Chapter 367: Inheritor of the Will of Fire, Leader of the Root: Aizen

"Lord Aizen!"

"Thank you, Lord Aizen. I want to become someone like you in the future too!"

The children at the orphanage, upon seeing Aizen, all gathered around him one after another.

They spoke all at once, looking at Aizen with faces full of admiration.

Aizen crouched down, patted the little girl who was looking up at him, and said with a smile, "Hinaki Rina? That is a very lovely name."

Looking at the little girl whose face turned slightly red from being called by her name,

Aizen smiled gently and said, "I am just a very ordinary person. It is because of the Will of Fire that I am able to become someone worth remembering in your eyes. Therefore, you must not forget to study the Will of Fire."

"Only by understanding the Will of Fire can one become a hero who protects the village."

His earnest words were like gentle flowing water, nourishing the children's hearts.

They all scrambled to assure Aizen that they would definitely become heroes who guard the village.

Leaving the orphanage, Aizen headed toward the Hokage Building and soon arrived outside the door of the Hokage Office.

With great etiquette, he brushed the dust off his body, knocked on the door, and only after hearing Danzou's voice from inside did he turn the doorknob and walk into the office.

"Lord Sandaime."

Through his lenses, Aizen looked with a respectful expression at the Ninja Hero sitting in the chair.

Or rather... the Ninja Hero who had been parasitized.

The change in the soul could not deceive Aizen's perception at all.

Within his line of sight, Sarutobi Hiruzen was already dead; the person wearing the skin of the Ninja Hero before him was a soul that looked very sinister.

And from his recent investigations, Aizen was clear about the identity of this soul.

Shimura Danzo.

The former Hokage Advisor, Leader of the Root Organization, who had always longed to become Hokage but could never achieve it.

Who would have thought that he would use some special means to usurp the nest and realize his dream?

The other party did not speak,

just quietly reviewing documents like that.

Aizen maintained his respectful posture, his gentle smile unchanged, and stood silently in place without making a sound to disturb him.

After a long while, Danzou raised his head, revealing a rare, complex smile, and said, "Sosuke, lately the reconstruction of Konoha has caused documents and work to pile up like a mountain. I have kept you waiting."

Winning over civilian ninja was his strategy to completely control Konohagakure.

Among them,

Aizen Sosuke was absolutely a shining pearl.

He was so perfect that even Danzou could not pick out a single flaw.

For such a perfect person, Danzou even felt he might be a spy sent by an enemy, but the more he interacted with him, the more he realized,

that a talent like Aizen Sosuke would be a huge loss if treated as a spy; no one would be willing to part with him.

Even Danzou, who was extremely suspicious and did not easily trust others, could not help but be moved after Aizen Sosuke willingly allowed himself to be planted with a Cursed Seal.

Tongue-Sucker Root-Eater.

A type of low-level Cursed Seal that could prevent the person it was planted on from speaking about relevant content.

Danzou consumed Reward Points and an 【Upgrade Scroll】 to turn the low-level Cursed Seal into a Tier 2 【Tongue-Sucker Root-Eater: Control】.

Anyone planted with this Cursed Seal would be unable to break free, and if they violated the content of the seal, their physical body would suffer a strong backlash.

It was also because of this,

that in just half a month, Danzou had already treated Aizen Sosuke as a very handy tool, even allowing him to handle Hokage documents.

"Aizen, the Ninja Clans did not receive their spoils of war and are deliberately causing a lot of trouble in the village. Thanks to you."

Danzou wore the Hokage Hat and looked down from the window at the street outside. "Lord Hokage, there is no need to say that. It is all part of my duty."

Aizen was very observant; he gathered the pile of documents that had been set aside on the desk and sat in the corner to begin processing them.

Most of them were trivial matters that did not involve ninja, were quite complex, and wasted time.

As for the truly secret intelligence and documents,

Aizen did not look sideways, not even glancing at them, simply doing his own clerical work well.

Danzou stood by the window without turning his head and asked intentionally, "Aizen, do you also feel that my methods are wrong?"

"The Hokage cannot be wrong."

Aizen did not even raise his head, answering without any consideration of pros and cons, as if it came entirely from his heart.

Danzou looked at Aizen with a scrutinizing gaze through the reflection in the glass window.

Aizen did not hesitate or conceal anything, adding, "This is the Will of Fire. The burning Konoha should shine its warmth upon everyone, not just the Ninja Clans."

"Just like a lush, growing tree."

"Extending branches that are too dense will only cause the tree to bear an increasingly heavy burden, eventually being crushed."

"The sturdy trunk is the foundation of the tree."

Aizen raised his head, pushed up his glasses, and said, "The Ninja Clans are able to grow because of the nutrients transported by the trunk. If they only know how to take but are unwilling to sacrifice in times of danger, then they are bad branches."

"I can very well understand your actions, Lord Hokage. Everything you do is for the sake of the village, which is why I am willing to pledge my loyalty to you and clear the thorns from your path."

It sounded like flattery, but Danzou could not see a hint of flattery in Aizen's eyes; everything was from the heart.

It was just... there seemed to be a feeling of having more to say? Danzou sat back at the desk, pulled open a drawer, frowned slightly upon seeing a familiar tobacco pouch, and tossed it into the trash can by his feet.

"Aizen, you seem to have reservations?"

Danzou stroked the Hokage Hat and said expressionlessly, "Speak freely, I will not blame you."

"As expected of Lord Hokage, have you discovered it?"

Aizen looked slightly apprehensive, as if his thoughts had been pierced, and then lowered his head and said, "In fact, even a thick and sturdy trunk is not the core of this tree."

"In the eyes of the masses, the trunk is the indispensable part that supports the entire tree."

"However..."

"In reality, the part that truly supports the entire tree is the roots; by rooting themselves in the darkness and constantly absorbing nutrients, they can ensure the tree's growth."

"Yet they remain unknown, and are even despised by the masses for being covered in mud and filth."

Aizen raised his head, his gaze constrained as he said: "Just like your old friend Shimura Danzo back then, willing to calmly accept all sorts of criticism, solely to protect Konoha from the shadows. In my view, that kind of Will of Fire is no worse than anyone else's."

"This is what the village currently lacks. If all the filth were to fall upon the Hokage, it would make me feel very guilty; it would be a dereliction of duty by a subordinate."

In front of the Hokage, speaking of someone else's Will of Fire as being more admirable is a very foolish act.

Yet it made Danzou feel as if he were drinking sweet spring water under the scorching sun.

It was precisely because of this that it showed Aizen's words came from the heart.

Danzou suppressed the smile at the corners of his mouth and said: "You are right, but currently, ninjas who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the village, tarnish their own reputations, and root themselves in the soil to become the unknown Root are too rare."

Thinking of this, he let out a slight cold snort and continued: "They only think about becoming Hokage, only knowing light and glory; how could they understand the importance of the Root?"

"The ninjas of today are all brainwashed by a shallow Will of Fire, unable to grasp the true essence of the Will of Fire!"

"Aizen, you are excellent!"

Danzou looked at Aizen with burning eyes, as if seeing an unpolished, natural piece of raw jade.

Truly a perfect subordinate, a perfect Will of Fire! After pondering for a moment, Danzou spoke: "Starting tomorrow, the Shadow Organization will allocate five hundred Elite players to establish the Root, and Aizen, you shall serve as the Leader of the Root, responsible for supporting the darkness of Konoha!"

"I recognize your Will of Fire; keep it up!"

"I am truly honored. Thank you, Lord Hokage, for allowing me to better serve Konoha!"

(End of this chapter)