Chapter 275: Root Attack

The border between the New Rain Country and the Akatsuki Organization is divided by rolling mountains. Due to some historical reasons, the two sides did not clearly divide the border, but only roughly agreed on it, which also made this mountain range a place where filth and dirt are hidden. Many rebellious ninjas gathered here, and the safety was not high.

Early that morning, the highest administrative officer Sakata quietly came to the center of the mountains, his face was ashen and he looked to be in a very bad mood.

A Konoha Anbu wrapped in a cloak squatted on the ground, carefully examining the two bodies. The visibility in the forest was very dim, and in order to better deduce the fatal wound, he even used a ninja flashlight.

After a long while, the Konoha Anbu ninja stood up and reported the result in a low voice: "Both died from sharp weapons. One had his throat cut, and the other had his heart pierced. There were also many bruises on their bodies. They were tortured before they died."

It's concise and to the point, which is in line with the style of the Anbu.

Sakata nodded and said gloomily, "How many times has this happened this month?"

"The fourth one."

"What are the casualties?"

"Sixteen people died."

"Sigh~"

Sakata's face became more and more ugly. In his jurisdiction, there were many serious cases of residents dying. If the higher authorities investigated, he would be charged with dereliction of duty. He was only in his thirties this year. His wonderful life had just begun. He had tasted the magic of power, so he naturally did not want to be demoted to a idle person in the village.

"What are the results of the Anbu investigation?"

The Anbu ninja lowered his head and said in shame: "There is no major progress at the moment. We only know that this was done by a wandering ninja."

Objectively speaking, it is very difficult to track down the real culprit in a mountain range with dense vegetation, complex terrain and vast area. Even if the Anbu ninjas are professionals, it would be a pipe dream to solve the case in a short time.

One or two hundred people entering the mountains are like fish entering the sea. How can they be eradicated in just a few days?

But Sakata couldn't wait that long. He didn't even have a week! People in the area were already panicking. Many people were terrified when talking about the mountains. If the problem wasn't solved, no one would be willing to go to the dense forests to look for mountain products. By then, the provincial economy would be doomed to fail.

The area under Sakata's jurisdiction is adjacent to the vast mountains, and most of the economic income comes from there. If you want to achieve excellent results in the mid-year assessment, you must encourage people to go into the mountains to hunt for treasures. You know, there is a mushroom craze in the Fire Country now, and fried mushrooms and roasted mushrooms have become popular dishes, which can bring impressive income.

When Uchiha Fugaku visited last month, Sakata had vowed to solve the problem of food and clothing in the area within a year, to achieve economic and food self-sufficiency, and never ask the village for a penny or a grain of food. He also drafted a plan of tens of thousands of words and submitted it to the Hokage for reading, for which he was commended by the village.

The worst thing to do is to give up halfway. Sakata deeply understands why he can take charge of a province and become a hot new generation figure in Konoha Village. It's because he is good at making money! If the mountains become a graveyard for civilians, how can he continue to be glorious?

Therefore, no matter from which perspective, solving this problem has become Sakata's most urgent matter at the moment, even far surpassing the spring farming work that has not yet been completed.

But the tricky problem is that Sakata doesn't have many ninjas to devote to the investigation mission. Most of the ninjas are stationed in villages and places, which means they are local administrative officials of all sizes. They cannot be transferred out. Once he reports the case here, what will the Hokage think? What will the Deputy Hokage think?

Sakata's face was uncertain. After thinking for a long time, he finally made up his mind: "Send someone to report to Uchiha Fugaku, the deputy hokage, and ask him to send support."

The Anbu ninja hesitated to speak, but finally accepted the order and left.

"Bury the body properly and post notices prohibiting people from entering the depths of the mountains!"

Human life is more important than anything else. Between personal honor and the lives of the people, Sakata chose the latter, even though he didn't want to do so.

Uchiha Fugaku received the report late at night. He was just about to go to bed to rest, but after reading it, he became furious and immediately convened an emergency meeting.

His office was located in the center of the New Rain Country. Originally, there were a few tents, but they moved into a three-story building a few days ago, which officially confirmed the location.

In the conference room on the second floor, Uchiha Fugaku was speaking with saliva flying everywhere. There were dozens of people sitting below, all with unhappy expressions.

