The Battle Approaches, Worldviews Shattered

Kitahara Kaede dropped a bombshell that instantly frightened the two of them senseless.

What kind of damned revelation was this? This Shimura Danzō had once even been the head of the Anbu, and someone like him had actually attempted to assassinate the Hokage?

Even more outrageous, someone who had tried to assassinate the Hokage had not been purged and was still allowed to command Root?

Hyuga Keiko stared at Kitahara Kaede as if she had seen a ghost. Even members of great clans like theirs knew nothing about such top-secret matters. How did a civilian kid like Kitahara Kaede know?

Could there really be something wrong with him?

"Th-this... this... how is that possible?" Soten Genryu stammered upon hearing this.

Only now did he truly realize what kind of problem he might have run into. This was a terrifying existence who had even dared to assassinate the Hokage—and who could still serve as one of Konoha's Higher-ups afterward as though nothing had happened.

"What's so impossible about it? Otherwise, why do you think he went from Anbu commander to this?" Kitahara Kaede replied.

Shimura Danzō had been stripped of his original position as head of the Anbu, ultimately left with only Root under his command. It was closely tied to that incident from back then.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen could not bring himself to kill his former Friend, he still gave him the punishment he deserved.

Danzō directly lost control over the Anbu and became the person in charge of Root.

This also severed his path to becoming Hokage.

After all, as a Root hidden in the shadows, he had no visible achievements for Konoha. Under normal circumstances, there was no way he could receive a recommendation from the Jonin Council.

Unless the circumstances were abnormal.

The Third Hokage's move was ruthlessly brilliant. He successfully cut off Shimura Danzō's path to clearing his name, as well as his path to becoming Hokage.

And because he had once committed such a treasonous act, Shimura Danzō had no grounds to resist Sarutobi Hiruzen's arrangements. In the end, he could only accept it all and become a Root in the darkness.

"Still, you'd better not spread this around. Otherwise, when the time comes, neither Shimura Danzō nor the Third Hokage will let you off. That would be when you really die," Kitahara Kaede said directly.

He was already calling Shimura Danzō by name, because he had little respect for the infamous Pot Kage to begin with—not to mention that the man had most likely already set his sights on him.

But he also did not want to bring danger upon his two companions.

"Understood, understood!"

Soten Genryu felt as if his worldview had been utterly shattered. In such a short time, he had already heard things enough to overturn everything he believed.

If he kept listening, he was afraid his heart would explode.

This was far too shocking.

He was already beginning to regret asking so many questions. The professional instincts of a ninja told him that sometimes, knowing too much was not a good thing.

"Let's go!"

Kitahara Kaede spoke.

The three of them immediately stopped wasting time, switched routes, and sped into the distance.

At the same time, the squad of Root ninjas following behind them sensed their change in direction and came to a stop.

The leading ninja, wearing a monkey mask, stood on a tree branch with a Kikaichū crawling over his finger. This also revealed his identity: he was a ninja of the Yamanaka Clan.

"They changed routes. Did they sense our presence?" the Monkey Mask Ninja said flatly.

Based on the information relayed by the Kikaichū, he had already made his judgment.

"Most likely. There is a member of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family in that squad. It is only natural for her to notice us," said a Goat Mask Ninja behind him.

"It doesn't matter. At the end of the day, they're only a few ordinary Chunin. Even if they discover us, it changes nothing."

An Eagle Mask Ninja spoke.

"Yes. At our speed, catching up to them is only a matter of time!"

The final Fox Mask Ninja said.

The Monkey Mask Ninja nodded. "After killing them, make it look like Suzuki Ryujin did it!"

Unlike the other subordinates, who knew nothing, the Monkey Mask Ninja knew the reason.

This Chunin named Kitahara Kaede had inexplicably approached the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Jinchuriki yesterday, making him a dangerous factor. That was why Lord Danzō had urgently altered Kitahara Kaede's mission, sending him out of the village to kill him along the way.

By the time the Third Hokage realized something was wrong, it would already be too late.

As a Root ninja, he was absolutely loyal only to Shimura Danzō. Even if Danzō ordered him to assassinate the Hokage now, he would carry it out without the slightest hesitation.

"Move!"

The Monkey Mask Ninja gave the order.

The squad instantly picked up speed and pursued the Kitahara Kaede Squad.

"They're coming after us. Just as expected, they're targeting us."

Hyuga Keiko spoke while keeping her Byakugan activated, but after confirming that the people behind them were relentlessly pursuing them, she deactivated it.

Like the Sharingan, the Byakugan consumed Chakra as long as it remained active.

With a fierce battle about to begin, every bit of Chakra they could save counted.

"Looks like we need to prepare for battle." Kitahara Kaede sighed.

Yet a few restless impulses stirred in his heart.

As the saying went, when one possessed a sharp weapon, the urge to kill naturally arose.

And Kitahara Kaede, whose strength had greatly increased because of the Diary System, had undoubtedly reached that point as well.

By Kitahara Kaede's own assessment, in terms of Chakra reserves, he had now grown to the level of an Elite Jonin. With the assistance of his One-Tomoe Sharingan, if they truly fought, dealing with an ordinary Tokubetsu Jonin would be no challenge at all.

He thought it over. Based on the usual Anbu setup, the squad leader was most likely a Tokubetsu Jonin, accompanied by a powerful small squad made entirely of Elite Chunin. That would be enough to handle the vast majority of situations.

But Root's setup was much harder to predict.

Kitahara Kaede himself was strong enough, but neither Hyuga Keiko nor Soten Genryu were anything more than ordinary Chunin. If they encountered Anbu or Root elites, they would normally be completely helpless.

It seemed the only option was for him to kill the enemy's leading Jonin as quickly as possible, then deal with the remaining ordinary Root members.

With that in mind, Kitahara Kaede took a small box from the vest on his body. Inside were cosmetic contact lenses.

Ever since awakening his Sharingan, he had specially prepared these cosmetic contact lenses. They could conceal the color of his Sharingan and catch the enemy off guard.

After all, the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out long ago. The enemy probably would not expect to encounter a pair of Sharingan again.

But he had not expected Danzo's purge to come so quickly, nor for him to be so brazen.

By now, Kitahara Kaede had figured it out. Even the mission to hunt down Suzuki Ryujin had likely been specially arranged to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

No wonder Uzumaki Naruto had not had any friends from childhood to adulthood. If anyone truly got close to him, they were probably purged as well.