Meanwhile, Kōki, who was heading towards the heart of the Land of Rivers, never expected that his Water Release would lead to such outrageous speculations from the Sunagakure. He simply believed that, given that Wood Release couldn't be revealed too early, Water Release was the most suitable Ninjutsu for killing enemies.
Because this base is located near the Land of Rain, where there is plenty of moisture in the environment, it is very suitable for the use of Water Release.
He believed that in that situation, only Water Release were effective Earth Release; he didn't know many advanced Ninjutsu and worried that their power wouldn't be enough, and Taijutsu was unsuitable for dealing with a group attack.
Furthermore, considering that the ninjas of Sunagakure rarely use or counter Water Release, Water Release are the best choice for dealing with Sunagakure.
While leaping through the woods, Kōki thought of something and asked Nara Yūsuke, "Captain, the village's mission requires us to infiltrate the Land of Rivers and sabotage Sunagakure's supply lines. Do we have any information about Sunagakure's supply routes?"
Nara Yūsuke had anticipated Kōki's question. He took out a scroll and tossed it to Kōki, saying, "The supply routes for Sunagakure are all on this scroll. The village won't make us do missions without any direction."
Kōki took the scroll and glanced at it. He found that these routes were very well hidden and would be difficult for ordinary ninjas to find. He was immediately impressed by Konoha's intelligence gathering capabilities.
After tossing the scroll back to Nara Yūsuke, Kōki asked curiously, "Which department collected this information? It's so comprehensive."
Upon hearing Kōki's words, Nara Yūsuke hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to tell him. However, after thinking that they were all comrades in the village and there was nothing to hide, he said to Kōki, "This information was gathered by another department in our village. This department is similar in nature to our Anbu, except that they are more deeply hidden and better suited for intelligence gathering."
"It's called the Root."
As expected, Kōki had already suspected it; only Danzo, that cunning old fox, could have led Root to such an all-encompassing level.
Seeing Kōki's knowing expression, Kōki Yamanaka Kenji him, " Kōki, you've heard of Root?"
"Ah, yes. I also heard about this department from my late mentor." Kōki noticed the strange expressions on the faces of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and realized that he might have revealed something that someone his age shouldn't know. He quickly made up an excuse and replied to Yamanaka Kenji.
After hearing Kōki's explanation, the three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho showed expressions of understanding.
Yamanaka Kenji warned Kōki, not wanting him to get involved with Kōki shady Root: " Kōki, if anyone from Root tries to recruit you in the future, you must refuse. Nobody in Root..."
Seeing that Yamanaka Kenji was going too far, Nara Yūsuke immediately interrupted, " Kenji, you've gone too far. They're all comrades from the village. Even if they did do some things wrong, they're still Konoha Ninja."
Nara Yūsuke knew that Root was unpopular in the village, and he didn't want Kōki to have any contact with Root, but there were some things that Kōki had to decide for himself.
When Yamanaka Kenji heard Nara Yūsuke's stern interruption, he realized he had gone too far and had no choice but to stop.
Kōki noticed the sudden awkwardness and didn't know what was wrong. It was just the Root, wasn't it?
Seeing his puzzled expression, Akimichi Tsuyoshi said with a slightly serious tone, " Kōki, do you know why Kenji hates Root so much?"
Without waiting for Kōki's reply, Akimichi Tsuyoshi continued, "Because Kenji's cousin, Yamanaka Fū, was recruited by Root due to his outstanding talent, and after becoming Root ninja, his personality changed drastically. His former cheerful and lively personality became lifeless, and he also severed ties with his family. Moreover, Root members are marked with Cursed Seal, meaning they are subject to others for life and have no freedom whatsoever. It can be said that once you become Root ninja, you will sever your past and abandon your future."
Akimichi Tsuyoshi's words struck a nerve with Yamanaka Kenji, and his expression turned angry. Of course, this anger was not directed at Akimichi Tsuyoshi, but at Root.
After hearing Yamanaka Fū Akimichi Tsuyoshi's words, Kōki remembered that Danzo's personal bodyguard in the original work had this name.
This Yamanaka Fū, as Danzo's personal bodyguard, was exceptionally strong. During the Five Kage Summit, he once easily subdued Ao, who was the Mizukage's bodyguard, and even attempted to reclaim the Byakugan that had flowed from Konoha.
It's a bit of a shame that he was captured by Obito while protecting Danzo, and ultimately died from Kabuto Yakushi's Impure World Reincarnation.
It turns out he's Yamanaka Kenji's cousin, and Danzo took a liking to him and brought him into Root Danzo early on. No wonder Danzo later made Yamanaka Fū his personal bodyguard and took him to the Five Kage Summit. Anyone with a normal brain would like a ninja who has been trained since childhood, has great talent and strength, and is both loyal and powerful.
After Akimichi Tsuyoshi finished speaking, Yamanaka Kenji continued, but this time Nara Yūsuke did not stop him, "I admit that Root has a good effect on Konoha, but our Anbu is not bad either, so Kōki, you must not join Root. With your talent and strength, Root will only destroy you."
Faced with Yamanaka Kenji's warning, Kōki nodded vigorously. He would never join Root. If he Root, given his personality, he would eventually be unable to tolerate Danzo's ways and would end up fighting with Danzo.
Besides, even if he were willing, Old Man Sarutobi wouldn't. Old Man Sarutobi hoped he could grow into a towering tree, not a root hidden underground.
"Don't worry, Yamanaka- senpai, I won't join Root. I don't like Root's ways," Kōki assured Yamanaka Kenji. However, not only would he not join Root, he would also destroy Root in the future. His future goal was to Danzo Danzo's Hokage advisor.
After receiving Kōki's assurance, Yamanaka Kenji nodded. Since the Root had come up today, he naturally wanted to give his team's genius ninja a heads-up. Kōki was a promising genius ninja, and he couldn't let him end up in the dark place that was Root.
"Alright, stop chatting. We're almost at the vicinity of the Sunagakure's supply route now, ready to engage in battle at any moment," Nara Yūsuke said, seeing that Kōki had finished their conversation.
The four of them were now almost at the vicinity of the route. They just didn't know when the Sunagakure's supply corps would appear.
"Captain, how strong is the ninja squad escorting the Sunagakure transport team?" Kōki asked, standing next to Nara Yūsuke.
" Sunagakure's escort teams are usually two standard squads, consisting of two Jonin leading six Chunin or Genin. Our main objective is to disrupt Sunagakure's logistics before they can react, so we don't need to get bogged down in a prolonged battle with the escort teams. Of course, we can take them out if it's convenient."
Nara Yūsuke's tone was relaxed; this mission was both easy and safe, especially with the cooperation of the four Jonin.