To pay off the debt, become Hokage!

Uchiha Shigeka's heart moved and his eyes flickered.

Sarutobi Hiruzen must be thinking about the disappearance of Shimura Danzo.

The Root reported the matter to Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the things that had been hidden could no longer be hidden.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions could not be hidden from the jonin, and within one day, everyone knew that the leader of the Root, the Dark Lord of Konoha - Danzo Shimura, had disappeared.

Uchiha Shigeka was thinking about how Teacher Tsunade happily invited him to eat barbecue yesterday.

At the dinner table, they were so happy when the disappearance of Shimura Danzo was mentioned.

"Haha, that guy actually disappeared." Tsunade drank the liquor in one gulp and shouted happily.

Tsunade's delicate and heroic face flushed with a blush, and she smiled happily, "She's been missing for a month and a half. Tsk tsk, Chonghua, do you think she's missing at all? Will she..."

Tsunade looked at Uchiha Shigeka with a look that said you understand.

Uchiha Shigeka naturally understood, after all, it was Shimura Danzo who died at his hands. If he didn’t understand, who would?

Looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen's dazed look, Uchiha Shigeka sneered in his heart.

His face was calm, and he continued to call: "Hokage-sama, Hokage-sama..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen came back to his senses and looked up at Uchiha Shigeka.

"Ah, it's Shigeka." Sarutobi Hiruzen sat upright and said, "Shigeka, what can I do for you?"

"Hokage-sama, I am here to report on the work of the Police Department."

Uchiha Shigeka looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen worriedly and said, "Hokage, you look very tired..."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, sighed and said, "I think you already know about Danzo's disappearance."

Uchiha Shigeka nodded hesitantly and said, "I just found out about this this morning from what the seniors talked about."

"Danzo is missing... This is unexpected."

Uchiha Shigeka said: "Danzo is cautious and strong, and he has Root ninja guards around him. I didn't expect that he would get into trouble."

Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed with Uchiha Shigeka's words.

Danzo Shimura himself is quite powerful, with his Wind Release being a superb skill, and having the strength of a Kage.

Whenever Danzo Shimura went on a mission, he would be accompanied by his trusted subordinates as guards - Sarutobi Hiruzen knew those people, and each of them had unique skills and the strength of a jonin.

Such a team configuration is luxurious, and they cooperate closely with each other, achieving the effect of one plus one being greater than two.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also didn't expect that something would happen to Shimura Danzo.

What’s even more bizarre is that it’s still unknown which force is behind this attack... With this team configuration, who else in the ninja world can take down Danzo Shimura and the others?

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't figure it out.

"Hokage-sama, I heard that Danzo was on a secret mission before he disappeared?"

Uchiha Shigeka asked tentatively: "Perhaps we can find the answer from the mission."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and sighed, "That's not considered a secret mission nowadays. Shigeka, Danzo is going to pick up our undercover agent in Iwagakure and get the information we need from him."

"I have always thought that Danzo may have seen some important information and chose to act first and report later, using that information to make some arrangements."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a little annoyed.

Who would have thought that the people of the Root would conceal the disappearance of Danzo Shimura for a month and a half... This is not a short time, and many traces have disappeared, causing the search to progress slowly.

No, that's no progress!

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't think about the bad Root ninjas, and decided in his heart that he would take the power of the Root into his own hands and never let such a ridiculous thing happen again.

——Hmm? Speaking of which, he also gave Zhonghua full authority to handle Konoha's judicial affairs, right?

But Chonghua did not mind the trouble and insisted on reporting the case records to him every day, and came to the Hokage's office in person every week to report his work to him.

......

Chapter 227: Mitomon En: I lead the Root, is this true?!

"The intelligence we obtained from the Root showed that our undercover agents in Iwagakure did not see Danzo."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and said, "In order to prevent the risk of exposure, our people can't wait too long. In the end, he can only give up the mission and return to Iwagakure."

Uchiha Shigeka narrowed his eyes slightly.

He would think that after killing Danzo Shimura, Sarutobi Hiruzen would soon receive news of his death. The reason for this, apart from the disappearance of the Root Ninja's binding spell and the report to the Hokage, was this undercover agent planted in Iwagakure.

Uchiha Shigeka didn't know what mission Shimura Danzo was carrying out. After all, it was a confidential mission and he had no channels to know.

But no matter what, the failure or interruption of the mission must be reported to Konoha and informed Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Uchiha Shigeka thought so...but now it seems that the Root has failed, so has the undercover agent planted in Iwagakure also failed?

"Didn't the undercover tell us about the mission failure?"

Uchiha Shigeka was curious and asked.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and said, "Things are unpredictable. It was because we had more people and waited for a while that we attracted the attention of Iwagakure."

"To prevent exposure..." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a gloomy expression: "He is an excellent Konoha ninja, enduring the enemy's torture - he managed to keep his mouth shut and did not leak Konoha's information."

The undercover agent failed before he could report the mission, and Shimura Danzo was exposed and sacrificed before he could pass the corresponding information back to Konoha.

Because of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not know about Shimura Danzo's accident at the first time, and because of the Root's own panic and internal strife, as well as following Shimura Danzo's rules, the news of the accident was concealed.

Until the Root ninjas began to ask Sarutobi Hiruzen...

Uchiha Shigeka was silent.

He felt speechless, and the news of Shimura Danzo's disappearance came only a month and a half later.

If Orochimaru was still in Konoha, he had close contacts with the Root and would definitely be able to discover the abnormality of the Root ninjas, and then learn that something had happened to Danzo Shimura. Unfortunately, Orochimaru was sent to the front line by Sarutobi Hiruzen to replace Jiraiya before Danzo Shimura died.

