Root Ninja
Even in the face of an emergency where the Hokage is in trouble, Konoha has a complete response plan.
The most urgent task was to ensure the village's stability, and Shuichi helped the two advisors supplement some details of the matter.
After receiving the orders, several teams of Anbu successively used Body Flicker Technique to leave and carry out their missions. As long as there are no changes to the mission system, most ninjas will not panic.
With this matter settled, Shuichi immediately rushed to the private medical facility within the Anbu Base. After all, the sight of the Hokage being seriously injured could easily cause unease among the people, which is why the Third Hokage did not receive treatment at the Konoha Hospital.
Tap tap...
When Shuichi entered the room, the ninjas guarding the door did not stop him, but simply reminded those inside before continuing their duty.
Several medical staff were not busy, but instead were cleaning up some remaining bloodstains, while only the Medical Unit Captain was at the bedside constantly taking notes.
The Third Hokage had regained consciousness, lying on the bed with his upper body wrapped in bandages. Hearing the sound, he slightly turned his head to look at the approaching figure, and spoke in a trembling voice, "Shuichi..."
"Please rest and recover as much as possible." Shuichi sat down by the bedside, carefully examined the wounds on his body, and then asked the elephant beside him, "What exactly happened in the battle? Why was the Lord Hokage the one who was most seriously injured?"
"This..." Xiang was somewhat embarrassed. As the Anbu squad responsible for protecting the Hokage, they had completely failed in their duties. Now, when asked about it, they could only answer with deep regret:
"After the sneak attack, Orochimaru's subordinates set up the Four Violet Flames Formation to stop us. The Third Lord fought him for a very short time, and before we could react, he was suddenly seriously injured. Fortunately, Elder Danzo intervened and saved us..."
"Orochimaru's physical transformation was completely unexpected by everyone; none of us anticipated the battle would unfold this way..."
Through his detailed account, Shuichi gained a fairly good understanding of the situation at the time. He was both surprised by his teacher's incredible physique and felt that the other's achievement seemed quite reasonable.
Because of his arrival as a time traveler, Orochimaru came into contact with White Zetsu many years earlier, and his mastery of the First Hokage Cells far exceeded that of the same period in the original story.
Therefore, the choice of a body for reincarnation would naturally be perfect. The vitality of the First Hokage Cells would be used to repair the defects of the Shikotsumyaku, and combined with the White Snake's powerful regenerative abilities, one can imagine how monstrous the body would be when these three elements are combined.
It's a monster, mastering both softness and hardness to the extreme; truly unkillable like a cockroach...
"Wow, that's impressive. I wonder what changes will occur with the Living Corpse Reincarnation of the Corpse, which involves the soul?" Shuichi muttered to himself.
If it's the later, more mature version, where it reincarnates in multiple White Zetsu bodies... it seems like there's no cooldown period.
The Third Hokage suffered three main injuries: a large gash in his abdomen that was both pierced and torn open, a bloody hole in his shoulder caused by a bone finger, and a small needle-like wound on his back.
The abdomen is most affected; even if it recovers at this age, it's difficult to replenish the body's energy and blood.
"You're so old, you're really pushing yourself too hard!" Shuichi said helplessly, "If you had attacked the Four Violet Flames Formation with all your might from the start, the Barrier built by four Jonin wouldn't have been able to stop it..."
"Cough... This is a hidden danger left by my mishandling in the past. If the Barrier were broken in that environment, the Edo Tensei Body of the previous Lord Hokage would lose its spatial constraints, and everyone might suffer heavy casualties." The Third Hokage said with a wry smile in a low voice.
The main reason was that he was overconfident. After all, he thought he could easily win a 1v1 duel against his own disciple, even though the Impure World Reincarnation caused a lot of trouble.
Who would have thought that Orochimaru's soul had been reincarnated, giving him a powerful body that was almost immune to physical attacks, rendering his most skilled staff- Taijutsu and elemental Ninjutsu ineffective?
"Now Danzo has Danzo..."
"We've just received breaking news; the situation has changed," Shuichi immediately reported. "Shortly after you left, Elder Danzo also escaped safely, but on his return journey, he was attacked by an assailant with the Rinnegan. Before dying, he left behind information through a contract."
"What?" The Third Hokage and Sho couldn't help but be astonished. During one of their investigations into Orochimaru's attack, they had unexpectedly encountered the legendary Sage's Eyes again. The bizarre changes were dazzling.
The Third Hokage's body was immobile, but his mind remained sharp. "These past few years, there have been constant wars among the surrounding small countries, but the most unusual one has been Amegakure. Hanzo's self-isolation and cautious behavior—could it be related to the Rinnegan...?"
Even though Amegakure was severely damaged by the other major powers, with Hanzo like Hanzo present, it still possessed overwhelming strength against other smaller ninja villages.
But the other party seems to have completely cowered over the years, and the most likely thing that could make him fear it is the Rinnegan.
"Please focus on recovering. Leave the village affairs to me," Shuichi interrupted softly.
He did not reveal that Jiraiya was secretly training Rinnegan disciples, otherwise the Third Hokage would probably have been psychologically shocked.
Sannin, who seemed to be the most reliable of the Jiraiya, actually indirectly caused the death of his best friend Danzo? This fact would probably make Sarutobi Hiruzen question his existence.
Shuichi disdained using this to solidify his position as Hokage successor; that was the kind of behavior only a petty person would engage in. Now, once the Third Hokage recovers, Jiraiya can Jiraiya return to the village to explain.
That's what he thought and that's what he did. So before leaving, he called Xiang out and gave him some pointers. Afterward, he coordinated his story with the two advisors and then handled all aspects of the village's affairs in an orderly manner, leaving no room for criticism.
From the day after the Third Hokage returned to the village injured, news of Orochimaru being labeled missing-nin spread throughout the village on the grounds that he had been researching forbidden techniques that violated ethics and desecrated the souls of the dead.
After all, several Anbu had seen "their own elders," so it's highly likely that the tombs of all the major families in the village had been dug up.
The Hokage lineage could only awkwardly explain to the clan leaders: if you suddenly encounter a deceased elder who has risen from the dead, please don't be surprised; it's Impure World Reincarnation.
Besides overseeing patrols within the village, Shuichi also had an equally important task—dealing with the problems left behind by the Root.
With Danzo's death, the Root Member's Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal immediately disappeared. Although this Cursed Seal was inhumane, it did ensure that the dark side of Konoha would not be exposed to enemy countries.
The Root organization doesn't have many members. Excluding Danzo's own private forces, the standard configuration is a division with four squads. Currently, the highest-ranking squad leader is Aburame Ryoma.
The Squad Leader below include rising young talents such as Terai, Kaze, Neji, making their overall strength quite formidable.
The unexpected death of their Danzo shocked them. Shuichi, carrying the orders of the Third Hokage and two advisors, went directly to the Root Base and met Aburame Ryoma in the vast underground space.
"Captain Ryuma, please contact the Root ninjas currently on missions and order them to return to the village immediately." Shuichi calmly looked at the Root members.
"I know that abandoning some long-standing Dark Operatives will inevitably cause losses, but they do have the potential to leak intelligence."
To his surprise, the Root ninjas, who seemed cold and ruthless, were surprisingly easy to talk to this time.
"The moment the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal disappears, all members on missions will voluntarily abandon their duties. This is a rule set by Danzo." Aburame Ryoma's voice sounded gentle. "May I ask one more question? What are the village's plans for the Root Squad going forward?"