153 [Sponsored] Chapter 153: Akihara Kagura becoming the leader of Root

[This Chapter Is Sponsored by herdy! Everyone, please thank him in the comment!]

Shimura Danzo was dismissed from his position.

Shimura Danzo, who followed alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen and Akihara Kagura, thinking he would still be like Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura as one of the Konoha advisory elders, remaining a high-ranking member of Konoha. When speaking to Akihara Kagura, he still maintained a condescending attitude.

"Kagura."

"The Will of the Root is the essence of its existence."

"Even if you succeed the Root, do not casually make any changes to the Root I established. The Root's ninjas are born for the darkness of Konoha..."

"I understand Lord Danzo's point, but..."

Akihara Kagura hesitated for a moment, glancing at Shimura Danzo, seemingly reluctant to hurt his pride: "Aren't the current Root ninjas all useless?"

"What did you say!"

Shimura Danzo's face immediately turned sour.

"When I was in the Root, starting to learn Wood Release, not a single person could withstand me for ten seconds..."

As Akihara Kagura spoke, he happened to see a returning Anbu captain and casually mentioned an example: "The Root can't even pick someone who can defeat Kakashi..."

"..."

Shimura Danzo clenched his teeth in resentment.

The famously known Sharingan Kakashi is considered weak? There are hardly any ninjas in Konoha who are better than Hatake Kakashi!

And...

Who could be a match for you, youngster?

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't be your opponent!

"Hey, hey, hey, you..."

Hatake Kakashi, holding an unconscious youth in his arms, just about to report to Sarutobi Hiruzen, heard Akihara Kagura badmouthing himself: "Though I am indeed not much, you make it sound like I am really bad..."

"You heard wrong, I was praising you."

"That doesn't sound like a compliment..."

"Kakashi, this is..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen planned their exchange, looking at the youth in Hatake Kakashi's arms, and frowned: "I remember this child... Is this Itachi's brother, Uchiha Sasuke?"

"There's still one that slipped through the net..."

"Kagura!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped Akihara Kagura, well aware that the Uchiha clan posed no threat anymore, with only Uchiha Sasuke remaining, and there was no need to do anything further.

Even...

The Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai is very important to Konoha.

"Severely affected by genjutsu."

After examining, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately ordered: "Is he the only survivor? Take this child to the hospital first!"

"Yes!"

Hatake Kakashi immediately left with Sasuke.

"..."

Akihara Kagura no longer objected.

[System Prompt]: [The mission of quelling the Uchiha clan's rebellion, leaving Uchiha Sasuke alive, has been completed, reward: Transcription Seal.]

[Transcription Seal (Through eye contact, set conditions in advance, and through the Mangekyo Sharingan, seal the jutsu formula in advance in one's own or the target's eyes. When the conditions are met, the jutsu will be automatically activated.)]

"Kakashi is an excellent ninja."

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Hatake Kakashi and corrected Akihara Kagura's statement: "It's rare to find someone in the village who can match Kakashi..."

Akihara Kagura did not argue, whispering, "I learned a lot from Captain Kakashi in the past, so I plan to train my subordinates in the way Captain Kakashi did..."

"This won't do!"

Shimura Danzo interrupted Akihara Kagura before he could finish, immediately expressing his objection: "Kagura, I am the founder of the Root, no one is more..."

"Lord Danzo."

Akihara Kagura interrupted Shimura Danzo, softly uttering a phrase very familiar yet loathed by Danzo: "Now, I am the leader of the Root. When I was in the Root, I had already thought of reforming it..."

Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly.

This damn brat!

But it didn't matter, Danzo believed in his control over the Root, and the other Root ninjas still had the cursed seal, they would still obey his commands!

"Danzo."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took the opportunity to support his assistant, speaking sternly: "I have removed all your duties, now you can go back and rest well."

"What?"

Danzo's eyes widened involuntarily.

However, Akihara Kagura already understood what Sarutobi Hiruzen meant.

[System Prompt]: Superior (Shimura Danzo) has been removed.

This is the power of the Hokage...

Just one sentence can remove all your boss!

