A Chūnin Exam was a diplomatic event, typically held every six months on a rotating basis among the great ninja villages. On the surface, it was an examination to promote genin to chūnin status. But beneath that, it was far more than a simple challenge. In reality, it was a grand display, a political event where villages, every six months, would showcase the power of their new generation. In this competition, every calculated move and every victory could influence the balance of power in the ninja world.
This year, the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha, was the host. Since Konoha had signed a peace and alliance treaty with the Hidden Sand Village after the Third Great Ninja War, this time, they were joined by the Hidden Grass, Rain, Waterfall, and the newly established Hidden Sound villages. Including Konoha's own genin teams, the number of participants totaled One hundred forty-four.
Thirty participants were from the Hidden Sand Village, Twenty-one from the Hidden Rain Village, Fifteen from the Hidden Grass Village, three from the Hidden Waterfall Village, and three from the Hidden Sound Village. However, the majority came from Konoha itself, Seventy-two participants, including nine rookies who had graduated less than a year ago.
Mitsuro's primary goal was to take advantage of this very exam. Hosting such a massive event required a great deal of attention and energy. Fifty-seven foreign genin might not seem that dangerous, but that number meant at least Thirteen foreign jōnin-level ninja were present in Konoha, each of whom could pose a threat. There was also a chance that the Kazekage might attend the final event as a guest, which would further increase the need for security measures.
As a result, Mitsuro believed that during such an event, while security around the participating teams would be heightened, attention to certain other locations would decrease. For example,
the Root ANBU headquarters.
The Hokage and Danzō almost constantly monitored each other, and it was natural for the regular ANBU to keep an eye on Root. But during an event like this, that surveillance would likely drop to near zero. On the surface, this benefited Root, but from another perspective, it meant that if Root were to be attacked at this time, it would take a while for the ANBU, the Hokage, and ultimately the village to notice the problem and come to Root's aid.
"Boss, I have a question." Guren was the first to speak.
"Yes, go ahead."
"I don't disagree with your orders. But what exactly are we going to steal from Danzō and Root?"
"That's a good question." Mitsuro began to explain. "You know, over the years, we've worked hard together and collected various jutsu from the ninja world. But now, with the presence of Takigakure, to have a safe village of our own, we're lacking two things."
He raised a finger. "First, we don't have skilled jōnin and chūnin. At least outside of this group, we don't have any highly skilled ninja who can perform missions for the village. Even if we gather all the old ninja from Takigakure, aside from the elders, there's no one with truly high-level skills. For this, we have two options: either wait for the kids to become more skilled through self-study, or recruit wandering ninja, which is risky, but something to consider."
He raised another finger. "Second, we have no jutsu for creating barriers, hiding, or sensing enemies and spies who enter the village. More importantly, we have no sealing jutsu. Now, how can we solve this problem? With the help of our good friends, Root!"
He grinned and continued, "You probably haven't heard this, but years ago, Konoha had a great ally: the Uzushiogakure! They were made up of an ancient family called the Uzumaki. Their skill was Fūinjutsu; they had developed the most unique and powerful ability to create barriers and seals. But, to their bad luck, they were destroyed overnight! Without Konoha lifting a finger to help them. Instead of helping the Uzumaki, Root used the opportunity of the attack on them to steal all their knowledge of sealing. Now, that knowledge is buried in Root—something we desperately need."
Hiruko, who was clearly listening to Mitsuro's words, closed her eyes and quietly said, "It's not a bad idea, but you don't just want to raid Root, do you? It's about revenge, isn't it?"
Mitsuro didn't answer.
Hiruko didn't press the matter. "In any case, there are a few problems."
"Such as?"
"First, it's true that the exam reduces Konoha's attention on Root, but the village's security level is extremely high. Therefore, everyone is being watched. I'm sure even right now, Konoha ninja are monitoring this entire area, especially since Shibuki joined us." She turned to Shibuki, "No offense intended."
Shibuki looked a little pale but gestured with his hand that he wasn't offended by Hiruko's words.
"Second, even if we assume Root is alone, Root itself is an incredibly powerful military base, and we definitely can't infiltrate it secretly; we have to attack it. With this number, I don't think we'll succeed.
"Third, let's say we do succeed. We don't know where to look. Where are the scrolls kept?
"Fourth, how do we get out? After our attack, Konoha will definitely find out and surround us!"
The others frowned as they listened to Hiruko's points. No one contradicted her, because everyone was thinking the same thing—stealing from Root seemed impossible.
Guren also added, "And there's still another question. How much information do we even have on Root?"
This time, Senta answered the question. "Danzō is a very suspicious person. He doesn't allow Root ninja to have the slightest interaction with the public. Any direct questions about Root will attract a lot of attention in Konoha. But you know, when you spend a few months with farmers and workers, you can hear interesting things from them. For example, did you know that ninja are more visible than you think? I heard them say where Root ninja get their food and what times Danzō is usually seen outside the barracks."
He continued, "He lives a very quiet life. He usually goes out in the evening and returns to the barracks on time. He delegates almost every command to his own ANBU and doesn't directly do anything himself. After that, I checked the grain warehouses and the trash cans that Root sent for disposal. The amount of food supplied and the amount of food consumed can reveal a lot. I can say with certainty that there are more than Thirty Root ANBU, and based on what's been said, at least half of them are above chūnin level."
Mitsuro completed Senta's thought with a serious tone. "At least Thirty people, and I estimate that besides Danzō himself, they always have four elite jōnin-level ninja in the base."
This made attacking Root seem even more impossible than before.
However, no one thought that Mitsuro would have proposed the idea of attacking Root without thinking it through. They were just waiting to see what he would say.
"So, do you have a plan?"
Mitsuro smiled. "Senta, you should always have a plan."
"Stop messing around, you ape!" Senta said.
"Hey, you useless idiot, watch your filthy mouth!" Guren got a little agitated.
"Enough!" Mitsuro said.
He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a map. "This is a map of the Root barracks."
Everyone stared intently at a relatively simple map.
"This map isn't precise, but I can confidently say that everything on it is correct."
"Now, listen carefully. I want to explain my idea to you."