---
"Don't get too excited."
The Third Hokage lightly exhaled a puff of smoke, glancing at his excited old friend, and said calmly, "I'll only give you two squads for Root, a total of eight people. You can assemble them yourself. Also, I'll give you two more people as your assistants to help you manage Root."
Hearing this, Danzo frowned, looking at the Third Hokage with some displeasure. He secretly cursed in his heart: "These two assistants aren't here to help me manage Root. They're here to monitor me, right?"
That's right, they are here to monitor you.
I can't trust you to run such an important and dark department.
The Third Hokage glared at Danzo, expressing his thoughts.
Danzo received his old friend's thoughts. Although he was displeased, he could only accept it. But he wouldn't give in. Sooner or later, Root would belong to him alone.
"Later, I'll gradually loosen the restrictions on the Uchiha clan's acceptance of missions. You need to get Root established as soon as possible," the Third Hokage subtly reminded him.
Danzo understood immediately and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't forget the main purpose of establishing Root. Here's the list of eight people for Root. You just need to give me the two people you've assigned to monitor me."
As he spoke, Danzo took out the list of eight people for Root from his chest and handed it to the Third Hokage.
To establish Root, Danzo had already prepared everything, including all the facilities, including the location.
He had already done his research and screening of the Root personnel five years ago. He had even predicted the personnel structure of the first generation of Root, just waiting for this moment.
It could only be said that the two of them, as friends who had played together since childhood, knew what color each other's diapers were.
Establishing Root only required the Third Hokage's approval. Everything else, Danzo had already prepared.
The Third Hokage calmly took the list from Danzo's hand and looked at it. He wasn't surprised that his old friend could prepare the list of Root personnel so quickly.
After all, Danzo had prepared it with his permission.
"Hmm…"
The Third Hokage suddenly frowned, staring at a name on the list. He was stunned. He couldn't help but blink his eyes, making sure he wasn't mistaken. He raised his head and glared angrily at Danzo, questioning, "Did you write this wrong? Why is Orochimaru on this list?"
Danzo smiled slightly, "He's very suitable for the darkness of Root."
"Nonsense!" The Third Hokage roared, "He's my disciple, the future Fourth Hokage, not someone who hides in the darkness of Root."
Besides, how could his disciple be a member of a dark organization like Root?
If everyone knew that Orochimaru had joined Root, how could he run for Hokage?
"Fourth Hokage?"
Danzo frowned, his eyes flashing with surprise as he looked at the Third Hokage. He didn't expect that the Third Hokage had such high expectations for Orochimaru.
Although Orochimaru had shown his genius since he was a child, he had now transformed that genius into strength. At a young age, he already possessed the powerful strength of a Jōnin.
But it was too… what, to place the expectations of the Fourth Hokage on Orochimaru now.
And… why should the Fourth Hokage be your, the Third Hokage's, disciple?
Couldn't it be him, Shimura Danzo?
Danzo felt increasingly displeased.
He didn't understand. In the Third Hokage's heart, Orochimaru, a civilian genius ninja who had no parents or clan to rely on, and could only rely on his master, the Third Hokage, was the most suitable successor to the Fourth Hokage.
Only if Orochimaru inherited the Hokage position could the Third Hokage's power in Konoha be extended to the greatest extent, and the Sarutobi clan's interests could be best protected.
The Third Hokage would never allow anyone to disrupt the extension of his Hokage's power.
Because only he could firmly maintain the Second Hokage, Tobirama-sama's plan to eliminate the Uchiha clan.
This was what the Third Hokage had always believed. No one else could do it.
"Heh!"
Danzo sneered. The more the Third Hokage didn't want Orochimaru to join Root, the more he wanted him to join. Originally, submitting Orochimaru's name was just a way to test the Third Hokage's level of importance to Root. Now, he wanted to try and win Orochimaru over.
Danzo's eyes flickered, and he said with a smile, "Trust me, Hiruzen. Orochimaru is more suited to Root. He's not the kind of ninja who stands in the sunlight and is cheered by the villagers as a hero. He's a dedicated ninja who silently guards Konoha in the shadows."
