In the dark, cold underground base beneath Mount Hokage.
This was the darkest place in the entire Leaf Village.
Like the Anbu directly under the Hokage, this base, hidden in the darkness of the Leaf Village, also housed an armed department known as the Leaf Assassination Special Forces.
The only difference was that the Anbu here had the word "Root" appended to their name.
The dim yellow light could not penetrate the darkness within the Root's office. Shimura Danzo sat in a place where the light could not reach, looking down at a document on the desk.
"Project: Wood Style Awakening!"
After the death of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, his successor, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, had led the Leaf Village to the forefront among the Five Great Nations with his exceptional wisdom and strong hand.
Whether it was establishing the Anbu or building the Ninja Academy, any measure taken by Tobirama Senju that made the village stronger was immediately imitated by the other four nations.
Through various means, Tobirama Senju had stabilized the Leaf Village's position as the elder brother among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, but he deeply understood the gap in strength between himself and his elder brother, Hashirama Senju.
Without a powerful ninja like Hashirama Senju to suppress them, the ninja world would inevitably fall into war again.
Therefore, after the death of Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju secretly initiated a horrifying experiment, so that the Leaf Village could once again possess a strong individual capable of subjugating the entire ninja world.
Using a portion of the tissues preserved from his elder brother's body, Tobirama Senju began to research the possibility of Senju clan members awakening Wood Style.
However, this was interrupted by the outbreak of the First Great Ninja War, which was fiercely initiated by the Second Raikage on the grounds of the unfair peace treaty previously signed.
Later, Tobirama Senju died from a surprise attack by rogue ninjas from the Cloud Village led by the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers, and the Wood Style Awakening Project was put on hold.
...
Shimura Danzo gently caressed the bandages on his head, a cold glint flickering in his single eye.
"Go and find Hiruha!"
Danzo's voice echoed in the empty, gloomy office. A shadowy figure with no sense of presence flickered in the darkness under the lamplight, bowed respectfully to Danzo, and vanished.
The office returned to a deathly silence.
"Tap, tap..."
Listening to the regular footsteps on the smooth stone floor outside the office, Shimura Danzou withdrew his hand from stroking his right eye and gently placed it on the document on the table.
"Lord Danzo!"
Hiruha did not hide his body beneath the mysterious robe like the other Root ninjas. His white hair, which stood out in the darkness, fell behind his head, and he looked directly at Shimura Danzo, who was seated in the main seat, and bowed without subservience.
Danzo glanced at Hiruha, who had arrived in the office, for a moment. A trace of imperceptible disgust flashed in his eyes, but he nodded calmly and waved to the Root ninja who had brought him.
The Root ninja stared at Hiruha with a warning look, but Danzo's orders had to be obeyed. In the end, he obediently withdrew his gaze and retreated into the shadows.
"He's here!"
With a mere acknowledgment, Danzo fell silent again.
"Lord Danzo, why have you summoned me at this hour? Do you have any instructions?"
"My experiment has reached a critical juncture. If it's not something urgent, I'll be going back now!"
Seeing Danzo remain silent for a long time, a hint of a sneer flashed in Hiruha's eyes. Clearly, he did not have the heartfelt respect that ordinary people had for Shimura Danzo, who was known as the "Shadow of the Ninja World."
Danzo narrowed his single eye, a wave of irritation rising in his heart.
"If it weren't for that brat Orochimaru being in cahoots with Hiruzen, would I have let you live this long?"
Thinking of the dismissive attitude of Hiruzen Sarutobi and his disciple towards him in the Hokage's office earlier, Danzo suppressed his disgust for Hiruha, this stray dog, and said in a cold voice:
"Hiruha, how is the work I assigned to you last time coming along?"
Upon hearing this, Hiruha's lips curled into a slight smile. He looked directly at Danzo's right eye, which was covered by bandages, and slowly took a scroll from his懷.
"As you wished!"
"With the cooperation of the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques, I have obtained the technique you desired, Lord Danzo!"
A sharp light erupted from Danzo's single eye, and he couldn't help but grip his cane.
"Izanagi?"
Hiruha nodded gently, seemingly unfazed by Danzo's urgency. The scroll containing the Uchiha's secret technique was held in his hand. Although he didn't put it back in his pocket, he showed no intention of giving it to Danzo.
"Hmm?"
"Hiruha, have you forgotten your current identity?"
"You are a rogue ninja. If I hadn't protected you, your chakra would have been sealed, and you would have been thrown into the Leaf Village prison long ago!"
Shimura Danzo's expression turned cold, and he looked at this suicidal fool with killing intent in his eyes, his tone full of threats.
Hiruha nodded with ease.
"Lord Danzo has indeed helped me a lot!"
"However..."
