This Naruto is a player.

Chapter 173 Hiruzen Sarutobi: Danzo is truly a loyal retainer of Konoha!

The group, in a grand procession, braved the light drizzle as they walked towards the Hokage Building.

The Root base is located in a remote area, and the route to the Hokage Building involves passing through many bustling streets.

Even when it's raining, there are still many pedestrians with umbrellas lingering on the street and in front of shops.

However, everyone who saw Naruto and his group immediately backed away.

Naruto watched all of this with a strange expression.

The street, which was originally bustling with activity, would immediately scatter as soon as I walked by. This effect was even better than clearing the street.

why?

Naruto felt that his looks were perfectly fine, and he was also very famous.

Looking back, I understood.

It's this group of pots at the root.

Many of them wore cool, aloof expressions, their eyes even colder, and they walked silently. Yet they moved with an aggressive air, looking as if they were about to attack someone.

and also
They walked together, all dressed in the same uniform.
Too flamboyant, far too flamboyant.

"This is completely contrary to our Konoha roots, the people's roots, and our 'roots' policy!"

Naruto walked and pondered.

Is there any way to make the roots more accessible to the general public?

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even hear the greetings from others.

The relaxed Team 10 went out to eat dumplings together. While waiting, Ino turned her head and saw Naruto coming out from the street corner.

Ino was overjoyed!

"Naruto-kun!!!"

She smiled brightly and enthusiastically, her hands moving so fast they almost left afterimages.

Realizing that Naruto hadn't noticed her, Ino prepared to run over and give him a big hug.

Can,
Before she could even take a step, Ino stopped when Naruto's figure emerged from the street corner and the men in black appeared one by one behind him.

These people seem really fierce!
Ino's intuition told her not to go forward, but Naruto was there.

Just as Ino gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and made up her mind to go up, she was grabbed by Shikamaru and Choji.

Looking back, the two of them shook their heads in unison.

"Don't go, it's dangerous," Choji warned earnestly.

Shikamaru, however, was quite blunt: "What a nuisance. Can't you sense any danger?"

"Of course I know, but Naruto is over there."

"Women!" Shikamaru released his hand from his head, feeling a slight headache.

The two let go of each other's hands, and when they turned around, Ino found that the gang had already gone far away.

Meanwhile, Naruto also gained something.

"I thought about it."

"What did you think of?" Karin asked curiously.

"Hehe." Naruto chuckled mysteriously, without replying.

Naruto is going to get some masks to change the appearance of the Root members.

For example, you can customize a funny face.

A panda head is also acceptable.

A little bit of neutralization would definitely make the Root ninjas look more approachable.

Great, it's decided then!

Soon, they arrived at the Hokage Building.

Naruto stepped inside with his head down, followed closely by the many Jonin in suits who folded their umbrellas.

The group, forming two long lines, marched headed straight for the Hokage's office.

The secret agents had already noticed the anomaly and wanted to come up and stop them.

However, before they could even make a move, they were all captured by Shigaraki Tanuki and Aburame Ryoma.

Until we reached the door.

"Lord Naruto... Lord Naruto, the Hokage is inside. Please allow me to inform him."

The Anbu members at the door tried to block them for a moment, but without Naruto's prompting, the others, already skilled in their abilities, simply pushed them aside.

boom--

With a powerful left kick, Naruto sent the door, which had been tormented by Danzo, flying.

The two doors, like two darts, pierced directly into the opposite wall.

Naruto entered with an icy expression.

Behind him, twenty-five more members of the Root also filed in, forming three neat rows behind him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing behind the table, had a dark expression.

He received intelligence as early as when Naruto and his group left Root.

At the time, they didn't know where their destination was, but they later learned that the group's destination was the Hokage Building.

They came looking for them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't think much of it and didn't expect anything unexpected.

Even if something unexpected happens, with Naruto's strength, would he need to find so many people?
He assumed Naruto was slightly dissatisfied with his arrangements, after all, the 'message' that the Anbu had given Naruto before had been conveyed.

Unexpectedly, this group of people barged in recklessly and managed to get in this way.

"Hokage-sama."

The ANBU member who had been subdued by Aburame Ryoma looked grief-stricken.

Naruto and his three companions appeared silently inside, and then Naruto led his team in. At that moment, he felt like he wanted to die.

