Root's reputation was not prominent among most ninja, but its location was one of Konoha's most important facilities, a place many shinobi never set foot in during their entire lives.
Yet any ninja aware of its existence could not help but feel unease.
Because the leader of Root was Shimura Danzō.
Root was also known as the ANBU Training Division. Its purpose was clear from its name alone, training ninja for ANBU operations.
The original intention behind its creation had been correct. In its early years, it had indeed fulfilled that role.
But there was a fundamental problem. Root was an independent organization directly under Elder Shimura Danzō. It was not under the Hokage's direct command, nor fully within ANBU jurisdiction.
That the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had entrusted such authority to Danzō only showed how deeply he trusted his old comrade.
But that trust, left unchecked, had allowed Root to slowly transform into something else entirely. An organization serving Danzō's personal will above all else.
In Danzō's mind, everything he did was for Konoha.
And so, everything Root did was also "for Konoha."
With that logic, Root gradually became Danzō's private domain. Over the years, the number of outsiders who had ever entered this place could be counted on one hand.
Today, however, that number was shattered.
Because Hayashi had arrived, along with Nawaki, Hiashi, and a group of elite shinobi.
All of them had come for one reason.
An explanation.
The rumors spreading through the village had implicated their clans. No matter how one looked at it, they had every right to demand the truth.
It was a simple and undeniable justification. Even the Third Hokage could not easily refute it.
According to Danzō's standing orders, any unauthorized intruder into Root was to be eliminated without hesitation.
But today, those orders were not being followed.
Dozens of Root shinobi quietly retreated in violation of protocol. None of them found it strange. In fact, many wished they could retreat even deeper into the facility.
Down there, there was at least a sense of safety.
Root had long since evolved under Danzō's control. It was no longer merely an ANBU training division. A more accurate description would be a final shelter for Konoha's hidden assets.
The underground structure extended deep beneath the village, over a hundred meters below the surface. Even devastating attacks on the village above would have limited effect here.
Even in the original timeline, when Konoha was devastated by Pain's Shinra Tensei, Root's underground facilities remained largely intact.
This was Danzō's fortress.
At the entrance hall, multiple barrier techniques had already been activated. Root shinobi could manipulate them freely, forming layers of defense capable of trapping intruders.
Thirty carefully selected shinobi stood in formation. These were elite operatives drawn from various major clans, positioned deliberately to cover blind spots and prevent Hayashi from using the Flying Thunder God Technique for instant movement.
Soon after, another fifty Root shinobi poured into the hall wearing animal masks.
They were war orphans turned soldiers. Their individual strength varied, but they shared one trait. They did not fear death.
Not in the ordinary sense, but in the way of people conditioned to burn everything for a mission, even their own lives.
Root's structure had always been built on three sources.
Talented children from the village.
Children of clans coerced into Root's system.
And war orphans gathered like scattered leaves after battle.
Those without talent were shaped into disposable weapons. Tools meant to be used and discarded.
Within Root, only usefulness mattered. Nothing else existed.
These shinobi, most of whom had never appeared in any recorded mission history, were the result of twenty years of Danzō's private cultivation.
Even the Hokage did not fully know how many members Root truly had. Only that the numbers continued to grow every year.
In truth, this was Danzō's private army.
And very soon, it would no longer belong to him.
Hayashi had come today with two goals. First, to kill Danzō and reclaim Kagami's eye. Second, to help his teacher Orochimaru deal with Root's remnants.
His gaze swept across the assembled shinobi.
A faint crimson glint passed through his eyes.
"I have been ordered to investigate Shimura Danzō's involvement in human experimentation. Anyone who does not wish to die, step aside."
It was a warning no one could accept.
No one stepped back.
No one moved aside.
"Kinoe, engage the enemy!" someone shouted.
Instantly, dozens of Root shinobi surged forward.
At the same time, others split off toward the flanks, targeting Nawaki and Hiashi.
Hayashi was surrounded on all sides by more than a hundred attackers.
Each of them had been carefully trained by Danzō. Their coordination was sharp, their speed precise, their attacks synchronized without hesitation.
For a moment, even the barrier specialists felt a chill run through them.
Could anyone truly survive this level of assault?
Is Konoha's Yellow Flash-level reputation really this terrifying?
Kinoe did not rush in blindly. Even as allies fell around him, he maintained distance.
In Root, using others as stepping stones was survival.
Against an opponent like Hayashi, closing in recklessly meant instant death.
Lightning Release Chakra flickered in Kinoe's hand, forming a sharp blue spear of energy as he thrust forward.
Its power rivaled Chidori.
Kinoe deliberately held back part of his speed. Even now, survival mattered more than victory. If the attack failed, he still needed a path to escape.
But he remained confident.
Ten years in Root had refined him beyond ordinary ninja. Endless missions, brutal training, forbidden techniques, and direct instruction from Danzō had shaped him into an elite.
This strike was clean. Perfect.
No wasted motion.
And yet, Hayashi did not move.
He did not block.
He did not evade.
He simply allowed the Lightning Release spear to close in on his chest.
For a split second, Kinoe thought he had found it.
The opening.
His chakra surged. His speed increased again. The lightning spear intensified as it pierced forward.
Just before impact, an invisible force condensed in the air.
The Lightning Release shattered instantly.
Kinoe's eyes widened.
"What is this…?"