Chapter 30: The Formation of Root
"Don't celebrate too soon."
The Third lightly exhaled a puff of smoke, glanced at his excited old friend, and said calmly, "For Root, I'm only granting you two squads—eight people in total. You'll assemble them yourself. I'll also assign two others to act as your deputies, to help you manage Root."
At those words, Danzo frowned, clearly displeased. He shot the Third a look of irritation, cursing inwardly: Those two deputies aren't there to help me manage Root—they're there to spy on me.
Exactly. They were to spy on him.
A department this critical and shrouded in secrecy—there was no way the Third would allow Danzo to act unchecked.
The Third gave Danzo a sharp glare, making his intentions clear.
Danzo understood the message from his old friend. Although he was unhappy, he had no choice but to accept. But he wouldn't surrender. One day, Root would belong to him and him alone.
"I'll soon begin lifting the mission restrictions placed on the Uchiha clan," the Third said subtly. "You need to get Root established as soon as possible."
Danzo instantly understood, smiling, "Don't worry, I won't forget Root's true purpose. Here's my list of eight members. You just need to assign me your two surveillance officers."
As he spoke, Danzo pulled out a prepared list of Root members from within his robes and handed it to the Third.
Danzo had long since prepared everything for Root's formation—even the base and facilities were ready.
The personnel had been vetted and selected five years ago. He had even predicted the initial structure of Root—everything had been prepared, waiting only for this moment.
You could say the two of them had been friends since childhood—so familiar they even knew the color of each other's diapers.
With the Third's approval, the last piece was in place. Danzo had already done all the rest.
The Third calmly took the list and began reviewing it. He wasn't surprised by how quickly his old friend had it ready.
After all, Danzo had made those preparations with the Third's silent consent.
"Hmm…"
The Third's brow suddenly furrowed as his eyes froze on one name. He blinked, making sure he wasn't seeing things, then looked up and glared at Danzo.
"Is this a mistake? Why is Orochimaru's name on this list?"
Danzo smiled faintly. "He's well-suited for Root's darkness."
"Bullshit!" the Third roared. "He's my student—the future Fourth Hokage! Not someone meant to be buried in the shadows of Root!"
Not to mention, how could his student be a member of a shadowy organization like Root?
If people found out Orochimaru had been in Root, how could he ever run for Hokage?
"The Fourth Hokage?"
Danzo raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected the Third to hold such lofty expectations for Orochimaru.
Though Orochimaru had been a genius since childhood, and had already transformed that genius into strength—reaching Jonin level at a young age—
It was still too much to label him the future Fourth Hokage.
And why should the Fourth Hokage be your student again?
Why not mine—Shimura Danzo's?
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
What Danzo didn't understand was that in the Third's eyes, a genius commoner like Orochimaru, with no clan backing or parents, dependent solely on his teacher, was the perfect candidate to become Hokage.
Only Orochimaru's succession would ensure the Third's power extended deeply within Konoha, and secure the interests of the Sarutobi clan.
The Third would never allow anyone to interfere with the legacy of his Hokage authority.
Because only he could firmly uphold Lord Tobirama's plan to eliminate the Uchiha clan.
In the Third's mind, he alone was fit to carry that mission forward.
"Heh."
Danzo sneered inwardly. The more the Third refused to let Orochimaru join Root, the more Danzo wanted him in it. Originally, submitting Orochimaru's name was just to test the Third's attitude. Now he was determined to win him over.
Danzo's eyes shifted slightly, then he said with a smile, "Believe me, Hiruzen—Orochimaru is better suited for Root. He's not the kind of ninja who basks in the sunlight, being hailed as a hero. He's the type who quietly protects the village from the shadows."
"His strength isn't just in battle—but in research. He has the same gift for developing new jutsu as the Second Hokage did."
Danzo had met Orochimaru before—the Third's most prized disciple.
At a glance, he had seen the same darkness—no, the same unwavering determination to protect Konoha—as in himself.
As their contact deepened, Orochimaru's thirst for knowledge and jutsu became increasingly evident. Danzo was sure—this was someone born to study forbidden techniques.
Root was a perfect fit for a research genius like Orochimaru.
And Danzo needed someone like him.
"Absolutely not. Forget it."
The Third hurled the list aside without discussion. There was no room for negotiation. He would never allow Orochimaru to enter Root.
If Danzo insisted, then Root would not be approved.
"Fine. I'll change it."
Seeing the firmness in the Third's eyes, Danzo didn't push further. He picked up the pen and crossed out Orochimaru's name, replacing it with another.
He had thought it through—getting Root approved was the priority. Pulling Orochimaru in could wait.
After all, knowing Orochimaru as he did—
That child would never be able to resist the temptations he'd offer. Eventually, he would walk into the darkness himself.
The Third wanted Orochimaru to become Hokage?
Heh!
Danzo sneered in his heart.
The Third picked the list back up. Seeing Orochimaru's name scratched out and replaced, and finding no issues, he pulled a Root formation application form from his drawer, signed his name, and stamped it with the Hokage seal.
And just like that, in the world of Naruto, the infamous "wherever there is darkness, there is me" chaos-bringing Root was born.
Phew… Danzo took the application form in hand and let out a deep breath. Years of longing had finally come true. For the first time in ages, his heart burned with excitement.
"I'll take my leave then, Hiruzen."
Danzo turned and left, eager to begin assembling Root as soon as possible.
"Wait."
The Third suddenly called out, brow furrowed as he debated whether to involve Danzo in the Li Yao situation. In the end, he asked, "Those research instruments from the Wood Release revival project... they're still intact, right?"
"They're well preserved."
Danzo instinctively turned back to answer, then suddenly realized what the Third had asked. His eyes lit up as he spun around, staring intently at the Third.
"Hiruzen, are you restarting the Wood Release Revival Project?"
"No, I'm just asking."
The Third immediately shook his head, quashing Danzo's hopes before they could grow.
Years ago, the First Hokage Senju Hashirama died not long after the battle at the Valley of the End.
With his death, the shinobi world descended into chaos worse than the Warring States period, and the First Great Ninja War soon erupted.
During that war, the Second Hokage Tobirama was killed while protecting the Third and his companions—using his Flying Thunder God technique, the fastest movement ability in the world.
Though the Third and his generation eventually rose to demonstrate overwhelming power, proving that even without the First and Second, Konoha still surpassed the other five great villages, and thus ended the war—
Still, they longed for the days when the god-like Hashirama reigned supreme, and the entire ninja world bowed before the power of Wood Release.
After the war, the rapidly rising Uchiha clan had become the strongest force in Konoha—making the Senju clan uneasy.
After all, the Senju and Uchiha had been enemies for over a thousand years. That hatred didn't just vanish.
Without the First and Second, the Senju naturally feared the Uchiha.
They were unwilling to accept the shift in power. They wanted to bring back the Senju clan's former glory and crush the Uchiha beneath them once again.
And so, the Senju, along with the Third and other Konoha elites, secretly initiated the Wood Release Revival Project.
(END CHAPTER)
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