Konoha: Who's the good guy?

Nine o'clock in the morning, Konoha Anbu Training Department.

Wearing a black combat uniform and a Jonin vest over his upper body, Yamanaka Kei had just arrived at the gate.

The Root ninja hidden behind the gate got up, opened the gate for him, and bowed slightly to him.

Da~da~da~da~

Stepping through the door of the Dark Division Training Department, the crisp sound of Yamanaka's footsteps echoed in the empty hall without even a window.

The door behind them closed.

The entire space seemed to be swallowed by darkness, gradually becoming gloomy.

The second squad leader, B, whom I had met once before, appeared several meters away from Shan Zhongjing using the Instantaneous Movement Technique.

He knelt on one knee, bowed to him, and spoke respectfully.

"Lord Jing, Lord Danzo has ordered me to guide you and explain the responsibilities and territorial divisions of the various departments within the Root organization."

"Lead the way."

The mountain scenery nodded slightly.

He thought to himself, "No wonder that guy can be the captain, while the one in front of me can only be a goalkeeper."

Look at the difference in attitude. Which one will Danzo favor? Is there even a question?

"Yes, Lord Jing, this way please."

B got up from the ground, raised his hand to guide the way, and stood diagonally in front of him to lead the way.

Officially known as the "Dark Unit Training Department," the Root organization is indeed responsible for selecting and training members of the Dark Unit.

The main area on the upper floor of the building consists primarily of classrooms and various training facilities.

Because war is imminent.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has no plans to expand the Anbu in the near future.

Therefore, the upper floors are now mostly idle.

As the mountain scenery followed Yi, they boarded the elevator that led deep underground and arrived at the underground building.

This was the first time he had truly witnessed the power wielded by Danzo Shimura.

The interrogation squad is responsible for detaining and interrogating high-risk individuals; the intelligence squad is responsible for espionage operations; the combat squad carries out various tasks; and the intelligence squad is responsible for intelligence processing.

Further down the chain, there are research teams responsible for developing ninjutsu, and logistics teams responsible for logistical support...

"How many people are there in the root group in total?"

Yamanaka Kei frowned and asked the squad leader, B, who was standing next to him.

"Currently, there are a total of seventy-seven combat squads under my command. Only Lord Danzo knows how many people are in other departments."

Squad leader B stepped into the elevator again and pressed the button for a lower floor.

"Um."

The mountain scenery nodded slightly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's direct ANBU only numbered around one hundred, so it wasn't surprising that Danzo's combat squad was slightly weaker.

However, in addition to interrogation classes, espionage classes, intelligence classes, research and development classes, training classes...

This is definitely a mini-Konoha!

No wonder Danzo's subordinates were able to cause all sorts of trouble even in the era of non-flammable materials.

The exact number of his subordinates is probably more than anyone imagines!

Following the lead of squad leader B, they arrived at a lower level of the base just as the elevator doors opened.

The shouts of training then reached my ears.

As Yamanaka Kei stepped out of the elevator, he felt a fleeting fluctuation of chakra within him. He turned and glanced thoughtfully at the numerous barriers set up on the wall.

In the underground space, dozens of children who looked no more than eight or nine years old, with vacant eyes and numb expressions, mechanically repeated monotonous training.

pop~

A child, slightly distracted by the arrival of the mountain scenery, was whipped by a Root ninja standing nearby.

Without a cry of pain or a complaint, the child, despite the intense pain, simply looked away and continued swinging the knife.

"Master Jing."

The three Root ninjas in charge of training bowed to Yamanaka Kei in unison.

"Are these all the reserve members currently being trained within the Root organization?"

Yamanaka Kei waved his hand to let the group stand up, then asked the Root ninja who was clearly in charge, standing at the top of the line.

"Currently, there are five groups of members undergoing training, with three leaders in each group."

"The thirteen trainees in Group A are undergoing their final assessment at Training Base No. 2. This group of trainees has good qualifications, and it is expected that at least six of them will be able to complete the assessment and join the Root next month."

"The group in front of you consists of eighty-eight people, and their training is expected to last another year."

"Group C currently has 145 people, who are training at Training Base No. 3. The training period is expected to last another two years, and it will be difficult for them to form combat capability in the short term."

