No doubt.
Shimura Danzo's home is the focus of the investigation.
Fortunately, Akihara Kagura is leading this mission; otherwise, if Kakashi Hatake wanted to lead the Dark Department in a search, he'd need to get permission from Sarutobi Hiruzen, and it might be too late.
Akihara Kagura and Kakashi Hatake led the Dark Department to seal off this place. Here, they caught two squads of Wood Release Ninjas with the Sharingan and found some leftover Hashirama Cells.
"Do you have any other bases in Konoha?"
Akihara Kagura reached out to grasp a masked Wood Release Ninja and softly said, "Including the four we've caught here, there are eight of you, making a total of twelve people caught, which totals twenty-four Sharingan. This number doesn't add up, so there must be others, right?"
"I don't know!"
The masked ninja stubbornly shook his head.
Akihara Kagura looked at this stubborn fellow, unfazed: "It's okay if you don't want to speak. The Root's logistics team is interrogating your companions. If you're a subordinate of Lord Danzo, you should know the Root's methods. It won't be long before they confess over there..."
"We really don't know!"
This Wood Release Ninja shook his head again, clenched his teeth, and said, "There are a total of seventy-one of us; three squads are stationed in the village. One squad is responsible for monitoring the Hokage Tower, one for monitoring the Root, and one for relaying messages. The remaining people were taken away by Lord Danzo!"
"How many people!"
Kakashi Hatake was taken aback by this number!
The success rate of the experiments with Wood Release and Sharingan was just too high!
Kakashi Hatake, along with Tianzang and Akihara Kagura, were friends and already knew that the success rate of Hashirama Cell Transplantation was very low, with Takanzang's success rate being only one in sixty!
Yet...
Kakashi Hatake had already seen Shimura Danzo's transfer order.
Shimura Danzo had transferred a total of one hundred forty-three Sharingan from the Root, and seventy-one people with transplanted Sharingan and Hashirama Cells survived, with the success rate being nearly one hundred percent!
Apart from the three squads here, twelve people...
Shimura Danzo also had fifty-nine people by his side!
Kakashi Hatake's heart tightened as he could deduce that the combination of Wood Release and Sharingan must produce incredibly powerful Double Bloodline Ninja, and this number was almost comparable to the number of the Dark Department members, with potentially even greater combat power!
For Shimura Danzo, a retired man, to have a force in his hands capable of rivaling, even suppressing, the Dark Department was alarming!
What does this imply...
This implies that if Shimura Danzo wanted to rebel in Konoha, the Dark Department would be unable to suppress him, and he could immediately replace the duties of the Dark Department with these people!
"Is there anything else you haven't mentioned?"
Akihara Kagura pressed on the head of this Wood Release Ninja, continuing to ask: "How do you and Lord Danzo usually communicate?"
The Wood Release Ninja spoke again, "The seventy-one of us don't contact anyone else, only Lord Danzo, ensuring that Lord Danzo receives the village's information in the shortest possible time considering the distance from Konoha..."
"No!"
Kakashi Hatake immediately realized the gravity of the situation and looked at Akihara Kagura: "We must report to the Hokage immediately!"
"Let's go."
Akihara Kagura nodded and waved his hand, instructing, "Send these people to the Root. After all, I'm the one who'll handle them when the time comes..."
"Maybe... there's no need to kill them..."
Kakashi Hatake's eye twitched, feeling that it would be a waste to kill these people.
At Sarutobi Hiruzen's home,
The old man slept very peacefully.
Since Konoha entered a period of peace, Sarutobi Hiruzen's sleep quality had been excellent, but the only thing causing him worry was Akihara Kagura as his successor.
But...
This matter isn't urgent.
I have a few more years!
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was sleeping soundly, there came a hurried knock at the door, with a group of Dark Department members gathered at his doorstep, disturbing his sleep.
"Lord Hokage, there's been an incident!"
Not just an incident, but a major incident!
Sarutobi Hiruzen, in his pajamas, sat on the sofa, holding the evidence of Shimura Danzo's crime, an order to transfer one hundred forty-three Sharingan.
"That guy Danzo..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen grasped tightly onto the order.
As a Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen always maintained his calm and rationality, only this time, he could not help but feel a surge of anger. He was shocked by this number as well.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind raced as he looked at Akihara Kagura and Kakashi Hatake, opting not to pursue any blame but immediately inquiring about the outcome.
"You found twelve ninjas with Double Bloodline of Sharingan and Wood Release in the village tonight. Where are these people now?"
"All in the Root."
Akihara Kagura looked at the Hokage and casually suggested, "These guys' Wood Release abilities aren't that great, and their Sharingan is only the Three Tomoe. Anyway, they've confessed, so keeping them serves little purpose. I might as well kill them when I go back..."
"Don't be so extreme."
Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly shook his head.
Even a simple Three Tomoe Sharingan is incredibly powerful, and with the help of the Wood Release bloodline, that's at least twelve Jonin-level combat powers. How could they be disposed of so lightly?
"Then what should we do?"
Akihara Kagura furrowed his brow and continued, "For now, keep them in the Root, which is at least more discreet. Letting them stay in the Dark Department or work as ninja in the village might be problematic, right? Shouldn't this matter be kept somewhat concealed? I've noticed that many who've seen it can't accept it..."