The Root, Destroy If You Can't Have It

On the other side, deep beneath Konoha, A Steel High Tower stood unyielding, suspended in a bottomless chasm, supported by countless thick, interconnected Iron Locks.

This was Konoha's Root. Root, the foundation of a plant, hidden beneath the earth, just as this High-speed Rail was built underground.

At this moment, in the office of a Root executive within the Steel High Tower, two figures stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the pitch-black darkness outside.

One of them, holding a secret scroll, wore a hood and sunglasses, giving him a somewhat Non-mainstream vibe. He was Ryoma Aburame, one of Root's Core Members.

The secret scroll in his hand was identical to Shio Nara's file on Sora Uchiha.

In front of Ryoma Aburame stood a man in his fifties or sixties with a Black Hedgehog Head, his right eye and arm wrapped in bandages.

This man was the Root Leader, the man known as the "Darkness of the Shinobi World,"

--Shimura Danzō.

"Sora Uchiha, from the lineage of Kagami Uchiha, possesses extremely high talent, hailed as the most talented Uchiha in thirty years.

His ninjutsu is peculiar, suspected to possess All-Attribute Chakra, and he has established his own school in the Way of Summoning. Currently, he has not awakened his Sharingan.

Yesterday, he won the Chunin Exam first place with an overwhelming victory."

Ryoma Aburame softly read the information about Sora Uchiha from the secret scroll, his gaze sharp as he stared at the man with his back to him.

"Lord Danzō, should we really bring Sora Uchiha into Root?"

Danzō gazed into the darkness outside the window.

"Ryoma, what do you think of Root's current strength?"

Ryoma Aburame was taken aback, not understanding why Danzō suddenly asked this. After a moment of thought, he slightly lowered his hood. In the dim light, a few small insects could be seen crawling beneath his sunglasses.

"Currently, Root has eighty members, ten more than the Anbu."

"And their strength?"

Ten Elite Jonin, the rest are Chunin."

Danzō let out a cold laugh, his laughter tinged with a hint of gloom. "High-end Combat Power?"

High-end Combat Power referred to combatants with Elite Jonin-level strength.

Ryoma Aburame hesitated for a moment. "Two. Lord Danzō, and... Orochimaru, who does as he pleases."

"Two, yes... two." Danzō sighed. "Although Root seems to be one step stronger than the Anbu, the gap in high-end combat power is considerable. The Anbu's Elite Jonin are more than double ours."

Moreover, we are still missing someone who can tip the scales of battle, at least someone on par with Minato Namikaze."

The biggest problem for Root isn't numbers or its intelligence network, but a lack of top-tier combat power.

Root's development history is short, spanning only the years between the Second and Third Shinobi Wars. Unlike the Anbu, which has decades of development, Root lacks a deep foundation.

Its rapid growth in a short period means it has many flaws, and a deficiency in strong individuals is the most critical issue.

Over the years, Danzo has tried to recruit strong individuals, but the clans of Konoha lack a spirit of sacrifice. Especially in recent years, they treasure their own disciples and refuse to let them be exploited.

The only clan that agreed was the Hyuga Clan.

However, the Hyuga Clan has a serious problem: the Caged Bird Cursed Seal. The Hyuga Clan is divided into the Main Family and the Branch Family, and all Branch Family members are branded with the Caged Bird Cursed Seal.

This means that no matter how talented or special a Branch Family member is, they are controlled by the Main Family.

A Branch Family genius, rarely seen in decades, might ultimately be assigned by the Main Family, live a mediocre life, and offer everything to them.

The Hyuga Clan can only provide Branch Family disciples to Root. Danzo absolutely cannot accept individuals who are not under his control.

Ryoma Aburame fell silent, finally understanding Danzo's meaning.

Sora Uchiha, a genius rarely seen in the Uchiha Clan in thirty years, was precisely the kind of person who could influence the situation in Konoha.

Danzo wanted to bring Sora Uchiha under his command, making him his Left and Right Arm.

After a moment of hesitation, Ryoma Aburame said hesitantly, "Lord, do you think the Uchiha Clan would be willing to hand Sora Uchiha over to us?"

Danzo chuckled, "If it were anyone else, that old fox Fugaku would certainly disagree. But Sora Uchiha is Kagami's grandson. This lineage is at odds with Fugaku, so their resistance towards us isn't that strong." He paused, a strange smile on his face.

"Besides, it's obvious to everyone that Hiruzen is suppressing the Uchiha. If this Sora Uchiha is smart, he'll realize that joining the Anbu or Root is the only way to achieve his full potential."

Ryoma Aburame was silent for a moment, adjusted his Sunglasses, and a deep glint flashed in his eyes.

"Lord, under normal circumstances, that's true. Sora Uchiha would only have room for development by joining the Anbu or Root, provided the Uchiha have no intentions of rebellion."

"Rebellion?" Danzo retorted with a laugh. "Do they dare?!" His voice suddenly rose several decibels. "If the Uchiha dare to rebel, they are courting their own destruction!"

Ryoma Aburame opened his mouth but said nothing. He felt the same way; he seemed to have overthought things.

Silence—

The atmosphere became quiet.

After a long while, Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"However, the possibility you mentioned does exist."

"Then? What should we do?"

"Tomorrow, come with me to visit Momosuke Uchiha. We can't delay the matter of cultivating talent."

"Then... what if Momosuke doesn't agree?" Ryoma Aburame slowly asked.

"Doesn't agree? Then destroy him." Danzo said calmly, his expression unchanged, as if destroying Sora Uchiha was as simple as taking out the trash.

If Sora Uchiha could not be controlled by him, then he would assassinate him. An uncontrollable Uchiha genius was a hidden danger to him.

He could say that he was the one in the entire Konohagakure who best understood how terrifying the Uchiha's power truly was.

"A genius is someone who can live to the future," he said faintly, his eyes shifting between light and shadow.

Ryoma Aburame nodded silently. Looking at the somber Danzo, his mood remained unchanged. As Danzo's confidant, he knew very well what an extreme person Danzo was.

The title "Darkness of the Shinobi World" was well-deserved.

Once, during a certain battle, only one Konoha Ninja survived; all the other Konoha Ninjas had died.

Originally, such an event would have allowed the survivor to enjoy family happiness.

However, at that time, Danzo believed that the person who survived alone might be a hidden danger. Therefore, on the very first night the person returned to Konoha, they were assassinated by mercenaries hired by Danzo.

And that incident was handled by Ryoma Aburame himself, who was responsible for conversing with the mercenaries.

He knew that Danzo was not joking. For the safety of Konoha, he would do anything.

If Momosuke Uchiha refused to let Sora Uchiha join Root tomorrow, Then he would immediately have a new mission.

Within a month, mercenaries would arrive as scheduled to assassinate the Uchiha genius.