Konoha Year 38.
In the hidden Root base, the air was perpetually thick with a stifling, damp odor.
"Danzo-sama, this is bad!"
"Our Root's financial situation is in big trouble."
Aburame Ryoma, one of Root's core members, hurried into the innermost room, his voice a mix of tension and disbelief.
Sitting in the shadows, Danzo's brow furrowed. His hand tightened on the documents he was holding, and his voice was low and commanding.
"Ryoma, what nonsense are you talking about? How could Root possibly have financial problems?"
He didn't believe a word of Aburame Ryoma's report.
Relying on his close friendship with Hiruzen Sarutobi, he intercepted a massive sum from Konoha's vast annual budget every year—enough to support all his ambitions and operations.
Moreover, the numerous grey industries he controlled in the shadows were constantly funneling funds to him.
The idea of Root having financial issues was a complete joke.
Seeing Danzo's skepticism, Aburame Ryoma's face soured, and he braced himself to say, "It's true, Danzo-sama."
"Root's financial state is on the verge of imploding. If we don't handle it, we might not even have the funds to pay the spies stationed in other countries."
"This all started after you brought back that child from the Akimichi Clan, Akimichi Ryoko."
He paused, seemingly recalling a terrifying scene, his voice trembling slightly.
"To keep him fed, our funds are being consumed at an alarming rate every day. We've long since been spending more than we earn. His stomach is like a bottomless pit that can never be filled."
"Ha, eating?"
Danzo acted as if he'd heard a joke and let out a scoff. "He's just a brat from the Akimichi Clan. Even if he can eat, how much could it be? Could he possibly eat through the reward of an A-rank mission in a single day?"
Aburame Ryoma looked up, his eyes behind his glasses filled with helplessness.
"Danzo-sama, a single meal of his costs more than an A-rank mission. His biggest meal yet cost nearly eight hundred thousand ryo."
It sounded like nonsense, but it was the absolute truth.
To verify the situation, he had personally gone to investigate, confirming that this was no fabrication.
"What? That's impossible! Are you mocking me?"
Danzo stood up abruptly, his cane thumping heavily against the floor with a dull thud.
He refused to believe that one person, especially a child, could shake the financial foundations of his Root just by 'eating'.
Even if that child was a genius of the Akimichi Clan—a clan known for their massive appetites—it was still impossible.
He had seen Akimichi Ryoko before. The boy was a bit chubbier than the average Akimichi member, but not to the point of eating 800,000 ryo in one sitting.
Aburame Ryoma didn't dare say more and simply presented a thick financial report with both hands.
Danzo snatched the report and scanned it with a sharp gaze.
When he saw the long, seemingly endless list of food purchases and the dizzying string of 'zeros' following them, the muscles in his face twitched violently.
Those shocking numbers were like sharp knives stabbing straight into his heart.
He knew Aburame Ryoma; he knew the subordinates he trained would never dare to deceive him on such a matter.
This meant that his painstakingly built Root—the powerful force protecting Konoha from the shadows—was actually facing a financial crisis because of a child's food expenses.
This fact left him stunned for a full two seconds before he squeezed the name through his teeth: "Akimichi Ryoko."
Intense anger and a feeling of being played surged in his heart.
However, he didn't take his rage out on his subordinate, because he remembered that he was the one who ordered that Akimichi Ryoko be allowed to eat his fill.
He forced himself to calm down and asked gloomily, "If that's the case, what is his value? How is his Ninjutsu training progressing? Is he worth this kind of consumption?"
Aburame Ryoma's head hung even lower, his voice dry, not daring to meet Danzo's eyes.
"Reporting to my lord, Akimichi Ryoko's learning progress is not ideal."
"Aside from his clan's secret techniques, which are mediocre at best, his progress in learning any other Ninjutsu can only be described as slow."
There was actually one more thing he didn't dare say: Akimichi Ryoko was completely unsuited for Root. He spent all day slacking off and showed no ambition whatsoever.
If he hadn't been brought in personally by Danzo-sama, Ryoma would have kicked this lazy fellow out of Root long ago.
Pfft—
Danzo felt a tightness in his chest as his blood boiled. His body swayed uncontrollably, and he quickly used his cane to steady himself.
He understood. He understood everything now.
A month ago, to replenish Root's combat strength, he had pressured the various Ninja Clans of Konoha for recruits.
The Akimichi Clan had been surprisingly cooperative back then. Akimichi Torifu had even personally recommended this so-called 'once-in-a-century genius,' claiming that they only needed to ensure he was well-fed.
To such a simple request, Danzo had naturally agreed without hesitation.
Akimichi Ryoko, the miracle of the Akimichi Clan, a legendary infant who weighed 18 pounds at birth, hailed as a genius of the clan.
At the time, he thought he had found a treasure. Looking back now, the sincere expression on Akimichi Torifu's face was clearly the joy of having dumped a massive burden.
What 'once-in-a-century genius'?
This was clearly a once-in-a-century glutton.
He, Danzo Shimura, the hero who ruled the darkness of Konoha, had actually been treated as a total sucker by the Akimichi Clan in such a manner.
In the shadows, Danzo's face turned a terrifying shade of ashen green, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
Aburame Ryoma stood to the side, trembling with fear. The oppressive air was almost suffocating.
Just then, Danzo's bone-chilling voice rang out again, breaking the silence.
"Aburame Ryoma, go and kill Akimichi Ryoko for me."
Danzo's tone was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable killing intent.
The thought of those astronomical food expenses being poured into a bottomless pit like water, only to get a worthless 'glutton' in return, made a surge of fury rush to his head.
Only the boy's death could quell this anger of being fooled and serve as a sacrifice for the funds he had wasted.
Aburame Ryoma paled in shock upon hearing this. Ignoring etiquette and his own fear, he hurriedly looked up to dissuade him.
"Danzo-sama, please reconsider!"
He quickly analyzed the stakes, saying, "Akimichi Ryoko is only 5 years old and hasn't officially carried out a Root mission yet. Moreover, as a direct descendant of the Akimichi Clan, he possesses a certain level of strength and the reputation of a 'genius'."
"If he dies in Root under mysterious circumstances, the Akimichi Clan will never let it go!"
If it were a commoner child with no backing, Aburame Ryoma would never have spoken up.
But standing behind Akimichi Ryoko was one of Konoha's oldest Ninja Clans, and a member of the 'Ino–Shika–Chō' alliance closely tied to the Yamanaka and Nara families.
Touching Akimichi Ryoko was equivalent to poking three hornets' nests at once, and might even alert the Third Hokage-sama.
The resulting chain reaction would be something even Root could hardly withstand.
After listening, Danzo felt that familiar tightness in his chest again, and his breathing became labored.
He gripped his cane tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
He knew Aburame Ryoma was right.
Root Ninjas were indeed expendable tools in his eyes, but even tools were ranked.
If an ordinary orphan died, they died; no one would care. But if a scion of a major Ninja Clan died an unnatural death in Root, he had to consider the consequences.
Especially since the Second Great Ninja War had just ended and Konoha needed internal stability. He was still counting on continuing to plunder fresh blood from the major clans to strengthen his own power.
If the Akimichi Clan caught him now and made a scene, other clans would surely follow suit, refusing to hand over their people on the grounds that 'Root sacrifices clan members at will.' This would completely disrupt his plans.
But was he really supposed to just let go of that brat who was eating his budget into bankruptcy?
Danzo was extremely unwilling. A wave of resentment was stuck in his throat, impossible to swallow or spit out.
In this world, there was no one who could make him suffer such a great loss and walk away unscathed.
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