Yes, the Hokage!

The Root organization's base was rather deserted at the moment. A group of young people stood helplessly in front of Feng Lan, their faces mostly filled with confusion and unease. They had been adopted and trained by Danzo since childhood, and the moment they joined Root, they had already abandoned their identities. They could not go home, and they could not see their relatives.

Feng Lan's position at this moment was very delicate; he was standing right in the sunlight at the entrance of the base, with a bright light behind him.

The Root members, who were used to hiding in the darkness, were suddenly illuminated by the light and didn't even know what they could do.

Feng Lan didn't rush to take inventory of the supplies, nor did she offer any words of encouragement or inspiration to these confused young people. Instead, she let the facts speak for themselves.

"Mr. Zhiwei, could you please confirm which of these are the children of the Aburame clan?"

Aburame Shii took a deep breath and stepped forward under Danzo's gloomy gaze. Her eyes swept over the young faces, her fingers trembled slightly, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Those who were "borrowed" by Danzo years ago can finally see the light of day again, all because he betrayed Danzo's information to Fenglan...

“You, you, and you.” Zhiwei pointed out the three people. “You are all from the Aburame clan.”

The three young men exchanged glances, and one of them hesitated before saying, "But... Lord Danzo said we've already been expelled from the clan..."

"Just ignore Danzo's words." Feng Lan cursed in front of the entire Root organization. "Now you're free. Go home with Mr. Zhiwei."

"Come back." Zhiwei's voice trembled slightly. "Your parents... miss you very much..."

The lips of the three young men moved violently, instinctively wanting to step forward, but the organization's long-standing strict discipline and brainwashing rules bound them tightly, and none of them dared to move first.

"Come on over with peace of mind." Feng Lan spoke calmly again. "From now on, the Aburame clan will have my protection. Even if someone had three times the courage, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble again."

Hearing this, the longing for family finally broke the brainwashing. One of the young men gritted his teeth, didn't look back at Danzo's ashen face, and ran straight into Zhiwei's arms. Only after confirming that he was alright did he finally breathe a sigh of relief and burst into tears.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Zhiwei patted his back, his usually calm voice choked with emotion. Ten years! The little kid who used to follow him around had been snatched away by Danzo for ten years. He had grown into such a big young man, yet he hadn't even been able to see his parents one last time.

With him as a role model, the other two young people also mustered up their courage and came to Zhiwei's side. The three of them hugged each other and cried, feeling relieved that they had finally been freed from this dark and hopeless situation.

With these three people setting an example, Feng Lan's task became much easier. She simply raised her hand and waved, "Anyone else want to go home? Come on over!"

At first, Danzo was full of confidence, thinking that the three young women from Aburame dared to betray him because Aburame Shiki had come in person, and that none of the others would dare to make a move under his pressure.

But to his surprise, one by one, the younger members of the Root organization ran towards Feng Lan, arriving at the spot behind him where the sunlight shone. Most of them knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, shouting out their most primal desires:

"Dad, Mom, I'm home!"

"I want to see my sister!"

"Grandma, you were so angry when I was taken away... Now I can finally lay a bouquet of flowers on your grave!"

"..."

"You...you!" Danzo rolled his eyes in anger. "You are members of Root, you live and die as Root people! How could you so easily side with that Feng Lan!"

His response was a cold, hard remark from Feng Lan: "Because I treat them as human beings."

Taking such young children away from their families and throwing them into such a dark place, isolating them from the world, training them in various killing techniques, and then controlling them through high-pressure laws and brainwashing—this is even more despicable than human trafficking and more vile than northern Myanmar! The Will of Fire that the third generation of the sect promotes is all about bonds, isn't it? You can't see that at a time like this, can you?

"The First Hokage founded the village with the intention of protecting children, and you, Danzo..."

At this moment, a genuine killing intent surged in Feng Lan's eyes: "You have betrayed the First Hokage's will, and you have betrayed Konoha!"

Although the two sides have completely broken off relations, they cannot resort to violence directly. However, after seeing the children's reactions, Feng Lan made a vow in his heart:

Danzo, I'll make sure you suffer a terrible death!

Chapter 41 Offering Loyalty

Danzo's face turned pale and then red after being rebuked by Feng Lan. His fingers twitched slightly, but under Shisui's cold gaze, he ultimately dared not form a hand seal.

Soon, the young people who wanted to go home had arrived at the land of light behind Feng Lan. Most of those who remained still were older loyalists. Even if they really tried to abandon the darkness and join the light, Feng Lan would not use them. After all, Danzo was best at arranging undercover agents.

