He Dared Assassinate the Hokage

There was something unreasonable about this mission, and Kitahara Kaede had no intention of risking his life over it. So what if the mission failed?

He only wanted to make sure he stayed alive. Everything else was secondary.

Compared to his other two teammates' wholehearted devotion to the mission, he was far calmer.

"Keiko, use the Byakugan to scout the surroundings."

Kitahara Kaede spoke up.

To be safe, Kitahara Kaede decided to have Hyuga Keiko use her Byakugan to investigate.

"Byakugan, activate!"

Hyuga Keiko formed several hand seals and activated her Byakugan.

This was one area where the Byakugan was inferior to the Sharingan. Although the Byakugan had a higher chance of awakening, it required preparation during battle, while the Sharingan had a lower chance of awakening but needed no preparation at all in combat.

"Someone's coming!"

Hyuga Keiko suddenly said.

"A squad is approaching quickly, headed straight in our direction. Judging by their attire, they're Anbu."

"If they're Anbu, then it's no big deal." Soten Genryu shrugged. "You gave me a scare."

Kitahara Kaede raised a brow. Of course there was a problem.

He had a feeling that these Anbu were coming for him, but there was no need for that. The Anbu answered to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. If Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to deal with him, there was no need to go through so much trouble.

Was this sudden mission meant to lure him out of the village before dealing with him?

No, there was another possibility: Root.

Was it because he had come into contact with Uzumaki Naruto yesterday?

If that was really the case, then the only person who might make a move was Shimura Danzō.

But that was merely Kitahara Kaede's speculation.

"How far away are they?" Kitahara Kaede asked.

"About a kilometer away," Hyuga Keiko replied.

Her Byakugan was flawed. With her current strength, she could only see roughly a kilometer away, and there were still some blind spots in her vision.

However, that one-degree gap was not fatal for long-range detection. She could avoid that one-degree blind spot by moving her head.

"Let's change direction. If those Anbu keep following us, they're probably after us," Kitahara Kaede said.

Only after hearing this did Soten Genryu realize how serious the situation was.

He even realized that the arrival of these Anbu might be directly connected to Kitahara Kaede.

This was the moment that tested how obedient they were to Kitahara Kaede.

Kitahara Kaede had made it quite clear. These Anbu were most likely after him, and following him now meant they might get dragged into it.

"You don't have some kind of problem, do you?" Soten Genryu looked at Kitahara Kaede suspiciously.

"It has nothing to do with me. And these people most likely aren't Anbu—they're Root," Kitahara Kaede said without hiding it.

"Root? What's that?" Soten Genryu knew nothing about it.

But Hyuga Keiko's expression immediately changed at those words.

As someone born into a major clan, even if she was only from the Branch Family, her outlook was completely different from that of a pure civilian like Soten Genryu.

At the very least, she had heard of Root. Its brutality was recorded among the major clans, and it had even taken many people from those clans for training.

Living people went in, and when they came out, they were emotionless killing machines.

The major clans were not unaware of this. They had even turned a blind eye to it, because they could not afford to provoke Danzo—or rather, the Third Hokage's faction behind Shimura Danzō.

This group centered around the Second's disciples firmly controlled Konoha's upper ranks.

Whenever people mentioned Root, they spoke of it with dread.

"It's a mysterious organization hidden beneath Konoha. On the surface, it's an Anbu training institution, but in truth, it commits every evil imaginable. If you ever encounter Root members, stay away from them." Hyuga Keiko explained, "But they aren't easy to identify. They may appear as Anbu."

Soten Genryu's expression turned solemn as well. This Root really did not sound like anything good.

Root reputation -1

"Let's go. We'll change direction, and we'll soon find out whether they're coming for us," Kitahara Kaede said.

Then he looked at the two of them. They understood now: if the other side was Root, it meant that some unknown big shot in Konoha had set his sights on Kitahara Kaede. If they continued traveling with him, they might be eliminated alongside him. This was a choice between life and death.

"What are you looking at me for? Of course I'm sticking with you. We're teammates. If the higher-ups think you need to be eliminated, with our relationship, do you think I can still get away?" Soten Genryu said irritably. "Besides, if Hokage-sama thought you had a problem, the Anbu would have come for you alone. If not, then they're after our whole squad. Could I possibly escape?"

"From what I've heard, Root kills even ninjas from the same village. If that person gives the order, they're cold, emotionless killing machines," Hyuga Keiko said after thinking it over.

She did not dare mention Shimura Danzō's name. To those who knew of his existence, he was an extremely terrifying figure. Saying his name felt like inviting some kind of misfortune.

From their perspective, he was an utterly unrivaled great figure.

Kitahara Kaede, on the other hand, remained calm. For one thing, he knew exactly what Shimura Danzō was like. For another, compared with the villains who appeared later, this was really nothing.

Soten Genryu gave a bitter smile. "Then it looks like I really can't run away."

"It might not be that bad." Kitahara Kaede sighed. "But what Genryu said earlier was right. If the Third Hokage thought there was something wrong with me, Anbu would have come to find me alone while I was still in the village. Since they didn't, it can only mean that either this squad of Anbu isn't after me, or Root is acting behind the Hokage's back."

"Behind the Hokage's back? Does that Root really have that much nerve? I heard the Anbu obey Hokage-sama completely. Since Root is an Anbu training institution, shouldn't it be the same? How could they dare kill a ninja from the same village without the Hokage knowing?" Soten Genryu asked in shock.

"That's nothing. Shimura Danzō used to be the head of the Anbu," Kitahara Kaede said flatly.

Shimura Danzō!

Soten Genryu silently committed that name to memory.

"Besides, he once dared to assassinate the Hokage. What does killing an insignificant nobody like me amount to?" Kitahara Kaede dropped a bombshell.