"Root, do you mean-? Wait 'Grandpa Danzo'?" The suggestion gave Kakashi pause. Officially, only nine genin had graduated from the Academy this year, but that count never included Danzo's Root. The organization's recruitment was a complex affair, some operatives were sourced from the major clans, while others were indoctrinated from childhood.
Were there Root ninja the same age as Naruto and Sasuke? Absolutely. Even if there hadn't been before, Kakashi was certain Danzo would create them for an opportunity like this.
He didn't pretend to understand Danzo completely, but he knew the man's nature well enough. The old councilman's obsession with power was boundless, and he had no doubt Danzo would leap at the chance to place one of his own on Naruto's team. Kakashi thought of his former teammate from Root, Kinoe or Tenzo while Kakashi was leading their Anbu squad. And Yamato, as he was known now. Yamato was an excellent shinobi who had since been brought into the Third Hokage's personal Anbu detail.
With himself as the jonin leader, he could probably manage the situation. It shouldn't be a problem.
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A rare smile spread across Danzo's face as he read the message from Naruto, smoothing the deep-set wrinkles around his eyes. Ever since the boy's graduation, Danzo had worried that Hiruzen would try to win him back over. The old fox had a habit of poaching Root's most promising shinobi for the Anbu, filling their heads with talk of 'longing for the light' and 'living in the sun' to pry them away from their true purpose of effectively serving Root and nourishing Konoha.
He'd done it before with Kinoe, a ninja Danzo had held in high regard. He had been preparing to entrust Kinoe with greater responsibilities, but after a few missions alongside Kakashi, the boy was gone.
'What is the real difference between Anbu and Root, anyway?' Danzo mused. 'They both serve the village from the shadows. The only distinction is who they answer to.'
Since Kinoe's defection, Danzo had remained wary of Hiruzen, always watching for another attempt to steal his assets. But now, it seemed his patience was paying off.
'So, the time I invested in him wasn't wasted after all,' he thought, a grim satisfaction settling in. 'The Nine-Tails jinchuriki is finally leaning my way. And I have the perfect operative to join his team.'
Danzo waved a hand, and a masked figure appeared before him in a whisper of movement.
"Danzo-sama."
The operative's codename was Tori. After Fu and Torune, Tori was Root's strongest asset, with a mastery of Fire Release that could rival a resurrected Uchiha's, so much so that even a resurrected Uchiha clan member might struggle to surpass her.
"Tori," Danzo said, his voice a dry rasp. "Tomorrow, you will take Shin to the Jinchuriki's team. Their jonin leader is Kakashi. You're familiar with him."
Shin was one of Root's rising stars, a gifted sensor with considerable combat ability. She was perfectly suited for infiltrating Team 7.
Tori bowed. "Yes, Danzo-sama."
Danzo paused, his mind already turning to his next move. His hand went to his knee, subconsciously rubbing his knee, as he stroked the head of his cane. "Call Fu," he continued. "He will accompany me to the Hokage's Office. I will speak with Hiruzen personally."
"Yes, Danzo-sama," Tori replied calmly.
As Tori vanished, Danzo rose and walked with a slight tremor toward the highest point of the Root base. It was the place closest to the surface, where thin beams of sunlight pierced the earth above, striping the ground with light. One such beam fell across the left side of his face, leaving the right half cloaked in the familiar darkness of his domain. He stood on the precipice between two worlds.
'Soon,' he thought, closing his eyes and savoring the faint warmth on his skin. 'The day I become Hokage is fast approaching. It won't be long before I can stand fully in the light.'
'Everything is within my grasp.'
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The duration of Danzo and the Third Hokage's conversation lasted hours, but the outcome was a compromise. The Hokage agreed to let Danzo add a Root member to Team 7, but he refused to remove Sakura Haruno. His stated reason was that only nine students from the Ninja Academy had been promoted to genin, and removing even one would disrupt the carefully balanced team assignments.
But Naruto saw the truth. The Hokage had his reasons for protecting Sakura. Her own abilities were irrelevant, the key was her family. Her father, while not a powerful shinobi, was a staunch Sarutobi loyalist with a distant connection to the Senju clan no matter how small.
Ever since Senju clan dissolved into the village, Hiruzen kept a vigilant eye on all of them. Making sure all their shinobi members support him. After all, no matter how small there still exists a chance of second Hashirama Senju being born from remnants.
This year's genin team assignments in Konoha were notably different from previous years, they were clear political play. Asuma's squad consisted of Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi. All three were children of clan heads, destined to inherit their respective clans, perfectly forming the new Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Their jonin leader, Asuma, was Hiruzen's second son, clearly a move by the Hokage to pave the way for his own child.
Looking at Team 8, led by Asuma's girlfriend Kurenai Yuhi, it comprised Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame, again, the eldest children of three major clans. Kurenai Yuhi was a newly promoted jonin, ordinarily, she wouldn't be assigned such a prestigious combination of students. Yet, she became the sensei to three clan heirs. Another reason for this was her father Shinku Yuhi was also from Sarutobi's faction.
And then there was Team 7: The last Uchiha, the Uzumaki orphan, and the only daughter of a staunch supporter of Hiruzen's faction.
Why specifically Sakura? Did it even need to be said? Whether Konoha truly flourished under the Third Hokage's leadership was debatable, but the Sarutobi clan certainly grew exceptionally strong under his guidance. On the surface, the Hyuga clan was Konoha's foremost noble family, but in reality, the Sarutobi clan was the true power behind the village.
The Hokage still had some cunning left in him, far more than Danzo, who only ever schemed from the shadows. This entire affair had been a test. On the surface, Danzo was interfering with team placements. In reality, Naruto had used Danzo to probe the Hokage's bottom line.
The result was... inconclusive. A four-man cell was unprecedented. In the past, the so-called 'God of Shinobi' would have never allowed it. But now, he had yielded.
To Naruto, anything less than an outright refusal was a concession.
The Third Hokage was old.
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Naruto patted his stomach, a sly grin on his face. He focused inward, speaking to the presence in his seal. "Hey, Kurama. You want to go out?"
'Go out?' Kurama's voice rumbled back, laced with confusion. He eyed the projection of Naruto in his mindscape. 'What are you planning now?'
Kurama's gaze narrowed with suspicion. Was the boy trying to trick him? Let him out just to have an excuse to beat him down again? The kid was full of tricks.
"I mean, we could use a Shadow Clone," Naruto explained. "Go find the other Tailed Beasts." He leaned into the temptation, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "We could even wreak a little havoc on Konoha."
"Alright!" Kurama's many tails thrashed in excitement, his teeth bared in a feral grin. The thought of smashing up the village he despised was an intoxicating one.
"So, you'll-" Naruto began.
"No!" Kurama snarled, shutting him down instantly. 'Trying to trick me into a deal? Not a chance!'
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