"I can't believe a ninja could write such a book." Roshi reacted this way halfway through reading.
Roshi himself is a ninja, and he certainly would not look down on ninjas. Rather, he knew the unique nature of ninjas made it hard for them to delve deeply into various theories like ordinary people.
Young ninjas have to undergo various cultivation to enhance their strength. Even though they have more time in middle and old age than when they were young, most would choose to study ninja knowledge rather than peace, philosophy, or history.
Because researching ninja knowledge yields tangible enhancements to strength. As for philosophy and history, you can't expect to defeat enemies or convert them in battle with mere words.
Thinking of Sosuke's appearance, Roshi became even more curious.
Even if Sosuke looked a bit younger, he would at most be thirty now. It would take time allocation to cultivate Sosuke as he is now—both deeply learned and extraordinarily powerful.
"As for strength, it's not too bad. But I reckon he could have many discussions with the Six Paths Sage." said the Four-tails.
Hagoromo was someone who spent his whole life striving for peace, and he would likely be pleased to see this book.
In terms of strength, the Four-tails had seen more powerful individuals than Roshi, so he did not find Sosuke's prowess exaggerated.
Roshi continued reading, and once he had finished the entire content, he fell into deep thought.
Roshi's knowledge wasn't particularly good, and there were many things in the book that left him bewildered.
Even so, Roshi sensed the unique ideology of the Ninja Sect. He had never seen or heard of a similar ninja organization.
There were ninja organizations advocating peace, and quite a few at that, even among the Five Great Ninja Villages. However, very few truly acted upon their words.
With the Ninja Sect's current power, involving themselves in the Ninja World Wars wasn't realistic, but Roshi could feel their resolve from the book.
An ordinary ninja organization development wouldn't require such things. If Sosuke simply wanted a powerful ninja force, he could endlessly expand using his strength and teaching prowess.
Roshi closed the book and walked up to the Ninja Sect ninja who gave it to him and asked:
"Can I buy this book?"
He had many questions about its content. If he wasn't going to meet Sosuke later, he would definitely seek help from a Ninja Sect ninja for clarification.
But meeting Sosuke meant he didn't need other Ninja Sect ninjas to explain, as there was probably no one who understood the book better than Sosuke, the author.
"No need to buy it, you can take it directly if you want." The Ninja Sect ninja said with a smile.
Roshi nodded his head and took the book back to the inn.
By then, he already couldn't wait to fast forward to after the lecture. Sosuke's personal appeal to him had already surpassed the allure of Sosuke's classes.
...
Konoha, Root Base.
Bam!
At Konoha Village, looking at the intelligence sent by Root members from the Land of Rain, Shimura Danzo couldn't help but pound his fist on his desk.
"A bunch of useless idiots, they can't even investigate this!" Shimura Danzo couldn't help but mutter angrily.
Root had indeed collected some intelligence, but none related to the inheritance of the Ninja Sect, which did not meet Shimura Danzo's expectations.
The fact that "Uchiha Madara" could gather information but his Root couldn't, made Shimura Danzo uneasy about cooperating with "Uchiha Madara".
"The Ninja Sect is getting stronger and is mending ties with the Rain Village, even growing closer to Hidden Rock, posing a great threat to Konoha." Shimura Danzo frowned.
There was no information on the Ninja Sect's inheritance, but Root had gathered intelligence on those lectures open to everyone.
This made Shimura Danzo feel a deep sense of unease.
The Rain Village was already one of the strongest among the smaller villages beneath the Five Great Ninja Villages, and coupled with the Ninja Sect, they were arguably the strongest ninja force below the Five Great Ninja Villages, with a comprehensive strength surpassing even its peak during the Second Ninja World War.
Even if only for the Rinnegan and the Ninja Sect's legacy, Shimura Danzo wanted to eliminate the Ninja Sect.
Shimura Danzo stood up, intending to head to the Hokage Office to find Sarutobi Hiruzen, but he quickly sat back down.
He understood Sarutobi Hiruzen too well. With Sarutobi Hiruzen's temperament, he would never act against the Ninja Sect, unless the Ninja Sect and Hidden Rock formed a coalition.
Shimura Danzo couldn't help but sigh. He was devoted to Konoha, yet found himself in a position where he had no voice or means to report to the village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's indecisiveness meant he refused to act against the Ninja Sect, and his Root lacked the power to deal with it. Was he just going to watch as the Ninja Sect gradually became an existential threat to Konoha?
"No, absolutely not!" Shimura Danzo immediately denied in his heart.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing in the light, could stand idly by, but as the shadow of Konoha, he couldn't remain indifferent.
Just as Shimura Danzo was fretting over how to deal with the Ninja Sect, the door to his office opened.
Shimura Danzo immediately wanted to reprimand the person who entered without knocking.
But once he saw who it was, he shut his mouth.
"Danzo, you really are disappointing. So much time has passed, and you've done almost nothing." said the man in a black robe and mask unceremoniously.
Shimura Danzo's face instantly darkened; he hadn't even mentioned "Uchiha Madara," yet the other party brought him up.
