He was in Konoha, exuding an aura of dominance.

"Waaaaah!"

The piercing whimpers rose and fell, like a joyful symphony playing under the night sky.

.

Sakumo Hatake, who arrived at the scene using the Instantaneous Movement Technique, was stunned by the steaming scene before him.

Fresh organs, extracted from the body, emitted astonishing heat, which, when combined with the chill of the night sky, created wisps of white mist.

A child, less than half the height of the two people opposite him, was using a chakra scalpel in one hand and a palm technique in the other to grope the two objects in front of him that could no longer be called human.

Isogen glanced sideways, a slight smile curving his lips on his fair profile: "It's Lord White Fang. I just caught two small fry trying to infiltrate Konoha and molest minors, and we're interrogating them."

As for the cost of crippling these two Root ninjas?

Let's scrap it first.

Sakumo Hatake remained silent, staring at the scene before him—a scene perhaps even more brutal than the most severe interrogation rooms in Konoha—unsure whether to sheathe his short blade or draw it.

Then look at the two Root ninjas who have been tortured beyond recognition.

With his strength and status, he could tell at a glance the difference between these two ninjas and the Anbu. Only the deepest darkness of Konoha could produce such ninjas.

"..."

To be honest, if he hadn't met Isogen a few times and been familiar with the Root ninjas, it would have been difficult for him to determine which side was the villain based solely on the scene before him.

Suddenly, Hatake Sakumo's ears twitched, and he flashed forward to stop the approaching ninja.

After he left, Wu Shixian focused all his attention back on the two small, miscellaneous fish that had been delivered.

More ninjas, hearing the commotion, rushed over.

Sakumo Hatake was blocking the way outside, while Yoka Isogen was performing surgery inside.

After having someone stand guard outside, Hatake Sakumo rushed back to the scene.

What I saw was Yuge Wuxian, who had already put away his scalpel, and two uniquely styled works of art.

Under the bleak moonlight, there was a little boy wielding a knife, and two bodies, their bodies blood red and muscles twitching.

This combination surprised even Sakumo Hatake, a seasoned ninja.

Root ninjas only recruit the elite, and in some ways they are even stronger than the Anbu directly under the Hokage. After all, it is normal for ninjas who enter Root to lose themselves.

Wiping my blood-stained palms with a bath towel, the glaring red marks on the towel resembled blooming plum blossoms.

Wu Zixian turned around, revealing a smiling face with red lips and white teeth.

"Lord White Fang, these two small fry are very loyal and we can't get anything out of them. Let's send them to the Hokage."

Bai Ya nodded slightly, remaining silent.

Since things have come to this, and we're already here...

Taking two steps closer, his keen senses, honed by a powerful ninja, made him notice that the two men seemed to have suffered injuries on their chins, the force and angle of which were just right to leave them speechless.

Chapter 26 Kicking the Door

Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still writing furiously.

He was already very familiar with handling these government affairs, and the reason he was working overtime today was because the funding from Daming was about to come through.

You can't go against anything but money.

The ninjas work so hard on missions just for this little bit of money.

"The medical department's funding cannot be reduced, the compensation for ninjas who died in the war needs to be approved as soon as possible, the police department... well, let's stick to the previous choice, the ANBU's operating funds and equipment upgrades must be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

After all that trouble, Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply troubled by the rapidly decreasing funding.

Money, oh money, money is a good thing, but good things are never easy to get.

"or."

The pen tip stopped at the mark at the base. Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"No."

The Root and the Dark Bureau are intertwined, and if the funds were allocated solely to the Root, Danzo would definitely try to get them back from them. It's better to avoid trouble than to create more problems.

Thinking of his old friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel helpless.

He was appointed Hokage in a time of crisis, taking over the position from his teacher. However, Konoha was both powerful and weak at that time.

The divisions between the various ninja clans remain, and there are many powerful ninja clans. As the Hokage, his power has visibly shrunk. Not to mention compared to his teacher, it is not easy for him to even maintain his position as Hokage. Helplessly, he can only let the other members of the Shadow Guard and the Second Hokage's students play their part.

Danzo's free interpretation is the most striking.

But he was too free.

