Chapter 111: Taking Over the Root!

With a command from Minato Namikaze, the order took effect, and Fujinaka Genma became the leader of the Root.

Immediately, Fujinaka Genma heard the system prompt of the Mount & Blade system in his mind.

But.

Fujinaka Genma did not rush to check it; instead, he reached out and accepted Minato’s order document, solemnly saying, “Yes, Fourth Hokage!”

After Fujinaka Genma took the document, Minato said, “I’ll assign two Anbu to go with Itachi to the Root.”

“Teacher Minato, I can go alone.”

“The Root is inside Konoha—it’s not some enemy stronghold.”

Fujinaka Genma shook his head and smiled, “If I need Teacher Minato to give me courage just to walk in, then I don’t deserve to be the Root’s leader.”

Minato couldn’t help but laugh, then said seriously, “Be careful. Be cautious.”

“Understood!”

Fujinaka Genma nodded, then vanished instantly using Flying Thunder God.

On a rooftop.

Fujinaka Genma appeared, glanced at the document in his hand, then smiled.

The Root was his.

Of course.

He did want to become Hokage, but he would never be like Danzo—hated by everyone.

“Still, did that bastard Danzo plant all his bombs already?”

Murmuring to himself, Fujinaka Genma put away the order document and turned his attention to his Mount & Blade system.

This change was significant.

His character interface now had an additional sub-interface.

Subordinates interface.

Or rather, a new Root page.

All Root ninja were listed there.

Like Shino’s father, Shino Ryuma.

Like Yaoshidou , already deployed as a spy outside.

Like Yaoshiyenaiyu .

And Koji.

These were all names Fujinaka Genma recognized.

And many more whose names or codenames he didn’t know.

Root members came from many sources—some raised from orphans.

But many others were promoted from Konoha’s various ninja clans or commoners.

For example, members of the Aburame, Akimichi, and Nara clans all served in the Root.

Yet as Fujinaka Genma scanned the list, he saw not a single Uchiha or Hyuga.

Even the Sarutobi clan had members in the Root.

Clearly, Konoha’s two great clans truly lived up to their reputation.

“Combat, espionage, research—combined, the Root has 462 members…”

Fujinaka Genma was startled: “That’s a substantial force.”

Regardless of type, every ninja here could fight—some better than others, but all capable.

Yet proportionally, spies made up the majority—over half of all Root ninja.

Pure combat-type ninja, assigned to kill missions, numbered 183.

The remaining 48 handled seals, jutsu research, training, and guarding the Root base.

After a brief study, Fujinaka Genma had to admit—the Root ninja were remarkably well-rounded.

This “well-rounded” didn’t mean each individual was versatile.

It meant the Root as a whole had comprehensive talent.

“No wonder Danzo stood idle when Pain destroyed Konoha—he could afford to. With this cadre, rebuilding Konoha afterward wouldn’t be a problem.”

The more Fujinaka Genma looked, the more satisfied he became.

The Root was truly formidable.

No wonder Danzo had such arrogance, claiming the Root was the root that supported Konoha.

And always dreaming of becoming Hokage—even daring to assassinate one.

Of course.

Now it was his.

But…

Fujinaka Genma switched to his mission interface.

Routine Mission 1: Each Root ninja recruited grants 100–1000 Mount & Blade points.

Recruitment requires loyalty of at least 70.

Mission 2: Reform the Root according to your will; reward based on reform evaluation.

S-rank—100,000 Mount & Blade points, A-rank—50,000, B-rank—10,000, C-rank—5,000, D-rank—1,000.

Mission 3: Eliminate Danzo. Remove this threat and gain 10,000 Mount & Blade points.

Three routine missions instantly appeared.

All of them carried substantial value.

For Mission 1, even if each recruit granted only 100 points, fully controlling the Root would yield nearly 50,000 points.

And Mission 2.

If he earned an S-rank, 100,000 points would let him buy the Rinnegan outright.

But.

“Hard.”

Fujinaka Genma rubbed his head.

Managing and building organizational structures—he wasn’t good at it. Not professional.

His past career was saving lives.

Now, his surface profession was killing; his hidden one, saving the world.

“Forget S-rank. I’ll aim for A-rank.”

Fujinaka Genma sighed.

The last routine mission—kill Danzo.

Only 10,000 points.

“Pathetic. He’s a Kage-level ninja!”

Fujinaka Genma was unimpressed.

Danzo might already have obtained Sharingan—he probably had.

Even without Sharingan, his strength was no joke.

Summoning beast, refined taijutsu, and versatile Wind Release.

Of course.

Fujinaka Genma believed that without Izanagi, killing this old man would be easy.

The only challenge was how to kill him without raising suspicion.

He didn’t want to become like Danzo—dark, ruthless, willing to pay any price.

He wanted to stand in the light while ruling the darkness.

And he had to consider Hiruzen Sarutobi’s feelings.

“None of these are simple tasks.”

After careful thought, Fujinaka Genma sighed inwardly.

Take Mission 1: loyalty must be at least 70 to count as recruited.

Right now, without exception, every Root ninja in the interface had zero loyalty to him.

He didn’t yet know how much his charm could raise loyalty.

Even if it could jump instantly, his 74 charm points were still insufficient.

“So, I must proceed slowly.”

Standing on the rooftop, Fujinaka Genma pondered for a moment, then vanished again.

Not long after.

At the Root’s entrance.

Fujinaka Genma looked down at the entrance, a gaping well-like opening, then leapt in.

On the bridge leading into the Root base, Fujinaka Genma halted.

Before him, Danzo stood with over a dozen Anbu, as if waiting to greet him.

“Danzo, it seems Itachi’re ready.”

Fujinaka Genma spoke.

Danzo’s expression was calm, yet even calmness looked grim.

"Fujinaka Genma, this is not a good choice."

Danzō stared at Fujinaka Genma, as if trying to crush him with invisible pressure to make him change his mind.

But Fujinaka Genma remained unmoved, gazing at him with calm expression.

Danzō’s current appearance differed slightly from what Fujinaka Genma had seen before.

For instance, his right eye and right arm were now wrapped in bandages; back in the Land of Rain, both his eyes had still been intact.

"This is the Fourth Hokage’s order!"

Fujinaka Genma produced the command scroll, "From this moment on, Itachi are no longer the leader of the Root. I am taking over this place!"

"How dare Itachi! Even if Danzō is no longer the Root’s leader, he is a senior who has won great glory for Konoha!"

A sudden shout rang out—two Root ninja behind Danzō lunged forward, attacking Fujinaka Genma from left and right.