At the very beginning, Root had been established under the guise of an Anbu Training Division, gaining Sarutobi Hiruzen's approval only because it was framed as serving the village.
But Danzō, harboring his own ambitions, had long since twisted it into a private organization that obeyed no one but him.
In other words—Root was nothing less than Danzō's personal army.
To expand his power, Danzō stopped at nothing. He not only borrowed the Anbu Training Division's name to demand recruits from Konoha's great clans, but also seized control of the village's subsidy funds, using them as leverage over the orphanage.
Under his manipulation, the orphanage became Root's greatest and most stable source of fresh blood.
Through this system, Root grew rapidly, until it became a shadowy force in Konoha that no one could ignore.
That was why, when Danzō learned that the orphanage had suddenly refused to provide Root with any new children, his reaction was so violent.
After all, Root's brutal training methods and the extreme nature of its missions created an enormous demand for constant replacements.
"What is going on here?" Danzō's voice was low and venomous, unwilling to allow the orphanage to slip from his control.
"It was Hirakawa Aoshi," came the report from his trusted subordinate, Aburame Ryōma. "He donated enough funds to keep the orphanage running independently."
Ryōma, a member of the Aburame clan, was one of Root's elite operatives and currently served as Danzō's personal guard.
At his words, Danzō's brows furrowed deeply.
To him, someone like Hirakawa Aoshi should have been insignificant. Yet Aoshi's current strength and rising fame made him far too troublesome to strike at carelessly.
This was not the Konoha of the future—where, after the Third Great Ninja War, Hatake Sakumo would be driven to suicide, the "Legendary Sannin" scattered and estranged, and the village left weakened by both external threats and internal strife with the Uchiha.
In the present, Hiruzen still depended heavily on Root's strength. Because of that, he was forced to compromise with Danzō.
But if Danzō dared move against Aoshi now, both Hiruzen and Tsunade would never let it pass. Not to mention—Aoshi had even earned the recognition of Uzumaki Mito.
"…Hirakawa Aoshi."
Moments ago, Danzō had been mocking him as a wayward fool, but now he could feel the thorn in his side.
Even he had to admit that Aoshi's Hirakawa Film Company was absurdly profitable—profitable enough to make even him envious.
With Aoshi's backing, the Konoha orphanage truly could break free of his control.
The thought made Danzō grit his teeth in regret. He had investigated Aoshi thoroughly in the past and knew well that the boy had grown up in that very orphanage.
In other words, by rights, a talent like Hirakawa Aoshi should have been cultivated into one of Root's own. But instead, Hiruzen had reaped the benefit while he was left with nothing.
Still, no amount of regret would change the present. What mattered now was finding a way to resolve this problem.
"Danzō-sama," Aburame Ryōma spoke again, his tone measured. "Shall I send someone to… deal with Hirakawa Aoshi?"
He didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he traced a finger across his own throat in a silent gesture. The meaning was clear—assassinate Aoshi.
As a Root operative, he could never issue orders to Danzō directly—only offer suggestions.
Within Root, Danzō's authority was absolute. His will was law.
"No. We can't move against Hirakawa Aoshi yet. Instead, go and inform him that I will meet him tonight." Though Danzō was seething with anger, his rationality remained intact.
"Yes, sir!" Aburame Ryōma's figure flickered and vanished, reappearing moments later at Konoha Hospital, where he found Aoshi inside his office.
"Hirakawa Aoshi. Lord Danzō wishes to see you tonight."
The words were delivered in a cold, emotionless tone.
Before Aoshi could even reply, Ryōma had already disappeared once again, leaving only a slip of paper with an address on Aoshi's desk.
It was very much in line with the behavior of Anbu. And yet, unlike Anbu, Root operatives had no regard for courtesy—they would trespass into an office or a private room without permission.
"Hmph. So you couldn't sit still any longer, could you, Danzō?"
Aoshi wasn't surprised by the summons. In fact, he had considered an even harsher possibility—that Danzō would simply send assassins after him.
But clearly, the man didn't yet dare to act so recklessly within Konoha at this time.
With no intention of dwelling on it, Aoshi calmly continued his work. Only after finishing for the day did he create a shadow clone and send it to the appointed location to meet Danzō.
"Hirakawa Aoshi—the genius who's become the talk of Konoha. I see great potential in you. Would you be willing to join Root? Here, you would receive the best possible treatment."
Danzō would much rather recruit Aoshi than eliminate him. If Aoshi agreed, not even Hiruzen Sarutobi would be able to oppose it.
But Aoshi dismissed it outright. "Spare me the pointless talk."
Such blunt rejection darkened Danzō's expression. His eyes glinted with a dangerous killing intent.
"How dare you show such disrespect to Lord Danzō!"
Ryōma immediately barked, hands flying into seals as though ready to attack. But Danzō raised a hand, stopping him.
"Heh… so this is the arrogance of youth."
Danzō's laugh was low and sinister, with deliberate emphasis on the word youth—a sharp insult meant to belittle Aoshi as rash and reckless.
"You should know that the orphanage falls under Root's jurisdiction. You've overstepped your bounds."
"Heh. Funny, I don't recall the orphanage ever belonging to Root. Perhaps I should confirm that with Lord Hokage himself."
Aoshi's retort made Danzō's face sink into an even darker shade. The boy had no intention of yielding. He was openly setting himself against Danzō, even daring to invoke Hiruzen's authority as a threat.
Clearly, this was a dangerous, willful child—one who would someday become a threat to Konoha's order.
He cannot be allowed to live. Yet Danzō made no move.
He knew full well that the Aoshi before him was only a shadow clone. Striking here would achieve nothing—only tear away the last shred of pretense between them.
"If all you wanted was meaningless chatter, then there's no point in continuing."
Unmoved by Danzō's killing intent, Aoshi turned his back and walked away. He wanted to see just how far Danzō would dare go.
"Lord Danzō?" Ryōma tried to speak again, but Danzō silenced him with a sharp gesture.
With a cold snort, Danzō departed as well.
Furious, seething with suppressed rage, he didn't return to Root or his own residence.
Instead, he made his way to Orochimaru's research base.
"Danzō… what business brings you here, instead of sulking in your dark little base?"
Orochimaru's mocking words only fueled the storm inside Danzō. His fury, his hatred, his killing intent—all burned hotter.
But he knew he still had use for Orochimaru.
Suppressing his emotions, he spoke coldly: "Orochimaru… I want you to help me eliminate Hirakawa Aoshi."