"There's one more."

He coldly raised his hand and pointed behind Danzo, where Aburame Ryoma was located.

"Feng Lan..." Danzo slammed his cane down angrily, "Don't go too far!"

"Shh!"

The next second, a gleaming blade was already pressed against his neck, and Shisui's crimson Sharingan coldly stared at him: "You should listen carefully to what Lord Fenglan says and do as he says."

Logically speaking, Shisui wouldn't do such a thing to higher-ups, but seeing the disgusting things Danzo, that old devil, did, even Buddha gets angry. This time, without waiting for Fenglan's order, he impulsively made a threatening gesture.

Danzo was startled and couldn't react... Even with his Sharingan and a large group of people behind him, he still couldn't react in time. Shisui's Body Flicker... was just too fast!

Compared to guards, Shisui is clearly more skilled at assassination. With his speed and mastery of illusion, even if you are surrounded by thousands of troops, you will not feel safe at all.

"Ryoma, come back." Aburame Shiki called out again.

"Lord Danzo, I..." Aburame Ryoma hesitated for a couple of seconds, which made Danzo somewhat relieved, but... it was only for two seconds. He quickly made up his mind, "I'm sorry!"

He bowed deeply to Danzo, then ran towards Fenglan to embrace the light.

Although Danzo valued Ryoma highly and entrusted him with important tasks, after following him for so many years, Ryoma knew very well that Danzo only truly trusted him. Now that he was entrusted with important tasks, he knew too much and would be discarded and eliminated sooner or later.

And now... the chance to survive is right in front of you!

Seeing that even Ryoma Aburame, whom he considered his right-hand man, had run away, Danzo really wanted to use the Reverse Four Phases Seal on Furan directly, but with Shisui's knife to his neck, he dared not act rashly no matter what, and could only watch helplessly as Furan continued to act recklessly.

Feng Lan ignored him and continued to inventory the supplies. Ninja tools, funds, sealing scrolls... he checked them one by one, not even letting a kunai go unchecked. He even had the three young members of the Aburame clan who had turned to the light help him record the information. With the help of these Root organization members, the efficiency was naturally extremely high.

After everything was accounted for, Feng Lan leisurely left with the people and belongings. Only after they had all gone far away did Danzo finally explode, kicking over the table.

"Damn it! That little beast! And Aburame Shiki, Aburame Ryoma... they're all ungrateful bastards!"

The other die-hard fans could only stand awkwardly to the side, not daring to utter a sound.

"That brat thinks he's won just like that?" Danzo panted heavily. "He's dreaming! Go, contact the people in Kumogakure and tell them that Konoha is willing to talk! Hiruzen owes me so much; it's time for him to bleed a little!"

"Yes, sir." The subordinate beside him hurriedly replied and left.

……

On the other side, Fenglan first sent Tiehuo and Daohuo to deliver the supplies to the garrison's warehouse, and then led a large group of people to parade through the city. Since they had done a great thing today, they definitely had to boost their reputation.

So he personally escorted these young people who had broken away from Root back to their homes one by one, watching them reunite with their families and weep in each other's arms. He then righteously and angrily denounced Danzo and promised that such things that harmed the villagers of Konoha and shook the foundation of Konoha would never happen again.

After this round, Feng Lan's reputation among the villagers reached a whole new level, almost second only to the Fourth Hokage, while Danzo's name was basically stigmatized, the kind that even passing dogs would spit on before moving on.

Feng Lan was very satisfied with this. As the saying goes, even a pair of underwear and a piece of toilet paper have their value. You bunch of Konoha scoundrels like to bully, so go bully Danzo and his subordinates. Isn't this a kind of waste utilization?

After sending everyone else home, Feng Lan naturally went to the Aburame clan's residence, where she received a warm welcome.

Seeing her clansmen, who had been separated from their families for many years, reunited, You Nu Zhiwei couldn't help but feel that the best decision she had ever made was to gamble everything on Feng Lan.

He knelt on one knee and offered his loyalty to Feng Lan in front of all his clansmen: "Lord Feng Lan, from now on, as long as you give the word, the Aburame clan will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"Don't worry, I will let you use your strength, but I won't make you go through fire and water." Feng Lan smiled. "Following me is much safer and more humane than following Danzo."

“That’s right, that’s right.” Aburame Shiki waved and called over a child. “Sir, this child is Aburame Torune, whom I mentioned before. From now on, let him follow you.”

