The ANBU operatives flanking the entrance bowed in unison as Hanekawa approached.
"Lord Hanekawa."
He recognized only one—Haru, identifiable by the distinctive pattern on her mask. The others remained anonymous behind their featureless faces, as protocol demanded.
"Lord Hanekawa." Aoi stepped forward smoothly. "I'll escort you to the office."
She felt the weight of the moment. When she'd first met this boy, he was merely a talented prodigy with growing reputation. Now, in what felt like the blink of an eye, he'd ascended to command the ANBU itself. The speed of his rise left her slightly dizzy.
"Thank you, Aoi."
The office was pristine—furniture gleaming, decorations spotless, everything bearing the scent of newness.
"Is this new?" Hanekawa glanced around.
"Yes," Haru explained. "Previous ANBU commanders were always Hokages, so they never required separate offices."
Of course they didn't. Hanekawa settled into the chair behind the desk.
Haru handed him a thick folder. "Complete roster of current ANBU personnel."
Hanekawa opened it casually. Seventy operatives total, organized into a captain, vice-captain, four teams of seventeen, and smaller four-person squads beneath those. Clean hierarchy. Efficient structure.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he reviewed the names.
Aoi held the vice-captain position, not the top spot. The captain-general was Sarutobi Hiruzen's eldest son—Asuma's older brother and Konohamaru's father. Currently on assignment outside the village.
Several familiar names appeared throughout: Zō, Vermilion, Sparrow, Lantern, Antelope. Uchiha Shisui's name was conspicuously absent—a consequence of Hanekawa's butterfly effect.
"The captain is conducting a mission outside the village," Aoi added, anticipating his question.
Hanekawa turned to the final pages and raised an eyebrow. Morino Ibiki. The man had recently joined, still listed as a standard operative. He wondered when Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao would enter the ranks.
"Which members transferred from Root?" he asked, setting down the document.
Aoi retrieved a pen without hesitation. "I'll mark them."
A minute later, Hanekawa reviewed the annotations. Seventeen names. All marked as Root transfers.
His mouth twitched slightly. These were only the obvious ones. The hidden operatives—Danzo's true loyalists—would number far higher.
"Dismiss all seventeen immediately," Hanekawa said after a moment's consideration. "They assisted Shimura Danzo's escape. They're no longer qualified to serve."
Aoi's eyes widened. When did he investigate? He was with us all night...
She didn't voice the question. "Yes. I'll process the dismissals."
"You'll handle recruitment for the vacant positions," Hanekawa continued, standing. "Take two squads and accompany me to Shimura Danzo's residence."
Aoi quickly assembled eight operatives.
"Where does Danzo typically reside?" Hanekawa asked as they moved through the village.
"Half his time at the Shimura clan compound, half at Root headquarters," Aoi replied carefully. "Since Root's dissolution, he's been at the family residence."
The Shimura clan rarely appeared in historical records, but they were substantial—mid-tier ninja family, founded alongside Konoha itself. Similar to the Sarutobi clan with their fire techniques, they lacked bloodline limits but carried considerable weight.
"After Danzo's death, ANBU seized the property. No one's been permitted entry," Aoi continued.
"Professional work," Hanekawa acknowledged.
"Standard procedure," she replied respectfully.
The Shimura compound loomed ahead. Hanekawa studied it thoughtfully. "I expected clan members to attempt interference."
"They wouldn't dare," Aoi said flatly. "Danzo's guilty of treason. Stopping you would only implicate them further. Better to distance themselves completely."
Smart politics. Hanekawa gestured to the operatives. "Search thoroughly. Look for intelligence, hidden laboratories—anything significant."
"Yes!"
The ANBU dispersed with practiced efficiency. Within minutes, documents began accumulating before him.
Hanekawa selected one at random: Sharingan Integration Studies. The research detailed methods for non-Uchiha to reduce physical strain and maximize power when using transplanted eyes. He thought of Kakashi—the legendary burden of wielding a foreign dōjutsu. The only solution was Hashirama cells.
I'll need to speak with Orochimaru about this, he noted mentally. Danzo had struggled endlessly with this problem. Orochimaru, however, possessed the research capability to solve it.