"Vice-Hokage, this is a naked provocation! Someone is trying to challenge the authority of Konohagakure and sabotage the achievements of the new policy!" Hyuga Munezane was the first to stand up and express his opinion: "I volunteer to lead a team to arrest these criminals. I beg for your approval!"

Uchiha Fugaku panted and took a big sip of the teacup. Hearing this, he said, "The criminals must be severely punished, otherwise where is the authority of Konoha? Where is the foundation of the new policy? But you can't go. You are the steward of the new Rain Country. Many things cannot be done without you."

"Professional matters should be left to professionals. Where are the Root Ninjas?"

In the corner of the seats, a ninja wearing a light yellow cloak and an eagle mask immediately knelt down but did not speak.

"You Root Ninjas have been resting up since arriving in the New Rain Country. I'm afraid you've gotten lice from all the idleness, right?"

The Root Ninja still remained silent. That was the education he received, which emphasized being cold and ruthless.

"Bring all the Root Ninjas here. I only give you five days. When the deadline is up, I want to see the enemy's head!"

Everyone present looked at him sideways, and a feeling of stability unconsciously grew in their hearts. What is the Root? It is the darkest and coldest place in Konohagakure. All its members are emotionless guys. They have always been the most loyal and sharpest knives in the hands of the Hokage!

"The meeting is dismissed!"

When everyone dispersed, the Root Ninja just left instantly without even a greeting. The other ninjas were not surprised as they were used to it.

In a dark and damp cave, dozens of ninjas were training hard. This was the base of the Root in the New Rain Country. As the saying goes, a little can reveal a lot. Other ninjas lived in warm and comfortable houses, but only the Root, a group of freaks, liked caves. They would go into caves wherever they went, as if there was a special charm there.

The Root ninja entered the cave and blew the assembly call without saying a word. Within just a few seconds, all the ninjas stood in front of him in unison.

"Deputy Hokage's order!" The voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time.

Many ninjas knelt down and said, "All Roots are dispatched to Shannan Province to arrest the criminals, regardless of life or death!"

Still no one spoke, they dispersed like heartless robots, each packing their own luggage.

The leading Root ninja made a cryptic gesture and called two people to walk out of the cave. He looked at the heavy rain and fell into reminiscence.

After a long time, he slowly said, "How long has it been since the Root received such a task?"

"Two years, three months and six days!"

The Root Ninja hesitated for a moment, then took off the mask on his face, revealing a slightly weathered face. This was a middle-aged man in his forties, with an extremely ordinary face, the kind that no one would notice when walking on the street, but his eyes were incredibly sharp, as dazzling as a flashlight in the dark.

"Since Danzo's death, the once iron-blooded Root has become a toothless tiger, thrown into a corner at random. We are the only remaining old men, shouldering the responsibility of restoring the glory of the Root."

"The Hokage has deliberately carried out reforms, and some of the guys who were originally insignificant have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and even rode on the top of our Root! I really can't swallow this breath, can you bear it?"

"cannot!"

"The Root is not favored by the Hokage, but we are still a part of Konoha and should eliminate all potential threats to the village. We didn't have the opportunity to demonstrate our value before, but now the opportunity has come. Do you know what to do?"

"Know!"

"Repeat that for me."

"Kill all suspicious persons!"

The middle-aged man closed his eyes and listened to his subordinates' words, as if he had returned to those iron-blooded days, his expression full of enjoyment.

"The Deputy Hokage ordered us to do this because he thinks highly of us and believes that we are still useful! This mission must succeed and not fail, otherwise we will simply commit suicide!"

"Yes!"

The two subordinates left, and the middle-aged man took out a thin piece of paper from his pocket and read it attentively in the light emitted from the cave. If someone came closer to look at it at this time, they would be dumbfounded, because he was actually reading a journal published by the Ninjutsu Research Association!

There were not many words written on the paper, but everything written by Ye Shan himself was bolded and enlarged, making it very easy to read. It clearly stated the purpose and program of the Ninjutsu Research Association, which was obviously the first issue.

"With ninjas as the leadership class...With ninjas as the leadership class..."

The middle-aged man kept muttering these words, his expression was dazed, but he was infatuated...

