Danzo Shimura could be considered to have come from a prestigious family; the Shimura clan was a well-known ninja family in Konohagakure, much like the relationship between the Sarutobi clan and the Senju clan, the Shimura clan and the Sarutobi clan had a very good relationship.
At the same time, Danzo and Hiruzen were childhood friends who grew up together and had basically never been separated, so their relationship was naturally very good. Furthermore, Danzo was also a disciple personally trained by Tobirama, so Hibari had seen him frequently.
However, compared to a very upright person like Hiruzen, Danzo always had a faint aura of darkness about him, which made Hibari's impression of him not very good.
But due to various connections, the two often met. After several interactions, Hibari found that although Danzo had a somewhat grim personality, he was generally a decent person. Therefore, while their relationship wasn't as intimate as Hiruzen's, it was still good.
Judging by his future actions, Danzo was a person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. However, it must be said that although he did many dirty and messy things, he indeed provided a lot of help to the entire Konohagakure and contributed greatly to the village.
How could a vast Konohagakure be full of only 'glorious and righteous' matters? The Anbu unit formed by Hibari and the others might sound impressive, but essentially, it was also a department that handled the murky side of things for the Hokage.
And Danzo was similar, except that what he dealt with was even darker.
However, it was indeed somewhat beyond Hibari's expectation that Hiruzen would suddenly propose establishing an organization specifically for training Anbu personnel. The trustworthy person he mentioned was, without a doubt, Danzo Shimura.
But in Hibari's memory, the 'Root' organization, specifically for training Anbu personnel, was supposed to be established only after Hiruzen took over Tobirama's position as the Second Hokage, becoming the Third Hokage.
He never expected that Danzo would start causing trouble so soon after the Anbu was just established.
"Did he 'incite' Hiruzen?" Hibari rubbed his chin, thinking.
However, he quickly dismissed the matter. Whatever Danzo wanted to do didn't have much to do with him. This person certainly had abilities, and he hadn't yet gone to extremes like in the future; he was still a good young man devoted to Konohagakure. His reputation in the village was still good, so there was nothing to worry about.
Actually, Hibari hadn't remembered incorrectly. Speaking of Danzo starting these things earlier, it was somewhat related to Hibari himself.
From a young age, Danzo wanted to compete with Hiruzen. They were both friends and rivals, but Hiruzen always managed to get the upper hand over him, in every aspect.
This would have been fine; after all, they weren't enemies. Although Danzo felt somewhat frustrated, he still considered Hiruzen his good friend.
But recently, he had been out on several long-term missions, and upon returning, he found that the village had a new Hokage. And that wasn't all; Hiruzen, who used to be a bodyguard for their master Tobirama, had suddenly become an Anbu leader.
This made Danzo feel like Hiruzen had once again pulled ahead of him, so he wanted to catch up. At first, he planned to join the Anbu. If he couldn't replace Hiruzen, then being a deputy should still be possible, right? If he showed extraordinary talent in that area, he might even be able to replace him and win against Hiruzen for once.
But after inquiring, he found out that the Anbu's Deputy Commander was none other than Hibari Senju, which thoroughly confused Danzo. After much deliberation, Danzo figured that the Hokage was intentionally training Hibari, so he decided not to interfere with the 'good thing.'
He put that thought aside, and after more than half a year of observation, he finally came up with a plan: to improve the Anbu, this new department, to train personnel for them, and at the same time, to familiarize himself with the Anbu system. In the future, he might even become a powerful figure within this emerging organization.
That's right, at this time, Danzo hadn't thought too much, only that he didn't want to fall too far behind Hiruzen, and also wanted to contribute to the village.
However, as his power grew in the future, his ideology would undergo further changes, but that was a story for later.
Not long after Hibari left the Anbu office, Danzo arrived there, knocked on the door, and then entered.
"Danzo, you're here." Hiruzen smiled upon seeing Danzo.
Danzo also managed to force a small smile onto his face. For some reason, from a very young age, Danzo found that he didn't like to smile much, and sometimes when he did, it looked very strange, giving people an unsettling feeling.
"Hmm, I came to take a look. By the way, what do you think of the suggestion I mentioned to you earlier?" Danzo asked softly.
Hiruzen first poured him a cup of tea, then said with a smile, "You've really come at a convenient time. I was just talking about this with Hibari."