"How could my actions let you know?" Shimura Danzo suppressed his inner displeasure and snorted coldly.
"Isn't it just sending some people to gather intelligence? You could have just told me; whatever Ninja Sect intel you want, I could give it to you," the masked man said indifferently with a smile.
Shimura Danzo furrowed his brows tightly; he was intentionally fishing for information, with a preconceived notion of the outcome.
But actually hearing that Root's actions were completely under "Uchiha Madara's" watch made Shimura Danzo unable to hide his disappointment.
He had invested so much effort into building Root, only to be completely outmaneuvered in intelligence by an elusive figure.
"If it weren't for Hiruzen always limiting Root, it definitely wouldn't have turned out like this," Shimura Danzo believed it was Sarutobi Hiruzen's fault.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't imposed so many restrictions on his Root, it would be three to four times stronger than it is now, rather than being outmatched in intelligence by "Uchiha Madara."
"Sending people to Six Paths City wasn't just about collecting a bit of intelligence," Shimura Danzo said casually.
Even if he really ended up in shambles intelligence-wise, he couldn't let "Uchiha Madara" see through it.
"I don't care what you're planning, but if you want to continue our cooperation and get the Wood Release, you need to act according to my plan next," the masked man said forcefully.
The masked man then tossed a scroll to Shimura Danzo.
Shimura Danzo was about to say something when the masked man interrupted directly: "Act according to the plan on it, and I will provide you with assistance."
"If you want to refuse, you can do that as well, then our cooperation ends here."
With that said, he didn't give Shimura Danzo a chance to speak, and the masked man left Shimura Danzo's office directly.
Shimura Danzo watched "Uchiha Madara's" departing figure with a steel-blue face; even Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't dare act towards him like this.
"Don't let me find out your identity," he muttered bitterly to himself as he set his gaze on the scroll.
Since this was a scroll given by "Uchiha Madara," the cautious Shimura Danzo created a shadow clone to open it.
After ensuring there were no issues, Shimura Danzo began to examine it carefully.
"Join forces with Rain Village to ambush Sosuke," Shimura Danzo found himself speechless after reading the plan.
He had thought "Uchiha Madara" had some brilliant scheme, but this was not unlike his previous plan.
However, "Uchiha Madara's" plan required all of Root to take the field, while Shimura Danzo's own plan was to use Rain Village as the vanguard.
"Furthermore, using the village to threaten Hanzo, if the news leaks, Hiruzen might want to dissolve Root Organization, and my assistant position would be revoked," Shimura Danzo clasped his fingers together, showing a thoughtful expression.
"Uchiha Madara's" method to dismantle the Rain Ninja and Ninja Sect alliance was to have Shimura Danzo represent Konoha to put pressure on Rain Village, intimidating Hanzo with war threats.
This isn't a trivial matter; politically, it's even worse than conducting human experiments.
If Hokage wanted to go to war with a certain country, they'd have to hold a meeting. For him to threaten Rain Village with war without a sound is no ordinary overstepping of authority.
Shimura Danzo understood the severity of the situation, but looking at that line on the scroll, he couldn't resist feeling tempted.
"Complete the alliance with Rain Village, and deliver the Wood Release before ambushing Sosuke."
Without a doubt, this was the assistance "Uchiha Madara" spoke of.
As long as Shimura Danzo completed the plan to ally with Rain Village, then "Uchiha Madara" would grant him the previously agreed benefits in advance.
With Shimura Danzo's suspicious nature, he certainly wouldn't trust it immediately.
He was the type who would doubt if a strong individual voluntarily joined Root, suspecting they wanted to assassinate him.
But upon careful consideration, Shimura Danzo found "Uchiha Madara" seemed quite sincere.
Because the Wood Release was given before ambushing Sosuke.
If it were granted after a successful ambush, Shimura Danzo definitely wouldn't agree with the plan; getting no benefits while taking such a big risk.
Giving it ahead of the ambush proved "Uchiha Madara" genuinely wanted Sosuke dead, willing to grant Shimura Danzo the Wood Release in advance, just to increase the odds of killing Sosuke.
"Can't let the Land of Rain continue to grow stronger," Shimura Danzo looked at the intel brought by the Root Ninja on the table and finally made up his mind.
For Konoha's safety, he couldn't hesitate.
If the plan succeeds, the ninja force in the Land of Rain will fall into unprecedented decline, and he'll possess the Ninja Sect legacy and Wood Release, with stronger powers to protect his Konoha; it could be considered a win-win for Konoha.
As for failure, Shimura Danzo considered it unlikely.
The plan either halts at the alliance with Hanzo or succeeds.
With Root and Rain Village joining forces and "Uchiha Madara" exerting influence from the shadows, how could they not be able to eliminate the Ninja Sect?
If the Ninja Sect were stripped down to just Sosuke, Kakuzu, and Nagato, it would merely be an ordinary ninja organization.
If Shimura Danzo were Hokage, he wouldn't need such hassles; sending Jiraiya and Orochimaru with a thousand-man force could easily sweep the Ninja Sect away.