This Water Shadow is very strong, but overly cautious.

He had a very kind expression on his face. If he were in another place, you would mistake this skinny middle-aged man for a harmless uncle.

"hehe"

"Sakumo, please get up."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile, making it impossible to see his true thoughts through his kind face.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Hatake Sakumo's actions were decisive and no different from when he was the Minister of Anbu before.

"Sakumo, you have done such a great service to the village this time."

"I want to reward you well on behalf of the village."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile, giving off the feeling of a gentle elder.

"You are too kind, Hokage. These are what I should do."

In response to Sarutobi Hiruzen's praise, Sakumo just shook his head slightly.

"Hahaha."

"You, you."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly laughed and said, shaking his head helplessly.

But from an angle that Hatake Sakumo couldn't see, a strange color flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.

Then, the two exchanged a few more pleasantries.

During this process, seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of talking about "serious matters", Hatake Sakumo had a strange idea in his mind.

He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen who was not panicking or dissatisfied in front of him.

He did not see any anxious or serious expression on the face of the Hokage, which made Hatake Sakumo feel a little confused.

Wasn't it because there was an urgent mission that they called him back?

So why is there no mention of this now?

Suppressing the urge to ask questions, Hatake Sakumo patiently tried his best to greet Sarutobi Hiruzen in front of him.

Finally, Sarutobi Hiruzen changed the subject.

"Sakumo, what are your plans after returning from the battlefield this time?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with a smile still on his face.

After hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's question, all kinds of thoughts flashed through Hatake Sakumo's mind.

If possible, no one doesn't want to be a hero standing in the spotlight and being praised, even Hatake Sakumo.

But as a ninja, who had previously hidden in the Anbu and was always cautious, Hatake Sakumo still gave the most reliable answer.

"It's all up to Lord Hokage!"

Hatake Sakumo's answer was flawless, causing the strange look in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes to fade slightly.

"hehe"

"That's it."

"Sakumo, I have something in my hand. You might want to take a look at it first."

As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen handed a document on the table to Hatake Sakumo.

Shuomao took the document, opened it and read its contents.

Just a moment later, a hint of surprise and unexpectedness flashed in Hatake Sakumo's eyes.

Because the content of this document is exactly some internal intelligence of Konoha's "Root Organization" and the completion status of some tasks.

The confidential part involves the deep-level mission responsibilities and intelligence of the root organization.

Despite this, the content that appears in the document is only the surface of some of the situations within the Danzo Root organization. Some overly dark and profound content does not appear in this document.

After reading this document, a strange idea came to Hatake Sakumo's mind.

Sarutobi Hiruzen swapped him with Shimura Danzo, wasn't it because he wanted to

Shuomao shook his head as hard as he could, getting rid of all the messy thoughts in his mind.

He put the document away and placed it back on Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk.

"how?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen still asked with a smile, but there was a strange look in his eyes.

When Hatake Sakumo heard Sarutobi Hiruzen ask this, he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Because whether the answer is good or bad, it seems a bit inappropriate.

There is a huge overlap of functions between Konoha's Anbu and Root.

In name, "Root" is also part of the Anbu, but in fact, the authority and status of Hatake Sakumo, the Anbu leader, are lower than that of Shimura Danzo of the Root.

Now that Sarutobi Hiruzen had shown him some Root documents and asked him questions like this, it was hard for Sakumo not to think too much.

Hatake Sakumo felt that this was a "hint" from Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"This subordinate is stupid."

"Please explain clearly, Hokage-sama."

After much deliberation, the cautious Hatake Sakumo decided to take the initiative to ask Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"There's no other clue. I plan to merge the Root directly into the Anbu."

"You will be in charge from now on."

"What do you think?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen explained and then asked again.

Hearing the sound, Hatake Sakumo's pupils contracted violently.

He was first happy, then worried.

What made him happy was that, just as he expected, he was highly valued by the Hokage after returning to the village this time.

The reason for his worry was very simple. He knew that Danzo was not an easy guy to deal with. If he "swallowed" Danzo's roots this time, he might have to bear grudge against Danzo in the future.

Not only that, but most importantly.

Having lived in darkness for too long, Hatake Sakumo's heart has long yearned for something called "light".

Chapter 568: The Source of Kakashi's Tragedy

For a moment, Hatake Sakumo was in a dilemma.

Accepting the roots may be a good choice, but hiding in the darkness all the time is not a long-term way for a ninja to survive.

