Chapter 151: Root Recruitment?
After all the information was obtained, Sakai Nagaka was restrained again.
Hiruzen looked at the ANBU squad and Ibiki and said, "Well done. Don't tell anyone about her capture."
They nodded and left the interrogation room.
As he left, Itachi's face was solemn, though no one noticed it beneath his mask. Or rather, no one noticed except Hiruzen and Danzo, who were observing him closely.
Understanding the catastrophic consequences of civil war made him realize the disaster Konoha would face if the Uchiha Clan rebelled. This planted a seed in his heart to avoid civil war at all costs!
As he left, Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged glances. Danzo understood why the Hokage sent Itachi on this mission. They didn't need to discuss Itachi—no words were necessary.
Danzo looked at Hiruzen and said, "She provided considerable intelligence. We need to cross-reference it with the intelligence from our operatives to ensure there are no hidden traps."
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Send a Root ninja who has mastered the intelligence to my office. I'll have them cross-reference our data with an ANBU operative."
Danzo nodded. He looked at Hiruzen, who seemed to be deep in thought. Danzo asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Hiruzen looked at him and said, "Do you remember the proposal the rebel faction gave us before the Chunin Exams?"
Danzo nodded.
Hiruzen continued, "I thought it was strange at the time that the Terumi family suddenly contacted us. Now it seems this was Mei Terumi's idea. She has the bloodlines of both families and can use two kekkei genkai! It looks like she'll be the next leader of the Hidden Mist Village."
Danzo replied, "Yes, most likely her. A person with two kekkei genkai isn't a threat if not properly trained. But her leadership and charisma are also exceptional—she could become a significant threat. We should eliminate her."
Hiruzen shook his head and said, "The Fourth Mizukage is a perfect jinchuriki, difficult to defeat. Let them exhaust each other's strength. Konoha doesn't need to get involved and suffer any losses. After their civil war ends, we'll negotiate with the winner."
Danzo wanted to argue, but Hiruzen made a valid point. Considering the losses the Hidden Mist would suffer from the civil war, they would be unable to participate in a war for at least ten years.
Hiruzen looked at Danzo, sensing something was off. He knew Danzo and expected him to start a debate here. He asked, "Why are you here? Not just to gather information, right?"
Danzo looked at Sakai Nagaka and said, "I want Sakai Nagaka."
Hiruzen looked at Danzo in confusion. However, in less than a second, his eyes widened.
He refused, "No."
However, this time, Danzo didn't back down. This was the real reason for his visit to the interrogation room. He said, "Hiruzen, Konoha only has two clans with kekkei genkai, and one of them is about to rebel."
"Since the Senju Clan can no longer produce any ninja with the Wood Release kekkei genkai, we need to recruit other bloodline limits into our village. And they must be loyal to Konoha."
"If we don't strengthen ourselves, then every time we're weak, incidents similar to the Hyuga incident will constantly repeat. Now that our power is stable, we need to do everything we can to make ourselves stronger."
Danzo's argument struck at Hiruzen's heart. The Hyuga incident had greatly impacted him. Konoha's weakened state had made him indecisive and hesitant. This caused Konoha to lose an innocent life.
Danzo said nothing more. He knew Hiruzen well. After a few minutes of thought, Hiruzen said, "If other villages found out, they might attack Konoha together."
Danzo sneered, "In every war, we're jointly attacked by four villages, so it makes no difference. Moreover, I'll bring the children into Root so they won't be exposed to the world. Even within Konoha, no one will know their origins."
"Furthermore, awakening a kekkei genkai is very difficult, and few people can awaken it. If someone awakens it, we'll reveal the first person to awaken it and claim that he created the bloodline limit by combining Fire and Water Release. If someone awakens it after him, we'll hide that person in Root."
If Kaito had heard this conversation, he would have been greatly surprised. After all, he believed that kekkei genkai could only be passed down through blood. Without it, one couldn't use a bloodline limit.
After all, even genius ninja like Hiruzen and Kakashi, who had mastered all five nature transformations, had never learned any kekkei genkai.
Hiruzen sighed. He thought, "He's fully prepared. I don't think I can win this debate. What should I do?"
He thought for a moment, and finally looked at Sakai Nagaka. He sighed.
"She's already useless. If we release her, she'll hate Konoha and use her influence to make her clan take an anti-Konoha stance. If the kekkei genkai clans win, our relationship will deteriorate."
Danzo looked at Hiruzen and understood his thoughts. He said, "The next thing to do is deny meeting the rebel faction's squad. We'll deny knowing of their existence. Remove any mention of them from the report. If the kekkei genkai faction wins in the Hidden Mist and asks us about this, we'll pretend not to know and blame the Mizukage faction."
"Since the Mizukage faction's squad all died at the hands of Konoha ninja, we can even say that we avenged the kekkei genkai faction. So, we can use this incident to improve our relations. But to do this, she needs to disappear."
Hiruzen sighed again and agreed, "Alright. But ensure that news of her doesn't leak. And all progress must be reported to me in secret."
Danzo nodded. Just as he was about to leave, an idea struck him. He stopped and asked, "Hiruzen, which squad carried out this mission? They did it very thoroughly!"
Danzo had rushed over, so he didn't know which squad had carried out the mission.
Hiruzen replied, "It was Renjiro and his students."
Danzo's visible eye widened. But it quickly returned to normal. He said, "They're very efficient. I want to recruit them into Root."
Hiruzen raised his eyebrow and looked at Danzo. However, nothing could be discerned from his expressionless, inscrutable face. Hiruzen replied, "One of his students is from the Hyuga Clan. They're not suitable for joining Root. The other is an Uchiha, arrogant even by their standards. Good luck convincing her to join Root."
Danzo sneered in dissatisfaction. However, that was a disguise. He was truly interested in the Wind Release user.
As he spoke, Hiruzen realized that Danzo's target must be Kaito. The others were just a cover.
Hiruzen continued, "The third is a civilian orphan. He could have been brought into Root. Fortunately or unfortunately, it's too late now."
Danzo, who had held hope for recruiting Kaito, felt as if he had been played by Hiruzen. He asked, "Why is it too late? He's only a teenager. Although Root mainly recruits children aged five to six, we can still recruit older children."
Hiruzen shook his head and said, "That kid is too independent-minded. He won't agree to have a sealing jutsu placed on him—he wouldn't be a suitable candidate for Root. Besides, I already have plans for him."
Danzo raised his eyebrow and asked, "What plans?"
Hiruzen smiled and said, "I'm going to recruit him into ANBU and train him to be Konoha's negotiator."
Danzo had many ideas about what Hiruzen might say. However, this answer completely stunned him!
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