Shisui's Talk

Konoha

Hokage Building

In the Hokage Building's lounge, Naraku sat cross-legged on the tatami mats, with a large "ninja" character written on the wall behind him.

Below, a masked member of the Anbu knelt on one knee.

"I understand. Go and summon Shisui."

"Hi!"

This Anbu Ninja was none other than Uchiha Tekka, who was on a surveillance mission. After reporting on the situation, Tekka received the Hokage's orders, quietly acknowledged them, and then got up and strode away.

Naraku stroked his chin, pondering Tekka's mission report.

Three months ago, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi visited Danzo's residence. That was Uchiha Itachi's first contact with Danzo.

Uchiha Shisui is very busy with missions and has now become an excellent Anbu captain, with a position equivalent to Kakashi's.

Shisui's thinking has matured; he loves Konoha and his clan.

However, Shisui's excessive respect for the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Shimura Danzō caused Naraku some trouble.

However, considering that Shisui's grandfather Kagami Uchiha, was a classmate Shimura Danzō Hiruzen Sarutobi and Sarutobi Hiruzen, Naraku could understand Shisui's actions to some extent.

As Shisui grew older, and as a top-tier member of the Anbu, he was increasingly busy with missions. These days, his contact with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō became less and less frequent, sometimes only occurring every few months.

This falls under the category of normal reverence for ninjas like the Third Hokage.

After Uchiha Itachi accompanied Shisui to visit Danzo once, he visited him frequently afterward, just like Shisui did initially, visiting every few days. It's unclear what they talked about, but it made Naraku somewhat uneasy.

"Now that I think about it, the time is almost right to get rid of Danzo."

Naraku stroked his chin, feeling that the time was almost right to deal with Danzo.

Naraku was acutely aware of Danzo's danger and never let his guard down. Now, Naraku has firmly secured his position as Hokage.

Despite the Group of Four being outnumbered three to one, the other three still held power and were highly valued.

So many years have passed, and only Danzo from the Group of Four has gone missing. Perhaps it will sadden the other three for a while, but it shouldn't cause any major trouble.

Bang! Bang!

The knocking interrupted Naraku's thoughts.

"Please come in!"

"Lord Hokage"

Shisui entered the Hokage Lounge, knelt on one knee, and greeted him respectfully, waiting for the Hokage to issue a mission.

Shisui is one of the captains of the six squadrons of the Anbu. He doesn't usually wear the Anbu uniform. Most of the time, he wears a Jonin vest and Forehead Protector, dressed like a regular Jonin.

The Anbu Ninja usually address Naraku by his title, as required by Naraku. Even among close confidants, Naraku does not allow the blurring of public and private matters.

Otherwise, it would make other Konoha Ninja feel uncomfortable, and they might even mistakenly believe that Konoha is a place ruled by the Fourth Hokage and the Uchiha Clan.

Naraku gazed at Shisui before him, his expression calm as he softly said:

"Shisui, there is a task that needs to be carried out by you. And perhaps only you can handle this task well."

Naraku's words were fragmented and disjointed, leaving Shisui somewhat puzzled.

"Is only I able to handle this?"

Shisui asked softly, somewhat puzzled, then smiled as if he had just remembered something.

"Only he can handle this," was clearly an affirmation of his abilities. Realizing this, Shisui shouted:

"Please give your orders, Lord Hokage!"

Naraku smiled, but instead of issuing a mission, he gently inquired:

"Shisui, how much do you know about Root?"

"Root? The Root, the Danzo! Unsung heroes who silently dedicated themselves to Konoha, sacrificing themselves to become nourishment for the great tree of Konoha!"

Shisui answered with some excitement when Naraku asked about the Root.

Shisui was no longer a naive boy; now a young man, he and Namikaze Minato's disciple Uchiha Obito, were considered the two top fighters of the Uchiha.

In the original work, Uchiha Obito was not in the clan. At this time, Shisui was nominally the strongest Uchiha in the original work, which shows Shisui's talent and strength.

