"Alright, alright, whatever you say. Though I don't think Kakuzu had anything to do with Konoha, I can't rule out the possibility that Danzo was behind it."
Araki gave up on exposing Kakuzu's identity.
"But if they keep pinning everything on Konoha, I have a feeling the cause of the Third Shinobi World War might change."
He muttered to himself, feeling that he had barely even flapped his wings. Why had the impact already become so great?
Meanwhile, outside the bathhouse.
After eavesdropping from atop the wall for a long while, an utterly ordinary-looking villager got up and quietly turned into a secluded alley, where two similarly dressed figures waited in the shadows.
"How was it? Did you confirm it?"
"That's right. Just like the portraits we received—Karatachi Yagura and Hozuki Sengetsu are among them. All six are present."
"It seems Ryuma and the others have already failed. Not only did they send back no news, they didn't even reduce the enemy's numbers."
Though Yamanaka Taku's tone was calm, it carried a faint trace of contempt.
Like the Aburame, the Yamanaka possessed highly versatile inherited secret techniques. No, the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Secret Technique was even more versatile—a powerful secret art capable of easily peering into another person's thoughts.
And despite possessing such secret arts, the Yamanaka Clan, while allied with the Nara Clan and Akimichi Clan, had inevitably become embroiled in Konoha's internal power struggles.
Danzo was the Hokage's advisor, the leader of Root, and the Third Hokage's best buddy. Did he need the Yamanaka clan head's permission to recruit a ninja into Root?
No!
Then would the Third Hokage rebuke Danzo over an ordinary ninja?
He would not!
Thus, Root was filled with outstanding talents from every clan, all under the lofty name of being "the roots that