The organizational structure of Root was exactly as Tanuki Shigaraki had described.
In the original series, the ANBU—which fell under the direct command of the Hokage—had a clearly defined personnel structure: a total of 70 members divided into five units of 14 people each. A Commander, such as the later Kakashi Hatake, would lead 13 subordinates, while sub-captains managed the individual squads within those units.
In theory, Root consisted of only 14 people, including Danzo Shimura. In reality, however, it was impossible for Root to operate with such a small number.
Taking advantage of the chaos of war, Root had expanded aggressively to meet the Hidden Leaf's insatiable demand for intelligence. It was only after the Nine-Tails Incident that Hiruzen Sarutobi, sensing that Root had become an unmanageable beast, decisively moved to "disband" Danzo's organization.
But in truth, the number of people officially "disbanded" was only those 14.
It was a gesture that was more symbolic than substantive.
Nevertheless, at this current point in time, those 14 seats carried immense weight. Within Root, the competition to secure one of the 13 spots under Danzo was incredibly fierce—a brutal, internal rat race.
From their current perspective, both Aburame Ryōma and Tanuki Shigaraki believed that Hyuga Yu had chosen to join Root specifically to claw his way into those 13 elite positions.
Meanwhile, observing Shigaraki's predicament and drawing on his own past-life experiences with factional infighting and political maneuvering, Yu finally understood the nature of the "factions" he had sensed within Root.
Unlike the later version of "Root" that would be fully purged by Hiruzen Sarutobi—leaving the members with no choice but to follow Danzo into the darkness—the Root of this era still held a glimmer of hope.
After all, even Danzo was, theoretically, just one of five ANBU Commanders, all of whom were directly appointed by the Hokage.
Furthermore, given Danzo's current state—missing limbs and lacking any sense of morality—it was only a matter of time before he would have to retire. When that happened, who would take over the position of Root Commander?
Yu suspected that when Aburame Ryōma originally dumped him on Shigaraki, it was likely because Ryōma disliked the man. He wanted to "recycle waste" by using Yu to pressure Shigaraki, feeling that a researcher who didn't stick to his lab and insisted on meddling in Root's affairs was simply taking up space without contributing.
Yu couldn't help but feel a sense of irony. It seemed that even for a shinobi, the ultimate end-goal was a secure spot in the government system.
At that moment, Shigaraki stared intently at Yu and said in a low voice, "In Root, there are only two ways to climb the ladder!"
"First, you can perform legendary feats, possess overwhelming power, and dance on the edge of a blade. You survive countless death zones and, eventually, earn Lord Danzo's personal appreciation."
"Aburame Ryōma is dealing with you only to exploit you. He wants to use your Byakugan and the fact that you stole it from the Hyuga Main House. He wants to use you as bait to lure in the attention and forces of the Great Nations so he can complete his own plans in the shadows."
"In my view, if you continue to associate with him, I doubt you'll survive for even half a year."
At this point, Shigaraki's tone shifted. Like a demon tempting a weary traveler, he said softly, "However, there is another way. A way that ensures your safety, earns you Lord Danzo's favor, and makes the Hyuga Main House hesitate before moving against you."
Yu narrowed his eyes and looked at him. "And what way is that?"
"Shared secrets."
Shigaraki curled his lips into a smirk, tilting his head so that his face was half-hidden in the shadows of the lab. "This world is woven from countless secrets, and Root is the place where the darkest, most unspeakable mysteries are kept."
"The research of the Second Hokage, the human experiments Root conducts behind the backs of the village elders, the secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai of the great clans... so many secrets!"
"If you are willing to help me—I can lead you into this forest of roots woven from secrets!"
"When that happens," Shigaraki continued, "you will become a vital 'Root,' maintaining those secrets and pushing the Hidden Leaf to grow toward the light from the darkness. You won't need to risk your life on the front lines, and there will be no danger to your person."
"All I need is your knowledge, your surgical precision, and your Byakugan to help me perfect this research!"
Yu frowned slightly, but without a hint of hesitation, he asked, "What kind of research?"
Shigaraki was slightly surprised by Yu's decisiveness.
But soon, he smiled with self-satisfaction. He had almost forgotten that while Yu was young, he was a medical ninja who possessed the most cutting-edge knowledge in the shinobi world.
For "top students" like Yu and himself, they weren't incapable of understanding political maneuvering; they usually just didn't care for it. When faced with a real choice, they were often able to accurately judge their situation and make the most logical decision.
Moreover, Yu surely understood that the moment he stepped into this laboratory, he no longer had any other choice.
With that thought, Shigaraki finally opened up to his fellow Root shinobi, revealing the highest-level secret currently held by the organization:
"The First Hokage—the man hailed as the God of Shinobi!"
"His cells are the very project we are currently conquering!"
"Now, as long as we can decipher the principles behind the conversion of the Zero-Tails' chakra and use your surgical skills to replicate that power within the Hashirama cells—specifically targeting the genetic molecules within the DNA double helix—we can do it."
"We can create the 'Nue'!"
Speaking with visible excitement, Shigaraki pulled a notebook from beneath the laboratory bench. He flipped it open to a page featuring a diagram of two sophisticated double-helix structures and showed it to Yu.
"Hyuga Yu, after seeing your surgical capabilities with my own eyes, I realized—you are the absolutely indispensable link in this process!"
As Yu looked at the notebook and skimmed the massive amount of chemical formulas and molecular structures, his heart skipped a beat.
He had come here to fleece Root, hoping to snag some Zero-Tails samples and Hashirama cells, but he hadn't expected Root's researchers to have already pushed their study of Hashirama cells to this extent.
This was fundamentally different from the research aimed at simple transplantation to enhance a ninja's chakra and vitality.
To put it simply, they were attempting to graft the abilities of other organisms onto the Hashirama cells. They wanted the Hashirama cells to consume those abilities to strengthen their inherent 'chakra absorption' trait, using that as a basis to breed a summoned beast.
The former—gene splicing for human compatibility—was about overcoming rejection, which Yu found baffling.
But the latter fell squarely into the realm of bio-medicine, which was exactly Yu's specialty.
In a situation where a theoretical model has already been established, project stagnation is often caused by the fact that contemporary technology cannot support the next step of experimentation.
Microscopic surgery at the molecular level.
In this current era, such a feat could likely only be accomplished by someone like Hyuga Yu, who possessed the Byakugan and elite surgical skills, or perhaps Tsunade, whose medical ninjutsu had reached its absolute zenith.
Otherwise, solving this problem through technological advancement would likely have to wait until the "Kara" organization, secretly led by Isshiki Otsutsuki, emerged in the future.
Yu took the notebook and flipped through it carefully.
He had originally intended to just grab what he could and leave, but he suddenly realized something—
It was possible... that he might actually be able to craft the "Nue" (which wouldn't normally appear until the Boruto era) right here, during the Third Great Ninja War!
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