The roar of the colliding Ninjutsu had not yet fully faded, and thick smoke mixed with water mist still lingered heavily in the air.
"Whew—! Whew—!"
The sharp whistles of the Military Police Force rapidly drew closer.
Several figures descended onto the rooftops and shattered walls surrounding the street, vaguely forming a perimeter around the area.
Among the arrivals were Anbu wearing animal masks as well as Konoha Ninja dressed in standard uniforms bearing the Police Force insignia on their sleeves.
"What is going on here?! Using Ninjutsu on this scale inside the Village?!"
An Anbu Captain wearing a fox mask shouted sternly as his sharp gaze swept across the battlefield-like scene.
His eyes first landed on the devastated street—the collapsed walls, the shattered ground, the muddy water flooding everywhere, and Kagutsuchi Shin standing calmly amidst the ruins.
Then, his gaze shifted toward the three somewhat disheveled Root Ninja still wearing animal masks.
The Anbu Captain's eyes narrowed instantly.
Clearly, he recognized who they were. But procedures still had to be followed.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking a Genin of this Village here?" His voice, muffled beneath the mask, carried a chilling edge.
The Root Ninja wearing the tanuki mask stepped forward, seemingly intending to explain the situation as concisely as possible.
"We are acting under Danzo-sama's orders to invite Kagutsuchi Shin to—"
"They claim to belong to something called 'Root.'" Before he could finish speaking, Shin interrupted him directly.
"I had just returned from my mission when these three suddenly appeared and blocked my path. They said they wanted to take me to meet someone named 'Danzo.'"
Shin looked around at the gathered Konoha Ninja before speaking loudly and clearly:
"I've never heard of any organization called 'Root' in the Ninja Handbook or among the official organizations of Konoha."
"And I certainly don't know anyone named Danzo. I, Kagutsuchi Shin, am an officially registered Konoha Ninja directly under Hokage-sama."
"The only people whose orders I obey are the Third Hokage and my Jonin Instructor, Yamato-sensei."
As he said this, his gaze shifted coldly toward the three Root Ninja.
"I already told them clearly that unless Hokage-sama or Yamato-sensei personally gave the order, I would not go anywhere with them."
"But instead of leaving…They threatened me. They said this was my final chance, and if I refused to cooperate, they would use force."
At that point, Shin let out a cold sneer.
"In the middle of Konoha Village…Threatening and attempting to abduct a ninja of this Village in broad daylight?"
"I really want to ask…Who exactly gave them the courage to do that?"
The moment Shin finished speaking, everyone present immediately understood the core issue.
After all, this sort of "recruitment method" used by Root was practically an old tradition by now.
And the person involved was none other than this year's top graduate from the Ninja Academy.
Naturally, most people instinctively believed Shin's version of events.
The surrounding Konoha Ninja—whether members of the Police Force or Anbu—immediately looked at the three Root operatives with open hostility.
"Bastards!"
"What do you think this Village is?!"
"…How dare you act so arrogantly!"
Faced with the furious reactions from the surrounding ninja, the tanuki-masked Root operative fell silent for a moment before still attempting to explain.
"We…"
"Enough." A voice filled with suppressed fury suddenly rang out.
The next instant, a figure appeared directly in front of Shin using the Body Flicker Technique.
It was Yamato. His face was stern as he stared coldly at the three Root Ninja.
He had not gone far originally.
The moment he sensed the familiar massive chakra fluctuations of Water Release and Earth Release—along with the violent sounds of destruction—he had immediately rushed back at full speed.
And now, after seeing the scene before him and hearing Shin's accusations, he instantly understood exactly what had happened.
As the former "Kinoe," nobody understood Root's methods better than he did.
"So it really was you…" Yamato's voice was ice-cold. "Danzo-sama's hand truly reaches far."
"Shin is my student, and also a Konoha Genin personally acknowledged by Hokage-sama. Who exactly gave you the authority to publicly threaten and attempt to abduct him inside the Village?"
The three Root Ninjas completely fell silent.
Facing Yamato—a former comrade fully aware of their origins and methods—along with the increasing number of Konoha Ninja who were clearly siding with Shin, any attempt at defense now seemed utterly powerless.
Seeing this, the Anbu Captain immediately understood the general sequence of events.
He stepped forward and spoke coldly toward the three Root operatives. "You three will come with us. This matter must be reported to Hokage-sama for judgment."
Then he turned toward Yamato and Shin.
"Captain Yamato."
"And you, Genin. You will also accompany us to explain the details of this incident to Hokage-sama."
