Genma Squad's Pledge of Allegiance

Inside Tavern in Konoha.

With his fingers tapping on the table, 16-year-old Uchiha Yoru exuded the air of a superior as he sized up the three 18- or 19-year-old ninjas before him, who seemed somewhat uneasy.

It's not that the three of them have a bad attitude, it's just so embarrassing. Their resumes are utterly shameful. As the Fourth Hokage's bodyguards, the Fourth Hokage died while the three of them were unharmed. It's impossible not to feel embarrassed. Now they're shamelessly asking for favors, clearly trying to curry favor with the future Fifth Hokage.

Tsk tsk, the three of them felt their faces burning, but they were also driven to the brink of despair.

"Shiranui Genma, Tatami Iwashi, Namiashi Raidō Deivashi are known as the 'Genma Squad.' They were once appreciated by the Fourth Hokage. Coming from commoner backgrounds, their achievements at such a young age are truly remarkable."

Despite being younger than them, Uchiha Yoru spoke with the air of a superior, revealing information about the three of them with a smile, and the three of them did not feel uncomfortable at all.

"I haven't met any of you three before, but I seem to recall Teacher Orochimaru mentioning that the Fourth Hokage told him that his bodyguards, the Genma Squad, had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique. I'm curious if that's true or not?"

Uchiha Yoru's words startled the three of them, but then they remembered that he was Lord Orochimaru's disciple, who in Lord Orochimaru was the disciple of the Third Hokage and a member of the same team Jiraiya. The Fourth Hokage was also Jiraiya's disciple.

Although it was a bit convoluted, it made perfect sense that they knew this secret, so the three of them suddenly realized.

Upon hearing this, Shiranui Genma seemed to hesitate for a moment, then gritted his teeth and made a firm decision, saying in a deep voice, "Yes, the Fourth Hokage taught the three of us the Flying Thunder God Technique. If Lord Yoru needs it, the three of us are willing to teach it to him without reservation."

At this moment, Uchiha Yoruro smiled. Was this a pledge of allegiance? When the three of them handed over this Ninjutsu to him, it meant that they were completely branded with his mark, or rather, the mark of Orochimaru's lineage.

After all, this was an advanced Ninjutsu that the Fourth Hokage had taught the three of them. Although the Fourth Hokage was dead, this Ninjutsu involved some secrets, so if they wanted to pass Ninjutsu on to others, they would need to report it to the current Hokage.

It's quite obvious that the three of them want to use this Ninjutsu as a stepping stone, a pledge of loyalty.

Looking at the three of them, Uchiha Yoru immediately showed curiosity. "I'm a little curious. Although this is our first meeting, I trust my eyes. You three aren't those kinds of people. Can you tell me why you three would go against your original intentions to join the Seventh Division of the Konoha Military Police Force?"

Goodness, just one sentence, "I believe you guys aren't that kind of people," instantly made the three awkward and uneasy people feel deeply moved, as if they were willing to die for someone who understands them.

The three of them were miserable. Who the hell could have imagined that the Hokage would die? Besides, were they not going to participate in the battle against the Nine-Tails? The Fourth Hokage's space-time jutsu directly teleported the Nine-Tails so far away that even the Third Hokage died by the time he arrived. They were exhausted and still couldn't catch up, but no one listened to these reasons.

Everyone saw that the Fourth Hokage was dead, but the three of them, as the Fourth Hokage's guards, were alive and well without losing a single hair. The rumors and gossip had tormented them a lot during this time.

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru seemed to be their mentor. The three of them felt sad and wronged. Among them, Tatami Iwashi's eyes were red, and he couldn't help but slam his fist on the table in anger. He tried to hold back but still spoke with a wronged nasal voice as he explained the reason.

"It's not that we're afraid of death, nor are we afraid of what others will say about us behind our backs. It's just that some people don't treat the three of us like human beings. We're afraid that one day we'll die at the hands of our own people without even knowing why."

At this moment, Tatami Iwashi, Shiranui Genma to the side, wanted to speak up to stop him, but after opening his mouth, he could only sigh helplessly.

At that moment, it was as if a floodgate had been opened, Namiashi Raidō began to speak with a sense of grievance.

"It's not that we're opportunistic, we didn't want to either! Yes! We failed to protect the Fourth Hokage, and we'll accept any punishment, even if it's just guarding the gate, we deserve it. But even if it's execution, we'll accept it, but this is unacceptable!"

At this moment Namiashi Raidō and Tatami Iwashi were filled with anger, but in the end, Shiranui Genma sighed softly and told Uchiha Yoru the truth.

