Konoha: Uchiha Shisui's Strategist Alliance

"Lord Hokage, the number of Root members is extremely limited. It's quite strange that Danzo has suddenly recruited so many people. I wonder what he's planning to do?"

Although no one explicitly stated that Danzo harbored rebellious intentions, their meaning was quite clear.

Danzo's eyes widened, and he subconsciously looked at Shisui, who frowned as if he had heard him.

"Everything I've done is for Konoha. The Daimyo has already started targeting Konoha, and the nobles have begun training ninjas. My Root organization needs to eliminate these forces that threaten Konoha. If we don't have enough manpower, how will we protect Konoha?"

Moreover, I'm currently recruiting Chunin, so I can't keep the same number of recruits as before, can I?

If this is absolutely necessary, then I request that the Hokage provide additional manpower!

Shisui hissed softly and nodded in agreement, appearing to acknowledge Danzo's authority.

"What Danzo said makes sense. The Third Hokage also said that the power of Root is indispensable. So, if you are willing to help Root replenish its manpower, then I will let all the people recruited by Danzo go back."

this.

What a joke! They've finally escaped Danzo's threats and were no longer forced to fill the Root's fire pit for him. Who would be willing to help him?

Moreover, Danzo wanted either Jonin or exceptionally talented geniuses from various clans; who would want Root to leech off them like this?

Seeing everyone's silence, Danzo puffed out his chest and smiled, continuing, "What? Are you unwilling to sacrifice yourselves for Konoha?"

With no response, Danzo became even more smug and said, "Hokage, I have been teaching ninjutsu and recruiting members for the future of Konoha. Only when Root becomes strong can we nip the dangers outside the village in the bud. I hope that the Hokage can expand the Root's organization and allocate some extra funds."

Shisui raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Danzo, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by a series of admonitions.

"Lord Hokage, you mustn't! Root is just a part of Anbu. If there's anything to do, let Anbu handle it. If Anbu's manpower is insufficient, we can expand it. There's no need to rely on Root!"

Finally, someone realized that the root is ultimately just a part of the dark part, and there is no reason to expand the root beyond the dark part.

Damn it!

Danzo took a close look at the man and memorized his appearance and name.

"Hokage, no matter what, improving Konoha's strength is the most urgent task. I haven't forced them, nor have I done anything harmful to Konoha, yet they keep hindering Konoha's progress. In my opinion, there are probably spies from enemy countries among these people. Leave this matter to me!"

"Danzo, don't make false accusations!"

Seeing that Danzo still wanted to attack them, the group could no longer tolerate it, and the two sides started tearing each other apart right in front of Shisui.

Shizuku pursed his lips, then slowly sat down, quietly watching the two sides argue; the feeling was exceptionally strange.

At this moment, apart from a few Chunin in the corners, not a single one of the standing ninjas in the office supported Danzo.

This unity caused a subtle change in Zhi Shui's expression.

After an unknown amount of time, Danzo's breathing became rapid. He had no chance of winning an argument with everyone by himself.

"Hmph, I'm too lazy to argue with you. The coercion was a frame-up, which has already been proven. I only hope the Hokage can handle this fairly. As for the rest, everything I've done is for Konoha, so why should I explain myself to you!"

Danzo knew he couldn't win an argument with them because he had too much dirt on him and couldn't withstand scrutiny. Fortunately, both the Anbu and the police department were under Shisui's control, and Shisui seemed to trust him quite a bit because of the Third Hokage.

Since that's the case, there's no need for him to waste time arguing with these people; he can just take action directly.

"Hokage-sama!"

"alright."

Seeing that it was almost time, Shisui spoke up to stop everyone.

"I understand the situation. Root did not force any ninjas to join, but it's also wrong for Root to expand so recklessly without my permission. Here's what we'll do: Root will be allowed to add an extra Chunin battalion. As for the framing, I will not tolerate it!"

"That funding?"

Think beautiful!

Shisui ignored Danzo and simply waved for everyone to leave. As for the matter of spreading ninjutsu, since they didn't mention it, Shisui naturally pretended it hadn't happened and let them fight it out themselves.

Both sides, each with their own thoughts, left the Hokage Building.

"Hmph, there are a lot of spies in the village lately. I've run into quite a few myself, so you all'd better be careful!"

Danzo was disgusted by these people. Seeing the Root members arrive, he couldn't help but grit his teeth and say something.

The crowd simply watched coldly without uttering a sound. Although they wanted to kill Danzo, the one who spoke first would inevitably be resented, making it difficult to act secretly.

Both parties left in this atmosphere.

