Before he could act, seven or eight figures rushed in and restrained him.
It wasn't just Minato Namikaze who responded—Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi also moved swiftly. Even several Jonin from the ANBU standing by immediately joined in, subduing the man without resistance.
However, despite their success, the expressions on everyone's faces remained grim.
The worst-case scenario had just occurred: a member of the Hokage's personal guard—ANBU—had been compromised.
"Aoba, is this guy really a spy?" Minato Namikaze stepped forward as Aoba Kawaki exited the interrogation room, speaking with urgency.
"He's likely not from an enemy village," Aoba replied, frowning thoughtfully. "But he harbors deep hostility toward Hokage-sama."
His words caused confusion among the group. No one was sure what to make of that.
Aoba continued calmly, recounting the three psychological questions he had posed during the probe, pointing out inconsistencies in the subject's emotional responses.
"...That's the situation. He has the resolve to die for Konoha, and yet, every time Hokage-sama is mentioned, he shows disgust and hatred. It's baffling. How can someone in our ranks feel this way?"
Though Aoba spoke as if he hadn't drawn any conclusions, his curiosity seemed genuine.
None of the onlookers doubted him.
All eyes turned toward the restrained man. With Aoba's explanation, many of them now recognized who he was—not an enemy spy, but someone with a deeply troubling background.
"What's with those looks? You ANBU guys… Do you know something?" Aoba asked, sensing the tension.
But no one answered. The silence was telling. Even Obito, if he'd been there, would've sensed something was off.
"That's enough, Aoba," Minato said, taking charge. "This matter is beyond our level. We'll report it directly to Hokage-sama."
Aoba nodded. "Understood, Minato-san. My duty is to ensure the integrity of our forces. The rest, I'll leave to the Hokage."
Minato departed with the restrained operative—who, from his behavior and history, was almost certainly one of Danzō Shimura's Root operatives embedded within the ANBU.
Aoba returned to his screening mission.
Exposing a Root spy so close to Hiruzen Sarutobi would no doubt put him in Danzō's crosshairs, but Aoba felt confident. He welcomed the idea of being reassigned to the front lines. The battlefield, after all, was the quickest path to fame and influence for a ninja.
He wasn't worried about having angered Danzō. If anything, he hoped the old warhawk would retaliate.
Having rooted out the first spy, Aoba doubled down on his investigation. He was careful not to miss a single detail. After all, Root operatives were conditioned to suppress all emotion and could lie undetected even under advanced sensory techniques.
Especially the ones raised inside Root's brutal, inhuman training grounds.
Whether it was luck or Root's adaptability, Aoba failed to identify a second agent among the remaining ANBU in the first batch.
Just as he finished, Minato returned with a second group of ANBU for inspection.
Seeing them arrive, Aoba's eyes lit up. He immediately motioned for Minato to send in the first subject.
"You sure you don't want to rest a bit, Aoba?" Minato asked with concern.
"I'm fine. This mission is a priority. My chakra reserves are holding up," Aoba replied. What he consumed wasn't chakra—it was Kenbunshoku Haki, something he carefully kept hidden from others. If he didn't have to maintain secrecy, he could have scanned them all at once.
"…Alright," Minato said, still somewhat reluctant, but respecting Aoba's judgment.
Using the same probing methods as before, Aoba tried to detect another Root agent in the second group.
But again, no result.
This batch mostly comprised loyalists to Hiruzen—individuals whose loyalty was unquestioned, even under intense scrutiny.
"Minato-senpai, please bring the third group," Aoba said in a low voice. His confidence in his maxed-out Kenbunshoku Haki remained unshaken. He had to believe another Root operative was hiding somewhere in the ranks.
Minato left once more, this time at a slower pace—perhaps wanting to give Aoba a chance to rest.
But Aoba had no time for rest. As the third group entered, he resumed the screening immediately.
With each scan, his mood darkened. Maybe there had only been one spy. After all, this was the Hokage's personal guard.
Just as Aoba was about to finish inspecting the last of the third group, his senses spiked.
He'd found the second.
Though the operative had suppressed his emotions well, he couldn't hide from Aoba's heightened perception.
A surge of satisfaction coursed through Aoba, and he couldn't help but grin.
The operative immediately noticed the shift in Aoba's demeanor and grew tense.
"Eight Gates Formation—Gate of Healing, open!"
Aoba's body surged with power. He launched a devastating kick—his speed amplified—striking before the enemy could act. The Root operative was sent flying.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several shinobi moved in at once, pinning the man down and preventing him from escaping.
"Another one…" Minato murmured, rubbing his temples. "As I feared, there's more."
Aoba, now suppressing the raging chakra from the Eight Gates, stepped calmly out of the interrogation room.
