After arriving at Root, Xue Ge did not see Danzo. Instead, he met another old acquaintance he had not seen in a long time.
"Long time no see, Xue Ge." En walked beside Xue Ge through Root.
As En was, in a sense, his first teacher, Xue Ge had considerable respect for him.
"Lord Danzo has something unexpected to attend to these two days. If you need to see him, you can wait at home or come back the day after tomorrow," En said. "Of course, if you need something done now, you can tell me. While Lord Danzo is away, I'm managing Root in his place."
"Lord Danzo told me to report here," Xue Ge said.
En nodded in understanding. "So that's it-"
"Since Lord Danzo took over Root, it has undergone a major restructuring. Most of the people in Root now are very young children."
"Root's original responsibility was to train ANBU members. In other words, most ninja would train in Root for a while before joining the ANBU. But Lord Danzo believes that, as the ANBU is a special department, its members must be trained from childhood to be trustworthy. Other ninja can only join the ANBU after becoming Jonin, and even then, they must be among the best."
"I imagine Lord Danzo intends to have you join Root because you're a renowned genius among the younger generation. It would also set an example for other interested families."
"Then why not Kakashi?" Xue Ge looked up at En.
"Because Kakashi's father is Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang himself." En explained to Xue Ge, "Although the Hatake aren't a major clan, thanks to Lord White Fang, Kakashi's entry into the ANBU as the future heir to the Hatake Clan is already a certainty."
"There actually aren't many children