Starting with the usurpation of Akatsuki, the ninja world was overthrown.

Chapter 194 Loyal Dog or Vicious Wolf

Chapter 194 Loyal Dog or Vicious Wolf

After listening to his subordinate Pu's explanation, Danzo was heartbroken and could not calm down for a long time.

Years of accumulation were wiped out in one fell swoop. Danzo looked at the empty base in front of him, his breathing becoming heavier and heavier.

Now, recalling the feeling of smug satisfaction he had when he woke up from his coma and saw Minato seriously injured, Danzo felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face.

Minato Namikaze suffered a severe blow, but how much better off was Danzo Shimura?

"Where are Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado now?" Danzo asked, calming himself down.

Remembering that his subordinate had just said that Root had been entrusted to these two men while he was unconscious, Danzo wanted nothing more than to rush over and angrily question these two old men.

However, Pu replied, "This... I don't know either. Since the defeat at Shenwubi Bridge, the two elders have rarely appeared in public in the village."

Upon hearing this, Danzo angrily slammed his cane heavily on the ground once again.

"Useless! Two irresponsible good-for-nothings!"

At this moment, Danzo probably forgot that when the four of them joined forces to suppress Konoha's new generation of ninjas, he didn't think of his two old friends in this way.

But now that things have come to this, it's no use saying all this.

After the defeat in the war, the two elders have now disappeared into the shadows, and Danzo knows that he can only rely on himself from now on.

After sitting in the base for half a day, he decided to rebuild the roots!

After all, the base, resources, equipment, and real estate are still there, and Danzo's ambition to seize the Hokage position is still there. He is unwilling to let Root become history just like that.

However, when his thoughts were put into action, Danzo truly realized just how dire Konoha's current situation was!

Apart from the kids still in the Upper Ninja Academy and the low-ranking ninjas who could only be used as cannon fodder, there were hardly any usable ninjas in the village.

After working for several days, Danzo only managed to gather some remnants of his former forces, mostly wounded or disabled soldiers like Pu.

The other Root members who were in good health and whose fighting strength remained intact basically ignored Danzo's recall order.

After all, Danzo had been out of action for far too long this time, and there was no capable second-in-command like Ryoma Aburame to help him hold things together while he was unconscious.

His truly loyal subordinates had died in the war months earlier for various reasons.

Helpless, Danzo had no choice but to resort to his old tricks, trying to use his position as an elder to demand people from various ninja clans.

But this time, he encountered an unprecedented cold reception.

"Lord Danzo, please return. Our Moonlight Clan is a small and insignificant clan, and we no longer have any unemployed ninjas."

"Elder, we are truly sorry. Our Aburame clan is very willing to contribute to Konoha, but our children are still studying at the Ninja Academy, so we are really unable to do so."

"Elder, there's no one left in our clan. Do you think I'm suitable? Suitable? Heh, I think you're really hungry, Elder."

Danzo visited several ninja clans, but found nothing.

Danzo was tormented by the huge gap between the past and the present, between ideals and reality.

"How could this happen?"

He found it hard to believe—why did it feel like several years had passed in the village when he had only been lying down for a few months?

How could things have changed so much?

It wasn't until Pu, who had always been a loyal follower, whispered a reminder: "Lord Danzo, have you forgotten that Lord Hiruzen is no longer the Hokage?"

"..."

In the past, Danzo was often driven to the brink of collapse by Hiruzen's phrase, "I am the Hokage."

But it wasn't until Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped down that he realized what it meant to be forgotten once someone leaves.

The Hokage's favoritism and the Root's loyalty were the two core pillars that Danzo used to solidify his position.

But now that both of his pillars are crippled, it's only natural that he's being ignored by the ninja clan.

"So tell me, what should we do now?"

Left with no other option, Danzo had to ask Pu.

"Lord Danzo, I think we should start with the younger ninjas?"

Adults are hard to fool, but children are always easier to deceive.

In any case, Danzo still held the title of elder.

It's one thing for those seasoned ninja clan members to refuse, but what right do you, a young upstart, have to refuse? You seem to be somewhat disloyal to the Will of Fire!

Danzo's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he immediately took action.

To be fair, Shimura Danzo was quite capable; once he had a direction, he always set off very quickly!

Not long after, when Pu saw the people Danzo brought back, he felt a sudden darkness before his eyes.

At this moment, he wished that Lord Danzo would not set off!

"This... Lord Danzo, you..."

Danzo, seemingly oblivious to Pu's deathly pale face, proudly introduced him to everyone.

"This is my newly recruited member: Kakashi Hatake. From now on, he will serve as the captain, codenamed Thunder."

He will also serve as my deputy, responsible for directing all future external operations of the Root organization.

Pu Wanwan never expected that Lord Danzo would return with such a big "surprise" after being away for half a day.

He finally found an opportunity to approach Danzo alone and asked eagerly.

"Lord Danzo, why did you recruit Kakashi into Root?"

"Didn't you say we should start with the younger generation? Kakashi is currently the youngest Jonin in the village. The fact that I was able to recruit him proves that Root is the true foundation of Konoha!"

Pu was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.

"Sir, have you forgotten the past grievances between him and us?"

In this current timeline, Root once captured Kakashi and even nearly put him on trial.

Because in this timeline, Kakashi was awakened by Shiba Kiyokawa at a very young age and began to investigate the truth behind his father's death. During this process, he caused several deaths and was subsequently caught by Root.

Pu found it hard to believe that Kakashi could forget the past so easily.

Danzo, however, remained very confident.

"Everything I've done in the past was for Konoha. You don't need to worry, Kakashi, no, Rai will understand."

No, sir, where does your confidence come from? Pu really wanted to ask.

However, Danzo was not entirely mindless arrogance; he had his own basis for his actions.

"Besides, Minato is already seriously injured, and Raikage recently acquired a Sharingan, making him a target of the Uchiha clan. Apart from me, who else can protect him now?"

This reason seems plausible at first glance.

However, Pu still had a vague feeling that Kakashi's gaze towards everything around him had always been intensely purposeful ever since he entered the Root base.

Every time Kakashi looked at the data room, archives, and those rooms locked by sealing techniques in the base, Pu would feel a sense of dread.

Pu couldn't tell whether they had summoned a loyal dog seeking refuge or a lurking, vicious wolf.

Just a few days later, before Pu could have any more precautions, the first task after the reorganization arrived unexpectedly!

Because on this day, a major news story shook the entire ninja world—

The Third Mizukage of Kirigakure has died suddenly!

(End of this chapter)