"Goku, how are you?"
The Root ninja who used the Shadow Imitation Technique was severely injured by Goku's Dodon Wave. The ninjutsu was dispelled, and Shikamaru immediately rolled over and ran towards Goku.
But when he arrived at Goku's side, he found that Goku was completely unharmed.
And from Goku northward, all the way to the forest, were ninjas lying unconscious and severely injured.
"I...I'm so hungry!"
Goku touched his rumbling stomach.
Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but was then filled with shock.
Seeing the masks worn by the attacking ninjas, he was now 100% certain they were Root members.
So many Root ninjas, attacking the exhausted Goku after a day of training, had all been severely injured in just a few minutes.
If Goku hadn't held back, they would all probably be dead.
Goku's strength was simply...unfathomable.
Moreover, he had initially thought Goku was a taijutsu-type ninja, but his ninjutsu was also incredibly powerful.
That ninjutsu that shot out like a beam of light was terrifying in both speed and power; so many elite Root ninjas, not one of them could block or dodge it.
Even Naruto's new ninjutsu seemed inferior to that beam of light that Goku casually unleashed.
"Goku, be patient for a moment. I need to contact the Anbu. Bring these ninjas back to the village for interrogation and find out who ordered them to attack you!"
Shikamaru reassured Goku, then immediately released a special signal to notify the Anbu ninjas directly under the Hokage.
He knew, of course, that these were Root ninjas, acting on Danzo's orders to attack Goku.
Everything requires evidence, especially when dealing with Danzo, the Root leader whose power was second only to the Hokage.
By bringing these Root ninjas back for interrogation, evidence could be obtained.
Even if Danzo's power couldn't be completely eliminated, it could be suppressed to a minimum.
This way, Tsunade wouldn't have to be so hesitant in many matters later.
"It was a man named Shimura Danzo, the old guy with eyes all over his arm this morning. He was afraid I'd discover his Sharingan transplant and the truth about the Uchiha massacre, so he sent them to silence me."
Goku went directly to a Root ninja he'd knocked unconscious, touched his forehead, and read some of his memories.
"Sharingan transplant! Uchiha massacre!"
Shikamaru's pupils contracted; he felt things were more serious than he'd imagined.
Could Danzo be behind the Uchiha massacre?
Given Danzo's ruthless methods, it was quite possible.
The darkness hidden within the village was far deeper than he'd anticipated.
"Goku, you know ninjutsu that involves invading minds and reading memories?"
"A little, but not very good at it."
Goku nodded.
Indeed, compared to his fighting abilities, he wasn't particularly skilled in this area.
"This is what you call not skilled?"
Shikamaru's expression froze. Even the elite Jonin of the Torture Division were only at this level.
"You're truly omnipotent!"
Powerful taijutsu, terrifying ninjutsu, able to teleport, sensory perception, and even read the memories of enemies.
Such talent, Konoha absolutely must hold onto him tightly.
For the past few years, he had been studying Konoha's history, trying to understand why Konoha, once so powerful, had fallen to its current state.
Later, he finally understood that Konoha's decline wasn't due to external factors, but rather internal ones.
The Uchiha clan's annihilation, the suicide of Konoha's White Fang, the departure of the Sannin, various talented ninjas either dying before reaching maturity due to conspiracies, or witnessing too much darkness and ultimately turning their backs on the village.
If Konoha were like this...
For many years, the village has adhered to the First Hokage's principles, developing openly and honestly.
While this might result in some financial losses, it will undoubtedly produce a large number of powerful ninjas who truly love the village. These ninjas are the foundation of the village.
History has proven that a village's strength comes from the number of top-tier ninjas, not from conspiracies and tricks.
And Goku is one of those top-tier ninjas, perhaps even reaching the level of the First Hokage.
Therefore, this time, it's crucial to completely suppress Danzo and Root, preventing them from harming Goku again and ultimately forcing him to leave.
However, thinking of the two advisors in Konoha who are the same age as the Third Hokage, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
He knew that those two advisors would not stand idly by and allow Danzo's power to be completely dismantled, allowing Tsunade to control the entire village.
"In short, let's take it one step at a time."
Konoha's current problems can't be solved overnight.
"Goku, go eat first. I need to deal with these guys. I'll come find you after I'm done."
Seeing the figures of the ANBU ninjas already appearing in the distance, Shikamaru said to Goku, whose stomach was rumbling.
"Then I'll wait for you at Ichiraku Ramen."
Goku nodded and instantly disappeared from the spot.
"What happened here?"
When the ANBU ninjas arrived, their expressions changed slightly as they looked at the group of Root ninjas lying on the ground.
Shikamaru didn't explain much, simply replying:
"They just tried to ambush Goku, but Goku injured them. Take them to get treatment first, then secretly detain them."
"I have important information to report to Lady Tsunade!"
The ANBU ninja knew this involved Root, so it was definitely not a small matter. They nodded and sealed away all the heavily injured Root ninjas.
Shikamaru rushed to the Hokage Building and recounted the whole story to Tsunade.
"That old bastard! How dare he do such a thing in the village!"
Tsunade, enraged by Shikamaru's report, smashed the desk in front of her to pieces with her fist.
She had invited Goku to join the village that morning, and that very night Danzo dared to send Root ninjas to secretly capture him.
This was utterly disregard for her, the Hokage.
Moreover, Danzo was involved in the Uchiha clan massacre; it seemed her earlier suspicions were indeed correct.
The Uchiha clan was once a very powerful force in Konoha, with many strong ninjas within their ranks.
Even if the three legendary Sannin had joined forces, it would have been impossible for them to wipe out the entire Uchiha clan overnight.
And at that time, Itachi Uchiha was only thirteen years old.
Even if he was incredibly talented, even if he was incredibly powerful, his strength was at most about the same as theirs. How could he possibly wipe out the entire Uchiha clan?
She didn't believe it.
If there wasn't something fishy going on, she absolutely wouldn't believe it.
However, she had been away from the village for too long and was unaware of many things that had happened there, making it impossible to make a judgment.
After becoming Hokage, she reviewed the previous records and found that many of them had been tampered with, making it impossible to confirm what had actually happened.
"Anbu, listen to my order! Arrest Danzo immediately!"
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