Team Tobirama Before the Hokage's Grave

Since they were already there, Uchiha Shingen simply wiped the dust off them.

Tampering with the scene? Give me a break. The Hokage- affiliated ninjas are only investigating whether the Hokage's grave has been disturbed. Do you really expect them to investigate who the intruder is?

Namikaze Minato put him in the ANBU with the intention of having the ANBU take the lead and using the Police Force's resources to investigate.

Uchiha Shingen felt there was no need to investigate; it must have been Orochimaru who did it.

Knowing how to use the Senju Tomb Complex to escape means one must have an exceptional understanding of Leaf Village's inner workings; such a person could only be Orochimaru.

The person in charge is most likely Kabuto Yakushi.

However, Uchiha Shingen wouldn't capture Kabuto Yakushi. He'd keep Kabuto Yakushi; he'd just be a coordinate for Sound Village, which he could then transmit to later.

After wiping the tombstone clean, Uchiha Shingen looked at the inscription.

Oh, it's you, Baldy.

He patted the tombstone Uchiha Shingen sighed softly.

This guy was still single before he died; there was no way he could support someone else.

Everyone told him to stop being a simp; you can't simp Hyuga Clan girl.

So that's where I was buried. I wonder if I ever found someone in the end.

Uchiha Shingen stood up, preparing to leave.

A whooshing sound came from the air, and several figures appeared around him.

"Lord Shingen."

Seven former Root ninjas have already arrived.

The one speaking is Aburame Torune.

Uchiha Shingen always thought the name was pretty cool.

Why not call her "Aburame Clan"?

However, if he were to joke with Aburame Shikuroo like that, Shiro probably wouldn't understand.

According to Uchiha Shingen's original plan, he intended to promote the other six people, Aburame Torune, to command troops, and keep Aburame Torune by his side as a confidant.

After all, the Aburame Clan were allies, and Aburame Shikuroo had always been very opposed to his son joining Root.

Actually, Aburame Shikuroo felt was that every time he chatted with his son, his son would suddenly go numb all over, which made him feel very frustrated.

What? Do my son and I need a pause button for our chat?

After Shimura Danzō, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal became ineffective, but Aburame Torune could no longer be the son that Aburame Shikuroo had hoped for.

"They're here?" Uchiha Shingen knew his judgment was correct.

Of the original members of the ANBU, only these few former Root ninjas are still usable.

For the Hokage, the new ANBU was indeed free of factionalism, but for the head of the ANBU, the department was already rife with factions, and everyone was an old bureaucrat.

Only these former Root ninjas retained the appearance and initiative expected of Anbu Ninja.

Among the attendees, only they knew to come to the Senju Tomb Complex to find them.

It won't be easy to reorganize this ANBU.

The breakthrough point is these original Root ninjas; let's make use of them first.

"Since you're here, let's take a walk together," said Uchiha Shingen.

"Yes," Aburame Torune succinctly, while the others remained silent.

However, when Uchiha Shingen started walking, they all followed in unison.

[I think I look pretty much like a villain right now.]

Walking through the cemetery with seven Masked Man, Uchiha Shingen actually found it quite interesting.

Thinking back to the past, whenever Shimura Danzō appeared, he was always followed by several Masked Man, and wherever he went, the atmosphere would be ruined.

After all, the original Root itself has its own air-cooling system.

After that, Uchiha Shingen went to each grave, cleaning and tidying them one by one.

Familiar names came one after another.

During this process, seven former Root ninjas also lent a hand, moving nimbly and seemingly not resistant to such tasks.

Finally, a group of people appeared ahead.

They were all talking around a tomb.

Uchiha Shingen led his newly formed Seven Ninja Swordsmen over.

His approach to the Seven Musketeers caused those in front to turn around as well.

They were all unfamiliar faces.

They were all wearing Konoha Ninja vests, but some subtle details revealed that they were not ordinary ninjas.

He is a ninja from the Hokage lineage.

Uchiha Shingen's gaze fell on the tombstone, a tombstone that had already been wiped clean.

"Did you wipe it?" he asked.

"Shingen," a Hokage- affiliated ninja said, "This is the crime scene."

"This is a grave." Uchiha Shingen pointed to a ninja's feet. "Righten the thing."

Because of the crowd gathered there, the ninja pushed the dilapidated altar askew in order to stand comfortably.

Sensing that Uchiha Shingen seemed to be in a bad mood, several Hokage -affiliated ninjas quickly moved the altar aside and straightened it again.

"What are you all doing here?" Uchiha Shingen looked at them. They were quite a distance from the Hokage's tomb. Could it be that they were really here to investigate a case?

"It's like this, Lord Shingen. We think that if someone had targeted the Lord Hokage's grave, could they have used Earth Release? Perhaps we have some clues here."

"Did you find anything?"

"No... we were discussing whether to dig up the soil here to take a look."

Soil testing is indeed an effective way to detect the presence of Earth Release ninjas, but it doesn't mean you can dig up the Hokage's tomb.

