Naruto: This Uchiha is too innocent.

On the other side, underground in Konoha,

A towering steel tower stands firm in a bottomless ravine, supported by countless thick iron chains.

This is the root of the leaf. Roots are the foundation of plants, hidden underground, just like this high-speed railway is built underground.

At this moment, in the offices of the top-level buildings in the steel tower, two figures stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down into the pitch-black darkness outside.

One of them, holding a secret scroll, wearing a hood and sunglasses, had a somewhat unconventional look. He was Ryoma Aburame, one of the core members of Root.

The secret scroll in his hand was identical to the information about Uchiha Sora from the Nara Salt Water document.

In front of Aburame Ryoma was a man in his fifties or sixties with spiky black hair and bandages wrapped around his right eye and arm.

This man was none other than the leader of Root, a man known as the "Darkness of the Ninja World."

——Shimura Danzo.

"Uchiha Sora, from the lineage of Uchiha Kagami, possesses extremely high talent and is hailed as the most talented Uchiha in the past thirty years."

He possesses many strange ninjutsu techniques, is suspected of having all chakra natures, and has developed his own unique style in summoning. He has not yet awakened the Sharingan.

Yesterday, they achieved an overwhelming victory, securing first place in the Chunin Exams.

Shino Ryoma softly read the information about Uchiha Sora from the secret scroll, his gaze sharp as he stared at the man with his back to him.

"Lord Danzo, are we really going to take Uchiha Kurenai as our Root?"

Danzo gazed wistfully into the darkness outside the window.

"Ryoma, what do you think of the strength of our Root faction?"

Ryoma Aburame was taken aback, not understanding why Danzo would suddenly ask this. After a moment's thought, he slightly lowered his hood, and in the dim light, a few small insects could be vaguely seen crawling under his sunglasses.

"Currently, our Root unit has eighty people, which is ten more than the Dark Unit."

"Where is the strength?"

Ten Jonin, the rest are Chunin.

Danzo chuckled, a hint of malice in his voice. "Where are the elite fighters?"

Elite combat power refers to combat power possessing the strength of an elite Jonin.

Aburame Ryoma hesitated for a moment, "The two of them, Lord Danzo, and... the maverick Orochimaru."

"Two people, yes... two people." Danzo sighed. "It seems that the Root is slightly stronger than the Anbu, but their high-end combat strength is much weaker. The Anbu has more than twice as many elite members as us."

Moreover, we lack a figure who can sway the course of the battle, at least someone on par with Minato Namikaze.

The biggest problem for the Root is not its numbers or its intelligence system, but the lack of top-tier combat power.

Their fundamental development history is only in the last few years, between World War II and World War III. The time frame is very short, unlike forces like the Dark Side, which have developed over decades, and they lack a solid foundation.

The ability to develop rapidly implies numerous flaws, and the flaws of the strong are the most important issue.

Over the years, Danzo has tried to recruit strong individuals, but the clans of Konoha lack a spirit of dedication, especially in recent years. They all treat their own disciples like treasures and won't allow him to promote them.

The only family that agreed was the Hyuga family.

However, the Hyuga clan has a serious problem: the Caged Bird Seal. The Hyuga clan is divided into the main family and the branch family, and all members of the branch family are marked with the Caged Bird Seal.

This means that no matter how talented or special a member of the branch family is, they are still under the control of the main family.

A genius who can only be seen once every few decades may ultimately end up obeying the family's allocation and dedicating himself to it in a mediocre way.

The Hyuga clan could only provide talent to Root through their branch family members, and Danzo absolutely could not accept such uncontrollable individuals.

Ryoma Aburame remained silent, finally understanding Danzo's meaning.

Uchiha Sora, a genius rarely seen in the Uchiha clan once every thirty years, is the kind of person who can influence the situation in Konoha.

Danzo wanted to recruit Uchiha Sora into his ranks, making him his right-hand man.

After a moment's hesitation, Aburame Ryoma asked tentatively, "My lord, do you think the Uchiha clan would hand over Uchiha Sora to us?"

Danzo chuckled lightly, "If it were anyone else, that old fox Fugaku would definitely disagree, but Uchiha Sora is Kagami's grandson. His lineage doesn't get along with that guy Uchiha Fugaku, so he's not very resistant to us." Then, he paused, his smile enigmatic.

"Moreover, it's clear to anyone with eyes that Hiruzen is suppressing the Uchiha clan. If this Uchiha Kong were even a little smarter, he would know that the only way to achieve the best development is to join the Anbu or Root."

Aburame Ryoma remained silent for a moment, then pushed up his sunglasses, a deep, dark glint flashing within them.

"My lord, under normal circumstances, that is indeed the case. Only by joining the Anbu or Root can Uchiha Sora have room for development, provided that the Uchiha do not have any intention of rebelling."

"Treason?" Danzo retorted with a laugh. "They dare?!" His voice suddenly rose several octaves. "If the Uchiha dare to rebel, they're courting death!"

Aburame Ryoma opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He thought to himself that he might have been overthinking things.

Quiet--

The atmosphere fell silent.

After a long while, Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"However, the possibility you mentioned does exist."

"Then? What should we do?"

"Tomorrow, come with me to visit Uchiha Momonosuke. The matter of cultivating talent cannot be delayed."

"Then... what if Momonosuke doesn't agree?" Aburame Ryoma slowly asked.

"Disagree? Then destroy it." Danzo said calmly, his expression unchanged, as if destroying Uchiha Sora was just a matter of going downstairs to take out the trash.

If Uchiha Sora cannot be controlled by him, then he will assassinate him. An uncontrollable Uchiha genius is a hidden danger to him.

Throughout the entire Hidden Leaf Village, he was arguably the person who understood best just how terrifying the Uchiha's power truly was.

"Only those who live into the future can be called geniuses," he said quietly, his eyes shifting between light and shadow.

Ryoma Aburame nodded silently, looking at the gloomy Danzo. His mood remained unchanged. As Danzo's confidant, he knew very well how extreme Danzo was.

The title of "Darkness of the Ninja World" is truly well-deserved.

Once, in a certain battle, only one Konoha ninja survived; all the other Konoha ninjas died.

Normally, such an event would allow the survivor to enjoy family happiness.

However, at that time, Danzo believed that the person's survival alone was likely a hidden danger, so on the first night the person returned to Konoha, he was assassinated by mercenaries recruited by Danzo.

And it was Aburame Ryoma who was responsible for talking to the mercenaries about that matter.

He knew Danzo wasn't joking; he would do anything for the safety of Konoha.

If Momonosuke Uchiha disagrees with Ku Uchiha joining Root tomorrow...

Then he immediately has a new task.

Within a month, the mercenaries will arrive as promised to assassinate the Uchiha genius.