Following (Continued)

But the Anbu had connections too. Even the most classified intelligence could be obtained if one was willing to pay a steep enough price.

For instance, they had learned that there might be someone within the Anbu who possessed Wood Release.

Since there were even clues about that, Dawn believed this squad might be a fourth major system, separate from Konoha's public forces, the Anbu, and Root.

This system might have had very few members, but they were undoubtedly powerful enough to hold off an entire front.

As for how it had been established, their guess was that these people did not belong to Konoha. Instead, they were orphans from fallen or exterminated clans in other countries throughout the shinobi world, clans that might have possessed Kekkei Genkai.

The Third Hokage had likely started this long ago, and only now had such a force finally taken shape.

They had come to this conclusion because the few pieces of intelligence they possessed all indicated that the time traces left behind by the Dawn Organization had appeared was somehow connected to Konoha's actions.

Still, everyone more or less chose to see through it without saying anything.

Instead, their wariness toward Konoha reached an even more exaggerated level.

After all, the seemingly weak Konoha might be like an old tiger dozing with its eyes closed.

If others lowered their guard because of that, then the slightest opening they exposed might invite the tiger's ferocious counterattack.

In truth, that way of thinking made sense.

After all, during the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha had been capable of taking on four enemies alone.

Although Konoha now appeared extremely weak, perhaps that was precisely because it had chosen to hide its edge.

The Uchiha clan had been exterminated, Hiruzen Sarutobi had died in battle, and Orochimaru