As his thinking matured, Shisui had doubted Danzo's words, but with the endorsement and affirmation of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shisui no longer doubted Danzo's contributions.

Shisui confirmed that the Root existed in Konoha, just as Danzo had described. After confirming the Root, Uchiha Shisui's admiration for the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Shimura Danzō grew even higher.

"Silent dedication? Ha, nonsense!"

Naraku refuted Shisui's words without hesitation.

Naraku knew that Root had indeed done many things beneficial to Konoha and possessed a quality of selfless dedication. However, for the Uchiha, it was a sword of Damocles that once hung over their Uchiha.

Naraku would never promote any merits of Root; any evaluation that came from Naraku's mouth would invariably be negative.

Just as Uchiha Shimura Danzō as a completely negative organization with no redeeming qualities, Naraku saw the Root as a completely negative organization with no redeeming qualities.

"Ah?"

Shisui was somewhat puzzled by Naraku's criticism.

Konoha Ninja, nurtured by the Will of Fire, often possess a strong sense of dedication. The Will of Root, which stems from the Will of Fire, resonates with the values of some Konoha Ninja.

Naraku's expression was somewhat serious as he said in a deep voice:

"The so-called 'Root' members have no names, no emotions, no past, no future; their hearts are filled only with missions. They are the sword in the hands of the Root's leader, the private soldiers who support the Root's leader's ambitions!"

The ninjas of the Root are trained in pairs from a young age. Upon graduation, they fight each other to the death, and the one who survives becomes a Root member.

The infighting among comrades betrayed Konoha's Will of Fire. At the same time, the cruel training system rendered these ninjas emotionless, like human puppets, or rather, true weapons.

Such an organization should not exist in Konoha; it goes against the original purpose of Konoha's founding!

Now is the time to settle accounts with them!

Naraku never interfered with these matters or Shisui's life in the past.

However, now that Naraku has decided to secretly eliminate Danzo, this scourge, he needs to thoroughly investigate and correct the thoughts of those who have had too much contact with Danzo.

Upon hearing these words, Shisui seemed to be severely affected by Genjutsu, his mind a complete mess, and he could hardly believe it.

The Fourth Root was completely negative, and he had investigated it thoroughly, so it must not be unfounded.

Could Root really be a group of inhuman puppets? This doesn't seem to fit Danzo's image of bearing all the darkness alone. Furthermore, the Third Hokage personally acknowledged and affirmed Danzo's sacrifices.

"Chief, is there some mistake?"

Shisui's thoughts were somewhat confused, and he even forgot about public and private matters, directly addressing the clan head. The Root mentioned by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō seemed to be a completely different concept from the Root believed by the Fourth Hokage.

"There's no mistake, Shisui."

Naraku's face was solemn. He offered a word of comfort, then said coldly:

"Konoha has too much history and darkness, things you don't understand, and I don't want you to understand."

"It has been incredibly difficult for the Uchiha to reach where we are today. Countless clan members sacrificed themselves in the night before dawn..."

Naraku's face showed a hint of reminiscence.

The fact that the Uchiha and Senju, as one of the founding clans of Konoha, became so despised and rejected after working in the Security Department for over a decade is quite exaggerated and absurd.

The Security Department does indeed wield considerable power and is very important. However, if it is controlled by a single clan, that clan will inevitably be isolated by Konoha, and their fate will certainly not be good.

Upon hearing Naraku's words, Shisui recalled some rumors. It was said that the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, greatly valued the Fourth Hokage and passed the Hokage Position to the Fourth Uchiha Nara, and even officiated at the Fourth Hokage's wedding, signifying that the Hokage Position was passed down in an orderly manner.

However, some within the Uchiha clan and among the smaller groups in Konoha say that when the Fourth Hokage was nominated, the Third Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the Fourth Uchiha Nara at loggerheads. Ultimately, the Fourth Hokage compromised on many things for the sake of Konoha's greater good before finally succeeding to the position. This is also why many of the advisors during the Third Hokage's time are still highly valued today.

"Shisui, this task of mine... I think only you can accomplish it."

Naraku's words interrupted Shisui's thoughts.