Naruto glanced to the side and frowned. "Ryuma! Why are you being so violent? Let go, you're hurting this ANBU."

"Yes, Naruto-sama!" Ryoma Aburame awkwardly released his grip.

Watching the two perform, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.

However, Naruto's actions also made him feel a little more at ease.

There have been far too many things happening recently.

The Konoha Collapse Plan—Betrayal by one's own disciple;
Danzo's defection—a betrayal by a longtime friend;
And most importantly, the future of Konoha—Naruto Uzumaki.

First they threatened to leave the village, and then this whole mess happened.

He doesn't look like an honest kid at all!
These accidents, one after another, almost wiped out this frail old man on the beach.

"You go down first."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged voice sounded even older.

After giving his instructions, he first looked at the many figures entering the room.

As for each individual, they are probably not very familiar with each other, but they are all familiar with each other.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew they were all members of Root.

At this moment, they all seemed like very obedient little followers, especially
Take a look at Ryoma Aburame.

Hiruzen Sarutobi recognized the guy wearing sunglasses; he called him Ryoma Aburame, a veteran member of Root.

This character is so obedient, it seems Naruto has completely subdued Root?

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly, "Too fast."

He knew very well the composition of the root group; it was almost entirely a team that Danzo had built up single-handedly.

Everyone was extremely loyal to Danzo, to the point of being die-hard, and it was impossible to get any information from them.

A few days ago, the interrogation by the secret service yielded no results.

It can be seen!
But, did Naruto really subdue him just like that? It hasn't even been a morning yet, has it?

And yet he commands with such ease and dexterity?

"This is different from the intelligence that came from the Dark Division this morning."

After muttering this, Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his gaze from the faces of the Root members and looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, feigning a hint of anger.

"Old Hokage, don't be angry."

Naruto grinned, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor. "This time, I really did you a huge favor!"

"What's the deal?"

"You probably couldn't get any information about Danzo from the Root members before, right?"

Naruto looked confident and turned his head. "Leopard, come out here."

"Yes, Lord Naruto!"

A bald man emerged from the crowd. Naruto reached out and patted him, half to comfort him, "Show the Hokage the good stuff Danzo left you."

"Yes!"

The leopard opened its mouth, and a strange symbol appeared on its tongue.

Hiruzen's gaze narrowed slightly.

"This is the curse mark left by Danzo. With this thing, no one can say a single word about him."

At this point, Naruto smiled confidently, "As for me, I know a little bit about sealing techniques."

As he spoke, Naruto formed a hand seal, and chakra surged forth.

Then, he placed his hand on the leopard's neck.

The curse mark on the tongue then vanished like ice and snow melting away.

"I have removed all the curse seals from the Root. Now, Lord Hokage, you can ask me anything you wish."

"is it?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared somewhat relieved.

I never expected Naruto to know so much about sealing techniques.

This must be a natural talent of the Uzumaki clan.

Moreover, according to Jiraiya's words yesterday, Naruto is familiar with the Fourth Hokage's Eight Trigrams Seal and can break it with ease, let alone this kind of sealing technique.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughtful expression, Naruto immediately issued an order in the Root group chat.

Then, the next second,
All the members at the root knelt down in unison.

"Lord Hokage! We are loyal to Konoha, but we have been deeply deceived by the old villain Danzo. Everything was orchestrated and planned by Shimura Danzo, and has nothing to do with us."

Please, Hokage-sama, discern the loyal from the treacherous!!!

"Good! Good!"

Seeing so many Root members expressing their loyalty, Hiruzen Sarutobi was greatly pleased.

At least, that's how it appears to Naruto.

As for the inner self?

Naruto had no idea.

After all, these people in power are all corrupt, and it's impossible for anyone to easily guess what they're thinking.

Unlike Naruto, who is as pure as a white lotus in this regard.

"Go down and report to the Anbu, and give a proper summary of Danzo's crimes."

Naruto turned his head and earnestly instructed, word by word, "You must write down everything he has done, one by one!"

"Yes!"

The twenty-five root members turned around again and filed out.

They will expose all of Danzo's evil deeds, one by one.

Heh heh, Danzo has now defected.

As for the bad things he did in the past, Danzo himself has no say in that.