Now, Akihara Kagura's only superiors in Konoha are Sarutobi Hiruzen and his Teacher Jiraiya.

As for Shimura Danzo, he really didn't get it.

Perhaps this old man didn't understand that this time, by stripping him of his position as the Hokage's assistant and the leader of the Root, he would not be able to wield power for some time.

Not for any other reason.

Because Konoha no longer had any internal or external troubles.

If Danzo continued to wield power, he would not only be unable to nourish Konoha but would become a parasite that drained it.

Of course.

Akihara Kagura would still respect Danzo.

After all, Danzo was the one who brought him back to Konoha, he wouldn't refuse to help just because the system didn't reward him.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the Hokage, could not tolerate Danzo continuing to lead power in Konoha, then help Lord Danzo, help him find a better position!

However, before Akihara Kagura could say anything, Danzo left angrily, with the two Root ninjas who had been following him unsure of what to do...

Although Danzo was the controller of the cursed seal...

But Akihara Kagura, as the current leader of the Root, also had a significant reputation. If they left with Danzo now, would they really not be beaten by this new boss?

Akihara Kagura was not a petty person, he waved at them saying: "First, take Lord Danzo home, then return to the Root base to report!"

"Yes, Lord Kagura!"

These two Root ninjas had long been accustomed to shouting this phrase.

"..."

Shimura Danzo coldly turned his head to glance at his former subordinates, suppressing the rage in his heart, and slowly left the place with the aid of his cane.

As Shimura Danzo was on his way home, he encountered Uchiha Itachi head-on. This man had just caused a commotion and was now seeking to fulfill a promise from Shimura Danzo.

"Uchiha Itachi..."

The two Root operatives immediately tensed up.

"I've come to have you fulfill your promise."

Uchiha Itachi, looking at Shimura Danzo, coldly said, "Never harm Sasuke. Once you break your promise, I will leak Konoha's information to enemy countries."

Shimura Danzo indeed felt a bit troubled.

Because he was no longer a high-ranking official in Konoha, but instead, it was Akihara Kagura who had become a high-ranking official. Given Akihara Kagura's attitude towards the Uchiha clan, the safety of Uchiha Sasuke was indeed uncertain...

"Akihara Kagura has replaced me as the leader of the Root."

Shimura Danzo shared news that immediately made Uchiha Itachi's scalp tingle, before continuing, "If he dares to harm Uchiha Sasuke, I will stop him..."

Uchiha Itachi's gaze was filled with skepticism.

If Akihara Kagura wanted to kill Sasuke, what could Shimura Danzo possibly do to stop him?

Uchiha Itachi believed he was strong enough tonight, yet controlling Susanoo and the Three-Tails, he would still be directly crushed by Akihara Kagura. Who else could stop that man from killing?

However...

There was another person.

Uchiha Itachi thought of another person he wanted to see, and his body instantly transformed into a flock of crows, disappearing from Shimura Danzo's sight.

"He's also a bastard..."

After cursing under his breath, Shimura Danzo then ordered the two Root operatives beside him, "I want you to bring back all the Sharingan eyes in the Root Base. Send them all to my house!"

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

The two Root operatives dared not object.

Elsewhere.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, along with Akihara Kagura, had finished their patrol.

In the entire Uchiha clan, only Uchiha Sasuke was found to be a survivor; the other Uchiha clan members had probably all been killed, and some bodies couldn't even be found, likely destroyed by Uchiha Itachi's first Tailed Beast Bomb.

As Sarutobi Hiruzen and Akihara Kagura returned to the Hokage's office, both sensed someone hiding here. Akihara Kagura raised his finger.

No need to ask.

This chakra was very familiar tonight.

"Kagura."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, stopping Akihara Kagura's actions, and sighed, "Kagura, you leave first. I have matters to attend to."

Akihara Kagura furrowed his brows.

"Don't worry."

Sarutobi Hiruzen already knew that the person hiding here was Uchiha Itachi. He knew Uchiha Itachi's purpose for coming here was definitely not to assassinate him.

After all, Akihara Kagura was right here.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was also worried about a conflict arising between Akihara Kagura and Uchiha Itachi, and continued, "So much has happened tonight, you should go back and rest now, Kagura. That's an order."