"His talent isn't in combat, but in jutsu research. He has the talent to develop new jutsu like the Second Hokage."
Danzo had seen Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's most beloved disciple, once.
With just one glance, he saw the same deep darkness in Orochimaru, no, it should be the tenacious spirit to protect Konoha to death.
After that, the two continued to contact each other. Orochimaru's desire for jutsu made him certain that this person was very suitable for researching forbidden jutsu.
Root would definitely be suitable for a ninja with research talent like Orochimaru to join.
He also needed this kind of ninja to join.
"Impossible. Just give up on that."
The Third Hokage threw the list away. There was no room for discussion. He wouldn't agree to Orochimaru joining Root.
If Danzo insisted, then the establishment of Root would have to be postponed.
"Okay, I'll change it."
Facing the determination in the Third Hokage's eyes, Danzo didn't insist. He picked up the pen on the table and crossed out Orochimaru's name on the spot, writing another name.
He had also figured it out. The most important thing now was to establish Root. As for how to bring Orochimaru in later, he could worry about that later.
Anyway, based on his understanding of Orochimaru.
That kid would definitely not be able to resist the temptation he offered. It was inevitable that he would be drawn into the darkness.
The Third Hokage wanted Orochimaru to be the Fourth Hokage?
Heh!
He wouldn't let that happen!
Danzo sneered in his heart.
The Third Hokage picked up the list again. After seeing Orochimaru's name crossed out and a new name added, he had no objections. He took out an application for the establishment of Root from his drawer, then wrote his name on it and stamped it with the Hokage's seal.
Thus, Root, the "where there's darkness, there I am" shit-stirrer of the Naruto world, was established.
Whew… Danzo picked up the application for the establishment of Root and let out a sigh of relief. The desire he had held for so many years had finally been realized. A long-lost passion ignited in his heart.
"Then I'll go out now, Hiruzen."
Danzo said, turning to leave. He couldn't wait to start building Root.
"Wait."
The Third Hokage suddenly called out to Danzo, frowning. He thought about whether to let Danzo get involved in Akemiya Kenshi's problem, and finally asked, "Those research materials for the Wood Release Revival Plan back then, they should still be in good condition, right?"
"They're all well preserved."
Danzo subconsciously turned his head back and said. Then, he suddenly realized what the Third Hokage had asked. His eyes immediately lit up, and he turned back, staring intensely at the Third Hokage.
"Hiruzen, are you going to restart the Wood Release Revival Plan?"
"No, I was just asking."
The Third Hokage immediately shook his head. Without thinking, he immediately dispelled Danzo's thoughts of restarting the Wood Release research plan.
Not long after the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, died in the Valley of the End.
Without the First Hokage, the god of the ninja world, to suppress the entire ninja world, the Ninja World War, which was even more brutal than the endless battles of the Warring States Period, soon began.
In this war, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who possessed the strongest instant movement ability in the ninja world, the Flying Thunder God Technique, died to cover the Third Hokage and the others as they retreated safely.
Although the Third Hokage and the others rose to power afterwards, showing the ninja world that even without the First and Second Hokage, they still firmly surpassed any of the five great ninja villages, ultimately bringing the Ninja World War to a peaceful end.
But thinking about the glory days when the First Hokage, the god of the ninja world, was alive, when the entire ninja world was subdued by the power of the Wood Release.
The Third Hokage and the other high-ranking Hokage officials were very unwilling to accept this.
Plus, the Uchiha clan, whose strength had suddenly surged to the top of Konoha after the Ninja World War, made the Senju clan very wary.
After all, the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan were sworn enemies who had been entangled for thousands of years. It wasn't so easy to let go of their mutual hatred.
Without the First and Second Hokage, such powerful figures, how could the Senju clan not be wary of the Uchiha clan?
The Senju clan was very unwilling to accept this. They wanted to recreate the glory days of the Senju clan when the First Hokage was alive, firmly suppressing the Uchiha clan under their feet.
So, the Senju clan, together with the Third Hokage and other high-ranking Konoha officials, secretly launched the Wood Release Revival Plan.
---
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