"Is it you two?"
Looking at the two people who suddenly appeared before him, Yu's face showed a hint of surprise. "Wasn't what I said yesterday clear enough? To dare appear before me again, you must be tired of living."
The two of them are...
Seeing the two people before him, Sasuke beside him couldn't help but be stunned as well.
Both had graying hair and faces covered with wrinkles. The man wore a pair of rectangular glasses and had a stern expression, while the woman was dressed in an old-fashioned Ninja kimono and had a pair of earrings. They were none other than the two Elders of Konoha, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu!
"Yakushi Yu..."
"We trust you've seen that Tsunade has returned, so we hope you can come with us to a certain place."
Despite the formal tone, Mitokado Homura's gaze at Yu revealed a hint of fear.
Although Yu did not act to kill him in the Third Hokage's office yesterday, the ever-present aura of menace and killing intent surrounding him still made him shiver.
"Oh? Where to?"
Seeing the two Konoha Elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who were now daringly approaching him, Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Whoosh, whoosh...
But as soon as the words were spoken, two figures flashed before everyone's eyes. Haku and Kimimaro had suddenly appeared between Yu and the two Konoha Elders.
"Yu-sama will not be going anywhere with you…"
With sharp eyes fixed on Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, Haku and Kimimaro, Yu's loyal subordinates, protected him from behind. "If you come any closer, don't blame us for being impolite!"
"Haku, Kimimaro…"
Seeing Haku and Kimimaro so vigilant, Yu couldn't help but find it amusing. He waved his hand for them to stand down. "This is not your concern. Step aside!"
"Yu-sama, but…"
Hearing Yu tell them to step aside, Haku's face immediately showed concern. Although it was their first time seeing Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, they had heard about the strained relationship between these Elders and Yu even before arriving in Konoha.
"Do you think these old guys can do anything to me?"
Understanding that Haku and Kimimaro were worried about his safety, Yu laughed dismissively. His deep, playful gaze fell on Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. "On the contrary, I'm quite interested to see where they want to take me. Lead the way!"
"Please come with us…"
Seeing that Yu did not become hostile, Mitokado Homura sighed in relief. Utatane Koharu, however, took a deep look at Haku and Kimimaro, who had quietly stepped back behind Yu, and then turned to lead Yu and his group.
After walking about twenty minutes across half of Konoha, Utatane Koharu finally led them to a huge underground entrance. She performed a hand seal, and a deep passage opened before them.
"So it's this place…"
Seeing the familiar location before him, Yu's face revealed a hint of surprise. With a sense of unknown expectation, he followed Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's lead and walked inside.
After descending a long and dark staircase, the view before them opened up. Dim lights hung on the walls on either side, and the stairs continued to wind downwards. Looking down from the edge of the stairs, they couldn't see how many more layers there were below, as it appeared to be an immense underground world.
"This is the Root's base…"
Upon arriving at the spacious hall of this dark underground world, Yu frowned as he looked around at the familiar surroundings. "Why have you brought me to this place?"
Indeed, the place Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu brought Yu and his group was the former base of Root—a vast and dark underground realm that had once held countless souls who had perished at Yu's hands.
"Since Danzo was killed by you, the severely damaged Root has been completely disbanded…"
"Since you're unwilling to take up the position of the Fifth Hokage, but Konoha needs your strength to deter neighboring countries and forces…"
Seeing the confusion on Yu's face, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance. Nodding in agreement, Mitokado Homura stepped forward and said, "So, we can now propose that you join Konoha's highest decision-making body in the capacity of a Hokage advisor…"
"And also re-establish Root, that is, the ANBU training department, as an independent organization directly under your command, not subject to the Hokage's control or ANBU's jurisdiction. What do you think?"
What?!
After hearing Mitokado Homura's proposal, even Yu was stunned. The idea of joining Konoha's highest decision-making body and re-establishing Root as an independent organization under his command—these old guys must be out of their minds!
"I see…"
"I understand now. So this was your plan all along."
But soon, Yu's thoughts shifted, and he realized what was going on. A mocking expression appeared on his face. "You claim it's for Konoha, but in the end, it's all for your own benefit…"
"I guess it's Tsunade returning to Konoha to take up the position of the Fifth Hokage that finally made you two old geezers uneasy, right?"
After speaking, Yu noticed Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, the Konoha Elders, fall silent. Having seen through their intentions, Yu sneered internally.
Because of his actions, Konoha during this period was completely different from the original storyline. Danzo had been killed by him, the Third Hokage had survived, and now Tsunade was back to take the position of the Fifth Hokage. It was clear that Konoha would soon be dominated by the Third and Tsunade's Hokage faction.
With the balance disrupted by Danzo's death, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, fearing their own loss of power, could no longer restrain themselves. They resorted to such desperate measures, proposing that he join Konoha's highest decision-making body and re-establish Root to stir up the waters and restore some balance.
"So… Yakushi Yu, what is your answer?"
After Yu exposed their scheme, the two Elders did not argue. Instead, they looked at him with a hopeful gaze.
"It's really ironic…"
"If one day Sarutobi-sensei sees that it was his most trusted comrades who stabbed him in the back, I think he would realize just how outrageous his past mistakes were."
Facing the hopeful gazes of the two Konoha Elders, Yu couldn't help but feel a sense of ironic amusement. As if suddenly struck by an idea, a devilish smile curved his lips. "It's a very interesting proposal. I can agree to your request, but…"
"I want to establish a completely new organization based on the original Root, one that I control entirely. Including the Hokage, no one will have the authority to interfere…"
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