Take responsibilities and obligations, maybe Temari is right.

Now, he is gradually beginning to assume the true responsibilities of a ninja.

In the past, he had disliked trouble, including being one of the examiners of the Chuunin Exam this time. His father Shikaku forced him to come here. Only about Zuosuke, he took the initiative to propose it to the Hokage.

"Now that you have planned to take on such responsibilities, you cannot go back. But you must also grasp the balance. It is best to discuss it with the other partners and bear everything alone. This kind of thing is not comfortable, and it will

Misunderstood by others.”

"Is that so? I'll think about it."

"Then don't be so sad all the time. You have to pay more attention to the upcoming Chuunin Exams. If you slip up, I'll beat you up."

Temari was very satisfied with Shikamaru's obedient attitude, so she patted his shoulder very hard, stood up from her seat, and left the conference room first.

[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo to read and catch up on books recently. I can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds. www. Android and Apple are available.]

Shikamaru rubbed the painful shoulder. The woman slapped him so hard that his shoulder almost fell apart.

"But, should we discuss it with the others?"

Shikamaru looked at the scenery outside the window and sighed with great melancholy.

How do you discuss this kind of matter with an acquaintance?

Especially those in the same village who live together day and night.

Although Zuosuke is an enemy, after all, they have been friends for so many years. After they actually meet him, can the others really be ruthless and attack him?

Telling those people what you think is just adding more troubles to yourself.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Shikamaru turned his head and looked at the exit of the room. A figure stood there, tapping on the door panel with his fingers, attracting his attention.

The other person looked over with a smile on his face and said nothing.

Root member - Zuo Jing.

◎

Konoha is now divided into four factions.

The most powerful one is undoubtedly the orthodox Hokage faction, among which the biggest supporters are the Inar, Deer, and Butterfly clan, the wealthy Hinata, and more than half of the civilians.

The second is the martial arts faction headed by Genbu. The leader is Shimura Danzo, the former high-ranking elder of Konoha. He is currently serving a severe sentence in Konoha for attacking the former Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. He cannot be released without special reasons.

.

Next is the traditional force of the ninja clan, headed by the Sarutobi clan, which occupies many important positions in Konoha and has a good reputation among the people of Konoha.

Finally, there is the advisory group, which belongs to a relatively neutral camp. Their positions can easily change as the various factions fight. They are also a typical clinging group.

In the eyes of other factions, they are nicknamed the "old-age faction" and are a group that has more than enough self-preservation but not enough offense.

Shikamaru sees the current internal situation of Konoha very clearly.

The advisory group has no room for growth. As soon as the two members of the advisory group step down, the faction will immediately fall apart and be absorbed by other factions.

In addition, the Sarutobi clan and the martial arts faction led by the root leaders are the most powerful enemies of the Hokage faction.

The former has the foundation of dominance. No matter how weakened it is, it will not die. It can only indulge in it and find another opportunity.

The same applies to the latter. A ninja village cannot have only doves, otherwise it will continue the appeasement policy of the Third Hokage, balancing internally and compromising externally.

Therefore, as the representatives of the Fighting Hawks, even if they are removed in the future, they will just change their name. But in essence, they are still the powerful representatives in Konoha.

Compared to the former, Shikamaru believed that the latter was the greatest threat.

The Ninja clan can rely on the Hokage's orthodox power to annex them, and they are not essentially rule-breakers.

But the martial arts faction headed by Genbu is different. What they like to do most is to jump outside the rules and not hesitate to use force to get what they want.

Even attacking and controlling the Hokage to seize the power of Konoha, such a treacherous thing, can be done without any hesitation, which shows how difficult and terrifying the root is.

But thinking about it from another perspective, in this turbulent era, with such an extremely powerful force as the roots, and with Konoha as the orthodox martial arts organization, as one of our own people, in terms of the attitude towards the outside world, it can make people feel at ease.

.

At least that's what Shikamaru thought.

