Uchiha's personal opinion

Hatake Sakumo came to Uchiha Tokumitsu's side and saw the head lying on the ground.

"Don't worry, Sakumo-kun, this is all over for now..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu was in a great mood.

"Has the battlefield by the sea been cleaned up?"

"It was almost completely cleaned up when I arrived."

Sakumo Hatake barely managed to steady himself and answered softly.

"There shouldn't be any ninjas from Root who escaped..." Uchiha Tokumitsu was still focused on the issue of his mortal enemy.

"...Probably not."

Sakumo Hatake said, "Since no prisoners were captured, we cannot confirm the exact number of Root members who went into battle, but judging from the battlefield traces, it seems that none of them escaped..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded.

"However... judging from the recovered corpses, many of them were members of various ninja clans..."

Sakumo Hatake's tone revealed some difficulty.

What are they?

"Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, Inuzuka, Moonlight..."

Sakumo Hatake compiled a long list of ninja clans, both large and small.

"Now that they have all joined the Root, they are nameless and have no connection with the ninja clan anymore."

Uchiha Tokumitsu gently comforted them, saying, "Besides, we've helped them break free from the curse seal and bid them farewell to darkness, which can be considered a good deed."

"...What you're saying doesn't make sense, but it seems to make some sense at the same time." Hatake Sakumo was both amused and exasperated.

“That’s exactly right,” Uchiha Tokumitsu said confidently. “Moreover, I don’t intend to hold those ninja clans accountable for turning against their own kind, nor will I carry out a large-scale purge, so they should feel fortunate.”

"...What about the roots?"

After a moment of silence, Hatake Sakumo brought up the topic himself.

"We should press our remaining strength to pursue the fleeing enemy, and we must nip them in the bud..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu answered without hesitation.

"The roots should be abolished, but the others..."

Sakumo Hatake sighed slightly and began to discuss the subsequent chain reaction.

“Whether our Hokage agrees in his heart or not, he has to agree!” Uchiha Tokumitsu’s tone was gentle, but his words left no room for negotiation or bargaining: “Konoha may not be the Konoha of the Uchiha, but it is definitely not the Konoha of the Hokage! That’s right, isn’t it, Sakumo-kun?”

"What if they really don't want to?" Sakumo Hatake frowned deeply.

"...lead the border troops inside, and Qingying will be there!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu said decisively, "I refuse to believe that with the power of the Uchiha clan, plus Sakumo-kun's strength, we can't make the Hokage back down a few steps!"

"That's true..."

Sakumo Hatake felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

"Gather at the command!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu spoke to the ninja guards who had finished cleaning up the battlefield.

Upon receiving the order, the secret guard ninjas immediately fired a signal flare to summon the Uchiha ninja army that was clearing the battlefield on the beach.

After the Deguang Red Guard and the Mobile Force arrived and assembled, Hatake Sakumo summoned two Jonin directly under his command from the Mobile Force.

"You will each go to the garrison camp in Taki no Kyu and the northern border defense forces to deliver intelligence, instructing their commanders to lead their troops back to the village without compromising defenses!"

"Yes!"

Both Jonin were staunch supporters of Hatake Sakumo, and they accepted the task without hesitation, even though it was clearly beyond their authority.

After Sakumo Hatake handed them two secret letters handwritten on the spot, the two Jonin immediately teleported away towards the mission objective.

"Send a message to the Red Guard stationed at the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Grass, ordering the entire Third Division to return to the village!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu also gave the order.

"Yes!"

A member of the Red Guard immediately stepped forward and accepted the order to leave.

"Also, send a message to the northwestern border defense forces, instructing Commander Fire Gate to dispatch the ninja army back as appropriate!"

"As ordered!"

One of the guards immediately stepped forward and received orders to deliver the message.

"...Should we talk to Senior Tokifumi?"

Sakumo Hatake thought for a moment and said to Tokumitsu Uchiha, "After all, he is a senior ninja from the same era as the Hokage, so perhaps he can also exert some influence..."

"...Forget it, after all, our relationship hasn't reached that point yet. Who knows if problems will arise..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu hesitated for a moment, but still chose to give up seeking Akimichi Torifu's support: "It's safe enough now, so there's no need to create any unnecessary trouble."

