Kakashi took those three Root ninja with him to the Hokage's office, while making another Shadow Clone to oversee Naruto and Sasuke's training. With Body Flicker Technique, Kakashi swiftly reached the Hokage's office, knocking the door softly.
"Sandaime-sama, It's me, Kakashi Hatake." He spoke, behind him were three unconscious Root ninja, carried by other three shadow clones of his, which he didn't hide from anyone, from the downstairs to the Hokage's office at floor.
"Come in." Hiruzen said, giving permission to Kakashi to enter immediately. Kakashi also instantly entered, and as he expected, Danzō indeed was present in the Hokage's office, sitting directly in front of Hiruzen, his right arm and right eye covered under bandages, didn't even bother to turn to see Kakashi.
'Showing me attitude, huh? We will see how long you will stay like this, I mean alive. You are going to be the one who will help Sasuke in awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan.'
Kakashi thought inwardly, scoffing, he had already planned that once Sasuke evolved his Sharingan to Three-Tomoe stage, he would use Danzō as bait for its next evolution, Mangekyō Sharingan. However, he didn't let these thoughts come outward, otherwise if Danzō had heard him, he would have spit a mouthful of blood, using him, Danzō for strengthening an Uchiha, even if he is a brat.
"I know why you are here, Kakashi." Hiruzen said, sitting on his chair, smoking from his smoking pipe, looking outside of the window, before turning to Kakashi, who himself entered, however his three shadow clones, who carried the Root ninja, were still outside.
"Oh, really, then I guess we have to talk about what punishment we should give to Danzō-sama, right?" Kakashi said, nonchalantly, he neither looked at Danzō, nor caring about his presence, wanting to frustrate Danzō, which proved to succeed.
"WHAT? PUNISH ME? KAKA—" Danzō immediately blurted out, turning his chair, to glare at Kakashi.
"Stop Danzō." Hiruzen ordered, exuding the aura of a Kage, before looking at Kakashi. "What do you mean by that, Kakashi? Danzō had only approached me regarding the safety of Naruto. Don't you want that too?"
Kakashi tilted his head, and asked, "Well I have no problem with that, even if Anbu monitor Naruto despite my presence, however, I don't understand why three Root ninja suddenly come and spoke to me like I owe them money, especially when Root should have been disbanded."
Hearing this, Danzō snorted, again turned to face Hiruzen, who sighed, clearly sensing dissatisfaction from Kakashi's voice.
Hiruzen said, "Kakashi, you know that Root is only disbanded on the surface, Root is important, they are also a force loyal to Konoha, and Danzō is also right."
"You encountered Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, which really shows that if something like that happens again in the future, Naruto and Sasuke's safety can be jeopardized, which we can't handle."
"Are you saying, you don't trust my abilities, and I defeated Zabuza, so what's the matter anyways?" Kakashi asked flatly, clearly unimpressed with Hiruzen.
"Having Root monitor Naruto, even when I am with them, or are you even suggesting having Anbu or Root with them through their future missions as well?"
"Looks like you have been quite busy, teaching your Team," Danzō scoffed. "Zabuza has returned to Kirigakure, and even was accepted back, despite his past of being a missing-nin, and traitor of Kirigakure."
Kakashi turned his head right below, muttered, "It's only been a week at most, has Zabuza already reached back, and talked with Mei Terumi? He is quite fast or maybe I underestimated him."
"Zabuza has seen Naruto and Sasuke, probably also understood that Naruto is the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi," Hiruzen informed, making Kakashi snap out of his thoughts.
"They might come after him in the future, since you know that Kirigakure currently has lost both of its Bijuu, Three-Tails death with Yondaime Mizukage and Six-Tails Jinchūriki has already defected the village."
Danzō continued after Hiruzen, arrogance laced in his voice. "You are strong, no doubt, but you can't obviously not be the match for many Elite ninja of Kirigakure, have they let Zabuza with several Elites next time, Anbu is not only for Naruto's Safety, but for the other two and yours as well."
"My safety? Hahaha..."
Kakashi laughed, like he had heard the best joke of his life, he finally understood the situation here, it's obviously Danzō using the fact of Zabuza's going back to Kirigakure, and that too after Kakashi defeated him miserably, which Kakashi told in his mission report.
As Kakashi hadn't given full information about the mission correctly, fabricate few things here and there, and unlike canon, where Zabuza and Haku died, this time they are alive and well, and even returned back to their village.
'And this one-eyed pirate using such a small thing to scheme of getting his hand on Naruto, or more like on Nine-Tail's.'
Kakashi really can't comprehend, how can Hiruzen be so stupid to even agree to Danzō. Kakashi knew that Danzō is always a secretive scheming rat, but was Hiruzen always this stupid in anime? This is really unlike the Hiruzen he recalls from anime, or maybe he always had a different image of Hiruzen till now, which started to crumbled.