Upon hearing this, Danzo raised an eyebrow, took a sip of tea, and asked, "Oh? What did Hibari say?"
"Hibari also supports this suggestion, or rather... he simply couldn't be bothered to manage these things. In any case, he didn't object. So, we in the Anbu can now report this matter to the Hokage. As soon as the Hokage approves it, you can begin preparing these things," Hiruzen said with a smile.
Hearing that Hibari hadn't obstructed anything, Danzo felt a slight sense of relief. He had been afraid that Hibari, being young and ambitious, might like to seize power and mess things up for him.
Now it seemed that even after not seeing Hibari for a long time, and even though he had been a 'high-ranking official' for a while, he hadn't changed much. He was still the same person who did things his own way.
Thinking of this, he smiled and said, "That's good. This kind of thing is beneficial for both the Anbu and the village. Hokage-sama definitely won't reject it. By the way, I haven't seen Hibari in a long time. I miss him a bit. Is he still here? Is he busy?"
"Hmm, he went back to prepare things. He's going on a long-term mission starting tomorrow, so he probably won't be back anytime soon," Hiruzen didn't say much more.
Seeing this, Danzo didn't tactlessly ask more questions. After chatting for a while, they both headed to the Hokage's office.
On the third day that Hibari and Kagami left Konohagakure on their mission, the Hokage Residence approved Hiruzen and Danzo's proposal, appointing Danzo as the administrator of an auxiliary organization under the Anbu, specifically for training excellent shinobi for the Anbu.
This event also marked the 'germination' of 'Root,' the mysterious organization that would later influence many events in Konoha.
...
A few days later, on a road near Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, two figures, one tall and one short, sat in a carriage, leisurely heading towards Kumogakure.
The smaller figure had short silver-white hair, a delicate face, and crimson pupils, looking like a very endearing child.
That's right, this slightly altered figure was none other than Hibari. He had disguised himself a bit, even changing his pupil color.
And the slightly taller figure was Kagami, also disguised.
This time, the identities they chose were that of two brothers from a fallen family, who had been traveling between countries for years as 'itinerant merchants.' Their purpose in coming to Kumogakure this time was to sell Land of Fire specialties to the village.
"That's Kumogakure ahead. Once we're inside, stay sharp. If they truly intend to start a war or something, and we happen to expose our identities, what do you think will happen to us?" Hibari said, looking at the distant, smoke-shrouded Kumogakure and speaking to Kagami, who was driving the carriage beside him.
Kagami chuckled, then said, "That depends on how fast we are. If we're fast enough, we might even be able to commit suicide..."
"Hahahaha, you're right! If we're quick, we can take our own lives. Otherwise, we'll just be a huge hassle for the village." Hibari laughed loudly.
If the two were discovered and died, it wouldn't be a big deal. But if Kumogakure captured them, one being a young master of the Senju clan and the other a genius of the Uchiha clan, they would undoubtedly be valuable bargaining chips.
By then, Kumogakure would have gained the upper hand even before the war had begun, wouldn't they?
They rattled along in the carriage until they reached the main gate of Kumogakure. They handed over all the prepared documents to the guards at the gate. After a thorough inspection, Hibari and Kagami Uchiha smoothly 'infiltrated' Kumogakure.
After all, all the documents and identities they used were 'real.'
Upon entering Kumogakure, the two quickly found an inn and settled down.
Sitting on the bed, after laying out some things, Hibari said, "Let's split up and act according to the plan. Be careful, and don't hold me back."
"What are we now, commander and baggage carrier?" Kagami Uchiha retorted grumpily.
Ever since their fight on the mountain behind the village, their relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds, becoming very good. However, it always seemed to feel a bit off; Kagami, who was usually very composed in front of others, always liked to 'provoke' Hibari with his words. He wondered if Kagami was still holding a grudge about Hibari beating him until he had two black eyes.
However, Hibari had already grown accustomed to Kagami's demeanor. Plus, as the 'superior,' he naturally had to be magnanimous, so he didn't argue with him at all. He said, "If you find anything good, don't hog it all."
Kagami chuckled and said, "We're here to carry out a mission, not to steal..."
At this point, he paused, then continued, "Got it. If you find anything good on your side, don't forget to save some for me too."
After saying that, he opened the door and walked out. Hibari, meanwhile, continued to tidy up various miscellaneous items.
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