“That’s true.” Hatake Sakumo nodded in agreement. “Then, let’s go back to the village first.”

"...If any members of the Root clan managed to escape during this battle, they might have already returned to the village by now."

Uchiha Tokumitsu licked his slightly dry lips. "A good show is about to begin!"

……

Konohagakure, Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his two advisors stared blankly at the Root ninja kneeling before them.

"...The curse that eradicates tongue-related calamities has disappeared?"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, could hardly believe what had happened, so he asked again.

"Yes, the curse of severing all tongue-borne evil among all members of the Root has been rendered ineffective!"

The Root ninja answered without any emotion, and to prove it was true, he removed his mask and stuck out his tongue.

The black and purple runes on the tongue were no longer visible.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, knew this Root ninja.

Born into the Shimura clan, he was a renowned child prodigy in the family. However, at the age of eight, he was taken to Root by Danzo for training and later became the training director of Root, in charge of training new recruits for both Root and Anbu.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, felt dizzy.

Danzo's decision to lead his troops to the eastern region was made with his tacit approval or even at his instigation, and the objective was self-evident.

Now that the Tongue Curse of the Root's remaining ninjas has failed, he understands all too well the significance behind it.

"...Danzo, is he dead?"

Xiaochun muttered to herself as she turned to her new room.

"Summon all Anbu and follow me to the East!" The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, suddenly stood up and roared angrily.

"Sun Slayer!"

Although equally panicked at this moment, Mitokado Homura still spoke up to stop the Third Hokage's impulsiveness: "The most urgent task is to first control Root, and then stabilize the village!"

"In any case, the stability of the village is the most important thing."

Koharu, who had just turned to her room, snapped out of her daze and quickly said something as well.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, turned pale and then flushed, before his face gradually calmed down and became expressionless.

"What is the current condition of the roots?"

Returning to his seat as Hokage, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, asked coldly.

"After the cursed seal expired, a small disturbance occurred among the new recruits assigned to the external unit, but it was successfully suppressed. However, there are not enough ninjas left to remain in combat, and things may change again as time goes on..."

The so-called Root recruits were new recruits that Danzo recruited from various parts of the ninja world or from various ninja clans in Konoha and brought into Root, but who had not yet been brainwashed. They were not true Root ninjas and still retained some rebellious will. So when the cursed seals expired, they immediately launched a riot.

"Draw a detachment from the Dark Guard and station it at the Root. It is imperative to stabilize the situation and prevent any information from leaking out!"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, pondered for a moment, then shook the bell on the table to summon his eldest son, Shinnosuke Sarutobi, and gave him detailed instructions.

"Yes!"

Without asking the reason for the mission, Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately turned and left the Hokage's office with the Root ninjas.

"Hiruzen, what do we do..."

Once no one else was present, Koharu Tsurugi immediately deflated, her tone filled with shock, anger, and panic.

"It must have been done by Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo..."

Mitokado took off his glasses and carefully wiped them with a piece of gauze.

Although the bright, smooth lenses were spotless, Mitokado was still feeling dizzy and had to wipe them to relieve his irritability.

"We cannot start a war..."

"I'm slumped in my chair," said the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in a low voice.

"Ok?"

Mitokado and Koharu were momentarily taken aback.

"...We cannot openly wage war against the Uchiha clan and Sakumo's forces at this time."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, spoke with utter exhaustion, "If it was indeed the work of Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo, then Root would have been completely wiped out, and it would have been pointless..."

"But... Sakumo Hatake and Tokumitsu Uchiha might not have any evidence!" Koharu Utatane exclaimed urgently, "Openly murdering the village's advisor and elder is blatant rebellion!"

"...At this point, evidence is no longer relevant."

Mitokado Homura also realized, "Danzo also used the Kirigakure ninja army to set a trap. If they can still turn the tables and kill us under these circumstances, they might already have evidence..."

"None of that matters anymore... The victors are not condemned, and the losers cannot defend themselves."

The Third Hokage closed his eyes and whispered, "With Danzo dead, there's no chance to overturn the verdict..."

What about the roots?

Mitokado Homura also lowered his voice, "Hiruzen, you know, there are still quite a few there..."