I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

As the Thousand Hands of the Forest, I am qualified to reclaim all Wood Release items.

You can also give the roots a good beating while you're at it.

As an entity outside the Hokage's authority, the latter has, under the Third Hokage's leniency, now become too powerful to control.

He would not tolerate such an uncontrolled organization continuing to grow.

Right now, I cannot forcibly disband this huge underground organization without sufficient reason.

However, necessary restrictions and sanctions are still very necessary.

Thinking of this, Yun Ting suddenly spoke up: "Someone come here!"

"Lord Hokage!" An ANBU ninja appeared and knelt on one knee.

Yun Ting instructed, "Send all the information about the root to me."

"Yes!" As soon as the words were spoken, the ANBU ninja disappeared again.

Although all members of the Root organization are marked with the seal of "Tongue Twister" upon joining, preventing them from revealing information about the Root organization to outsiders.

However, the latter is ultimately part of Konoha. Even if it has its own channels for personnel, funds, equipment, etc., its development still cannot be separated from the support of Konoha itself.

This means that Konoha has always known about the details of the roots.

This is also one of the reasons why the three generations, aside from personal feelings, have always allowed the Root to develop freely.

Of course, no matter how well you understand something, there will always be places that are deliberately concealed by the roots and cannot be reached.

For example, the various forbidden experiments conducted by the Root organization and Orochimaru, such as the Sharingan, and the Kogami, etc.

These people and events are buried deep underground, unable to see the light of day.

However, once it is revealed, it means there is no room for rebuttal.

What Yun Ting needs to do now is to reveal the one thing he is most confident about.

......

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

A series of dark figures darted swiftly through the dense forest, startling the nearby wild animals into fleeing in panic.

"How much further?" The leader was wearing the Hokage's robes; he was none other than the current Fourth Hokage, Senju Kumotada.

"Lord Hokage, it's about three kilometers away." A black-clad ANBU ninja wearing a cat-face mask replied from beside him.

Yun Ting said, "I didn't expect Danzo to have set up Root in such a remote place. Let's speed things up!"

"Yes!" the group replied in unison.

Immediately, the entire team's speed increased dramatically.

Chapter 45 Danzo

Yun Ting is decisive and efficient in his work.

Since the goal was to bring Jia back and give the Roots a good talking-to, he quickly organized a team to go there personally after learning about the Roots' situation.

In addition to himself and the Shadow Guard, he also brought four secret squads with him on this trip.

Besides boosting morale, it also served to prevent Danzo from making a desperate move.

After all, the latter has a history of plotting to assassinate three generations of people.

It's the Root's lair, after all. Who knows if there are any strange or forbidden sealing techniques or similar techniques that could lead to mutual destruction inside?

Although he is powerful, it is still necessary to take necessary precautions.

"Lord Hokage, we've arrived."

After a while, a ninja from the Anbu who had investigated Root spoke up, and then led everyone to a shady spot.

This place seemed no different from the surrounding scenery, but after another ANBU ninja in the group formed hand seals and released the sealing barrier that concealed their presence, a deep iron gate that extended into the ground soon appeared in everyone's view.

"Go in!"

After Yun Ting finished speaking, Yi Ma immediately pushed open the door and entered.

The others followed closely behind.

"who?"

"Stop!"

Soon, the sounds of Root ninjas questioning and even drawing swords could be heard from inside the iron gate.

However, when they heard "The Hokage has arrived," and especially when they saw the conspicuous Hokage robes and Yun Ting's face, their thoughts of making a move instantly stopped.

Although they had joined Root and sworn allegiance to Lord Danzo, they knew they were still Konoha ninjas and naturally dared not act recklessly when facing the Hokage.

Of course, this is assuming Danzo did not order an attack.

If the other side really does that, these brainwashed Root members will probably attack the Hokage without hesitation.

Because in their eyes, Lord Danzo was the true leader who supported Konoha.

Just like now, even though these Root ninjas didn't dare to stop Yun Ting from advancing, their subtle surrounding posture was very different from the attitude of the Konoha ninjas that Yun Ting had seen before.

Seeing this, Yun Ting smiled mockingly.

It's really true... As the Kage of a village, he was actually being subtly treated as an enemy by his own people in his own home. If the Kage of the other four great ninja villages heard this, they would definitely laugh their heads off.

With a calm expression, Yun Ting led his group of secret agents deeper into the enemy territory.

Soon, they arrived inside a huge underground well.

On the suspended steel bridge that runs through all directions, the owner of the Roots, Danzo Shimura, is leaning on his cane, quietly waiting there with a large group of people.

