"Root?"
Kakashi fell silent for a moment upon hearing that.
Officially, the Ninja Academy had only nine graduates this year—but Root didn't fall under that category.
The composition of Root was far more complicated. Some of its members were recruited directly from prestigious clans, while others had been trained from childhood in complete secrecy.
Were there Root shinobi of Naruto and Sasuke's age?
Absolutely.
Even if there weren't before, there were now.
As for Danzo—Kakashi couldn't say he fully understood him, but he knew him all too well.
Danzo was obsessed with power. That man's thirst for control was beyond imagination.
If he had a chance to embed a Root operative into Naruto's squad, Danzo would leap at it without hesitation.
Kakashi's thoughts drifted to a former teammate during his own time in Root—"Kinoe"… or rather, Tenzo. A very capable ninja, now working directly under the Third Hokage as an elite ANBU captain.
As long as I'm here watching over things… it should be fine.
—
Danzo looked down at the message he had just received from Naruto, and his wrinkled face blossomed into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum. Even his frown lines seemed to smooth out.
Ever since Naruto had graduated from the academy and been placed into a team, Danzo had been on edge—worried the old fox Hiruzen Sarutobi would try to "lure him back."
After all, that wily old man had successfully poached a Root prodigy before, dragging him into the ANBU by spouting some garbage about "walking in the light" and "living in the sun." That ninja had been one of Danzo's most promising assets, someone he had planned to promote in due time.
But after just a few missions with Kakashi, the guy defected to ANBU.
Yes, that ninja was the very one Kakashi had just recalled—the former Root member "Kinoe," now ANBU Squad Captain Tenzo.
Fortunately, Danzo hadn't yet entrusted him with too much authority—so the loss hadn't crippled his plans.
Functionally, there was no real difference between ANBU and Root.
The only distinction lay in who they answered to.
Ever since that betrayal, Danzo had remained on high alert around Hiruzen—terrified he might sneak into Root and poach more of his operatives.
"I didn't spend all those years cultivating him for nothing."
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki truly is leaning toward my side."
"And conveniently, I just happen to have the perfect Root operative for his squad."
Danzo gestured, and a figure silently stepped out of the shadows.
"Lord Danzo," said the ninja, known by the codename 'Ding'. He was one of Root's most powerful assets—second only to Yamanaka Fuu and Aburame Torune. An elite fire-style user, his flames rivaled even the best of the Uchiha.
"Ding, tomorrow you'll escort 'Xin (OC)' to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's squad."
"Their jonin instructor is Kakashi—you're aware of that, aren't you?"
'Xin' was one of Root's rising stars in recent years—an excellent sensory-type shinobi with formidable overall strength. A perfect fit for Team 7.
Ding bowed respectfully: "Understood, Danzo-sama."
Danzo paused, rubbing the top of his staff thoughtfully, fingers brushing across his odd, pineapple-shaped hair.
"Also, summon Torune. I'm going to the Hokage's office to speak with Hiruzen myself."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
As Ding vanished, a flicker of crimson flashed behind the eyeholes of his mask.
Danzo leaned on his cane and began his slow, halting ascent toward the highest level of the Root base—closest to the surface.
A narrow crack above allowed a ray of sunlight to pierce through the underground, landing just on the left side of his face. The other half remained cloaked in shadow.
He stood there—between light and darkness.
"Soon… very soon. The day I become Hokage is almost here."
He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of the sun on half his face.
"It won't be long before I, Danzo, stand fully in the sunlight."
"Everything is proceeding exactly as I planned."
—
No one knew exactly how long Danzo spoke with the Third Hokage, but in the end, a compromise was reached.
Hiruzen allowed a Root member to join Team 7—
But refused to remove Haruno Sakura.
His reasoning: with only nine genin graduating this year, there was no way to form another complete squad. A single person alone couldn't be placed in a team.
Of course, Hiruzen had his own motives for protecting Sakura.
On the surface, she was just a civilian-born kunoichi, the daughter of a mid-level Leaf ninja. But her family had deep ties to the Sarutobi faction—and some distant relation to the Senju clan.
This year's genin squad assignments were very… deliberate.
Team 10: Led by Asuma Sarutobi, included Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi—children of three clan heads, destined to become the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Their jonin instructor?
Asuma, the Third Hokage's own son.
He was paving the way for his heir.
Then there was Team 8: Led by Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma's girlfriend. Her students were Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame—heirs to the other great clans.
Kurenai, a newly promoted jonin, had no business getting such a stacked squad—but she still ended up as the teacher of three future clan heads.
And then there was Team 7:
The last Uchiha, the last Uzumaki, and the civilian girl backed by the Sarutobi faction.
Why Sakura, specifically?
Isn't it obvious?
Under Hiruzen, the Leaf's prosperity was debatable—but the Sarutobi clan flourished like never before.
On paper, the Hyuga were considered Konoha's most prestigious clan.
But in practice?
The Sarutobi clan was the true powerhouse.
Hiruzen still had his ways.
Compared to Danzo's secretive scheming in the shadows, Hiruzen's chess game was far more sophisticated—and much more dangerous.
This wasn't just about team assignments.
It was a battle of influence.
Outwardly, it seemed like Danzo was trying to meddle in genin placement—but in reality, Naruto was using Danzo to test the Third Hokage, to find out exactly where Hiruzen's boundaries were.
And the result?
Mixed.
In the past, the man once hailed as the "strongest Hokage"—the "God of Shinobi"—would've never agreed to this.
A four-man cell?
Ridiculous.
But now, Hiruzen gave ground.
To Naruto, that was as good as admitting weakness.
"The old man's getting soft."
—
Naruto patted his belly and spoke aloud to the Nine-Tails sealed inside.
"Kurama, don't you think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?"
"To get out?"
Kurama blinked, confused.
"Out? What are you scheming this time?"
The giant fox narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Was Naruto trying to actually unseal him and then beat him senseless?
This kid was always up to something.
"No no—I mean send out a shadow clone."
"We'll use it to track down the other Tailed Beasts."
"Let's go stir up some chaos in the Leaf."
"OHHH?!" Kurama's eyes lit up with excitement.
Causing havoc in Konoha?
That was his jam.
"Then you—"
"Nope!" Kurama cut him off immediately.
"Not coming!"
Nice try, kid.
He wasn't falling for it.
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