Konoha Notes

Chapter 58 Roots
The conflict with the village's secret service was no small matter, and the fact that the two members of the team stood by his side without hesitation made Shuji very gratified.

He wouldn't let his companions worry.

Therefore, while continuing on his way, Shuji explained what had just happened.

"The Dark Division currently has four standard squads, each with 17 members including the squad leader."

"This was decided during the second generation. During the third generation, the Anbu added a branch, the Root."

This red bean knows that Orochimaru has close ties with Danzo, the leader of Root.

Itachi knew this because he had encountered Root when he was assisting Uchiha Shisui with a training mission.

“The root unit is organized like any other secret squad, consisting of seventeen people, directly led by Advisor Shimura. As for this advisor…” Shuji gave a polite assessment, “He acts without restraint, taking the interests of the village as his guiding principle.”

"Why did they attack..." Hongdou blurted out, then realized her mistake—judging from the scene, the ANBU were the ones being attacked.

"The commission from the Wasabi family is quite important. Advisor Shimura probably wants to handle it himself first, and may eventually hand it over to the third generation, but he probably won't hand it over completely."

Having already figured out what the ledger represented, Shuji could easily deduce Danzo's intention in demanding it.

It's nothing more than falsifying numbers, making private deals with various businesses in Izuku Port, and pocketing a portion of the profits. After all, the Root organization only has seventeen officially appointed members, and Danzo couldn't possibly rely on just those seventeen.

He naturally needed to raise funds to support the extra staff.

Here we go again... Red Bean felt a slight throbbing in her head and decided to give up thinking about all these complicated things. As long as she could get back to the village, that was fine.

"Why not just refuse? Wouldn't hitting someone directly get you into trouble?" That was what she was more concerned about.

"To be precise, the beating was to prevent the conflict from escalating." Xiu Si's lips curled into a very faint smile, almost invisible in the night. "They are aggressive, so taking one down first will significantly reduce the opponent's actual fighting strength. Moreover, since they only use their fists, they can still control their strength."

The purpose of using violence first is to control the situation. If they feel that they have the upper hand and become aggressive, then Xiu Si will get into trouble.

When dealing with this type of person, the only way to contain subsequent conflicts is to confront them head-on with a stronger and more assertive approach, without fear of trouble.

"Advisor Shimura is accustomed to using pressure tactics to profit, and so are his subordinates. To be honest, their actions are not supported within the framework of village rules."

"So, if you fight back but don't kill anyone, there won't be any major problems. Of course, if they insist on harassing you..."

“They’re dead, so be it.” Shuji’s tone was as calm as if he were stating the weather. “The Root members act recklessly for various reasons and often go unpunished. But conversely, the village rules don’t really protect them either. Do you understand?”

His gaze swept over the two of them almost imperceptibly.

Hongdou gave an awkward laugh; she didn't dare.

Itachi seemed to be deep in thought.

Having finished his explanation, Shuji said no more. The three of them accelerated, and as the eastern sky began to lighten, they finally caught sight of the familiar outline of Konoha Village's gate.

When Team 5 arrived at the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage did not keep them waiting and immediately received them.

Xiu Si first submitted a detailed written mission report, followed by a concise oral report on the mission's progress, emphasizing the strength and annihilation of the Black Eclipse Clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly filled his pipe with new tobacco, lit it, took a deep drag, and then slowly unrolled the scroll to examine it line by line.

"Hmm... The mission to annihilate the Black Eclipse Clan has been confirmed as complete. Thank you for your hard work."

Amidst the swirling smoke, his voice carried a hint of approval: "Judging from the briefing, the enemy's strength should not be underestimated. For this mission, the village will upgrade its registration level to S-rank. I will inform the mission center about the mission reward, which will be calculated according to the S-rank standard. The specific amount will be finalized after the intelligence team completes the information extraction."

"Thank you for your hard work, Shuuji, Anko, Itachi."

"As for B-level intelligence gathering missions, the certification process will also be carried out after the intelligence team has completed the information sorting."

After assigning the two tasks to the village, the Third Hokage finally picked up the thick ledgers presented by Shuji. His rough fingertips traced the covers, but he didn't open them immediately.

"The Wasabi family's request..." "This matter was originally planned to be handled by the Dark Division, but I didn't expect you to complete it in the process... Adding only one S-rank mission experience as a reward is a bit insufficient."

He pondered for a moment before making a decision: "Regarding the rewards... Shuuji, you are granted special permission to enter the village's forbidden jutsu room and choose one ninjutsu to study. Anko and Itachi may each choose one A-rank ninjutsu and one B-rank ninjutsu, depending on their own abilities, or have them converted into a corresponding amount of reward."

Everything has been arranged properly.

"Red Bean, Itachi, you must be tired after running around all night. Go back and rest first." Hiruzen Sarutobi said gently, "Shuji, please stay a moment."

The two guessed that the conversation might be about Root, and since their ninja rank was not high enough to participate, they bowed and took their leave as instructed.

The heavy wooden door to the office closed gently.

The third generation head put down his pipe, slowly stood up, and stretched his back, which had become slightly stiff from sitting for so long. "You don't mind walking with this old man, do you?" he asked Shuji.

"It would be my honor." Xiu Si nodded slightly.

An old man and a young man walked out of the Hokage Building side by side. As dawn broke, the streets gradually came alive. Early risers greeted the Third Hokage respectfully.

The old man who had been in charge of Konoha for decades was very approachable and responded to everyone with a cheerful smile, as if the deep wrinkles on his face had smoothed out.

"When people get old, they sleep less." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried the rambling characteristic of the elderly, but it was not annoying.

"Since leaving Biwa Lake, I've rarely gone home; I just rest at the Hokage Building."

"Every day when I wake up, I go out for a walk and look around."

His cloudy gaze swept over the shops and houses on both sides that were gradually coming to life.

“In the past, the whole village had only a few thousand people, less than ten thousand. Through decades of ups and downs and several wars, the population has continued to grow. That’s wonderful.”

Shuji walked quietly, his steps matching the old man's rhythm, simply listening.

“Outstanding young people are emerging one after another. At that time, I thought that although I was far inferior to my two teachers, I had at least tried my best to do something.”

"Especially the fourth generation—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice suddenly lowered, and his eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of mist.

"When he appeared, I felt as if I could see the ideals of teachers, within reach."

"He was a perfect ninja and an outstanding Hokage."

"He is so young, energetic, and ambitious... He will surely be able to solve those long-standing and unresolved problems that have been piling up in my hands, which is a mediocre person."

"but……"

The old man sighed deeply and silently: "In the end, it is only my old and frail body that can continue to barely hold on."

“I’m a useless person…” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tone was filled with self-mockery and exhaustion. “So I can only rely on my comrades, and sometimes I have to let Danzo do things.”

“He is ambitious and has much more energy than I, a ‘monkey’.”

"I was almost too tired to run anymore, but that old guy just wouldn't stop."

My old friend, let's run one last bit, it should be about time.

The Third Hokage stopped and turned around to look at the boy before him. This child was still devoted to Konoha, and had become more decisive and stronger than before.

“The village still needs him. From the way you handled the affairs of Jiegang, I can see that you... understand this ‘need’.”

“I will reprimand him for what happened last night and tell him to keep a closer eye on his subordinates.”

(End of this chapter)