"Wait a moment, Minato-san. There's still time for you to leave, once I've finished screening the remaining senior Anbu," said Aoba Kawaki. His meaning was clear, and everyone present understood the implication.
Even among the Anbu, no one voiced opposition. After all, two Root operatives had already been exposed within their ranks. Those who hadn't been screened by Aoba were naturally under suspicion.
Only six people remained. It didn't take long for Aoba to finish identifying them, and thankfully, there wasn't a third Root agent among them.
With that, the mission to root out spies had officially come to an end.
The captured Root agents were escorted to the Hokage's office.
When they arrived, they were met by the stern, ever-grim face of Shimura Danzō.
Everyone except Aoba instinctively tensed.
It was bad enough that they had just uncovered spies planted by Root. Now they had walked straight into the presence of the organization's leader.
Worse yet, they were carrying one of his subordinates in custody.
As expected, when Danzō saw the captured Root agent, his expression darkened further.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated at the head of the room, narrowed his eyes. He silently admitted that he had once again underestimated his old rival.
He had been aware of the first Root operative Aoba had uncovered—Hiruzen had left that agent in place intentionally, to mislead Danzō.
But the one currently in custody? That was unexpected. Hiruzen had no idea about this one.
He had planned to play a game of misdirection with one visible pawn and one hidden. Yet Danzō had done the same, perhaps more effectively.
"If not for Aoba…" Hiruzen thought grimly. "How long would I have remained blind to Danzō's deeper reach?"
It was a stark reminder: Danzō was placing spies even among those close to the Hokage himself. That could not be allowed to continue.
Of course, Hiruzen himself wasn't above such tactics. He, too, had placed spies within Root. But he was the Hokage. Wasn't it his right to monitor every faction within the village?
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.
Finally, Aoba broke it.
"Hokage-sama, Genin Aoba reporting. The mission has been completed."
A chilling stare landed on him. Even without sensory abilities like Kenbunshoku Haki—a term more fitting in One Piece than Naruto—Aoba could sense the hostility radiating from Danzō.
A muffled cough broke the tension.
"Very well done, Aoba," Hiruzen said, interrupting Danzō's silent fury. "You've successfully uncovered and eliminated enemy agents infiltrating the village. I'll mark this as an S-rank contribution. As for your reward—do you have anything in mind?"
Aoba was pleased by the offer but cautious. He knew Hiruzen wouldn't part with anything truly valuable on a whim. And thanks to Fugaku Uchiha's recent support, Aoba wasn't lacking in mid-tier resources.
So, he decided to defer the reward.
His eyes drifted to Minato Namikaze, standing nearby. "I wonder if he's already learned the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"No, thank you, Hokage-sama," Aoba finally said. "I still haven't fully mastered the jutsu I'm currently studying."
Hiruzen gave a slight nod, though he looked somewhat embarrassed. Despite the mission's S-rank designation, Aoba's contributions went far beyond the label.
Not only had he eliminated hidden threats, but he had also delivered a list of potential high-level enemy spies. With such a list, the Hokage could feed disinformation to rival villages—an invaluable strategic asset, especially in times of war.
"Very well," Hiruzen said. "Your merit will be recorded. If something comes to mind in the future, don't hesitate to ask me directly."
Then, after a pause: "Also, Aoba, your performance on this mission far exceeds that of a Genin. I hereby promote you to Chūnin."
Aoba bowed in acknowledgment. Since Hiruzen hadn't mentioned disbanding his team, Aoba remained quiet on the matter.
Once the handover was complete and the Root agents were detained, the team quickly exited the Hokage Building—leaving behind the still-glaring Danzō.
That man's presence was unnervingly frequent. Aoba had visited the Hokage's office multiple times and had run into Danzō nearly every time. Judging by the others' reactions, the old war hawk wasn't exactly beloved in Konoha.
"An S-rank mission completed without bloodshed. Quite an achievement, even as support."
The voice belonged to Nara Shikaku, who had observed the Hokage's favor toward Aoba. Seeing such promise in a young shinobi, Shikaku resolved to establish ties early.
"We owe you for this one, little brother Aoba," Shikaku added with a smile.
Akimichi Chōza chimed in, proposing a celebration at Barbecue Q, the high-end restaurant run by his clan. Nobody objected.
It was a double win for Aoba—free food and deeper ties with the Ino–Shika–Chō trio. He couldn't ask for more.
They took a seat by the window at Barbecue Q rather than using a private room. As they grilled meat and talked, the war inevitably became the topic of discussion.
"The Cloud-nin from the Land of Lightning have officially entered the conflict," Shikaku said. "That makes three of the five great nations now involved. It won't be long before this escalates into the Third Great Ninja War."
He turned to Aoba, his voice serious.
"You need to be ready. Your abilities will make you a prime target on the battlefield."
Aoba nodded quietly. Just yesterday, he had already survived one assassination attempt.
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