"Lord Yoru, the three of us have been a team since graduation, but recently the Root forces secretly attacked us."

"Root?" Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoru was made by Root members. However, he still shook his head calmly and said, "Although I don't know much about Root, I do know one thing: if Root members had made a move, the three of you would probably have already secretly disappeared from Konoha."

Although this statement sounds somewhat disrespectful, it is also true. Root really wanted to make a move, the three of them would have already disappeared silently from the village.

However, upon hearing this Tatami Iwashi gave a bitter laugh, pointing to his head and mockingly saying, "Yes, it's a pity that the three of us have some important things in our heads, such as the mysteries of the Flying Thunder God Technique. The Root uses a secret technique to enter the mental world and directly examine memories. This is a secret technique of the Yamanaka Clan, the Intelligence Department."

Although they were commoners, they had served as the Fourth Hokage's bodyguard for a year, so they had some knowledge and naturally recognized the Yamanaka Family's secret techniques.

"It's probably because it wasn't easy to make a move at first. Now that the heat has died down, the three of us are naturally useless. This is a reckoning after the fact. First, they'll figure out the Flying Thunder God Technique. I'm afraid that one day a Rogue Ninja or someone who failed to protect the Fourth Hokage will be held accountable. Oh, and it's also possible that our reputation for being afraid to fight the Nine-Tails will lead to us disappearing from the village without a trace."

Seeing Tatami Iwashi's sarcastic remarks, Shiranui Genma and Namiashi Raidō, standing to the side, shook their heads with wry smiles. Their understanding of Root was indeed possible.

Of course, there is another possibility: to make use of them, forcing the three of them to join the Root and become cannon fodder for the mission.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoru finally understood everything. These three had been driven to desperation by Root; otherwise, they wouldn't have been so shameless as to beg Orochimaru to join their ranks.

Clearly, in the eyes of the three, Orochimaru currently has the greatest influence and is the most likely candidate to become the Fifth Hokage. They believe that joining him would provide them with protection.

"Lord Yoru, it's not that the three of us are afraid of death, but we really don't want to die such a pathetic death. Even if you send us to the battlefield now and we die there, we don't want to suffer the torment of the Root."

At this moment, Shiranui Genma also spoke up. Ever since the incident with Tatami Iwashi, the three of them were furious when they learned about it. But after the anger, they felt more frustrated. To put it bluntly, they would rather commit suicide than fall into the hands of Root. Therefore, the three of them decided to join Orochimaru.

Just as they made up their minds, and coincidentally, while the three of them were guarding the gate, they spotted Lord Orochimaru and Uchiha Yoru, who were out on a mission, at dusk.

Lord Orochimaru, who were on a mission, naturally wouldn't dare to intercept him, but Uchiha Yoru could.

"I've naturally heard about the cruel methods used by the Root from my teacher."

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru looked at the three of them, his face filled with resentment. "The actions of Root are indeed hateful."

"Don't worry, the three of you will come with me to the Konoha Military Police Force tonight to complete the formalities. It's a waste that Konoha sent such an Elite Squad just to guard the gate."

Upon hearing the three's experiences, Uchiha Yoru looked furious and slammed his fist on the table to express his anger. Seeing this Shiranui Genma and the other two immediately showed expressions of gratitude.

Ever since being targeted by Root, the three of them have been unable to eat or sleep, fearing that they would disappear from Konoha at any moment, or be taken back to Root Base, where they would be subjected to all sorts of cruel torture and even their corpses would be used for research.

Now that they have finally found their mentor, they can finally breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, Shiranui Genma, Tatami Iwashi, Namiashi Raidō Deivashi exchanged glances and revealed a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.

The reputation of the Roots was simply too great, so great that they were all uneasy.

Uchiha Yoru, however, smiled. After all, Danzo's Root had been scapegoated more than once or twice, so one more wouldn't make a difference. In fact, he could gain three capable assistants for free. After all, a bodyguard who was favored by the Fourth Hokage must be quite capable.

Especially loyalty. Since he had no plans to defect, the more loyal ninjas he had, the better. As for the three of them, they hadn't betrayed the village; they just wanted to live and had joined Orochimaru's Orochimaru within the village. They were still Hokage Faction, so it wasn't a defection.

That night, the three of them went to the Seventh Division Office Building. Thanks to the intimidation of Root, the three elite ninjas actually stayed in the office building, saying that they wanted to familiarize themselves with the work. In fact, they were afraid that Root would come knocking on their door. They decided to resign from their job as gatekeepers the next day. Even the Hokage couldn't persuade them to stay.