"Group D has two hundred people..."

"Group E has two hundred people..."

The Root ninja in charge of training quickly relayed all the information.

Shan Zhongjing nodded slightly and waved to indicate that Squad Leader B could proceed to the next location.

He was genuinely afraid that if he stayed even a second longer, he wouldn't be able to resist tearing the place down.

From the words of the Root ninja in front of him, he had basically deduced Root's training methods.

The first two years consist of basic cultural education and basic skills training, after which a brutal survival-of-the-fittest selection process begins.

Just look at the remaining thirteen members of Group A, and you'll know how many children that bastard Danzo has ruined!

That old bastard is really doing something inhuman!

They started with a group of two hundred people, but after the training was over, less than ten people survived!

Hey!

Yamanaka Kei secretly pinched his palm to calm himself down.

He was indeed ruthless, but Danzo, that old guy, was beyond just being ruthless.

The other party doesn't even have that thing!

"Lord Jing, the functional areas have been basically introduced. Lord Danzo is waiting for you in his office, which is right next to his."

Squad leader B boarded the elevator again and arrived at the basement level, the area closest to the ground.

Following the directions of squad leader B, they arrived at the office door.

The boy guarding the gate was none other than Ryoma Aburame, who had stood guard by Danzo's side in the Konoha Hospital.

Push open the door in front of you.

In the dim light, Danzo sat at his desk, quickly reviewing the documents in front of him.

Upon seeing Shan Zhongjing enter, he put down his calligraphy brush.

He signaled to the squad leader, B, and the gatekeeper, Ryoma Aburame, to leave.

The office door closed.

Yamanaka Kei's gaze swept across the four corners of the room, where four masked Root ninjas stood, a mocking glint in their eyes.

"sit."

Danzo got up and walked to the sofa where guests were waiting, and slowly began to boil water and make tea.

Yamanaka Kyou sat down opposite Danzo.

Watching the other person skillfully begin to demonstrate their exquisite tea ceremony, I raised my hand and clapped.

"The Hokage assists you, as expected of someone from a prestigious family."

"You flatter me."

Danzo nodded slightly, pushed the brewed tea in front of Yamanaka Kei, and took a sip first.

After gathering his emotions, he spoke again.

"Hiruzen is the Hokage standing in the sunlight, while I am Root in the shadows of Konoha. There are too many shady things in the ninja world: assassinating enemy high-ranking officials, sowing discord among rival forces, recruiting exiled ninjas, conducting human experiments..."

Yamanaka Kei held the teacup in one hand and raised it to his lips.

Just as he was about to drink, he looked like he wanted to say something, then put the teacup down.

Danzo showed no unusual behavior whatsoever.

He clicked his tongue in boredom and leaned back casually on the sofa.

"This is boring, let's just start."

"Where did I give myself away?"

Danzo did not rush to make a move, but instead asked some questions.

"I've seen far too many secrets; even Orochimaru might not know this many."

Yamanakajing chuckled.

It’s too late.

Given his relationship with Danzo, it's impossible for Danzo to truly trust him!

Having seen so many secrets at once, how could Danzo not have prepared a means to control him?

"That was indeed my oversight."

Danzo took a sip of tea, put down his teacup, and then gestured to the four Root ninjas who had been preparing earlier.

However, the Root ninjas crouching in the four corners of the room seemed not to see it at this moment.

They remained quietly in the same spot.

Seeing that the four people did not make a move.

Danzo raised his eyes and looked directly at the mountain scenery, speaking calmly.

"As expected of a strong person who could defeat Jiraiya, you are indeed worth my preparation."

hum~

Danzo finished speaking.

The entire room suddenly erupted with a blinding purple light.

It was none other than the Earth Spider Clan's special barrier technique!

A fleeting dream!

In the original work, Bai Lang, a traitor of the Earth Spider clan, taught this move to four of his subordinates.

The four subordinates immediately sealed Naruto's chakra upon meeting him.

Even when Naruto was emotionally agitated and used the Nine-Tails' chakra, he was still unable to break free from the barrier!

bang~

Danzo, standing before the mountain dweller, exploded into a cloud of chakra smoke.

It's obvious that from the moment we left until now, what's been in the office has only been a shadow clone of Danzo.