Uchiha Shigeka also said that things in the world are unpredictable. It was strange that he could encounter such a coincidence.

After Uchiha Shigeka thought for a moment, he sighed, his eyes full of admiration.

"...What a pity. He could have successfully delivered the information about Iwagakure to Konoha."

Uchiha Shigeka frowned and said, "So, what happened to Danzo?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Shigeka with a strange look.

Uchiha Shigeka noticed Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze, blinked, and asked in confusion: "Hokage-sama, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Shigeka, so you care so much about Danzo?"

"Hokage, you are overthinking." Uchiha Shigeka quickly retorted, "I am just curious and want to know the whole story of what happened to Danzo."

"I don't want anything to happen to Danzo." Uchiha Shigeka said calmly: "If something happens to Danzo, what will happen to the trial after the war? He hasn't paid the price for his companions who died tragically in the battle at the border of the Land of Earth..."

"Hmm?" Uchiha Shigeka suddenly thought of something, his eyes narrowed, and he said to Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Hokage, Danzo could have staged his own death to escape the trial."

"Alas, Chonghua, you think too much."

This time it was Sarutobi Hiruzen's turn to refute Uchiha Shigeka, and he said helplessly: "I know you are dissatisfied with Danzo, but Danzo will never do what you think."

"Danzo is in real trouble."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took out a few photos and motioned for Uchiha Shigeka to look at them.

Uchiha Shigeka looked at the scenery in the photo...That was the big pit caused by Shimura Danzo's activation of the Four Symbols Seal.

"It's not like there's no news." Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed at the big hole in the photo and said, "This big hole appeared a month and a half ago, which matches the time when Danzo disappeared."

"However, after investigation by the Root ninjas, they do not think this big pit has anything to do with Danzo."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and said, "The Root Ninja did not find any traces from this big pit. There is only soil material there."

"The time is right, but there are no traces or clues."

Uchiha Shigeka looked up at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a flickering look in his eyes.

——It seems that Sarutobi Hiruzen didn’t know that the Four Symbols Sealing Technique was engraved on Shimura Danzo’s body.

Yes, even Shimura Danzo's trusted subordinate, the Root ninja who was skilled in sealing techniques, was surprised by the Inner Four Symbols Seal.

This was something only Danzo Shimura himself knew, his biggest trump card of counterattack before death and mutual destruction. Naturally, the fewer people who knew about it, the better, so that the attack could be unexpected.

There were traces on the original plot of land, including the blood, clothes, weapons of the Root ninjas, fragments of Shimura Danzo's own flesh and blood, and so on.

There are no traces or clues, which is naturally because of the seal of the Four Symbols.

It devours and seals everything.

Sarutobi Hiruzen held the photo and said sadly, "No matter what, this is the only thing related to Danzo's disappearance."

"Okay, I'll take care of Danzo's affairs. Shigeka, today is the day for you to summarize your work."

Sarutobi Hiruzen is now very attentive to listening to reports from his subordinates - he has to be attentive, because the way the Root ninjas concealed the truth is really impressive.

It is precisely because so much time has passed that even the footprints of Shimura Danzo and others have been buried and covered...

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Uchiha Shigeka looked solemn and stopped talking about Danzo, instead reporting on judicial work.

......

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Uchiha Shigeka leave through the glass.

dong dong.

There was a knock on the door and Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Come in."

Utane Koharu and Mitokado En walked in together.

"Huruzen, any clues about Danzo?"

As soon as Mitomon En came in, he asked hurriedly, and Utane Koharu looked over.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head: "Not yet."

Mitomon En was a little disappointed: "How come there is no clue at all? There is no news of Danzo anywhere in the huge ninja world. Has he disappeared from the face of the earth?!"

Utatane Koharu continued, "Not only Danzo, but his trusted subordinates are also missing... Which force did it, and what do they think of Konoha?"

"If it's aimed at Danzo, it's fine, but if it's aimed at Konoha..."

The three of them looked at each other with heavy expressions.

"Whether or not such a force really exists, we must be prepared to prevent it from happening."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and looked at Mito Kado En.

"Yan, you come and lead the roots."

"what?"

Mitomon En was stunned. Is it true that he led the Root?!

......

Chapter 228: Roots, Airborne Leaders

Mitomon En's concerns are not without reason.

The ninjas of the Root are all die-hards who have been brainwashed and disciplined by Shimura Danzo. It is not easy for Mito Kado En to take over the leadership of the Root.

Inside the underground base of the roots.

"Counselor-sama, please do not change Danzo-sama's rules."

After Danzo Shimura disappeared, the Root was leaderless and naturally needed a proxy to take charge.

This Root Ninja was the one who had gone to the Hokage's office to ask for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The Root Ninja's voice was flat, and he wore the same animal mask on his face as the Anbu Ninja. The difference was that the mask worn by the Root Ninja had more patterns.

He said calmly: "The rules of the Root are different from those of the Anbu. Mr. Advisor, I'm sorry we can't fulfill your request."

Mitomon En looked grim, and said in a deep voice: "I don't know what rules Danzo has set for you, but that is all in the past. Now, I am the leader of the Root."

"I said, you do it. Go and meet up with the ninjas from the Anbu. Next, you will patrol and be on guard in various places in Konoha to prevent unknown enemies from targeting Konoha..."

"Advisor." The Root Ninja interrupted Mitomon En and said, "This kind of thing can be done by the Anbu. We still need to find the whereabouts of Danzo-sama. We shouldn't waste our energy on such an unimportant matter."

"It doesn't matter?" Mizuto Menyan snorted coldly: "I have the final say on whether it is important or not!"

"You have no right to refuse. The Hokage is already very unhappy that you, the Root, concealed the news of Danzo's accident. Why, are you going to disobey the order issued by the Hokage now?"