Chapitre 171: Chapter 170: Kabuto and Kakashi
"Kumogakure has declared war?!"
Upon hearing this news, the Third Hokage's expression darkened immediately. Both Danzo and Jiraiya stopped their argument and looked at the Hokage assistant who had delivered the information.
After reading through the scroll, the Third Hokage gestured for the assistant to leave and then said to Danzo and Jiraiya, "This report is accurate. Kumogakure is indeed launching an attack against us."
With that, the Third Hokage sighed softly.
After the Kyuubi incident, he had anticipated that this day would come—whether it would be Iwa Hidden Village stirring in the north or Kumogakure in the northeast keeping a watchful eye.
He just hadn't expected that Kumogakure would initiate war so quickly; they weren't prepared for it yet.
Jiraiya furrowed his brow and asked in confusion, "The major conflicts in the ninja world have already concluded. Why is Kumogakure starting a war? They lost their Third Raikage in the last great war."
Danzo glanced at Jiraiya, discontented with his lack of understanding. "Although Kumogakure lost their Third Raikage in the last Ninja World War, their overall fighting capacity hasn't suffered significantly. Moreover, with the growth of the Jinchuriki like Killer Bee and the one from the Hōzuki clan, they feel they now have the qualifications to challenge us. However, it's a good thing they are initiating war since we can weaken them."
Danzo was consistently hardline on external issues, a staunch hawk who advocated using any means necessary to deal with enemy forces, including assassinating high-ranking officials from enemy nations and launching attacks disguised as the enemy in neutral countries.
Hearing the mention of Jinchuriki, Jiraiya's expression grew somber.
If the Fourth Hokage and his wife were still alive, Kumogakure wouldn't be brave enough to initiate an attack. Now, lacking a Jinchuriki, Konoha was already at a disadvantage before the war had even begun.
After all, each qualified Jinchuriki had the combat strength equivalent to a Kage and possessed destructive power greater than that of the Five Kages.
After a moment of silence, the Third Hokage waved his hand and said, "Gather the Jonin from all major departments of the village for a meeting. We can't avoid this war…"
---
Following the Third Hokage's order, a pre-war meeting was quickly convened in the Hokage building.
Upon learning that Kumogakure was invading from the northeast towards the Land of Water, the faces of the Jonin present darkened. None wanted to endure another war.
The reason was simple.
Since the Second Ninja World War broke out twenty years ago, Konoha had enjoyed a period of peace and harmony, having been under the shadow of war for so long.
After finally enduring the years where even nine-year-old children had to go to battle and survive the Nine-Tails incident, which cost them many elite forces, they had only just regained a semblance of peace for less than a month before Kumogakure decided to attack.
However, reality wouldn't change because of their thoughts; they had to unite to overcome this crisis.
Given that this was a single-front war, Konoha wouldn't face the same level of pressure as in previous conflicts. After many Jonin recommended him, Jiraiya was appointed as the commander on the battlefield against Kumogakure.
Danzo also considered vying for the commander position but ultimately abandoned the idea at this critical moment.
Firstly, aside from the dream beasts, he had no other large summoning beasts to counter the Jinchuriki. Secondly, he wanted to quietly build up strength to avoid unnecessary losses.
If all went as expected, many ninjas would perish on the battlefield, making it the best time to eliminate unstable factors.
With that in mind, Danzo recommended Fugaku to be the vice commander.
"Everyone, I believe the captain of the Police Force, Fugaku Uchiha, would be suitable to serve as Jiraiya's deputy…"
Upon hearing Danzo's recommendation, Fugaku's expression was one of skepticism. He knew this was Danzo's scheme aimed at weakening the Uchiha's numbers through war.
Yet, after contemplating for a moment, Fugaku accepted Danzo's recommendation and became the vice commander on the front lines.
Even knowing this was a trap, the Uchiha couldn't miss the opportunity to prove themselves as the best choice for the Fifth Hokage.
Through the trials of blood and iron, the Uchiha's overall strength would only grow stronger.