Hiruha was indifferent to Danzo's threats, fiddling with the scroll in his hand, and murmured:
"But I have also solved quite a few troubles for you, Lord Danzo, haven't I?"
"For example..."
"Your Sharingan, and the corpse of Uchiha Mirror lying on the operating table!"
"Besides me, a rogue ninja, surely Lord Danzo cannot find a more suitable partner?"
Shimura Danzo tightened his grip on his cane, remained silent for a moment, and slowly leaned back into his chair.
"What do you want?"
Seeing Danzo compromise, a look of satisfaction flashed in Hiruha's eyes. He casually tossed the scroll over.
Danzo caught the scroll, and killing intent surged in his eyes for a moment before gradually dissipating.
"Currently, besides the Uchiha clan, only the two of us know about the existence of this powerful secret technique in the entire Leaf Village."
"I believe Lord Danzo can already guess some of what I want?"
Hiruha stared pointedly at Danzo's right eye.
Danzo was not surprised by the man's greedy demands.
A rogue ninja who was more ruthless than himself, who could arbitrarily conduct human experiments on ninjas and even civilians, a madman who had created the Kekkei Genkai-consuming technique, Kigan no Jutsu, how could he not be tempted by the Sharingan, which could unleash various secret techniques?
"It's not time yet!"
"Since the Third Hokage returned, he has begun investigating the recent disappearances of ninjas in the village."
"Furthermore, Uchiha ninjas are not like ordinary civilians. I have waited for many years for an opportunity."
"Even with all the preparations I made, I only managed to obtain one eye."
Hiruha shook his head dismissively.
"Although Lord Danzo and I want the same thing, our ultimate goals are different."
"Lord Danzo needs eyes that can immediately form combat power, hence his target was Uchiha Mirror, who was also a Jonin."
"But my Kigan no Jutsu is different. I only need a ninja with Uchiha blood who has already awakened their eyes!"
"With Lord Danzo's abilities, you shouldn't be unable to fulfill such a small request, right?"
Facing Hiruha's doubt about his abilities, Shimura Danzo rarely remained silent.
Having personally killed his teammate, he deeply understood the terrifying power of the Uchiha clan. Facing a surprise attack, Uchiha Mirror, who should have died without resistance, managed to destroy one eye on each side with the power of the Sharingan, nearly ruining Danzo's perfect plan.
Now, being in the Leaf Village, if he rashly attacked the Uchiha clan and provoked a counterattack, Root's current strength would likely not gain any advantage.
After a long period of silence, Danzo finally shook his head, temporarily rejecting Hiruha's request.
"Not now!"
"However..."
Hiruha's previously disappointed eyes suddenly showed a hint of curiosity, and he looked at Danzo with confusion.
Danzo gently stroked the document in front of him a few times, finally gritted his teeth, and threw it towards Hiruha.
"The Sharingan requires waiting for the right time. Take a look at this first!"
"Compared to the Sharingan, I think this will interest you more!"
Hiruha, who had received the document, glanced at the confident Shimura Danzo and curiously opened it, immediately captivated by its contents.
"This is..."
"Second Hokage's research records on Wood Style human experiments?"
"What a grand undertaking, even the First Hokage's corpse was not spared!"
"What does Lord Danzo mean..."
Hiruha closed the document with a sigh of emotion and looked up at Shimura Danzo, tentatively asking.
"I have a portion of the First Hokage's cells..."
A brilliant light flashed in Hiruha's eyes. He tightly clutched the document in his hand and said excitedly:
"You want to restart this experiment?"
"Indeed!"
"As an exchange for your work for me, I've decided to reveal this to you."
"I know you are skilled in human modification research, but the experiments for the First Wood Style have never succeeded."
"Do you... have the confidence?"
Shimura Danzo recalled Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, "I am the Hokage," and the aura emanating from Orochimaru that made him feel wary. He nodded heavily.
Hiruha looked at the man before him, took a deep breath to calm his excitement, and readily nodded.
"I need test subjects, preferably children and ninjas with good physical condition!"
"The more, the better!"
Danzo closed his eyes and said calmly:
"Of course!"
"However, the situation is tight lately, so I can only provide you with ordinary people as test subjects for now!"
"We'll discuss better experimental materials after this major event in the village has passed!"
"Hiruha, don't disappoint me!"
A confident smile spread across Hiruha's face. In front of Danzo, he opened his mouth into an inhumanly wide arc, revealing rows of sharp fangs that gleamed menacingly in the dim light.
"Don't worry, Lord Danzo!"
"It's merely the fusion of Kekkei Genkai. It's effortless for me!"
Danzo opened his single eye and looked at this madman who had already successfully fused three Kekkei Genkai. A sense of dread suddenly arose in his heart.
"If he truly succeeds, it might not be a good thing for me."
"This guy..."
"He's a more venomous wolf than Orochimaru!"