Chapter 190: Handling the mess
At 10 AM, half of Konoha heard an ear-shattering explosion followed by another, as if competing to cause the bigger blast. Afterward, all the ninja who went to check the site were sent to the Hokage building while the people of Konoha were flustered and afraid.
Those near the Hokage building felt something akin to the presence of death. Even genin with little strength fainted after being subjected to the dense killing intent, let alone civilians who had no chakra to protect themselves.
Konoha hospital was flooded with unconscious people. Luckily, the killing intent was removed before any permanent harm could occur.
Hiruzen and Fugaku had nearly killed civilians of Konoha in their anger. Normally, killing intent doesn't cause this much harm, but they unintentionally mixed a portion of their chakra into it.
(A.N: This was similar to what happened when Sasuke summoned all four Hokage using Edo Tensei during the Fourth Great Ninja War in the anime, and Tobirama and Hashirama released their chakra (with killing intent?), which was sufficient to shatter the building they were in.)
Considering the amount of chakra both of them possessed, the killing intent was decently powerful and could even be compared to a C or lower B rank jutsu.
Inoichi began locating Root bases both inside Konoha and in the Land of Fire. The main surprise came when he discovered that Root also had bases in other lands. The Land of Wind, Earth, and Lightning each had two Root bases hidden under the enemies' noses, and the number increased in smaller hidden villages like the Land of Noodles, Iron, and Lakes.
He quickly informed Hiruzen and the council members about these details.
"The good thing is that these bases are quite far from Konoha, and they have to cross one of the great ninja villages to reach Konoha. I don't think there should be frequent communication between those bases and Root headquarters, right Inoichi?" Shikaku said, analyzing the situation from the basic knowledge.
"Yes, from the memories, Danzo normally gets reports from those bases once a month. The last report he got was 12 days ago," Inoichi replied.
"Then we have around 17-18 days to handle those bases, because they will become very high-risk targets once they learn about Danzo. The chance of leaking sensitive information about the village to other enemy villages will become very high," Shikaku said.
Hiruzen nodded, already predicting this issue. The problem was he didn't know about all of Root's hidden bases and couldn't make necessary preparations for each one. That's why he had kept a group of ANBU ninjas on standby in case he learned of any new base and had to take care of it. But he didn't have nearly enough ANBU to send to every base. Luckily, this was no longer a hidden mission, and he could use clan ninja for that too.
While this was going on in Hiruzen's mind and Shikaku was making plans to handle those bases, Fugaku turned to Inoichi and asked, "Inoichi, what is the purpose of those bases?" Knowing what Danzo had done to Konoha shinobi, Fugaku was sure that there was no way those bases wouldn't have some deep, dark secrets.
"Wait a moment," Inoichi said and once again placed his hand on Danzo's head. After some time, he said, "Some of them are just for keeping an eye on enemy villages. Others are experimental facilities, just like we had seen, but with many live targets being tortured for the sake of 'experiments'. The content is enough to start a war; we have to handle this with caution."
"This is getting troublesome," Shikaku said, already thinking of thousands of ways this could lead to catastrophic scenarios.
"But not unexpected. We will need to prioritize those bases. The experimental bases should remain hidden; they could lead to a war we are not ready for," Shikaku added.
Hiruzen, his face etched with grief and fury, nodded curtly. The council members, however, remained silent, their faces pale and sweat clinging to their brows. The weight of Danzo's crimes had finally settled upon them. This was no longer just about the death of their old shinobi. If a war broke out, the number of losses would be enormous.
"Shikaku," Hiruzen said, his voice hoarse, "mobilize all available ANBU. We need a swift and coordinated takedown of these bases. Clan heads, we will need your assistance as well. This is not just about Konoha's internal security anymore; it's about preventing a potential disaster."
A murmur rippled through the room. Some, like Fugaku, Shibi, and Shikaku, were already ready to help. Other clan leaders exchanged glances, but ultimately, nods of agreement began to appear. The mission would be dangerous, but nowhere near as dangerous as a war.
The revelation of Root's expansive network had shifted the situation. This wasn't just about Danzo's betrayal of Konoha; it was about the potential for sensitive information to fall into enemy hands.
"We'll need a detailed map of these bases," Shikaku said, his voice sharp with urgency. "Inoichi, can you extract that information from Danzo?"
Inoichi hesitated, his brow furrowed. "It's possible, but... his mind is in a fragile state. He has been resisting my technique for quite some time, and since I have been forcing it, there are chances that he will suffer some mental injuries," Inoichi said while looking toward Fugaku, who had asked to keep Danzo's mind intact.
"Will that damage be curable?" Fugaku asked.
"With time, it should be," Inoichi replied.
"Then go ahead and take out as much information as you want, just make sure he can be cured afterward," Fugaku said with a stoic face, but everyone present knew that something very sinister awaited Danzo after this.
Inoichi, sensing the collective desperation in the room, nodded grimly. He placed a hand on Danzo's head once more and began collecting the information.
The air in the Hokage's office crackled with tension as Inoichi strained against Danzo's mental resistance.
"There are... three... high-security facilities... where main experiments are being done. One near the border with Wind Country, another in the Land of Rivers, and... the last one... it's hidden deep within the Land of Iron."
A collective gasp filled the room. The Land of Iron, a neutral nation known for its skilled samurai, was a potential hornet's nest. This was the land responsible for the security of all the Daimyo, naturally having good connections with them. This was one of the reasons no Ninja war had affected that land.
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "The Land of Iron? Danzo, the fool, has he considered the potential consequences of this?"
Even the Nara clan head, Shikaku, let out a frustrated sigh. "This just got infinitely more complicated. Entering the Land of Iron without authorization could be seen as an act of aggression. And he had set a hidden base there; we have to take care of that first."