“We have to listen to the child’s opinion.” Feng Lan bent down, but dared not touch Torune’s head, because he knew the child was full of poison. “Torune Aburame, right? Would you like to work for me in the future? You’re still young, so I’ll give you Chunin-level pay, a 9-to-5 work schedule, weekends off, and triple bonuses if you need to work overtime in an emergency. As you grow up and become stronger, your salary and bonuses will also increase.”

Ninjas are human too. If they are constantly on edge, they will become completely isolated from the world and close off their hearts, just like Kakashi in the Kakashi Chronicle. Naturally, they also need to relax and embrace life. As the saying goes, there is a balance between tension and relaxation.

He would never stoop to Danzo's methods of child trafficking. With this kind of treatment, how many people would rush to him?

Qu Gen was still young and didn't have much of a concept of money. He timidly asked, "Then, will I still be able to see my mom and dad?"

"Of course you can," Feng Lan said with a smile. "After get off work every day, you also have weekends off, so you can spend as much time as you want with your parents."

“Then I’m willing!” Kotomoto’s eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously.

Behind him, Aburame Shiki and the entire Aburame clan couldn't help but kneel down on one knee again, offering their loyalty: "We swear to follow Lord Fenglan to the death!"

……

Taking over the resources of the Root organization and sending those children home took a lot of time. It wasn't until dusk that Feng Lan finally had a moment to stand at the entrance of Konoha Village and wait silently.

Soon, several cars drove up from a distance. These were the people he had sent out that morning to pick up the orphanage. They were led by Hizashi and had already escorted the children to their safe arrival.

"Lord Fenglan!"

The charioteer at the head of the convoy saw Feng Lan and excitedly ran over to report, but was then startled: "You, what's wrong with you...?"

A diamond-shaped blue mark had appeared prominently in the center of Fenglan's forehead, gleaming faintly in the setting sun. It looked remarkably similar to the caged bird that had been stripped of most of its effects.

"Don't be nervous, this is a good thing." Feng Lan smiled and waved his hand. From the time Tsunade placed the mark until a whole day had passed, the Yin Seal finally began to slowly absorb his chakra and take shape. Now it was officially starting to operate.

In this way, the chakra that one does not usually use can be stored in this Yin Seal and released all at once when needed.

"Oh, I was startled." Hizashi chuckled self-deprecatingly, knowing full well that Hyuga was too busy taking care of himself to dare cause trouble for Lord Fenglan.

"You must have had a long journey." Feng Lan patted his shoulder. "Did you run into any trouble?"

"Everything went very smoothly, and the children are all in the car."

Feng Lan nodded and walked towards the car, just in time to see the children getting off the car one by one, looking around with curious and uneasy eyes.

Meanwhile, Yakushi Nonou held Kabuto's hand and looked at Feng Lan with a slightly wary gaze. Clearly, she had gathered some information about him along the way and knew that the man in front of her was Konoha's highly sought-after chief Hokage advisor.

Given Nono's status, she couldn't access the real higher-ups, so in her view, Fenglan, the chief advisor, was naturally above Danzo, which explained why the other party was so wary of her.

Feng Lan could naturally see the wariness in Nonou's eyes, but to be honest, in his plan... having this woman wouldn't make much difference, and losing her wouldn't make much difference either. What he truly valued was Kabuto's talent.

However, to win over Dou, you have to win over this woman first, since she plays the role of the only ray of light in Dou's life, a role no different from that of a mother.

(Kabuto: Nono is the woman who could be my mother!)

As an elite intelligence agent of the Root organization, nicknamed the Wandering Witch, it's unrealistic to try to appease her with words; she'd better prove herself with actions.

Therefore, he simply nodded slightly to Nonou: "Welcome everyone to Konoha. Let's go and take a look at the new orphanage first."

The new orphanage was actually the former ninja school, but all the buildings had been renovated, and there were various sports equipment on the playground, which immediately made the children's eyes light up.

"Wow, so beautiful!"

"Is this our new home?!"

"That's fantastic!"

"..."

They cheered and rushed into the courtyard, and the plump old woman and the old man in charge of looking after them could not stop them and could only shout repeatedly.

But by this time the children had been sitting in the car all day, and with nowhere to release their energy, this place, which used to be a training ground for ninjas, naturally became their playground.

"What's that?" a little girl with pigtails asked, pointing at the soccer goal.

"Idiot, that's where you play football!" A little boy nearby was already eager to try.