Choosing to stay with the Hokage might mean falling into the hands of Root, while joining the Konoha Military Police Force would at worst result in being ridiculed. They'd rather do that. As for trusting the Hokage? They're not stupid. During the year they followed the Fourth Hokage, they knew perfectly well the relationship between the Third Hokage and Root —it was incredibly close and indulgent.

For the next few days, Konoha seemed peaceful, and everyone appeared to be enjoying the peace that had arrived.

The two high-ranking officials of Konoha Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, constantly dealt with the Kumogakure Delegation Land of Lightning. After all, they were both seasoned veterans and naturally the most adept at this kind of thing.

Root Danzo seems to be plotting something and is busy with other matters. The Third Hokage has also been issuing Hokage orders to various parts of the Land of Fire. There are also strange signs of reinforcements appearing at the front line, and the direction of these reinforcements is Kumogakure (Kumogakure).

Uchiha Yoru of the Konoha Military Police Force has been grinning from ear to ear these past few days. Although there aren't many clans in Konoha, they're all generous with their money. Even the Third Hokage sent his clansmen to deliver funds.

Within the entire Konoha Village, only the Hyuga Family seemed to have a somewhat oppressive atmosphere. Although it had always been like this, this time it seemed different, with a feeling of being unable to breathe.

Time flies, and a month later...

The Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure couldn't contain his anger and slammed his fist on the table, cursing, "That old scoundrel Hiruzen Sarutobi! He's truly despicable!"

"Lord Raikage, some Elite Squad from Konoha have begun reinforcing the front lines, and at the same time, Sannin, one of the Cold Lord Orochimaru, has been spotted near the Land of Sea."

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, the Fourth Raikage, Ay, couldn't help but slam his fist on the table, stand up, and curse, "That old man Sarutobi is truly cunning, damn him!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's methods are truly cunning. Reinforcing the front lines, even Sannin, one of the Orochimaru, has appeared at the border. This is a clear indication of a threat: if you dare to make a move, Konoha will dare to start a Ninja Village War. Do you dare?

Even in his fury, the Fourth Raikage could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger. It wasn't that he was afraid, but if they really fought, the resources of the Kumogakure Konoha had already revealed its powerful resources, capable of holding its own against many opponents.

"Send a message to the envoys heading to Konoha. No matter what, even if they're just making trouble, the Third Hokage has to give us an explanation."

Having suffered a loss in silence Fourth Raikage Ay, could only vent his frustration through such a shameless method. After all, it wasn't just Konoha that had just experienced the Third Shinobi War; their Kumogakure had also suffered heavy losses.

Konoha, the Hyuga Clan.

The dim candlelight illuminated the room, which was simple and exuded a sense of history. At this moment Hyuga Main Family and six elders were sitting on the left and right sides.

Seated at the head of the table was the Third Hokage Third Hokage, wearing Hokage Hat. He had lowered the hat and was puffing out smoke from a pipe.

"Now that the head of the envoy from the Land of Lightning has been killed within the Hyuga Compound, regardless of the reason, this is Konoha after all. The Kumogakure is using this as an excuse to say that Konoha violated the Alliance Treaty immediately after signing it, and has put forward many unreasonable conditions."

"Even recently, tensions have risen on the border due to the ongoing disputes." With his cunning and shrewdness, the Third Hokage smoothly shifted the pressure onto the Hyuga Clan.

Your Hyuga Clan, like the Uchiha, is known as one of the Warring States Noble Houses. So powerful that even the Hokage couldn't interfere with your clan's territory? Fine, now that person has died on your doorstep, you'll have to deal with the mess you made.

Do you want me to clean up your mess? Once the war breaks out on the front lines, the Hyuga Clan will be the sinners of the entire Konoha, all because of your Hyuga Clan.

If you were to say that the envoys from Kumogakure deserved to die for abducting members of your Hyuga Clan, would anyone believe you?

The Kumogakure Village only has one delegation, yet they dare to kidnap a Hyuga bloodline from Konoha and fight their way out? Even the Second Hokage couldn't break out of the Kumogakure back then. Do they really think this delegation is some kind of god of the Shinobi World?

In short, the Hyuga Clan is now caught in the middle, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's methods are even more cunning, completely distancing himself from the situation. Since the Hyuga Clan's territory is practically their own independent domain, and no one can interfere, then it's up to you to decide what to do about this.

After the Third Hokage finished speaking, puffing out clouds of smoke, he calmly watched the Hyuga Clan express their opinion from his seat. He was certain of victory and could even give the Hyuga Clan a good talking-to.