Danzo had been in a bad mood lately.
Root hadn't received any new, promising recruits for a long time. It wasn't that there weren't any, but rather that Hiruzen was constantly obstructing him.
There were several promising candidates among this year's graduates, but he couldn't take any of them. More importantly, he couldn't move against the little girl from the Uzumaki clan, whom he had his eye on for the next class.
This made Danzo increasingly dissatisfied with the Third Hokage. However, he had no choice; the Hokage was still in power, and Root's strength was currently inferior to the Anbu.
Danzo's influence within the village was also insufficient. It was not yet the time to act. He had thought more than once about using the Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen, but he had refrained.
Even if Kotoamatsukami were powerful, Hiruzen's stance and policies were very clear. Any slight change would be noticed.
Moreover, the power of Kotoamatsukami was too precious. Danzo wanted to wait for the most crucial moment to use it.
Soon, Danzo became even more frustrated as Root faced a series of setbacks.
In the month following the New Year, Root's action teams were repeatedly attacked by unknown assailants.
The enemy was extremely strong. Each attack resulted in the complete annihilation of Root's squads. Despite sending personnel to investigate, Danzo ended up with nothing.
Attempts to set traps to capture the enemy were in vain as the opponent always managed to evade them perfectly.
With four squads wiped out in a row, Root had not been crippled, but Danzo was still deeply frustrated.
The critical issue was that he had no idea who the enemy was.
Suspecting the Third Hokage, Danzo quickly dismissed the idea. Although the Third Hokage restricted him at every turn, Danzo knew that Hiruzen wouldn't do something like this.
A few days later, the fifth squad was inexplicably wiped out. An enraged Danzo smashed his office.
"A bunch of useless fools! The enemy is right around Konoha, constantly watching us, and yet you can't find a single clue? What good are you?"
"Sir, we dare not refute. In fact, we are also puzzled. We don't understand how someone could achieve such a feat. It feels like the enemy is right around the village, but we can't locate them."
"Danzo-sama, I have an idea." The speaker was Danzo's right-hand man, Fū Yamanaka, a high-ranking Root member responsible for intelligence.
"Speak."
"I have a suspicion that the culprit might be someone inside Konoha."
"Inside Konoha? The missing squads were all elite. Few people in Konoha could prevent them from sending out any intelligence. Who do you suspect?"
"As you said, few people could achieve this. Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Aoba Kamikawa."
"Aoba Kamikawa!" This name caught Danzo's attention. Initially, he hadn't paid much attention to Aoba because he was just an ordinary ninja without notable 'talents'. However, after he defeated the Raikage, Danzo recognized him as a talent.
Several attempts to recruit him had been rejected. At that time, Aoba was highly popular, so Danzo couldn't act. The key issue was that, according to Root's analysis, he was completely different from the White Fang.
Using methods like those against the White Fang would only lead to Aoba defecting.
Danzo didn't care if Aoba defected, but the Third Hokage valued him and the mother-daughter duo from the Uzumaki clan, which prevented him from using such measures. This caused delays in dealing with Aoba.
"Do we have any grievances with Aoba Kamikawa?" Danzo didn't think he had any personal issues with him, but Fū Yamanaka recalled something.
"The Uzumaki clan's Karin. The girl—Danzo-sama, you have always wanted her. You even sent Root to follow her. Aoba is powerful and likely noticed this.
According to our analysis, Aoba Kamikawa has a paranoid personality and seeks revenge. Moreover, his strength allows him to annihilate Root's elite squads."
"So, Aoba Kamikawa is highly suspicious."
"Another possibility is Kakashi Hatake. The reasons are obvious."
Danzo's expression darkened. He even began to regret not eliminating Kakashi, the troublesome one, when White Fang died.
"Effective immediately, begin comprehensive surveillance of these two individuals. If they show any signs of abnormal activity, act first and report later."
"Yes, sir."
At Aoba's home.
"Aoba-nii, there are more and more bad guys around our house," Karin said, frowning. Her Kagura Shingan allowed her to easily detect hidden ROOT ninjas.
"Don't worry. They won't dare to come in. Just go about your normal routine."
"Okay."
After Karin fell asleep, Yumi quietly slipped into Aoba's room.
"When Karin called you 'big brother' tonight, how did you feel?"
In their private moments, Yumi could easily manipulate Aoba's emotions. A few words were enough to ignite his passion, and he would press her down.
After some time, Yumi lay in Aoba's arms.
"Has your plan started?"
"Yes, it seems that Danzo has taken the bait."
"Do you have confidence? If not, let me handle it."
Yumi knew that Danzo was a high-ranking official in the village and worried that Aoba's plan might have flaws.
"No, your Wood Release would be too conspicuous and obvious. It's better to keep you out of it for now. Don't worry, I've completed my training with Flying Thunder God. The plan isn't foolproof, but it's already in a strong position."
"That's good. Aoba, you don't have to protect me so much. I can feel that I'm very strong now. I can protect myself and even protect you and Karin."
Aoba gently embraced Yumi.
"You're overthinking it, woman. I'm not keeping you out of action because the time hasn't come yet. Soon, it will be your turn to take the stage."
Aoba certainly wouldn't have Yumi, a top-tier combatant, stay home as a housewife.
In fact, he already had plans for Yumi's role. With just a little more waiting, he would have her make a shocking impact on the ninja world.
Kakashi had been feeling off lately. As an elite Jonin of Konoha, especially without the burden of the Sharingan, Kakashi no longer suffered from chakra depletion. In a way, the absence of the Mangekyō Sharingan was a restriction on Kakashi's power.
Simultaneously, influenced by Aoba's relentless training, Kakashi felt that he was not training enough if he didn't keep up. He had no choice but to train alongside Aoba.
As a result, Kakashi's strength had rapidly advanced over the past year. Additionally, Kakashi had made a change that made Root uneasy.
He had taken up his father's sword again.
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Currently on Chapter 104 - A Funeral