Zhi Shui then ordered the secret service to strengthen surveillance and the police department to increase patrols.

Danzo was furious upon returning to the Root base, but he knew that without the Hokage's support, it was not advisable for Root to take action. So he summoned Owl and asked, "Although the Hokage agreed to expand Root, a battalion is simply not enough. Those guys will definitely keep an eye on us, and I'm afraid we won't be able to expand on a large scale."

Recruiting these Chunin would be pointless if we couldn't gain a numerical advantage.

After pondering for a moment, Owl said, "Lord Danzo, as long as we are discreet and develop Root members like we develop spies, it will be difficult for those people to know about Root."

Danzo shook his head and said, "Too slow. Once those guys start making their move, they won't give me much time to prepare."

Despite his long-winded conversation with those people, he knew very well that his life was completely in Shisui's hands. If Shisui had any designs on him, he could easily spend the rest of his life in the police department, or even go to live with Koharu in the dormitory.

This feeling terrified him.

"this"

Xiao also realized what was happening. After pondering for a moment, he shook his head helplessly and said, "I don't have any other solutions for the time being. Please let me go back and think about it."

"Go."

Danzo's face darkened. He hadn't expected that even Owl couldn't do anything. He immediately lost hope, but he didn't make things difficult for Owl. After Owl left, he was once again caught in a dilemma.

"Looks like we'll still have to cooperate with that guy."

However, he had given up hope, but received good news from Xiao the next day.

"Lord Danzo, I've come up with a solution. The Chunin are not strong enough and Root missions are quite difficult, so losses are inevitable. As long as the mission frequency is high enough, the number of losses should also increase to replenish manpower. The only way is to keep recruiting. Even the Hokage should have nothing to say."

"You mean you faked your death?"

"Exactly!"

Danzo's eyes lit up; feigning death was perfect for Root.

Joining Root means abandoning the past; from then on, they will be forgotten in Konoha, and their deaths and returns will not disturb anyone.

"Haha, very good, you're doing great, let's do it this way!"

Danzo chuckled, quite satisfied with the method.

"I happen to have some tasks here, so you can lead the team this time."

"Yes, I don't know what the mission is, but I will go and prepare immediately."

"The Land of Rain!"

Rain-Hidden Village.

As usual, the incessant heavy rains blanket this land.

On a tall building entwined with metal pipes, Xiao Nan, dressed in a black robe with red clouds, stands in the rain.

Below, at the entrance to Amegakure Village, a group of burly men in white raincoats were laboriously pushing wagons loaded with grain.

Ninjas kept coming in and out from both sides, ignoring the caravan and moving quickly as if they were on some mission. All of this was seen by the owner of the caravan.

High up, Xiao Nan looked up, letting the raindrops slide down her clean cheeks, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

"War is about to begin again. When will this land be able to rest and grow those beautiful flowers and fruits again?"

No one knew what she was thinking; the only response this land could give her was cold rain, not a beautiful rainbow.

In early February of the 52nd year of Konoha, Danzo dispatched members of the Root organization to the Land of Rain on a mission, but they were ambushed by a powerful enemy and suffered heavy losses.

In mid-month, spies outside Amegakure sent intelligence that Amegakure ninjas had begun large-scale operations within the country.

In late June, traces of espionage activity were discovered in the village, prompting a full-scale manhunt by the secret service, the police department, and the root forces.

In early March, three ninja clan members were ambushed and killed by spies on their way back to their clan's territory. One of them was the same person who had questioned the purpose of Root's expansion at the Hokage Building that day.

The atmosphere in the village changed completely.

On March 3, Danzo ordered someone to erect a "GG" sign in front of the Ninja Academy, openly mentioning the spread of ninjutsu, the promotion of Root, and exaggerating his achievements.

On the fifth day, the Roots suffered heavy losses again while carrying out a mission in the Land of Rain, and continued to replenish their manpower.

They then replenished it almost weekly, becoming increasingly unrestrained.

In late March, a major battle broke out in the dense forests of northwestern Konoha, resulting in the deaths and injuries of more than ten ninjas. Fortunately, the Anbu arrived in time to rescue Danzo's advisor and several village ninjas who were unfortunately caught in the crossfire.

"Lord Hokage, Danzo has sent another report on personnel losses. This time it's another mission from the Land of Rain."

In the Hokage's office, Suzaku Nara, as usual, brought the documents and handed them to Shisui.

Shisui frowned and subconsciously asked, "Didn't we tell him to give up the mission to Amegakure? Why are you still using this excuse?"