Yamato nodded before lightly patting Shin on the shoulder and speaking in a lower voice.
"It's alright now, Shin. You handled this correctly."
Shin's expression remained calm and indifferent.
"Just a few clowns."
"Nothing worth worrying about."
Under the watchful gaze of everyone present, the group began heading toward the Hokage Building.
Meanwhile, under the "escort" of numerous Konoha Ninja, the three Root operatives found themselves subtly but completely surrounded as they walked forward.
—
Hokage Office.
The atmosphere was unbearably heavy.
Sarutobi Hiruzen silently finished listening to the report delivered by the Anbu Captain.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the three Root Ninja standing there with lowered heads and suppressed presences, then moved toward Kagutsuchi Shin, whose expression appeared calm despite the sharpness hidden within his eyes, before finally meeting Yamato's livid gaze for a brief moment.
He did not speak immediately.
Instead, he calmly picked up his pipe, slowly packed tobacco into it with practiced movements, struck a flame with a crisp click, and took a deep drag.
Thick smoke rose into the air, wrapping around his aged, wrinkled face like a veil and making it impossible to see the turbulent emotions hidden underneath.
The oppressive silence inside the office grew heavier and heavier. It pressed down on everyone present like an invisible mountain.
Just as the suffocating stillness was about to completely crush the three Root Ninja—
Shin suddenly stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly raised his eyes from behind the drifting smoke, his gaze settling upon the black-haired boy standing before him.
Shin looked directly into the Hokage's eyes.
"I don't understand."
His tone sounded restrained and respectful, yet the sharpness hidden within every word remained completely undisguised.
"I had just completed a mission for the Village. Yet while returning home, I was suddenly intercepted and surrounded by three masked, unidentified Ninja."
As he spoke, Shin turned slightly and pointed toward the three Root operatives standing nearby, his eyes turning cold.
"They claimed to belong to an organization called 'Root.' And acting under the orders of someone named 'Danzo,' they attempted to take me away forcibly."
"I already told them clearly that I am a registered Genin of Konoha."
"My direct superior is Yamato-sensei. And my ultimate loyalty belongs to you—the Third Hokage."
"Yet not only did they ignore my refusal…They even threatened to use force."
Shin's eyes narrowed slightly. "Inside Konoha Village, publicly threatening to abduct a ninja of this Village…"
"We never used force at all!"
The tanuki-masked Root Ninja finally could not hold himself back any longer and interrupted loudly, his voice carrying obvious frustration from being accused unfairly.
"It was you who suddenly unleashed large-scale Ninjutsu!"
However, Shin completely ignored his outburst. Instead, he calmly asked the single most critical question in the entire room.
It was also the very same question lingering within the hearts of nearly every ninja present who knew of Root's existence.
"Hokage-sama…I would like to know something. Are this so-called 'Danzo-sama' and this organization called 'Root' actually part of Konoha?"
"If they are not…then why are they allowed to threaten and attack Konoha Ninja so openly within the Village itself?"
"And if they are…" Shin deliberately paused for a moment before continuing, his gaze burning intensely. "Then who exactly gave them the authority to stand above the Hokage's authority?"
"To ignore the Village's laws? To publicly threaten and abduct fellow ninja of Konoha?"
The atmosphere in the office instantly became even heavier.
"Today…they can do this to me. Tomorrow…can they use the exact same methods against any other Konoha Ninja?"
Shin's voice remained calm, yet every word struck directly at the heart of the matter.
"How is behavior like this any different from enemy spies infiltrating the Village? What exactly does the existence of such an organization inside Konoha represent?"
This series of questions struck directly into the hearts of everyone present. And with each sentence, the disgust many of them already felt toward Root deepened further.
So unscrupulous.
So lawless.
What if one day something like this happened to them? Or worse… to their own children?
Just imagining such a possibility was enough to make many people instinctively reject it.
The three Root Ninja desperately wanted to explain that they truly had no intention of directly attacking Shin.
But under the current atmosphere and considering Root's infamous reputation, even if they spoke now, would Hokage-sama or anyone else in the room truly believe them?
…Perhaps only those being wronged themselves understood just how wronged they truly were.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's fingers tightened slightly around his pipe.
He looked deeply at Shin, and for a brief moment, an extremely complicated emotion flickered through his aged eyes.
The office became deathly silent. So silent that even the sound of a needle dropping might have been heard clearly.
Everyone present waited quietly for the Hokage's judgment.
After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly removed the pipe from his mouth.
Just as he was about to speak—
"Hmph!"
A cold snort suddenly echoed from outside the office doors.