The subsequent negotiations with the Hidden Mist largely followed the framework established during the initial talks.
Both sides exchanged official documents, revising and refining specific clauses, until finally, the Hidden Mist dispatched formal envoys to Konoha for the last round of confirmation.
In a relatively calm and restrained atmosphere, the agreement—symbolizing the official end of border hostilities between the two Villages—was successfully ratified.
Once the treaty was settled, Roshi gradually withdrew from the remaining diplomatic procedures and implementation work.
Instead, he took an extended leave and devoted himself almost entirely to studying the scrolls left behind by Tobirama.
With Tsunade's approval, he gained access not only to the portion of Wood Release research provided by Orochimaru but also to the complete experimental archives preserved by the village over the years.
Frankly speaking, the material was anything but easy to digest.
The scrolls were packed with dense terminology, intricate charts, and theories that delved deep into cellular behavior and Chakra-nature fusion. Many of the foundational concepts forced Roshi to start over from the basics, relearning principles he had never formally studied.
In this regard, the Senju Princess was far better suited than him.
Though years of wandering had left some of her knowledge a little rusty—and she needed time to reacquaint herself with certain details—Tsunade was more than capable of guiding Roshi into the field and helping him untangle Tobirama's work.
Naturally, this guidance came at a price.
As "compensation" for her tutoring, Roshi found himself once again dragged into late-night overtime, assisting Tsunade with the ever-growing pile of official paperwork.
In the end, the secretary position he had so resolutely rejected turned out to be refused for nothing at all.
—
During this relatively calm period, the Hokage Building quietly pushed forward another personnel adjustment.
A second Hyūga branch family squad was officially approved to enter the Police Force.
This time, the Village advanced the guard rotation for the Fire Capital. By direct order of the Hokage's office, the Police Force was entrusted with rotating the Daimyō's guards stationed there.
Shisui was appointed to lead the team, drawing personnel from within the Police Force to carry out the mission.
Objectively speaking, it was an excellent arrangement.
With the peace treaty signed with the Hidden Mist and the overall situation in the Ninja World easing, guard duty in the Fire Capital was a low-risk assignment with high evaluation value and generous compensation.
Konoha was not in a state of war, and its long-standing efforts to suppress rogue ninja and criminal forces within and around the Land of Fire had been effective.
In particular, Kakashi had already conducted multiple cleanup operations against rogue ninja near the Land of Forest, further stabilizing the eastern regions.
Normally, such long-term guard missions—those that boosted departmental prestige while providing solid rewards—rarely fell to the Police Force, whose primary responsibility was maintaining internal order within the Village.
This time, however, the Village took the initiative to offer the opportunity.
Fugaku could not refuse.
The Uchiha were a prestigious clan, but prestige did not mean that every clan member lived comfortably without needing missions for income or promotion qualifications.
So he accepted.
And since the mission was accepted, personnel had to be dispatched to the Fire Capital. For such a valuable assignment, priority naturally went to the clan's core members—not to the non-Uchiha newly integrated into the Police Force.
As a result, several elite personnel were sent out.
This, in turn, created a temporary shortage of manpower for routine patrols and security duties within the Police Force headquarters.
To prevent any disruption to Konoha's internal security, reinforcing the police force became the logical next step.
Thus, the second Hyūga branch family squad formally entered the police force.
As for dissenting voices? Naturally, they still existed.
However, the Uchiha members who had been the most uncompromising—those who had fiercely opposed the previous reforms—just happened to be included in the guard rotation dispatched to the Fire Capital this time. Led by Shisui, they had already left the village.
With those key figures absent, the remaining objections inside the clan lost much of their weight and momentum.
Fugaku didn't even need to activate his Mangekyō again, let alone resort to a Sharingan-to-Sharingan confrontation.
With another breakthrough achieved within the Police Force, this year's measures targeting the Uchiha could, for the time being, come to an end.
But another long-shelved problem now stood squarely in front of the village.
Root.
They had been under effective house arrest for some time.
—
"Hokage-sama."
"Come in."
Kakashi entered the office still dressed in his Anbu uniform, his mask removed but the lower half of his face still covered. As always, his gaze swept the room the moment he stepped inside.
"I called you back on short notice because there's a rather delicate matter I'd like your opinion on," Tsunade said, getting straight to the point. "You're familiar with 'Root,' aren't you?"
Kakashi was more than familiar.
After Minato's death, he had once believed the Third Hokage bore responsibility—and had nearly assisted Danzo in assassinating him. Later, he had personally infiltrated Root's base for Tenzo.
If the Third hadn't arrived in time with reinforcements, no one could say how that incident would have ended.
Tsunade continued, her expression firm. "I believe Root's previous mode of existence—operating independently of the Village's system—is no longer necessary."
"However," she added, "given the nature of their training and methods, simply disbanding them and folding them directly into Anbu would almost certainly cause disorder and internal conflict."
"And according to our current intelligence, all Root members bear cursed seals placed by Danzo. That severely limits our ability to interrogate them or reorganize them freely."
She paused, her gaze settling on Kakashi.
"So, after careful consideration… I want you to temporarily take over Root. Manage it. Reorganize it."
Even for Kakashi, taking control of Root was no simple matter.
Tsunade elaborated, "From this point on, Root will no longer possess independent authority or freedom of operation outside the Village's command structure."
"They will be reclassified as a special Anbu unit—temporarily independent in name only—and placed under direct supervision."
"What I need from you," she said evenly, "is to go inside and slowly uncover what Danzo has done over the years that was never reported to the Hokage."
"Determine whether Root is still hiding critical intelligence, forbidden techniques, or secrets that could threaten the Village."
The Kusa incident had never left Tsunade's mind. Given Danzo's methods, she was certain Root still concealed far more than what had surfaced—dangerous jutsu, hidden records, perhaps even distorted histories.
Kakashi remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking.
"To carry out this mission, I'll need additional manpower."
He couldn't do this alone.
"Of course," Tsunade replied without hesitation. "You may select two elite Anbu squads you trust to assist you. The choice of personnel is yours."
After a brief pause, Kakashi added, "And Advisor Shimura…?"
"I'll assign him another confidential mission," Tsunade said calmly.
The meaning behind her words was clear.
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