Using the same excuse too often inevitably leads to problems. Even Shisui couldn't hold on any longer, so Danzo had to be replaced.

Shisui took the information and his expression changed when he saw the masked ninja mentioned on it.

"Wait, could this really be a loss?"

He knew that the so-called losses were just an excuse for Danzo to secretly raise troops, but the appearance of the masked ninja made him feel a little strange.

At this thought, Shisui suddenly remembered that Yan Shifan had once said that Kakuzu had appeared in Amegakure, so Obito should also be in Amegakure.

"This mission is for the Land of Rain, and has nothing to do with Amegakure."

Nara Suzaku began to explain, but Shisui hurriedly interrupted, "Tell Danzo that all missions related to the Land of Rain are suspended, and any losses incurred due to the Land of Rain will not be compensated!"

"?"

Shisui's uncharacteristic behavior startled Suzaku Nara, who only reacted after a moment, "Yes!"

"Also, let's leak my response."

The Hokage's attitude toward Danzo was crucial; Shisui's repeated support had caused the ninja clans considerable trouble.

This incident may involve Obito, and Shisui intends to warn Danzo that he must not allow Danzo to unknowingly influence the ninjas he sent.

"Yes."

Suzaku Nara acted swiftly; the ninja clan learned that Shisui had rejected Danzo's supplementary application that very day.

Before Danzo could react, the Shimura clan's territory was engulfed in flames that very night!

Because the Shimura clan's territory was sparsely populated, and Danzo had been based at the Root base for a long time, the fire missed its best opportunity to be extinguished. By the time the police department and the secret service reported to Shisui, a large part of the Shimura clan's territory had already been burned down.

Danzo's residence, in particular, was reduced to ashes!

"These guys!"

After dealing with the fire in his study, Zhi Shui returned home and complained to Sima Yi.

He hadn't expected these guys to be so reckless, and that the fight had escalated to the point where it was affecting the surrounding villagers.

"It seems we really can't let our guard down at all with Danzo."

Sima Yi smiled and said, "Danzo is a loyal subject by nature. You should not only not suppress Danzo, but also give him more support."

Shisui blushed; judging from the result, he knew he had made a mistake.

"It really involves Obito, and it's made me lose my composure."

"Obito is indeed a problem, but since he is related to Amegakure, we can try to force Amegakure to show itself. It would be best if we could get him to show up."

"Unfortunately, you have too many things to do right now, and Konoha's strength is too scattered. It's not the right time yet."

"Grandpa is right, I will deal with it as soon as possible."

After Shisui finished speaking, he turned and left, as he needed to find a way to strengthen Danzo.

The following day, Danzo, who had been staying at the Root Base, made a rare public appearance with his entourage.

He was also shocked by the ruthlessness of these people. They actually sent people to attack the clan's territory. Were they trying to wipe out his Shimura clan?

Danzo was trembling with rage. If he didn't want to reveal his strength, he would have loved to send people to wipe out these families.

His appearance also attracted everyone's attention.

Thanks to Owl's guidance, Danzo was not flustered at all, even though he was at a disadvantage again.

They directly ordered a sign to be erected on the Shimura clan's land, which read: "Revitalize Shimura, Revive the Clan."

He then sent people all over Konoha to spread the word that the Shimura clan would accept ninjas who were willing to join the Shimura clan. Anyone who joined the Shimura clan and changed their surname would receive ninjutsu and money as a reward, and those who made contributions to the clan would have the opportunity to receive personal guidance and training from Shimura Danzo!

Ninjutsu, money, and expert guidance! In addition, Danzo's tireless efforts to spread ninjutsu have made him increasingly popular among the common people.

As for the surname Yi?

Commoners don't have surnames, so to get a surname like Shimura for free is actually an honor!

Thus, with multiple approaches combined, all the ninjas who had received Danzo's ninjutsu were in an uproar.

But the ninja clans were furious. This wasn't some kind of clan revival; it was clearly recruiting soldiers! This was a declaration of war against them!

"Hokage-sama, if you don't stop Danzo soon, Konoha will truly be in danger of destruction!"

Before Shisui could even summon them, these people gathered together, their faces contorted with grief, begging Shisui to intervene.

In response, clans with bloodline lineages such as the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Kurama showed no reaction whatsoever.

With the Hyuga ninja joining the Anbu, the Bloodstained Clan of the village has completely sided with Shisui, and Shisui's will is their will.

Those who gathered to cry and complain were clearly unaware that the village's ninjas had long been divided into three classes.

"But Danzo's actions did not violate Konoha's laws; everything he did was reasonable and legal. What reason do I have to stop him?" (End of Chapter)