danzo's work to her. It can be said that her future integrity would be at stake.

Therefore, when Sandaime said that he wanted Hatake Sakumo to join the new Root, she immediately came up with this idea.

This would allow Hatake Sakumo to return to Konoha to participate in the construction of the new Root, suppress the arrogance of the Senju clan, and prevent the two young ninjas Nawaki and Kirito, who belong to the Senju clan, from enjoying the protection of Hatake Sakumo.

It was killing three birds with one stone.

However, her proposal was not immediately approved by Sandaime.

Sandaime remained silent, slightly frowning as he pondered the pros and cons.

The White Fang squad had achieved results in the Land of Wind, and he had just received the news not long ago. The results were quite impressive. The task he had assigned to the White Fang squad had been completed quite well. If the White Fang squad continued to cause havoc behind enemy lines, it might speed up the time it took for Konoha to defeat Sunagakure.

If Hatake Sakumo were to return now, wouldn't that be throwing away all the hard work that had been done?

Moreover, Nawaki, Kirito, and Chizuru are all important Konoha Shinshin, and they need the protection of a strong and reliable person right now.

Sandaime is now a little unsure of what to do.

"Hiruzen, only if the home front remains stable can the people at the front lines fight the enemy with peace of mind. You must not neglect one for the other. You know best the strength of today's enemy. If he comes to Konoha to cause trouble again, are you confident that you can expel or defeat him?"

Utatane Koharu saw that Sandaime was taking his time to respond, so she decided to add fuel to the fire.

Utatane Koharu's words undoubtedly burned Sandaime's butt, and he immediately made up his mind. With murderous intent, he said, "It's definitely time to bring Hatake Sakumo back. I won't make the same mistake twice. If that guy dares to come again, I'll make sure he doesn't go back."