Although he doesn't like some of the styles of the roots, such as no-lower-limit behavior... but it also means that they will be a sharp knife in Konoha's hands, destroying any enemy who threatens Konoha's existence by any means.

Now, he wants to borrow this sharp knife.

Follow Sakai all the way to Konoha's torture chamber, not through the main road, but through a small road.

This path, from the moment Danzo entered the torture room, was taken over by the roots and became a place of entry and exit exclusively controlled by the roots.

Even so, when Shikamaru followed Sakai onto this path, he was still wrapped in a black robe, wrapping himself tightly, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

It was noon and the sky was sunny, but Shikamaru's heart was filled with clouds.

He knew exactly what it meant to contact someone like Danzo.

Once this is done, it is equivalent to putting one of his own handles in Danzo's hands.

Danzo may use this as a reason to ask him to do things in the future.

But he couldn't use this to blackmail Danzo and restrain each other.

He has lost the power of political promotion, and he can only live in darkness for the rest of his life, unable to see the light.

Therefore, threats, excuses, frame-ups, and frame-ups are the last things Danzo cares about.

This is something that is unilaterally detrimental to Shikamaru.

Sakai, who was walking in front and leading the way, would glance at Shikamaru behind him from time to time. When they came to the side door of the punishment room, the shadow of the huge building swallowed up the two figures.

Before officially stepping into the dark entrance, Sakai stopped and turned around to stare at Shikamaru.

The smile on his face disappeared, and it was no longer the fake smile that made people feel hypocritical.

"You can't go back on your word after you go in. It's too late to stop now. To be honest, I don't know what you are going to do, but making a deal with Danzo-sama is an extremely stupid decision."

"Of course I know, but now I must borrow the power of roots to accomplish one thing."

Shikamaru said with calm eyes.

Before coming here, he went through quite a fierce psychological struggle.

But in the end, it was discovered that apart from the Hokage, only Danzo's roots could accomplish this task alone.

The Hokage gave a clear rejection. Although he knew that the Hokage was thinking about himself and was unwilling to let him bear such a heavy burden alone, now was not the time to hesitate.

Zuosuke may launch an act of revenge against Konoha at any time, and he must be prepared before then.

But now, only Danzo can help him.

This opportunity must be seized.

As if sensing Shikamaru's determination, Zuoi said nothing, turned around, and continued to lead the way.

"Naruto's place..."

"Don't worry, I won't talk nonsense."

Sakai gave an affirmative answer.

"Naruto and I are friends, but even between friends, it is impossible to share all secrets. This is what I read from the book, so I won't talk nonsense, and I don't want to know the reason why you are looking for Danzo-sama.

.”

Sakai's words made Shikamaru feel at ease.

Leading the way, in the dim passage, there was only the sound of two people walking. Other than that, there was no sound. The silence was a bit eerie.

Finally, Zuo Jing stopped in front of an iron door, stepped aside, and stood on one side of the iron door.

"Next, you need to face it alone. Don't make Danzo-sama angry, otherwise even your father will not be able to save you."

The root is the ultimate darkness of Konoha, which revolves around Danzo's will.

Even if nothing can be done to Shikamaru on the surface, countless assassinations will follow.

Even the power of the three pig, deer and butterfly tribes cannot protect it.

However, Sakai just mentioned it and asked Shikamaru to be more cautious.

After all, it is impossible to really kill Shikamaru and offend the Ino, Deer, and Butterfly clan, especially if there is no conflict of interest.

"Thank you, I will treat you to dinner later."

Shikamaru nodded, pushed open the iron door and walked in. Darkness rushed in front of him.

As the sound of the iron gate closing sounded, Sawai kept standing beside the iron gate and did not leave, because after the conversation between Shikamaru and Danzo ended, he still had to lead Shikamaru away from the root stronghold.

The iron door was closed, and only one candle was burning in the room, bringing a small amount of light in the darkness.

Shikamaru also got his wish and saw the person he wanted to see.

Former Konoha senior elder and root leader Shimura Danzo.

There is a heart-breaking darkness in the gloomy face and the all-seeing eyes.
To be continued...