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***
The two Root members before Itachi exchanged glances, a flicker of surprise in their eyes.
The Uchiha boy before them had clearly been aware of their whereabouts.
The members of Root were meticulously selected and trained by Danzo.
Each one of them was truly the best of the best, possessing considerable skill.
Therefore, when they were caught following a ten-year-old, these normally impassive Root members were somewhat surprised.
"Who are you?"
Itachi, knowing that the Root members would seek him out, stared at the two men with feigned caution.
Of course, the Root members wouldn't engage in unnecessary conversation and simply stated, "Danzo-sama wishes to see you."
"You don't dare to show yourself within the Uchiha clan, so you chose my time to deliver the mission?" Itachi pondered.
While the Root under Danzo's command was powerful, it clearly didn't dare to directly approach the Uchiha clan to summon Itachi.
The Uchiha clan was also filled with elites, and if they entered the clan, they would soon be discovered.
"Danzo-sama wants to see me, why should I trust you?"
Itachi asked.
Although he disliked Danzo, he addressed him as "sama" to avoid the two men before him from noticing his weakness.
Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzo, and the previous Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzenâall four were disciples of the Second Hokage and the four highest-ranking officials in Konoha, holding the position of elders.
Most of the village's ninja knew their names.
However, the existence of Root was rarely known.
"You should recognize this," the figure before him pulled a small scroll from his sleeve and tossed it to Itachi.
Itachi unrolled the scroll, revealing a black seal.
In Konoha, besides the Hokage's exclusive seal, several other high-ranking officials also held similar powers, allowing them to mobilize the village's ninja forces in special circumstances.
Ordinary novice ninjas might not recognize this, but Danzo, knowing Itachi as the eldest son of the Uchiha clan leader, must have known him.
Danzo had clearly received the intelligence from Iwagakure.
After all, Itachi's performance on the previous mission had been too striking.
"Let's go," Itachi said calmly, tossing the scroll back to the Root member before him without hesitation or evasion.
He knew he would have to encounter this side of Danzo sooner or later.
He even knew exactly what the man was trying to say.
Root was the dark place that hid beneath the Konoha Ninja Village, and Itachi had once been trapped in that darkness until his death.
He knew Danzo's private methods and dealings better than the current Fourth Hokage.
Seeing Itachi's calm expression, the Root members before him grew slightly interested.
However, for them, completing the mission at hand was paramount.
"Follow us," one of them instructed Itachi, and the two Root members simultaneously rushed out.
*Swish!*
Just as they were about to leave, Itachi had already caught up.
Led by the two Root members, Itachi arrived at a remote, seemingly empty area of the village.
However, he already knew that Root was located underground.
A Root ninja activated a mechanism somewhere in the open ground, and a secret door opened.
Boom!
The three entered the secret door, and when a Root member standing behind Itachi stepped in, the door closed.
Beneath the secret door was a long staircase leading directly underground.
The Root headquarters was located underground, so it was almost completely dark, lit only by a faint light, like a ferocious beast stalking deep beneath the earth.
It was enormous, and despite being built underground, the structure seemed incredibly solid.
The atmosphere was gloomy and oppressive.
Led by the two men, Itachi reached almost the bottom floor of the Root headquarters.
They entered a large hall on the lowest level.
In the hall, before the central high seat, a figure stood in the darkness, holding a wooden crutch and leaning back.
Entering the hall, the two Root ninjas quickly stepped forward, then knelt on one knee before the figure in front of the high seat, saying respectfully, "Danzo-sama, Uchiha Itachi has arrived."
"Yes," the figure replied, then slowly turned around.
Itachi's gaze shifted to the high seat, where the right half of his face was wrapped in white bandages.
The half of Danzo's face that was revealed showed signs of aging, and a cross-shaped scar on his chin gave him a rather sinister look.
His eyes were sharp, like those of a hawk, gleaming with a brilliant glint.
At that moment, Itachi stood behind the two kneeling Root members, gazing at him calmly.
Itachi naturally loathed Danzo, but not because of the Uchiha clan.
He knew that while it was Danzo who had given him the order to massacre the Uchiha, the decision came from the entire Konoha hierarchy, including the Third Hokage.
Even Itachi himself believed that, from the perspective of the village leadership, this was the proper course of action.
Itachi never considered his decision a mistake, but he also knew it was the most vicious and despicable.
From that night on, he longed for his death at Sasuke's hands.
He didn't seek self-salvation in this way.
He simply understood that those who harm their own people will never meet a good end.
And dying at the hands of Sasuke, a fellow Uchiha, would be a small comfort to those who had perished.
Itachi wasn't great.
He simply didn't want war to break out again.
He didn't know how many civilians would die, and how many ninjas would have perished trying to prevent it.
Even with Konoha's current strength, the Land of Fire would have fallen.
His dislike for Danzo stemmed from the fact that he had repeatedly stood by and watched when the village faced grave danger, preserving his own power.
He had done so during the Nine-Tails incident, and even when Orochimaru launched his plan to destroy Konoha, Danzo remained indifferent.
After Itachi's rebirth, he had altered history.
The Fourth Hokage had significantly restricted the actions of the Root members, but Danzo had been a high-ranking figure in Konoha for decades, a position of power that couldn't be easily shaken.
Danzo's gaze rested on Itachi, and he said calmly, "As a Konoha genin, why shouldn't you salute your superiors?"
Itachi stood as straight as a spear, looking at Danzo and responding calmly.
"Danzo-sama, the ninja code of conduct issued by the village does not contain the rule you mentioned."
...
"Danzo-sama, hello."