Seeing Fugaku take on the role of vice commander at the front lines against Kumogakure, many Jonin envied the Uchiha for their newfound power, while others subtly mocked them.
The Third Hokage did not oppose Danzo's recommendation, considering the Uchiha had not suffered many losses during the Kyuubi incident. Having the Uchiha assist Jiraiya in the battle against Kumogakure would be ideal.
The Uchiha and Hyuga clans could effectively counter Kumogakure's masters of physical techniques.
Even the most troublesome Jinchuriki could be interfered with by the Uchiha through their Sharingan genjutsu.
After establishing the arrangements for the front lines against Kumogakure, they also strategized for defenses in other directions. Even the Iwa and Kiri, who had been in a state of truce, and Suna, who had become allies, had to be watched carefully.
War could erupt into a new round of the Ninja World War at any moment.
---
After the pre-war meeting concluded, Danzo left the Hokage building.
He glanced at the Hokage's office, his eyes filled with determination and resolve.
In war, a Hokage could not be easily replaced, and Kumogakure's invasion undoubtedly solidified Sarutobi's position.
However, he was not without his gains; he had received permission to expand the Root organization. Only during wartime would the Third Hokage slightly relax restrictions, allowing him to act freely.
Using this opportunity, he could expand the number of Root members severalfold, surpassing the scale of his previous journey to the Rain Village.
There were two ways to recruit Root members: directly from active duty and cultivating war orphans.
The former involved recruiting excellent ninjas who had graduated from the ninja academy and had served for many years, who could quickly become combatants for the Root without much training, though they could not guarantee absolute loyalty.
After all, these people would eventually become members of the Third Hokage's Anbu and couldn't be trusted completely.
The latter, while providing absolute loyalty, had a very long training period. Cultivating a qualified confidant required at least half a year of careful training, with a high attrition rate during that training.
After weighing his options, Danzo decided he would pursue both strategies: cultivating war orphans as trusted subordinates and recruiting elite active-duty ninjas.
Only this way could he ensure the efficiency of Root's operations.
With this in mind, Danzo had already identified suitable candidates and changed direction toward the Hatake residence.
His target was the son of White Fang, the Fourth Hokage's student, Kakashi Hatake.
Before long, Danzo arrived at the Hatake home and found Kakashi lying despondently on the tatami mat. He couldn't help but frown.
It was just the death of a teacher; did he really need to be this negative?
Ninjas were fundamental tools in the hands of those in power—tools shouldn't have feelings; they just needed to obey orders and complete missions.
Considering Kakashi's demonstrated talent, Danzo patiently knocked on the door.
A few minutes later, he heard footsteps on the floor, and the door was slowly opened.
Seeing that it was Danzo, the leader of the Root organization, Kakashi said expressionlessly, "What do you need from me, Danzo?"
"I'm here to invite you to join Root. The village is now at war, and we need your help!"
Upon hearing this, Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
To most ninjas, Root was seen as a training ground for the Anbu.
But as a disciple of the Hokage, Kakashi understood that although Root was ostensibly a training department for the Anbu, it also had its own armed faction directly under Danzo.
The nature of Root was simple: it was the Anbu of the Anbu.
Danzo's visit was clearly not about restoring him to his former position but rather about recruiting him into Root.
With that thought, Kakashi shook his head and said, "Does the village need someone as useless as me, who can't even protect anyone? Even without joining Root, I can still go to the front lines to complete missions."
"Besides, Danzo, Root is too dark. I don't want to be part of it."
Danzo glanced at Kakashi but didn't take offense at his frankness. He said meaningfully, "Root embodies the village's dark side, and naturally, it is filled with darkness."
"But that is the very purpose of Root's existence. Only by quietly working in the shadows can we allow the leaves to thrive under the sun."
"My invitation for you to join Root comes from recognizing the darkness within you."
"Only a ninja like you can protect the village from the shadows. Moreover, your heart is in turmoil right now. By joining Root and completing missions, you can temporarily forget your past and simply become the root of Konoha."
"I…" Kakashi fell silent.