..........

On the afternoon of the second day, dozens of Root ninjas quietly sneaked into the mountains, first set up a radio for communication, and then dispersed to search for suspicious targets.

They did not think of going to the Shannan Administrative Office to review the case files, because there was no need to do so. The Roots' style of action was very simple and crude, and their thinking was also very simple and unpretentious: since someone was causing trouble here, we would just kill everyone and the problem would naturally go away.

As I said, anti-corruption requires evidence, cracking down on gangsters and eliminating evil also requires evidence, but killing terrorists does not require evidence, or in other words, your being alive is the evidence!

As the sky gradually darkened, a middle-aged man and a subordinate jumped between sturdy trees. He was not wearing a mask, nor the unique uniform of the Root. Instead, he wore a Konoha standard vest, looking like a normal ninja.

"Sir, there is a chakra reaction at the three o'clock position!"

The middle-aged man's expression froze, and he fell to the ground without saying anything. After a sway, he rushed into the bushes at the three o'clock direction.

"Ah! Who is this!"

The violent sound of iron collision sounded and ended in a hurry. The middle-aged man walked out of the bushes with a bloody head in his hand. It was obvious that he was the winner of the encounter.

With an indifferent expression, he squatted on the ground and spread out a scroll, sealed the head that was still open-eyed, and then put it close to his body, whispering: "How long will you hide?"

The surroundings were silent, with no extra sounds except for the breathing of the two people. A fierce look flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes, and he pressed his right hand on the mud to launch a ninjutsu: "Earth Style: Earthquake Core!"

In an instant, a square block of earth rose up from the ground not far in front of him, and then a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it was shot at it.

"boom!"

Intense and scorching flames illuminated the forest. A ninja dressed in ordinary clothes nimbly dodged the aftermath of the explosion and landed on a tree trunk with incredible precision.

The middle-aged man frowned and looked at the ninja not far away. After a moment, he said in a hoarse voice: "It turns out to be Terumi Mizuki from the Hidden Mist Village. It's been a long time since we last met."

Terumi Hong patted the rain off her clothes, looking unhappy: "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

The middle-aged man twisted his neck, his eyes eager to try: "Who I am is not important, but why do you appear in the territory of the New Rain Country as the deputy director of the Kirigakure Village's Anbu?"

"Within the territory of the New Rain Country?" Terumi Hong sneered and said, "If I remember correctly, this place belongs to the Akatsuki organization. When did you Konoha ninjas learn to speak without hesitation?"

The middle-aged man patted his head and said in annoyance: "I am so stupid. Why should I waste my time talking to you? All the ninjas who appear here are enemies. Just kill them."

"You retreat, the enemy is very strong and you can't handle it."

The Root Ninja immediately left in an instant. Terumi Hong wanted to stop him, but the middle-aged man opposite him put too much pressure on her, so in order to win, she let him leave.

The middle-aged man's right hand trembled slightly, and a steel claw was put on his wrist. The steel claw was glowing all over, and at the end of it was a chain with an iron ball, which was completely different from the weapons used by ordinary ninjas.

The middle-aged man was holding an iron chain in his left hand and swinging an iron ball. He had his right steel claws tied to his chest and crouched majestically, ready for battle like a hunting beast.

Terumi Hong's expression changed drastically. He finally realized the origin of the enemy. A trace of fear flashed in his eyes and he had the idea of ​​escaping.

It wasn't that Terumi Hong was afraid of fighting, but the middle-aged man's reputation was too terrifying. If he guessed correctly, he was from the Shimura clan, belonging to the most mysterious root of Konohagakure, and was good at wind escape and physical skills. He had made a great name for himself with the weapons in his hands.

"You are the famous Ripper of the Root - Shimura Danno, right? Shimura Danzo is your brother, why didn't Hayama kill you?"

The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "Who do you think you are? How dare you address the Hokage by his name?"

Terumi Hong was stunned and asked in surprise: "Yayama killed your brother and destroyed the Root. Don't you hate him?"

"boom!"

Powerful chakra raged in the small forest, creating a violent hurricane with the middle-aged man as the center: "You bastard, you are not allowed to address the Hokage by his name!"

"Wind Escape·Big Breakthrough!"