Joining Root?

Yemo, who was standing aside lost in thought, suddenly noticed that the Third was looking in his direction. Yemo's heart tightened, and at that moment, the Third was walking towards Yemo.

Before Yemo could speak, the Third asked, "Yemo, I heard that you reported the whole thing to the Anbu, but why are you here so late?"

Yemo scratched his head sheepishly and replied, "Mainly because I just came back from the battlefield today. After having dinner with Nara and the others, I was afraid my older sister would scold me when I got back, so I wandered around outside for a while. I happened to hear Kakashi calling when I got to the Hatake Clan, so I came in."

Upon hearing this, the Third couldn't help but laugh. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu behind him also smiled, as they were well aware of Kushina's fiery temper.

Only Shimura Danzō expressionless, though a hint of covetousness flickered in his eyes; he had always desired the power of the Nine-Tails.

Smiling, the Third suddenly looked at Yemo and said, "I received news from Orochimaru and Jiraiya today. I heard that you made a great contribution on the battlefield, enough to change the entire course of the war. Your contribution is significant, Jiraiya asked me to recommend you for credit. This is a rare occurrence."

Yemo smiled modestly, "It was just good luck. It's all luck that I, a Genin, was able to obtain information. If it weren't for Minato, I would have died in the Land of Lightning."

"Young people can be humble, but don't be too humble. You should still be assertive when necessary," the Third said, his words sounding reproachful, but there was no blame in his tone. On the contrary, he was quite praising. "I know that you single-handedly took down a Kumogakure Jonin."

Upon hearing that Yemo had actually defeated a Kumogakure Jonin, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked at Yemo in shock, their eyes revealing disbelief. They were unaware of this matter; battlefield intelligence was first sent to the Hokage before being relayed to the other high-ranking officials. Even Shimura Danzō, who had remained expressionless, stared at Yemo with surprise.

Even the Konoha High Command had heard of Yemo, the six-year-old prodigy who became Genin without even attending the Ninja Academy, as Yemo's talent was indeed astonishing.

However, Yemo's direct killing of a Cloud Kumogakure Jonin shocked the other Konoha High Command. Jonin are elite ninjas from various countries who form the backbone of a ninja village. They stand at the pinnacle of the ninja army with their outstanding wisdom, benevolence, and courage. Becoming a Jonin is extremely difficult, and every Jonin is a pillar of the village.

They can unleash rapid Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and advanced Ninjutsu on the front lines that can shake the very air and make blood tremble. In addition to leadership skills, they are required to excel in Ninjutsu, analytical abilities, and other aspects, making them all-around ninjas.

The missions that Jonin participate in are basically extremely dangerous A-Rank Mission and S-Rank Mission. Every Jonin has come through life and death. True Jonin are powerful and are not like those in the Hokage manga where they are easily killed by the protagonist.

Becoming Jonin requires assessment by the Kage. Yet, Yemo, a six-year-old Genin, killed Jonin. Even the Konoha High Command, who had experienced the brutal Shinobi World War, were utterly shocked, despite facing great storms and heavy rains.

Everyone stared at Yemo as if he were a monster. If these words hadn't come from the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō would never have believed them.

After a long, stunned silence, Mitokado Homura gave Yemo a deep look and exclaimed, "An unprecedented genius since the founding of Konoha."

Utatane Koharu, smiled slightly and said, "Seeing this young man in front of me, I feel old. The future belongs to them."

Just then, Shimura Danzō, who had remained silent until now, spoke up, "Hiruzen, such a genius deserves the best training. Let him join my Root. I can guarantee that it won't be long before Konoha produces another genius ninja like the Sannin... no... surpassing the Sannin."

With such a talented young fellow joining us, he only needs a little training to become the sharpest spear in my hands. At that time, I will be one step closer to my grand plan, Shimura Danzō thought excitedly.

Upon hearing Shimura Danzō's words, Yemo's expression changed. He was extremely unwilling to join Yemo Shimura Danzō. He felt that if he joined, he would hardly survive. He was currently too weak to fight against Danzo.

Yemo quickly said, "Lord Third, esteemed lords, I am not as good as you all praise me. I only killed a Special Jōnin with sensory perception."

Jonin are divided into three levels: Special Jōnin, Ordinary Jonin, and Elite Jonin. Each level is further subdivided, such as combat-oriented ninjas who focus on combat and sensory-oriented ninjas who focus on sensory perception. The Jonin that Yemo killed could be said to Jonin.

Yemo downplayed his abilities to discourage Shimura Danzō from recruiting him into Root. However, Yemo underestimated Danzo's feat of killing Jonin. Even the lowest-ranking Jonin could easily crush Chunin.

Shimura Danzō did not change his mind, saying, "It seems that what Hiruzen said is true; you are very humble, and your talent and personality are very much to my liking."

"It's over, it's over, "Yemo thought, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He didn't want to join Root, so this was the only way. Yemo gritted his teeth and thought that even if he disobeyed the Third's orders and angered Danzo, he absolutely could not join Root.

At this moment, the Third spoke up and refused, saying, "No, Danzo, Yemo should live like Konoha under the sunlight, inheriting the Will of Fire, not living in the darkness. Besides, he already has Orochimaru as his teacher, and I think Orochimaru can teach him well."

The Third and Danzo had known each other for many years. How could the Third Danzo not know Danzo's little schemes? He would never allow Danzo to drag Yemo into the family.

As he said, Yemo should be like a leaf living in the sunlight; where the leaves are discarded, that is where the Will of Fire is passed down.

Seeing that the Third refused, Yemo's tense heart finally relaxed, and he was extremely excited. Fortunately, he didn't have to go that far. Although he was not afraid of Danzo, he didn't want to face Danzo right now.

Yemo was happy, but Danzo was furious. He snorted coldly, turned his sleeves and left the room without saying a word. The Third understood him, and he understood the Third. He knew that the Third would never allow Yemo to join Root, so he left without saying anything.

The Third didn't say anything about Danzo's departure, but turned to Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu and instructed them, "You two go back and discuss how to handle this matter. I'll stay here."

"Okay," Mitokado Homura nodded and said, "Let's go back and draft a rough plan first, then discuss it together later."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also left. Seeing these three powerful figures depart, Yemo felt he had to leave as well, so he said, "Lord Third, since that's the case, I'll be leaving too. My older sister must be getting impatient waiting for me."

To everyone's surprise, the Third stopped Yemo and said, "Wait, Yemo, I noticed you were standing there motionless earlier. Were you thinking about Hatake Sakumo?"

"That's right, Lord Third," Yemo said directly without hiding anything, "I think the whole thing was a mistake. Hatake Sakumo died unjustly and without any value. He only chose his comrades over the mission, and didn't have to pay the price with his death."

The Third understood the implication in Yemo's words and said, "You're blaming us for not taking action, which led to Hatake Sakumo's suicide."

"That's right, Lord Third. If the higher-ups had done something to take over the whole thing, Hatake Sakumo wouldn't have been blamed by so many people, and even his comrades who were saved would have turned around and blamed him. Hatake Sakumo wouldn't have died so meaninglessly." With these words, the anger and doubt in his heart surged up, Yemo felt his heavy heart lighten a lot.

Faced with Yemo's anger, the Third Hokage's expression remained unchanged. He simply asked, "Yemo, do you know the immense cost that Hatake Sakumo's mission has inflicted on Konoha?"

Yemo couldn't understand what price had been paid to cause such a thing to happen, even to the point that White Fang committed suicide.

The Third Hokage slowly closed his eyes, saying with a helpless expression, "This is the price we paid in this battle against the Land of Lightning. Now you understand why all this happened, right?"