Minato Namikaze took a deep breath. He was both furious and shocked.
After becoming Hokage, he had sworn to make the village better, but now it seemed that what he had done so far was still far from enough.
When he thought about everything Danzō had done, a surge of anger rose in his chest.
"This kind of thing is absolutely unacceptable!"
"Fugaku, Chizan! Immediately lead teams to take control of Root!"
"Shinnosuke, Chizan was ambushed by Root earlier while searching for this evidence. They're now all under Chizan's Crystal Release control. Take people with you and bring back every Root member sealed in crystal."
"Shikaku, come with me to see the other three advisors. This matter must have a proper explanation!"
Minato Namikaze's attitude was extremely resolute, which made Gekko Chizan feel deeply reassured.
As expected—he hadn't backed the wrong person.
Although this guy could be pretty chūnibyō at times, as Hokage, he was without question the best support one could have.
Uchiha Fugaku's face was filled with killing intent. He intended to seek justice for the clan members who had suffered.
As for Gekko Chizan, that went without saying.
He was more than willing to bring Danzō down.
Once they finished wiping Danzō out completely, he would definitely run off to the Land of Waterfall to drink with Orochimaru.
After all, both master and disciple had been thoroughly disgusted by Danzō.
Soon, the three teams began carrying out their respective missions.
Gekko Chizan did not have Fugaku bring members of the police force. Instead, he went straight to ANBU and mobilized five ANBU squads.
Among them were Kakashi and Shisui.
"Kakashi, look— isn't that sensei?"
"Yeah, you're not mistaken. Looks like something big is happening. Otherwise, sensei wouldn't be leading the team himself. And the other one shouldn't be unfamiliar to you either—he's your clan's head, after all."
Uchiha Shisui also saw Uchiha Fugaku.
Normally, the Uchiha clan would not have much interaction with ANBU.
After all, the Uchiha were responsible for village security, while ANBU handled extreme missions—completely different roles.
Yet today, Gekko Chizan and Uchiha Fugaku had arrived at ANBU together.
Once the fifteen ANBU members had assembled, Gekko Chizan spoke first.
"What comes next only requires you to carry out orders. Do not question anything."
"Move out now. Target: the Root base."
The Root base?
All fifteen ANBU were elites, and instantly understood what this meant.
They were going after Root?
Root existed independently in the village's shadows and belonged to Danzō. And Danzō himself—there was no need to elaborate. One of Konoha's long-standing elders.
If this were ordinary shinobi, they would be full of doubts. After all, this meant striking at their own village's people.
But for ANBU, such hesitation did not exist.
Leaving aside the fact that ANBU existed to carry out missions, Gekko Chizan, as their instructor, frequently educated them about Root and Danzō's so-called "glorious deeds."
Over time, ANBU formed their own views on Root.
This was the power of conditioning.
Very soon, Gekko Chizan and Uchiha Fugaku led the ANBU to the Root base.
But to their surprise, Root was completely empty.
"Where are they?"
"No idea..."
Gekko Chizan and Uchiha Fugaku exchanged a glance, a bad premonition instantly rising in their hearts.
"Everyone, search!"
"Don't miss a single corner!"
"Senjutsu, Coiling Serpent Technique—Tagitsuhime, come out and assist me!"
While assigning ANBU to search, Gekko Chizan directly entered Sage Mode.
When Tagitsuhime's crimson chakra appeared, Gekko Chizan immediately had her assist with sensory detection.
The perception of senjutsu energy was extremely powerful.
Even if there were two more Root bases, she could sense them all in an instant.
"Chizan, there's no one here. Not a single living person."
"What? Seriously?"
"What, you don't believe me?"
Tagitsuhime manifested in human form and floated beside Gekko Chizan, her tone filled with irritation.
This bastard was actually doubting her senjutsu?
"No, I'm just surprised."
"That Danzō guy… did he abandon his own foundation and run?"
"But where could he possibly run to?"
Gekko Chizan frowned deeply, while Uchiha Fugaku beside him looked thoroughly displeased.
He had already prepared himself to fight Danzō.
And now he was being told the man had escaped?
Soon, the ANBU search was completed.
After all, the place was empty, so the search was quick.
"Captain Chizan, no one found."
"Same here. Not a single person."
Gekko Chizan already knew this result.
With no other choice, he ordered a withdrawal, then he and Fugaku headed back toward the Hokage Building.
...
Inside the Hokage Building's conference room.
Minato Namikaze and Nara Shikaku were confronting the three advisors.
"We were all aware of Root's existence."
"Although Danzō's methods are somewhat extreme, it's ultimately for the sake of the village."
"Directly targeting Root like this— isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
Homura Mitokado pushed up his glasses and voiced his opinion.
Koharu Utatane nodded beside him, expressing agreement. Only Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent.
"Advisors, what Danzō has done has already exceeded acceptable limits."
"Whether it's human experimentation or other experiments— even Root meddling in the orphanage—none of this is permitted."
"Not to mention how many deaths these actions have caused. Are those acceptable too?"
Minato Namikaze dropped his usual smile, his entire presence sharp, like a sword already drawn from its sheath.
His words directly pointed at Danzō's numerous crimes.
"Even you,—the First Hokage Cell Cultivation Project. You approved it too, didn't you?"
"Although it succeeded in the end, how many lives were sacrificed along the way?"
"I am going to correct this mistake."
After hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh.
"Minato, what Danzō did did go too far, but he is still a pillar of the village."
"I agree to disband Root, but I hope you won't push Danzō to complete destruction."
"I'll go talk to him and do my utmost to restrain him."
Even at this point, Sarutobi Hiruzen still wanted to protect Danzō, which was understandable.
Back then, there were six members in the Second Hokage's guard squad. Aside from the already fallen Uchiha Kagami, the remaining five had very close relationships.
Even though Danzō had committed many wrongs, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not want to kill him.
"But the situation now is this—once what Shimura Danzō has done becomes known, even if you try to protect him, there's no guarantee you'll be able to."
Nara Shikaku rubbed his temples. The current situation was so troublesome that he didn't even want to think anymore.