When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares back at you.

This is not just for show.

A ninja who stays in the depths of darkness for too long will never be able to return to the sunlight.

In fact, in Hatake Sakumo's heart, there has always been an unattainable wish.

And this extravagant wish is exactly what most Konoha ninjas aspire to become - Hokage.

Having stayed in the position of Anbu Minister for many years, Hatake Sakumo had already seen one thing clearly.

In Konoha, if one is tainted with darkness, he or she will never be able to take the position of Hokage, which represents "light".

Now, while he has the merit of defeating the Wind Country, it may be the best time for Hatake Sakumo to withdraw from the Anbu.

After much deliberation, Hatake Sakumo finally made up his mind.

"Hokage-sama, the responsibilities of the Anbu are extremely heavy, and they already make me very anxious on a daily basis."

"If the Anbu merge with the Root, I'm afraid I won't be able to continue."

"So please allow me to refuse."

Although Hatake Sakumo's voice was not loud, it was extremely firm.

After hearing Sakumo's words, a hint of surprise flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.

At the same time, his brows were instantly furrowed, and a barely perceptible gloom appeared in his eyes.

In fact, from the moment Hatake Sakumo stepped into the door of this office, he had already stepped into the "Hongmen Banquet" carefully designed by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

If Hatake Sakumo had agreed to Sarutobi Hiruzen's request just now, an inevitable tragic ending would have been waiting for him.

But what Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't expect was that Hatake Sakumo actually resisted the temptation of power and chose to refuse.

In terms of strength, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen is probably the last one.

But when it comes to political tactics, he and his master, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, are definitely the most brilliant among all the Hokage.

With Sarutobi Hiruzen's political wisdom, he understood everything in an instant.

Hatake Sakumo's actions made Sarutobi Hiruzen even more wary of him.

This time, Hatake Sakumo has made great contributions. As the Hokage, he must reward Hatake Sakumo, otherwise it will easily discourage other ninjas in the village.

Originally, his proposal to merge the Root and expand the power of the Anbu was just right for him to give to Hatake Sakumo as a reward.

Now that Hatake Sakumo has refused, Sarutobi Hiruzen has been forced to give something else as a reward.

As for Hatake Sakumo's current achievements, what does Sarutobi Hiruzen have to do to be worthy of this achievement?

Ninjutsu?

When one's strength reaches the level of Hatake Sakumo, ordinary ninjutsu can hardly help improve one's strength.

However, powerful ninjutsu that suits Hatake Sakumo's attributes can be basically considered rare.

Moreover, what Hatake Sakumo is best at is swordsmanship, and in terms of this ability, there is basically no one in the ninja world who is stronger than Hatake Sakumo.

money?

Let’s not talk about whether Hatake Sakumo himself will accept it.

Hatake Sakumo's achievements cannot be measured by money.

Moreover, as a powerful Kage-level warrior, how could Hatake Sakumo be short of money?

After all, there is only one kind of reward that can satisfy Hatake Sakumo - power!

As for the right to be in the "dark", Hatake Sakumo chose to refuse.

Then it is obvious that only the right to stand in the sun can truly satisfy Hatake Sakumo.

And this is what Sarutobi Hiruzen fears the most.

Given Hatake Sakumo's current reputation, if he really obtains this "right", it will directly threaten Sarutobi Hiruzen's position.

And Sarutobi Hiruzen will never allow anyone to threaten his position as Hokage!

Thinking of this, a cold light flashed in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.

"Sakumo, you're putting me in a difficult position."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile, and his tone seemed to be just teasing Hatake Sakumo.

As he spoke, his fingers tapped slowly on the table in front of him.

If Danzo, who was most familiar with Sarutobi Hiruzen, were to appear here, he would definitely be able to see that the seemingly amiable Sarutobi Hiruzen was harboring a terrifying murderous intent in his heart.

"Feel sorry!"

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Hokage-sama."

"Please let me serve Konoha as an ordinary ninja!"

Hatake Sakumo obviously did not realize the murderous intent in Hatake Sakumo's heart. He responded seriously to Sarutobi Hiruzen, trying to achieve his goal by retreating in order to advance.

Because he knew very well in his heart that Sarutobi Hiruzen would never let him continue to stay in Konoha as an "ordinary (Qian Zhaohao) ninja".

""

Silence, a long silence.

Finally, after a while, a long sigh was heard from inside the house.