He continued reviewing. The Root's methods were ruthless—most studies involved human experimentation. Uchiha subjects. Senju subjects. Danzo had captured several Senju clan members, attempting to recreate Wood Style and transplant Hashirama cells.
All had "died" on missions.
Teacher would whip their corpses if she knew, Hanekawa muttered.
Then a document caught his attention: Bull-Headed King Experiment.
He recognized it immediately. Hashirama cells possessed a critical flaw—they'd detonate after absorbing sufficient chakra. Danzo had weaponized this, combining the cells with summoning beasts to create Nue: a living bomb.
The experiment remained incomplete. The plot involving Nue wouldn't surface until much later—possibly even into the next generation.
No need to resurrect that project, Hanekawa decided, setting it aside for termination.
"Lord Hanekawa, we found a sealed chamber underground."
Hanekawa descended the stone stairs. Lights illuminated automatically, revealing rows of containers filled with nutrient solution.
Sharingan. Twenty-seven pairs total, including four and a half three-tomoe variants.
Danzo's harvest from the Frost Country... or years of preying on the Uchiha clan.
"This information stays contained," Hanekawa instructed. "If the Uchiha learn about this, they'll take extreme action. Tsunade doesn't need that headache."
"Understood."
He studied the eyes, considering. What to do with these? Returning them to the Uchiha felt wrong. Keeping them felt practical. In the end, he retrieved a storage scroll and sealed them away.
Finders keepers.
A freezer unit occupied the corner. Hanekawa approached and stopped cold.
Hashirama cells. Dozens of containers, frozen but visibly active beneath the ice—still alive, still dangerous.
How many people have used these? Has Hashirama become a mummy by now?
The cells couldn't simply be returned—they'd become independent organisms outside the body. Using them directly was suicide without White Zetsu as a neutralizer.
Hanekawa sealed these away as well. I'll deal with them after capturing White Zetsu.
After confirming nothing remained, he returned to ground level.
"Aoi, locate all remaining Root bases. Search them thoroughly. I want a complete inventory."
"Yes!"
This work should have been completed when Root dissolved, but Danzo's presence had prevented it then. Now, with Hanekawa and Tsunade in command, every asset mattered.
"Lord Hanekawa." Aoi produced a scroll. "We found financial records."
"How much?" His eyes brightened involuntarily.
"Forty-seven million ryō in liquid assets, plus various precious metals and valuables."
Hanekawa's expression fell. "That's it? After all those years as Hokage's assistant?"
Aoi remained silent. For a jonin, this was substantial wealth.
"How are ANBU salaries calculated?" he asked.
"Mission-based rewards, like standard ninja," she explained. "But ANBU receive significantly higher compensation due to mission frequency and difficulty."
So they're just overworked and underpaid. Hanekawa made a mental note. The first order of business for any new administration was always morale—and morale required money.
"Handle the rest. I'll return tomorrow."
After leaving the compound, Hanekawa headed directly toward the Hidden Cloud's temporary quarters in Konoha.
The Cloud ninjas froze when they saw him. Horror flickered across their faces—this was the warrior who'd defeated the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails consecutively, wearing a tailed beast's power like a second skin.
"I need to see Mabui," Hanekawa said calmly.
"Y-yes! Please wait!"
A Cloud operative rushed inside.
Mabui and Samui had been strategizing about recovering their captured comrades—the Two-Tails jinchuriki, Killer Bee, and the Fourth Raikage. Communication with the Cloud remained open, though travel was restricted.
The Hidden Cloud was in chaos. With leadership decimated, Darui had assumed temporary command—a half-student of the Third Raikage, bodyguard to the Fourth, young but capable. Lightning Style, Storm Release, swordsmanship. When the upper echelon had been eliminated, Darui became the logical choice.
"Lady Mabui, Lady Samui," the operative entered carefully, "Hanekawa has arrived at the entrance."
Mabui and Samui exchanged glances. Unease flickered between them, but with Hanekawa's current strength and status, refusing to meet was impossible.
They rose to greet him.