Although it's not an official opening, it's still like digging up an old grave.

"Do you know who is buried here?" Uchiha Shingen asked.

"Of course, but for the Lord Hokage..."

"We'll handle this case with the ANBU. You can leave now." Uchiha Shingen waved his hand. "I'll also report this to the Lord Hokage."

Upon hearing this, the group of Hokage- affiliated ninjas were taken aback.

The fact that Uchiha Shingen had taken over the ANBU had not yet been fully announced, and no official document from the Hokage Building had been issued.

"Lord Shingen, what do you think about this matter...?"

A Hokage- affiliated ninja wanted to express his doubts in a tactful way.

The ANBU is the Hokage's private army, and the least likely person to become ANBU leader is the Uchiha Clan.

Before he could finish speaking, Terai, appeared in front of him and stared at him.

"What are you doing?" The Hokage- affiliated ninja was startled, only then noticing that the other person's mask was not an ordinary one.

The original Root ninjas were very recognizable because of their distinctive mask designs. Even after the ANBU was reorganized, these people still preferred the masks designed by the original organization.

However, the Root used to be a sharp blade of the Hokage system, but now...

As everyone knows, although the original Root ninjas are leaderless, they have completely broken ties with the Hokage system.

Do you have any cigarettes?

"???"

Seeing that the other party was stuck, Terai grinned maliciously and lifted the other party up.

"What ninja doesn't smoke? How dare you pretend to be Konoha Ninja if you don't even have cigarettes?!"

"Terai," Uchiha Shingen waved his hand, "Never mind, let him go."

"Yes." Terai put the other person down, turned around and walked back to the queue.

"Gentlemen, you may have some misunderstanding about how the ANBU operates. Obstructing the ANBU's work is an act of hostility towards the Hokage." Uchiha Shingen glanced at the group. "However, the ANBU hasn't made this public yet, so it's not considered that you're at fault. You can leave now."

The Hokage -affiliated ninjas looked at each other, then at Uchiha Shingen in front of them and the seven former Root behind him. They concluded that Uchiha Shingen had indeed become the new leader of the ANBU.

Otherwise, there's no way to explain why the people of the original Root would obey him so readily.

This is a big deal.

Having entrusted the position of regent and the ANBU to the Uchiha Clan, what is the Lord Hokage planning to do next?

"We understand, we'll be going now."

The few Hokage -affiliated ninjas didn't dare to say a word and hurriedly left.

Uchiha Shingen watched their departing figures, thinking that the Hokage- style ninjas were really going to have no bottom line anymore.

It seems we need to get a result on this matter as soon as possible.

"Terai, did you bring cigarettes or a lighter?"

"Certainly."

"Get one."

Chapter Thirty: At the Hokage's Grave, Tobirama Squad

Uchiha Shingen took the cigarette from Terai, lit it, and placed it in the incense burner.

The guy buried here is a complete scoundrel; he's definitely not a good person.

He's also the loudest braggart in the office.

"The one buried here is one of your seniors," said Uchiha Shingen. "The ANBU originally only had a dozen or so people, and he was the first to die."

The seven former Root ninjas looked at the tombstone.

"Where did this senior sacrifice his life?" Terai, somewhat curious.

"He died in the Land of Rice Fields," Uchiha Shingen said. "It was a terrible death; not even his bones were left behind."

"The Land of Rice Fields ..." Yamanaka Fū, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "As far as we know, the Land of Rice Fields didn't have any power before."

"Yes, they've all been killed." Uchiha Shingen stood up. "Let's not talk about that. How many people in the ANBU are still former Root?"

"Not many. Besides the few of us, there are about twenty other unofficial members available for your use."

"That's enough. Gather them together. They'll come with me to Amegakure tomorrow."

"Was this incident the work of Rain Village?"

"The Chunin Ninja Exams are about to begin. Let's find out what's going on. The leader of Rain Village is an old acquaintance of ours."

Everyone was taken aback, wondering what acquaintances could possibly be in such a remote place.

"Xiao?" Yamanaka Fū reacted relatively quickly.

After all, Uchiha Shingen used the word "we".

Of all the people who were originally Root in the proper sense, aside from those who were dead, those in Leaf Village, and those in other countries, only Orochimaru remained untraceable.

However, Orochimaru is unlikely to be in Rain Village, Yamanaka Fū knows what that man wants.

"Lord Shingen, are you also aware of what happened to Root- senpai?"

"Well, although we don't have any 'roots' now, it's still more appropriate to take you there."

Uchiha Shingen had given careful consideration to how to win over the hearts of these former Root ninja.

Judging from the condition of these people after the reorganization of the ANBU, although the original Root created by Shimura Danzō was an organization that presented itself as ruthless and cruel, their behavior was very much in line with Uchiha Shingen's understanding of this type of person.

The original Root is a close-knit community bound together by "recognition".

They are very united and value the team's history.

The Land of Rain's annihilation of Akatsuki was a devastating blow to the original Root organization, a shameful chapter in history that the team can never forget.