Therefore, all the bad things the root did before.
It's all Danzo's fault!
As members of Root, they were only forced to do so under Danzo's oppression and enslavement.

To know.
They were all forced into this situation, and each of them was loyal to Konoha!

Since joining the Roots, they have been enduring inner torment every moment.

They yearn for the light at all times! No matter what, they are clean! They are innocent!

They're all innocent and pure!

"Hey!"

Naruto sighed softly, and said meaningfully, "They are all good ninjas from Konoha, aren't they, old man?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't answer, he just kept puffing on his pipe.

He stared at Naruto, his old eyes flickering uncertainly, unable to fathom Naruto's thoughts for a moment.

Seeing the old man's posture, Naruto smiled.

What bad intentions could Naruto possibly have? It's all for Konoha!
In any case, the goal of integrating the roots into the leaves has been achieved.

His small goal has taken another step forward.

However, today's goal is only the first step. Every step from now on is of utmost importance!
Upon realizing this, Naruto's face instantly fell, and he channeled his inner actor once again.

"Hey~ Old Man Deng! You've kept this from me for so long!"

Naruto Old Man?

Upon hearing this address, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that Naruto was not in a good mood.

Then he realized what Naruto was referring to.

Take over the root!

A mysterious smile appeared on his face.

Haha, it's a good thing to let young Naruto know about the dirty side of politics.

That's the result.
While he was still pondering, Naruto's next words astonished him.

"Old man! Where did all those Jonin from Root come from?"

"What Jonin?"

Naruto emphasized again, "The Root organization is so small, with only 29 people in total. Where did they get 25 Jonin?"

The third generation couldn't sit still any longer.

He almost stood up, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, utterly astonished.

"How much?"

The voice even had a slight tremor.
After all, these are twenty-five Jonin.

Jonin are the pillars of every village!
Each one is a rare treasure of the village!

"Twenty-five!"

Naruto wore a perfectly timed look of confusion. "Huh? You don't know anything about it?"

"Twenty-five Jonin???"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely shocked, and his mind was momentarily blank.

Where did Root get twenty-five Jonin?
Are Jonin so easy to train?

How many Jonin does the entire Anbu have? How many Jonin does the entire Hidden Leaf Village have?
How could such a small organization as Root have a full twenty-five Jonin?

Previous investigations were also incorrect.

This point was not mentioned at all during the questioning by the secret service.

If Root has twenty-five Jonin, then Danzo...
Although he was drenched in a cold sweat, Hiruzen Sarutobi forced himself to calm down.

He stared at Naruto with suspicion. "Are you kidding me, old man?"

He even took a leisurely puff of his pipe, and amidst the swirling smoke, his cloudy old eyes flickered as he carefully observed Naruto, seemingly trying to find some clue.

Yet, deep within those eyes, there was never a trace of barely suppressed hope.

What if it’s true?

"Oh?"

Naruto remained remarkably calm. "Looks like you really don't know, old man!"

His calm expression only fueled Hiruzen Sarutobi's suspicions.

"This Danzo really knows how to hide!"

Seeing that things had progressed sufficiently, Naruto laid his cards on the table, "Hey, I figured this out myself through testing. If you don't believe me, you can have the Anbu members test them."

Naruto's confident demeanor left Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat bewildered.

But deep down, a sense of joy welled up inside me.

Jonin!

A full twenty-five Jonin!

How many years and how many resources would it take to train so many Jonin!

At this moment, he became somewhat anxious, his small eyes wide open, his gaze concerned and earnest.

He looked at Naruto and asked, as if confirming, "Is it true?"

"Can I still lie to you?"

Seeing this old man's childlike appearance, Naruto was reminded of their first meeting when he was three years old.

That's how the old man was back then.

"You can have the Dark Division try them out; they should be very cooperative."

After a moment's thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed.

"it is good."

Summon the secret agents at the door and give them their orders.

After doing all this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt much more relaxed and now he just had to wait for news.

A total of twenty-five Jonin
Surprise!

What a surprise!

If it's true, Konoha's strength will be enhanced!

Forehead,
Looking at Naruto sitting in front of him, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, though it was of little use.

Hey!
He sighed softly, "Times have changed."

It seems that the title of Jonin is no longer of any use.