Itachi then bowed slightly to Danzo and said.
Danzo stared intently into Itachi's eyes and said, "What you just said truly means that my earlier request of you was unreasonable, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Itachi nodded without hesitation and said, "Regardless of your status, Elder Danzo, whether a Konoha ninja or a commoner, we are all equal."
Itachi had no fondness for the elder before him.
Danzo's actions might have been directed at him, or perhaps at the Uchiha clan behind Itachi.
His response to Danzo had two meanings.
One was to refute his unreasonable request.
A deeper meaning was that Itachi wanted to tell Danzo that, in his eyes, there was no distinction between commoners and clans.
Since we were all in Konoha, we were all first and foremost members of the village.
Ordinary commoners, or so-called Uchiha clan, came after that.
"Equal?"
A thoughtful expression crossed Danzo's gloomy face.
"Interesting," he muttered, then addressed the two men in front of Itachi.
"Go down."
"Yes!"
The two Root members replied, quickly disappearing into the hall.
After the two men left, Danzo looked at Itachi and asked, "I heard that you defeated Deidara of Iwagakure while on a mission to protect a client in the Land of Stone?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't have the authority to reveal the details of that mission. You should ask the Hokage directly," Itachi said.
Danzo had brought him here, of course, to keep the details of the Land of Stone mission a secret from Minato.
As for the details of the mission in the Land of Stone, even if Itachi didn't reveal them, Danzo would surely have other ways of finding out.
He had been testing Itachi since a while ago.
And this testing was likely more than just his intention.
Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo, the three village elders, still harbored a deep fear of the Uchiha clan.
Therefore, whenever they detected any signs of a threat within the Uchiha clan, they would overreact like a startled bird.
This was all because the man named Madara Uchiha had left an indelible mark on the memories of these high-ranking members when they were still teenagers.
And it wasn't just the ninjas of Konoha.
Upon hearing this, Danzo's gaze darkened slightly as he looked at Itachi, but his expression didn't change much.
He had only been testing Itachi's question.
Everything else had been decided long ago.
"Since you believe that everyone in the village is equal, as a Konoha ninja, you should be willing to protect them at all costs, right?"
Danzo said.
"Of course," Itachi replied without hesitation.
"Very good," Danzo smiled, his aged face radiating a faint smile.
"As a high-ranking elder of Konoha, I now invite you to join Root."
"Root, what is that?"
Itachi asked, feigning ignorance.
"As you can see, it's just like the two you just saw."
"Root is the shadow of this village. The ninjas of Root have always silently protected the village from the shadows."
"Those of Root have no name, no feelings, no past, and no future."
"Forget everything, even your own name and existence. To protect the village, only the mission remains in your heart."
Danzo spoke with a sudden, almost fanatical expression.
He believed his actions were the greatest of all.
Protecting the village in the dark, an unspeakable feat.
Itachi frowned slightly, for his own thoughts once bore a strong resemblance to Danzo's.
He didn't deny that, while Danzo's ideas and actions might have been somewhat extreme, the existence of Root had indeed helped the village resolve many problems that couldn't be addressed openly.
But Itachi had already done this once.
After this rebirth, he once again had many ties.
Now, Itachi asked himself, he could no longer resolutely abandon these things as he had before.
After spending time with the Fourth Hokage, he saw another way of protecting, one that suited him better now.
"I'm currently assigned to the ninja team led by Shikaku-sensei. I can't make decisions on personnel deployment on my own. You should be aware of this, right?"
Itachi looked at Danzo, his eyes slightly lowered.
"Of course I know that. So, if you accept my invitation, I'll have a way to resolve this," Danzo said, tapping the ground twice with his wooden crutch.
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Danzo-sama has a wealth of elites under his command. I'm not worth your trouble."
"No, they can't even compare to you," Danzo said.
He hadn't yet tested Itachi's strength, but from the intelligence he'd gathered, he knew he'd already awakened and mastered the Sharingan at his age.
Deidara of Iwagakure might only be nine years old, but under the guidance of the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, even ordinary jonin would struggle to defeat him.
Yet Itachi had accomplished it.
While the details were unknown, there was no doubt he was a genius ninja on par with Shisui Uchiha.
If properly trained, Itachi could not only become one of his most capable generals, but also possess a status, meaning, and value unmatched by any other.
Itachi and Danzo exchanged glances.
Judging from the latter's tone and Itachi's understanding of him, Danzo wasn't offering him an invitation.
"I'm sorry, Danzo-sama, I'd rather remain an ordinary Konoha ninja, so I'm afraid I can't accept your invitation."
"If you insist, please consult the Hokage first," Itachi said solemnly, his gaze fixed on Danzo's.
Danzo's expression darkened, but he couldn't possibly use drastic measures to coerce Itachi into submission.
Itachi was the son of the Uchiha clan leader.
If Danzo did anything directly to Itachi, it would infuriate Fugaku.
If the Hokage held him accountable, he'd be in deep trouble.
However, Danzo wouldn't give up easily, and Itachi knew that all too well.
"Since you refuse to accept my invitation to become a ninja protecting the village from the shadows, I'll have to find someone else."
Danzo said calmly, his gaze fixed on the main entrance to the hall behind Itachi.
"Bring her in."
"Yes!"
Someone answered from outside the dark doorway.
Soon after, two distinct footsteps echoed from behind Itachi.
One was light yet firm and powerful.
Itachi immediately determined the owner of these footsteps was no older than twelve, a girl, and a ninja at that.
His eyes flickered, and he whipped his head around, just in time to catch sight of the girl's beautiful face, silhouetted against the dim light.
"Izumi?"
....
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