Danzo's words struck a chord with him. Recently, he had been restless because of memories from the past.
If there were a chance to forget himself and become an ordinary ninja, perhaps that would be a good decision.
Seeing Kakashi hesitating, Danzo continued, "Kakashi, you can rest assured that you are different from others. Even if you join Root, I won't plant the curse mark on you."
"As long as you wish to leave Root, you can do so at any time; I won't stop you."
After hearing this, Kakashi fell into deep thought. After a while, he looked at Danzo, who was smiling.
"Danzo, when can I report to Root?"
---
With Kakashi successfully recruited, Danzo felt quite pleased and directed him to report to Root immediately.
Kakashi was not just any ninja; he was the son of Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, and the youngest Jonin in the village. Over time, he would inevitably reach the heights of Konoha's White Fang.
Moreover, in addition to his ninja talent, Kakashi possessed a Sharingan gifted by the Uchiha clan.
For a ninja of his level, the Sharingan had become less useful; its enhanced dynamic vision relied on the body's ability to react, and its inability to deactivate consumed a considerable amount of chakra.
However, the Sharingan had an almost legendary secret technique that could turn the tide in crucial moments.
When faced with the relentless pursuit of enemy ninjas, if not for Kagami Uchiha using that technique to reverse the situation, he might have perished in the Second Ninja World War.
Those were hard times; Konoha had not only lost the First Hokage but also Tobirama-sensei.
Reclaiming his scattered thoughts, Danzo arrived outside the Konoha Orphanage under the cover of night.
Seeing the dilapidated sign of the orphanage and the smiling Nonō Yakushi at the entrance, Danzo's expression turned sharp.
Nonō had once been his ace, completing many missions for him.
However, after a particularly deadly task, Nonō retired from Root and became the director of the orphanage, breaking free from Danzo's control.
Over the years, Nonō not only ignored Danzo's summons but even refused to hand over the war orphans. These orphans, free from attachments, were mostly the descendants of ninjas, making them ideal candidates for Root.
But Nonō had the audacity to confront him over these war orphans, which had left Danzo simmering with anger.
Now that he had received permission to expand the Root ninja roster, whether to recruit students from the orphanage was no longer up to Nonō.
However, using these orphans to coerce Nonō was also a viable option.
With the situation in Iwagakure, Root was in need of a decent spy; sending someone to the Land of Rain would be a good choice.
With this in mind, Danzo appeared before Nonō, blocking her path.
Seeing Danzo standing in her way, Nonō's expression instantly darkened. She looked at him cautiously and said, "Danzo, why are you here?"
Since the Fourth Hokage's death, Nonō had been worried that Danzo would come knocking.
She never expected that after only one month of peace, he would actually show up. She didn't know if she could protect the children of the orphanage from Danzo.
After locking eyes, Danzo smiled and said, "The Wandering Miko, it's been a while. How has life been for you as the director?"
"I came to visit the children of the orphanage on behalf of the village…"
Nonō swallowed hard, her face anxious as she said, "Danzo, please don't recruit anyone from the orphanage. They are just a group of poor children."
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "You know better than I do what Root's duty is. If we didn't bear the darkness in secret, the village wouldn't have the peace it enjoys today."
"They have enjoyed Konoha's tranquility, so they naturally need to contribute to the village."
"Do you expect me to abandon the recruitment of orphans from outside the village and instead cultivate the children within the village? Isn't that a bit selfish of you?"
Faced with the pressure Danzo exerted, Nonō was at a loss for words.
Danzo was different from the previous Root ninjas who had visited; he was a powerful figure in the village. With his strength and influence, he could easily crush a mere orphanage.
But if he demanded she hand over the children, she could not comply.
It seemed there was only one option left: to exchange herself for the other children at the orphanage. After all, she had come from the orphanage herself and was more useful than the children.
Just then, noticing something was off, Kabuto put down the broom he was holding and walked over.
Kabuto glanced at the tense Nonō and then at the darkly imposing Danzo, quickly grasping the situation.
"Director, is this old gentleman someone you know?"
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