Assistant to the Hokage

On the way back to Konoha.

Danzo had always thought that Akihara Kagura was a well-behaved child, and that most children who were used as experimental subjects would be scared into timidity and obedience by the horrors of human experimentation.

The result.

This little guy was an exception.

All along this journey, Kagura had shown great curiosity about the outside world, even asking if they knew how to fish when they rested by the river.

Fishing?

Only guys with a lazy attitude towards life would fish!

As the root that sustained the darkness of Konoha, how could they waste time on such things, even as a last resort, they would only use the method of spearing fish to supplement their food!

Danzo realized that this child might have a great curiosity about the world, perhaps not having seen true darkness, and would need to be nurtured well after he returned.

As long as the little one was allowed to see the cruelty of the world, he would surely become well-behaved and understand, Danzo felt that he was very good at bringing up children, and he was especially good at raising a child with a slightly normal mindset to become a tool for killing people.

However...

Kagura quickly made him change his mind.

"Wood release - Cuttings no Jutsu!"

Kagura used wood release to display a wave of forked fish operations by the river!

A wooden splinter drilled out of the teenager's palm and was violently stabbed into the river, piercing through a large fish over a meter long, which immediately struggled violently!

The next moment!

The teenager's fingers merged!

The wooden thorns actually forked and grew once again!

A group of densely-packed wooden thorns grew inside the big fish, directly piercing through the big fish's body completely, and blood instantly dyed the surface of the river red!

This style of Wood Transportation...

Looked extremely cruel.

"Lord Danzo, I caught the fish!"

Kagura looked towards Danzo with a face full of joy.

The youngster's smile appeared incomparably innocent and pure, yet he looked particularly cold-blooded and merciless in this bloody way of catching fish, as if killing life was fun for him.

It was a natural tool for killing.

"Really..."

The old man gazed at the bloody scene in front of him and slowly spat out a rare compliment from his mouth, "Exquisite wood release, a good boy..."

Regardless of the wood release bloodline relay in the teenager's body, or the teenager's attitude towards life, it made Danzo feel that he had really found a good seedling this time, and that in the future, he just needed to make sure that he would be loyal to him!

Konoha Village.

The richest ninja village in the Shinobi world.

Worried that his whereabouts had been discovered, and also wanting to see just how perfect Akihara Kagura's wood talent was, Danzo hurriedly rushed back to Konoha with the teenager.

Danzo never liked to use the gates when returning to the village, but preferred to sneak through the back of the Konoha mountains to open the sealing boundary and return to the base of the Root Organization.

Kagura followed Shimura Gunzo as he jumped into a well and entered the Root Organization base when he was greeted with an eerie, dark atmosphere.

This superior...

His style is too dark!

The entire Root Organization's base was deep underground.

Even though the interior of the Root Organization's base was constructed with a number of classical pavilions and even some lavishly plastered against the mountain walls, it could not change the eerie feeling of darkness enveloping it.

Knock-knock-knock...

The dull sound of knocking on wood echoed underground.

The group of people couldn't help but turn around to look at the teenager who suddenly knocked on the railing.

"A."

Shimura Guanzou's expression was a little displeased, expressing his displeasure at the teenager's actions, and said in a cold voice, "What are you doing? Be quieter."

"Yes, Lord Danzo ."

After Akihara Kagura answered, he opened his mouth to explain, "I originally thought it would be a railing made of stone, but I didn't realize that it was actually made of wood, as Orochimaru-sama once mentioned..."

"Shut up!"

A flash of anger surfaced on Danzo's face, his gaze fixed on the teenager, his voice icy cold, "A, from today onwards, completely forget the name of Orochimaru!"

"Yes, Lord Danzo."

Akihara Kagura agreed once again and continued, "That lord mentioned that the underground air is humid, and wooden buildings can easily become rotten."

"..."

Everyone in the room fell silent.

Danzo thought he might have just been too subtle in what he said, wanting to say it again to make the little guy forget Orochimaru as a person instead of just the name Orochimaru, and seeming a bit too calculating.

"I'll take care of business."

Danzo shook off his hand somewhat helplessly and instructed his subordinates, "Ryoma, help him arrange a place to stay so that he understands Root's will before bringing him to me."

"Yes."

Ryoma (Oil Girl Dragon Horse) nodded respectfully and looked at the teenager indifferently, "Follow me, no wandering, this base has quite a few organs forbidden."

"I know."

Akihara Kagura obediently followed behind Ryoma.

The Root Organization's base was huge.

The entire base was like a huge water well, with a group of tall classical buildings clinging to the stone wall, and a corridor bridge connecting these buildings together.

"this is your residence."

The Ryoma brought Akihara Kagura to a dormitory.

The entire room looked a bit empty with only one cabinet, a bedding spread on the floor, and a lamp placed in the corner.

"Well..."

Kagura took a glance at his quarters and made his request, "Set up a bed for me, I don't really like sleeping on the floor..."

"No."

Ryoma shook her head and said in a cold voice, "Members of the Root don't need to have useless emotions or outward feelings, all you have to do is accept the arrangement."

"..."

Kagura raised his own eyebrows and inquired, "Is this... you my superior? Or rather, will you be my superior in the future?"

"No, nor will I be."

Ryoma shook her head once again and replied, "Only Lord Danzo is the only superior, and all people act from Lord Danzo's orders."

Theoretically, that was the case.

In reality, there were some unspoken rules in the Root Ninja, and Lady Ryoma's status as Shimura Danzo's personal escort was clearly higher than the other members.

However, the members of the Root Division had no distractions in their minds, only the mission that Lord Danzo had sent down, when had they ever cared about such a statement as superior or inferior status?

"Now I convey to you the will of the Root..."

Ryoma didn't notice the teenager's emotions, and continued, "The members of the Roots have no names or feelings, no past or future, and only have the mission in their hearts, and what supports the tree of Konoha is the will of the Roots... ..."

"What is your name?"

Akihara Kagura asked her first question.

"Ryoma."

"Doesn't that have a name? Aren't you a member of Root?"

"That's not a name."

Ryoma's answer was very quick, as if she had been brainwashed in a similar manner long ago, "Ryoma, is my codename in the Root, and it was only because Lord Danzo was familiar with my past that he made my past name, my codename in the Root."

"You're remembering that you have a past..."

Akihara Kagura seemed to have found a loophole and spoke slowly, "That doesn't quite fit with our Root's will..."