Kazuyama Gekkō had never been to Root Division before and knew nothing about their base, but that didn't mean he couldn't uncover what was hidden.
After all, this was exactly what he excelled at—finding things, especially things meant to stay hidden. That was his specialty.
"Well, well, I never would've guessed Root Division's base was this big."
"If I'd known, I should've brought more ANBU. How long will this search take?"
After casually inspecting one room, Kazuyama Gekkō began complaining. Then, with a mischievous grin, he glanced toward Danzō in the distance, his mind already brewing schemes.
"To avoid delaying Root Division's operations, I'll just have to speed things up."
"Multi... Shadow Clone Technique!"
White smoke burst forth with the telltale popping sounds of shadow clones, and then came the spectacle—clones pouring out endlessly.
It looked as if they cost him nothing. No, worse—as if they didn't even drain his chakra.
Fifty? A hundred? The number of clones kept skyrocketing.
"Good heavens... Is this even still the Shadow Clone Technique?"
"How can there be so many?"
An ANBU member's eyes nearly bulged out beneath his mask. He knew the Shadow Clone Technique himself, but there was no way he could create this many.
Midori shook her head and explained to her subordinates.
"The Shadow Clone Technique and the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique share the same principle—the goal is the same, to create clones."
"But the risks are vastly different."
"The basic Shadow Clone Technique doesn't consume much chakra. But the other, with so many clones, demands massive chakra expenditure. If the user doesn't have enough, it can become life-threatening."
"It's a Kinjutsu..."
By the time she finished her explanation, the final number of clones stabilized at around eight hundred.
Eight hundred Kazuyama Gekkō, each with a wicked grin—that was a terrifying sight.
"This way, manpower won't be an issue."
"Danzō, I'm starting."
"Everyone, move out!"
Eight hundred Kazuyama Gekkō stormed into the Root Division base.
Soon, the noise began to echo everywhere:
"What's this? Someone in Root actually reads this kind of book? I knew this department was hopeless! Confiscated!"
"The environment here is cold and damp, unfit for human habitation. You can't even get normal sunlight. Terrible!"
"Food supplies? Nothing but emergency rations? This isn't treating people like humans! Confiscated!"
Midori: …
ANBU Squad: …
Entire Root Division: …
Just how efficient was Kazuyama Gekkō?
In only a few minutes, problems were uncovered in waves.
The clone army had only been at it for five minutes, yet the list of issues was already endless.
From minor hygiene lapses to major environmental failings—if anything seemed off, it was marked as unacceptable.
Even Danzō's face shifted slightly. Clearly, he wasn't quite as calm as he pretended.
Danzō: No... I am calm. It's just that this bastard is infuriating!
[ Ding! Host is conducting large-scale searches and destruction within Root Division's base, causing all personnel—including Danzō—to seethe with rage. Host has been cursed countless times in their hearts. Special reward: Taijutsu +1. ]
Hearing the system notification, Kazuyama Gekkō sighed faintly. Rewards were getting stingier these days.
"Looks like the outer facilities are done."
"Next up—the laboratories and your office, Danzō."
Kazuyama Gekkō gave Danzō a sly smile before leading the squad toward the labs and offices.
He knew perfectly well that the earlier finds were nothing more than small problems. The real evidence lay in the labs and in Danzō's quarters.
...
Inside the labs, all personnel stopped what they were doing. With hundreds of intruders flooding in, continuing their work was impossible.
This operation had been kept covert, so many staff hadn't evacuated Root ahead of time.
That was exactly what Minato Namikaze and Kazuyama Gekkō had agreed on—if they were going to investigate, they had to do it all at once. No giving Danzō time to prepare.
The Amegakure mission had distracted him, giving them this perfect chance to strike.
"Oh? Everyone's busy with research?"
"Let me see what you're working on."
"Hmm... pharmaceuticals?"
A clone casually picked up a report, glanced at it, and sneered.
Pharmaceutical research? Who would buy that?
Soon, the clones collected all the visible reports and began their checks.
Of course, it was meaningless. Anything important wouldn't be left out in the open.
So next came tearing the place apart. The laboratory looked like it had been looted by bandits.
"Huh? What's this? A hidden door?"
It didn't take long for a clone to find something. The hidden door was well-concealed beside some lab equipment, but Kazuyama Gekkō was a master thief.
Such minor tricks couldn't fool him.
But the moment the clone touched the door, seals flared around its frame.
"Damn, a barrier?"
"Too bad. It won't stop me."
Kazuyama Gekkō had broken dozens—if not hundreds—of seals, thanks to Orochimaru's constant precautions against him.
That experience left him with a broad understanding of barriers and wards.
With a snap, the seal shattered and the hidden door opened, revealing a small room.
"Hmm, Danzō, you don't look nervous at all."
"Hmph. Why should I be nervous?"
Kazuyama Gekkō's true body remained at Danzō's side. Even as the hidden chamber opened, Danzō showed no change in expression.
Soon, the contents of the hidden room were laid bare.
It wasn't unspeakable horrors—just Root's personnel lists and a few specialized sealing techniques. Among them was the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal Danzō had placed on all his subordinates.
"Oh? Personnel lists, huh."
"Not very useful. But Danzō—"
"These reserves... something about them feels off."
Others might not notice, but Kazuyama Gekkō understood immediately.
He even spotted familiar names on the list, which had been submitted by an orphanage. Two names stood out clearly: Shin and Sai.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is from an orphanage, isn't it?"
"What? Root Division is taking in children now?"
"Since when did Root become a charity?"
Kazuyama Gekkō held up the list, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
After the incident with Nonō Yakushi, the village had tightened control over orphanages, placing them all under direct management.
Danzō was exploiting a blind spot right under the village's nose.