However, thinking of something, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a little confused.

Danzo, the leader of Root, which has twenty-five Jonin, chose to defect instead of using this force to negotiate with Konoha or even cause any incident.

Really
Danzo is truly a loyal retainer of Konoha!
It must be to minimize the losses for Konoha, right?

As expected, even after his defection, Danzo still loved Konoha!
Thinking about this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply moved.

He truly is my old buddy!

I am the light of Konoha, you are the darkness of Konoha.
"The old man, the Hokage!"

Naruto's call interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi's memories.

Upon seeing Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered something, "By the way, Naruto, why do these Root members listen to you so much?"

Speaking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi still felt a little regretful.

If he had known that there were so many Jonin members in Root and that it was so dangerous, he would never have let Naruto go to such a dangerous place.

Fortunately, everything is over.

So, he was actually a little curious about the answer to this question.

How did Naruto manage to win over these Root members who were completely loyal to Danzo?
These are all Jonin!

"They were indeed quite disobedient at first."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi became interested. "So how did you solve it?"

"later."

Naruto created suspense, saying, "A beating will make him much more obedient."

Hiruzen Sarutobi: -_-||.

That's right. Although there are twenty-five Jonin, Naruto's strength can no longer be judged by common sense!

"Old man, there's something I forgot to mention."

"what?"

Naruto stated his purpose for the day with a slightly serious tone: "I promised these Root members that I would let them live in the sunlight, instead of being like rats living in the shadows, like they were under Danzo in the past."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, "What exactly is it?"

“It’s very simple,” Naruto laughed. “Let them live in Konoha as normal people, give them the status of Jonin, and let them join the Jonin Team.”

Jonin identity?

On this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no reason to hesitate; as long as they passed the strength test, they would be given the proper status.

Just the Jonin class?
Looking up at the smiling figure, Hiruzen Sarutobi suspected that Naruto had added that detail himself.

As for the reason, having played politics for many years, he knew it must be due to the previous election.

Should we add it or not?

Originally, a Jonin did not necessarily join the Jonin Squad, but everyone in the Jonin Squad was a Jonin.

Naruto's actions
After a moment's thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Alright, I agree."

Although he will be retiring in a couple of days, he still retains this power for the next few days.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the Hokage on behalf of the many members of Root."

"Also, there is one more thing that I need the Hokage's permission to do."

"what?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was at ease, waiting to see what kind of trouble Naruto could cause next.

"I need to go out for a few days with the other members of the root group."

"Going out again?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi even has some PTSD about this.

Naruto replied sincerely, "It's important this time."

"Hmm? What's the important matter?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was curious to see what other tricks Naruto could pull.

Naruto stated bluntly, "According to members of Root, only a portion of Root's members are in the village; many more are sent out to carry out missions."

"Oh?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart leaped into his throat. "Do those people outside also have this kind of strength? How many of them are there?"

Naruto shook his head, and just when Hiruzen Sarutobi thought the answer was no, Naruto spoke.

"I don't know. They might outnumber the people in the village, and I don't know their strength either."

Oh, this!
Naruto decided to make arrangements based on the situation.

There might be a dozen, dozens, or even hundreds.

As for strength?

Go ahead and guess!
Thinking about the upcoming actions, Naruto selectively revealed some information: "My purpose in going there is to race against time with Danzo Shimura and seize control of these Root members!"

"According to members of Root, most of these dispatched personnel are orphans from the Land of Fire who have been raised from childhood, and they are equally loyal to Konoha."

If we can capture him before Danzo Shimura, it will definitely add talent to Konoha!

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face immediately broke down.

That old dog Shimura Danzo has been a defector for quite some time now!
However, despite his intense anxiety, as a long-serving Hokage, he remained calm in the face of danger.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "Naruto, the village will fully support you! This S-rank mission is yours!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Naruto nodded solemnly as well.

"However, I want to order four people, and I'll also need to ask you for one more person."

"Who?"

"Let Aburame Ryoma, Shigaraki Tanuki, Yamanaka Fu, and Aburame Torune accompany me."

After a brief pause, Naruto smiled and said, "Furthermore, we need to get Kakashi-sensei to join Root as an advisor."

"Who? Kakashi? Joined Root?"

(End of this chapter)