After the squads were assigned, Danzo coldly announced,
"From this moment on, Root shall be the guardians of Konoha's roots.
We will hide in the deepest darkness and eradicate all threats—inside and outside the village."
"Better to kill by mistake than to let one slip through."
"From now on, forget your names. Remember only your codenames."
"You will be weapons forged to protect the village from the shadows—
to protect Konoha's very roots."
"And Root shall be an even sharper blade than ANBU."
Kneeling on one knee, Shawn raised his head and added fuel to the fire:
"Lord Danzo's will is Root's will—
and Root's will is our will!"
"We will be the sharpest blade in Lord Danzo's hand,
and eliminate every enemy!"
The summary hit perfectly.
A trace of satisfaction appeared in Danzo's eyes.
What Shawn had said was exactly the future Danzo envisioned.
What Danzo didn't know was that Shawn had left out one sentence:
Root's will is Danzo's will—
and Danzo's will should eventually become Root's will.
"The Hokage has granted special permission," Danzo continued.
"Root missions do not require prior filing or approval."
The crowd shuddered inwardly.
Shawn, however, fell into thought.
Hiruzen probably has no idea how much trouble this policy will cause in the future.
Still… the greater Root's authority is now, the better it is for me.
At this point, Shimura Taichi—codename Ten—began distributing mission orders to the squad leaders, one dossier per person.
Danzo spoke icily,
"Go."
"Let Konoha—and the shinobi world—witness the will of Root."
"Dismissed."
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Figures blurred and vanished.
In an instant, Shawn and the others disappeared from before Danzo.
Training Ground Nine
Shawn removed his mask and looked at his three subordinates.
"You don't need to know my real name," he said calmly.
"Remember my codename—A."
"I am the person Lord Danzo values most within Root."
"Lord Danzo's will is Root's will.
Root's will is Lord Danzo's will."
"And here—between us—
Lord Danzo's will is my will.
And my will is Lord Danzo's will."
"Do you understand?"
Sarutobi Atsushi, Inuzuka Ryō, and Aburame Hii exchanged glances.
Shawn smiled faintly at their hesitation.
"Seems you don't quite understand yet. That's fine."
"You will—eventually.
For now, just remember what I said."
"Next, I want to know what each of you can do."
He put his mask back on and looked at Sarutobi Atsushi.
"Captain, I'm proficient in Fire Release and Earth Release," Atsushi replied quickly.
Inuzuka Ryō immediately performed a summoning technique.
A black dog appeared at his side.
"Captain, I specialize in the Inuzuka clan's Beast Imitation Techniques.
Blackball can track enemies by scent."
Shawn glanced at the slightly chubby dog, Blackball, then turned to the final member.
Aburame Hii spoke calmly,
"Aburame clan techniques.
Combat, reconnaissance, detection, communication."
Aside from Atsushi, Shawn was already familiar with the Inuzuka and Aburame clans.
After all, Root had once been ANBU's training branch.
Members from these two clans were extremely common.
As for the Sarutobi clan—
not a secret-technique family, but known for versatility, with Fire Release being the most prominent.
Shawn nodded slightly.
"Our mission target: ANBU operative Tsuchiya Naoya.
Codename: Iron Wall."
The three subordinates were stunned.
The target… was ANBU.
Even though ANBU had multiple divisions, this was still shocking.
ANBU represented Konoha's elite.
Shawn offered no explanation.
He activated Body Flicker Technique and moved out immediately.
The others exchanged glances, then followed without hesitation.
Konoha – Core District
Ten minutes later, the team arrived in Konoha's inner district.
Even at night, the streets were lively—crowded and brightly lit.
Shawn stopped on a rooftop, gazing down at the bustling marketplace.
Unfortunately, this peaceful prosperity did not belong to him.
In Konoha's records, he was already a dead man.
I need to step into the sunlight someday…
The thought flickered briefly before Shawn moved again.
Soon, he appeared outside the Hokage Building.
Atsushi and the others arrived shortly after, instinctively swallowing as they looked at the brightly lit structure.
They were ordinary shinobi before joining Root.
They didn't know which ANBU division Tsuchiya Naoya belonged to.
But now that Shawn was stationed here—
It could only mean Hokage直属ANBU.
A Hokage直属ANBU operative being handled by Root…
Has Root's authority really expanded this far?
Shawn hid behind a large tree, keeping one eye fixed on the Hokage Building.
Seeing him remain silent, the others also concealed themselves.
Time passed.
The lively streets gradually quieted.
Lights went out one by one, including those in the Hokage Building and nearby structures.
In the dead of night—
Shawn finally moved.
He followed a lone figure.
The man did not exit the Hokage Building itself,
but a neighboring structure.
Atsushi's eyes narrowed slightly.
That building was the Archives—
home to records, documents, and ninjutsu materials.
They followed him all the way home.
Outside Tsuchiya Naoya's residence, Shawn signaled.
Hand signs—standard within Konoha.
Aburame Hii nodded immediately.
Several insects slipped silently into the house.
Moments later, one returned.
Hii released more insects.
After brief communication, they formed two characters:
Bathroom.
The target was showering.
Shawn signaled again.
The four infiltrated silently.
Tsuchiya Naoya was twenty-one years old.
Single.
Living alone.
Atsushi and the others sealed off the possible escape routes.
Shawn sat calmly in the living room.
A moment later—
Click.
Naoya exited the bathroom.
The instant he saw Shawn, his expression changed. He turned to flee—
Shawn's voice stopped him cold.
"The exits are blocked.
Don't waste your chakra."
Atsushi and the others appeared, completing the encirclement.
Panic flooded Naoya's eyes.
After a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down.
"Who are you people?!"
Shawn stood and smiled faintly.
"We are Root, under Lord Danzo."
"You're ANBU yourself—you know who we are."
"And since we're here, it means your secret is already exposed."
"If you don't want too much pain,
tell us what we want to know."
As he spoke, Shawn silently activated the status effect—
Speak as You Think, forcibly applied to Tsuchiya Naoya.
This wouldn't make him cooperate—
But it ensured he couldn't lie.
Naoya still clung to false hope.
Coldly, he said,
"Root has no authority to investigate ANBU.
You're impostors. I demand to see the Third Hokage!"
Shawn chuckled.
Then—
He vanished.
In the next instant, he was directly in front of Naoya.
Dense chakra surged around him.
Shawn's right hand clamped around Naoya's throat—
Boom!
Naoya was slammed against the wall.
His eyes bulged, face flushing purple as he struggled to breathe.
"Even if you don't talk, I can kill you," Shawn said softly, staring into his eyes.
"But I won't let you die easily."
"Flying Insect," he said calmly.
"Can your insects eat him… slowly?"
Aburame Hii hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes.
Though there's also another type—injects venom and causes extreme pain."
Shawn smiled.
"Compared to ordinary pain…
I prefer letting him watch his chakra and flesh be eaten away bit by bit."
At that moment, Atsushi spoke up,
"Captain… I can use genjutsu."
"What if he hasn't actually leaked information to the enemy—"
Shawn suddenly turned, eyes cold and sharp.
It was a smile that chilled to the bone.
"Looks like you've already forgotten what I told you earlier."
Clang!
As his blade left its sheath—
A scream barely had time to form before it was reduced to a muffled, agonized groan.
Shawn severed one of Tsuchiya Naoya's arms in a single slash.
With his free hand, he covered the man's mouth and whispered:
"Don't scream so loudly."
"Making too much noise would be rude to the neighbors."