At that thought, a fire ignited in Danzo Shimura's heart.
Although he hated Sakumo Hatake and Li Anshi, believing they were the primary reason he had been sidelined by Hiruzen, Danzo, having witnessed Sakumo in action on the battlefield, had to admit the power of his sword technique.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki had been severely wounded by him.
And Sakumo Hatake was only fifteen years old today.
This was a testament to the power of the Hatake sword style.
As for Li Anshi…
Danzo Shimura hadn't seen him fight with his own eyes.
However, from the mix of true and false information circulating throughout the ninja world, he could understand Li Anshi's strength.
Konoha's "Little Li Flying Dagger" had become another strategic deterrent, following in the footsteps of the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi Hashirama Senju, and the Asura of the ninja world, Madara Uchiha.
A glint appeared in Danzo Shimura's eyes.
Coincidentally, his right arm had been severely injured. Not even Koharu Utatane's medical ninjutsu could restore it.
Even if Danzo could practice one-handed seals, his strength would never return to its peak.
If he could obtain Sakumo Hatake's sword technique, or Li Anshi's secret flying dagger art…
Then his strength might not only break through again, reaching the realm of a "Kage," but he might even, like Li Anshi, pose a great threat to a "Kage."
At this thought, Danzo's heart burned with ambition.
Being cautious, Danzo naturally couldn't just go and directly demand their secret techniques from Sakumo Hatake or Li Anshi.
"It just so happens that Hiruzen wants me to form an organization to train Anbu prospects. Perhaps I can use this as a reason to approach them."
"As for the name of this organization…"
Danzo Shimura looked up at the large tree outside, his gaze traveling from its trunk to the leaves at its top, then down from the leaves, all the way to the ground.
It was as if he could see through the soil to the roots of the great tree buried deep beneath the earth.
"Hiruzen, you are the leaves in the sun. Then I shall become the root buried deep in the ground!"
"I will use my roots to nourish Konoha."
"Thus, this organization shall be called… 'Root'!"
…
"It's been a long time, Sakumo."
After leaving the Hokage's building, Li Anshi saw Sakumo Hatake and waved to him with a smile.
"It has been a long time, Anshi."
Sakumo Hatake also smiled and nodded in response.
"Your reputation now is like the sun at noon."
"The name 'Little Li Flying Dagger' can stop children from crying at night in other ninja villages."
In the ninja world, a reputation for "stopping children from crying at night," while it didn't sound very pleasant, was the best testament to a ninja's fearsome renown.
Because when children in ninja villages were mischievous and cried at night, the adults would use the names of powerful ninjas from enemy villages to scare them.
"You child, don't you know you're not supposed to make noise at night?"
"If XXX from X Village finds out, see if he doesn't come and cut out your tongue!"
After this period of fermentation, the name of Li Anshi's "Little Li Flying Dagger" had spread throughout the ninja world.
After the various ninja villages had paid a considerable price to obtain the most accurate intelligence, Li Anshi's fame reached its peak.
The Cloud Village, as one of the five great ninja villages, ranked among the top three in strength.
One might even say it was second only to Konoha.
More than three thousand elite Cloud ninjas—this was a powerful force capable of launching a strong assault on any other ninja village, a force no village would dare to underestimate.
In fact, under the leadership of the Third Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, it wasn't impossible for them to launch a surprise attack with the goal of "destroying a village."
And yet, such a powerful ninja force had been broken by Li Anshi to the point of collapse.
In the end, the Third Raikage had been forced to sign a truce and provide Konoha with a huge sum of "humanitarian aid" totaling three hundred and sixty million Ryo over five years.
Sakumo Hatake's claim that Li Anshi's reputation could stop children from crying at night in other villages was not an exaggeration in the slightest.
Looking at Li Anshi, Sakumo's eyes were also filled with admiration.
As classmates who had trained together at the Ninja Academy for six years, Sakumo Hatake was the one who admired Li Anshi the most.
If it were an ordinary person, after learning they couldn't use ninjutsu, they would probably have given up on their dream of becoming a ninja.
But from beginning to end, Sakumo had never seen the words "give up" on Li Anshi's face.
Besides that classmate named Might Duy, Li Anshi was the most hardworking ninja Sakumo had ever seen.
Of course, this wasn't to say that Sakumo thought less of Might Duy's efforts; rather, their efforts were focused in different directions.
Might Duy was either training his body or on his way to train his body.
It was said that even the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama Senju, had been so impressed by Might Duy's perseverance that he had spent some time with him.
Li Anshi's efforts, on the other hand, were focused on practicing kunai throwing.
Sakumo Hatake knew that his current strength was inseparable from his family's ancestral sword technique.
Before the rise of the ninja, the Hatake clan was also a renowned name among the samurai.
Abandoning the glory of the old samurai era, they joined the ranks of the ninja and began to cultivate chakra. The Hatake sword style once again shone brightly in Sakumo's hands.
But what about Li Anshi?
He was just an ordinary commoner ninja, with no samurai or ninja legacy.
And yet, he had managed to create a terrifying secret flying dagger art from the simple act of throwing ninja tools.
In just two wars, with the lives of nearly a thousand ninjas, Li Anshi had proven the terror of this art to the entire ninja world.
"Heh, your title of 'White Fang of Konoha' isn't too shabby either."
Faced with Sakumo's teasing, Li Anshi retorted in kind.
Indeed, in the year that Konoha fought against the Cloud, the Sand, and the Stone, the most famous figures were not the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, but Kagami Uchiha, Li Anshi, and Sakumo Hatake.
Sasuke Sarutobi was a powerhouse who had been famous since the Warring States period. It was no surprise that he had the combat power to restrain a Tailed Beast.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was the successor personally appointed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. It would be stranger if he didn't have the combat power of a "Kage."
Kagami Uchiha was the new wielder of the Mangekyo Sharingan in the Uchiha clan after Madara Uchiha's disappearance.
Everyone was watching to see if Kagami could continue Madara's legend and become the new Asura of the ninja world.
However, after continuous, high-intensity battles, people were somewhat disappointed in Kagami Uchiha.
Admittedly, the power displayed by his Susanoo was extraordinary.
But compared to Madara's invincible might, it was still a far cry.