"..."

Akihara Kagura could only instantly leave the spot.

After Akihara Kagura left, the figure of Uchiha Itachi appeared instantly, kneeling on one knee behind Sarutobi Hiruzen, as if he was still that ninja loyal to Konoha.

"I have guessed as much."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and continued, "Regardless, I should first thank you. At least after tonight, Konoha has avoided a civil war and maintained peace in the village."

"However..."

"I still have some regrets."

"The ones I had the highest hopes for were you and Kagura, because you have been good at thinking from a young age, while Kagura acts somewhat recklessly. I thought you two would be able to support Konoha together in the future, even arranging for you to be his teammate..."

"I'm sorry."

Uchiha Itachi apologized softly.

"I thought Kagura was extreme enough..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not turn around, but said with some sadness, "I didn't expect your actions to be even more extreme than his... The person who should be apologizing is me, it's all my fault for not finding a way to deal with the Uchiha and Konoha issue in time, making your generation bear our mistakes. You all were supposed to be the future of Konoha..."

"..."

Uchiha Itachi bowed his head deeply.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped his lamentation and spoke about his handling of Uchiha Itachi, "Starting tomorrow, Konoha will regard you as a rogue ninja who killed his clan, listing you on the wanted list for capture, dead or alive..."

"That's only natural."

Uchiha Itachi did not argue.

"What are you planning to do?"

"This time I found Uchiha Obito to help, he asked me to join an organization called Akatsuki. I plan to stay close to Uchiha Obito and gather information on him and Akatsuki..."

Uchiha Itachi mentioned the name of the Akatsuki organization, even thinking ahead about his future, planning to follow Uchiha Obito as a rogue ninja.

"Obito, huh..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed again.

As they talked about Uchiha Obito, they had no idea that Uchiha Obito was watching them from not far away, and there was another person also observing here.

"This is a spy infiltrating our Akatsuki..."

Akihara Kagura stood next to Uchiha Obito, chuckling softly.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen had Akihara Kagura leave, he then found Uchiha Obito, coming here to watch the spectacle.

"Hmph, doesn't matter."

Uchiha Obito did not care, snorting coldly, "After all, we are short on manpower, Uchiha Itachi is just a pawn for capturing the Tailed Beasts anyway…"

Uchiha Obito cared more about what was before him and Akihara Kagura: "However, you really are terrifying, perhaps even Uchiha Madara, the ancestor of the Uchihas, would not be your match..."

"Who knows..."

Akihara Kagura would not be careless.

The threat of this world has never vanished.

Even that entity, Zetzu, floating with half of its body, behind it lies a considerable threat, one that even Akihara Kagura must be wary of.

"Alright."

Uchiha Obito's figure vanished into a spatial vortex, leaving behind only one sentence: "Don't forget your once made promise, I'll go ahead to the designated place to wait for him."

"We should go too, Kagura."

Zetzu's figure also slowly sank into the ground.

"..."

Akihara Kagura nodded, vanishing instantly from the spot.

On the upper floors of the Hokage's residence.

Uchiha Itachi and Sarutobi Hiruzen were still talking.

Uchiha Itachi was very worried about the safety of his brother, Sasuke, hoping that his brother would not encounter any mishaps: "I'm worried that Kagura might bear a grudge for what I've done in the past..."

"I will look after him."

Sarutobi Hiruzen reassured Uchiha Itachi, softly saying, "Your brother might hate you more, but Kagura won't hurt him. I will also remind Kagura to abandon any thoughts of revenge against you, to avoid any trouble if you meet him..."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Uchiha Itachi bowed his head in thanks, finally feeling relieved.

However, when Uchiha Itachi and Sarutobi Hiruzen finished their conversation and were about to leave the Hokage's residence to meet Uchiha Obito at the designated place, they encountered the last person they wished to see on their way downstairs.

Akihara Kagura.

Akihara Kagura seemed to have been here all along, never leaving. Upon seeing Uchiha Itachi descending the stairs, he finally spoke: "I had been hoping you would stage a good play of assassinating the Hokage, so I could justifiably kill you…"