Byakuya looked at Izumi Orange as though she were insane.
"Byakuya, while I was in the village, I kept gathering information on every aspect of Shimura Danzō. After he won the battle at Kikyo Pass, I heard that every prominent clan received a handwritten letter from Sarutobi Hiruzen. I do not know what was in them, but it certainly was not good news.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had sat in the position of Third for so long that the foundation he had accumulated in every area was simply beyond Shimura Danzō's reach. Perhaps Root Division's current plan had long since become known to Sarutobi Hiruzen without anyone noticing."
Byakuya took a deep breath and suddenly felt that Izumi Orange made a great deal of sense.
From Sarutobi Hiruzen's perspective, Root Division was merely a dirty glove. But if that dirty glove wanted to become the master, he would certainly have taken precautions.
Those prominent clans in the village were probably his backup plan.
"The Uchiha Clan." Byakuya said softly, "The Uchiha Clan knows that Root Division was established to monitor them, and Shimura Danzō, who personally brought about Root Division's creation, is the thorn in their side."
"We do not know how many benefits the other prominent clans have received from Sarutobi Hiruzen over the years. But both the First and Second suppressed the great clans to varying degrees while promoting civilian ninja. Take Hatake Sakumo, who could not bear the pressure and committed suicide. Even people such as Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu may appear to be descendants of ninja clans, but in truth, they were not much different from civilians. In fact, their everyday lives might even have been worse than those of some well-off civilian families."
"Yet ever since Sarutobi Hiruzen became the Third, the great clans,