He assassinates nobles, important figures from other ninja villages, geniuses from ninja villages, and even wild geniuses—he doesn't even spare his own family's geniuses!

However, the last one was because he tacitly approved it behind the scenes.

The ninja clan is still too strong; they have to be weakened.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

"This is all for Konoha."

Thinking of this, he picked up the pipe beside him and was about to take a puff when suddenly his nerves twitched. He keenly sensed the murderous aura directed at tobacco outside the door, extinguished the tobacco, opened the hidden compartment, and put the pipe in. His movements were so practiced that it seemed as if he had rehearsed them countless times.

boom!

Doorkeeper elbows the wall, while Wushu maintains a smile, carrying a human-shaped artwork in one hand.

"Lord Hokage, I've caught two small fry who tried to infiltrate Konoha to commit lewd acts."

Sakumo Hatake followed closely behind.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention was first drawn to the unusual pose of Yoka Igarashi, who was draped in a white bath towel, before being shifted by the words to the unidentified humanoid object he was carrying.

His gaze fell on the Konoha headband worn by the Root ninja, and he could sense that the Root ninja's aura was almost overwhelming.

'Danzo!'

Almost instantly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's anger surged.

"Hokage-sama." Sakumo Hatake spoke up in time, bringing Hiruzen Sarutobi's consciousness back to Shimura Danzo, who was staring at the one-eyed figure at the Root base.

"Thank you for your hard work, Shuo Mao."

Suppressing his anger, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke to Sakumo Hatake.

Unexpectedly, Hatake Sakumo shook his head slightly, his gaze falling on Igarashi Yoka, who had already casually tossed the pipe and tobacco from Sarutobi Hiruzen's drawer out the window.

“He did it all by himself. By the time I arrived, he had already captured those two… suspected spies.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi was slightly taken aback.

"But their injuries."

"It was left over from the interrogation later."

"..."

With her delicate face raised, Yuge Wuxian smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Lord Hokage. Although their life force is a bit weak, speaking is not a problem. If all else fails, I will ask Uncle Yamanaka for help."

"...Ahem, Yu Ge. Could you please recount what happened?" Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and asked with a kind expression.

"Um……"

A concise and to-the-point statement.

Hiruzen Sarutobi has basically figured out what happened.

The problem lies entirely with those two Root ninjas and his old friend.

After all, he knew very well what Wuxian's activities had been like over the past year. Most of the Root ninjas who were injured were treated at the Root base, so it was unlikely that they would have had any contact with Wuxian at the Konoha Hospital. In addition, with this incident, the memory of Danzo asking him for people a year ago automatically surfaced.

The only thing that puzzled him was Isogen's inexplicably warm yet cold smile.

The Root ninja's weaklings, the barking of puppies, and...

"These small fry look stupid and not smart at all. The big dog that's training them must be dumb too. It's so pitiful. Should we go to the Inuzuka family and ask which dog food has the highest nutritional value?"

"Ah……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi swore on his Hokage Rock that he was not laughing on purpose.

After laughing, a surge of anger immediately followed.

'Danzo!'

He was furious, but being a close friend he knew well, he had become resistant to Danzo's various actions and focused more of his attention on Igarashi.

Whether it was his unusual smile or his sharp words, they all took him to heart.

"Ahem, go and fetch Director Kimura of Konoha Hospital, and while you're at it, find all the people involved in this matter."

call out.

A member of the secret service team shot through the air and disappeared.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Yoko Igarashi, who had a smile on his lips, and coughed lightly.

"Yu Ge, you've worked hard all night. Leave the rest of the interrogation to me. I'll clear out the room next door for you for now."

Yu Ge smiled and nodded, then lightly jumped off the chair. He accidentally stepped on the exposed scarlet tendon of the ninja at the base of the fox mask. The ninja let out a muffled groan and then fell silent.

He's a real man!

Sakumo Hatake crossed his arms, his gaze steady.

Based on his experience and judgment, this guy should be passed out from the pain right now.

Wu Xian hummed a tune unknown to the three sober people in the office, and left with light steps, skipping away every two steps.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt frustrated, and even the good mood he had when the daimyo allocated funds to him was ruined.

When I'm feeling down, I just want a cigarette.