As Yun Ting strode forward, he waved his hand, and the ANBU ninjas behind him quickly dispersed and took up advantageous positions.

Thus, one side consisted of ANBU ninjas whose masks were primarily animal-shaped, while the other side consisted of Root ninjas whose masks had more varied and colorful lines.

The two sides were subtly at odds, creating a tense atmosphere.

Amidst this silence, Shimura Danzo, caught somewhat off guard by Yun Ting's sudden arrival, maintained his composure, took a few steps forward with his cane, and said in a deep voice, "Fourth Hokage, what brings you to the Root base?"

This was Yun Ting's first meeting with this renowned Dark Ninja since becoming Hokage. After glancing at the other's right eye and right arm, which were wrapped in white cloth, he smiled faintly and said, "As Hokage, it's only natural that I know everything about Konoha. As the training institution under the Anbu, it shouldn't be a problem for me to come and take a look at Root. Also, as a member of Konoha's advisory group, I should take the initiative to pay a visit to Elder Danzo."

Shimura Danzo gave Yun Ting a deep look and said, "I'm sorry for troubling you, Fourth Hokage. The Root has been very busy lately, and I haven't had time to attend to anything else. It's only because the Fourth Hokage has come to us on his own initiative."

"It's alright. I get bored staying in the office all the time. Getting out and about helps me relax," Yun Ting said with a smile. Then, looking around in amazement, he exclaimed, "The Root's base is truly extraordinary. Elder Danzo must have put a lot of effort into this! I wonder if Elder Danzo has the time to show me around properly. I can have my Anbu learn from him when we get back."

"Since the Fourth Hokage has said so, I am naturally willing to cooperate."

Danzo did not refuse, and he understood that since Yunting had come here, he would not be dismissed with just a few words.

Although I don't know the other party's true purpose for this trip, I am not afraid of what the other party might see, since I have already prepared by moving away all the outdated things from the roots.

So, for the rest of the time, Danzo, leaning on a cane, led Yunting around like a real tour guide.

As Danzo had said, the Root ninjas were very meticulous in handling their traces, and Yunting indeed found nothing amiss along the way.

But he didn't care at all.

His goal here was never those illegal experiments or materials, but living, breathing people!

Danzo was able to move the experiment away, but he always kept people with him, especially the boy named Kou who had accidentally obtained Wood Release.

Although the latter cannot unleash the full power of Wood Release, if he truly grows up, he can become one of the best Jonin.

Danzo, whose Roots suffered heavy losses in the Land of Rain, would not let go of this promising talent and had to carefully nurture him by his side.

Therefore, during this period, Yun Ting was observing the members of the Root organization rather than the base.

Jia is only about ten years old. Although he is wearing the Root uniform and a mask, his thin and short figure is quite conspicuous among the ninjas.

Especially since the opponent possessed Wood Release, even if it was only a flawed version, his body still had a faint life force.

Outsiders cannot perceive this, but only Yun Ting, who possesses authentic Wood Release techniques, can sense it.

After some time, Yun Ting finally discovered the armored soldiers on guard in a corner of the Root Base.

So he stopped.

Danzo also noticed that Kagami was on guard duty not far away.

However, he didn't care much, because apart from him, only a very few people knew about Jia's abilities.

It's impossible for anyone outside, including the Hokage, to know this.

But what Yun Ting said next made his heart tighten suddenly.

"Elder Danzo, I've heard that Orochimaru previously collaborated with Root on forbidden experiments. Is that true?"

Yun Ting, who had stopped there, suddenly raised this question.

Danzo calmly denied it, saying, "Nonsense! Fourth Hokage, you've seen the Root base yourself; there's absolutely no basis for conducting any experiments there."

Yun Ting smiled faintly and said, "Oh? What if Orochimaru had said that? You know, he said quite a few things to me before he died."

Orochimaru…

Danzo's expression finally changed slightly.

Chapter 46, Part A

"It's just the words of a rogue ninja! How could the Fourth Hokage believe such a person's provocative words?" Danzo tapped his cane heavily on the ground, his face full of seriousness.

Even so, a slight doubt arose in his heart.

Did Orochimaru really reveal something before he died?

This doesn't fit their personality!

Danzo didn't believe in nonsense like Orochimaru would repent before his death.

Because the other person is the same kind of person as him, always walking on what he believes to be the right path, and never being influenced by others.

What benefit would he gain from revealing the root of the problem?

On the contrary, if Orochimaru wanted to take revenge on the Fourth Hokage or even Konoha, he wouldn't say anything at all.

Because he knew very well that only if he and the Hokage continued to fight could the above possibilities possibly come true.