Chapter 49 Summoning Technique

Below Konoha Village lies Root's base.

The Third Hokage once said that wherever tree leaves dance, one shall find flames, the fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again tree leaves shall bud anew. This positive metaphor likened Konoha to a tree, while the organization Root, as the name suggests, lurked beneath the ground, shrouded in darkness. Some things that are completely invisible to the light are done by the Root.

While Danzo might have thought of Root as the backbone of Konoha and himself as the village's defense line, the reality was more complex.

But let's stop mentioning that person for now.

The labyrinthine corridors, dim lighting, and masked personnel passing by in haste created an atmosphere within the Root's base that perfectly matched the mysterious appearance expected by the intelligence department. Although when Logan watched it in the Anime, he felt that it looked like the villain's lair more.

"The mission failed..."

In a room, the two Root's members, whom Logan had defeated, kneeled before their leader, nervously recounting the conflict that occurred at Logan's house.

"Useless!" The one reprimanding them was an elder, one of the high-ranking members of Root. He was responsible for following up on Itachi's activities.

While the Third Hokage had already made a decision regarding Itachi's actions in a higher-ups meeting, determining the issue of the Uchiha Clan's incident, and Itachi was likely inclined towards the Third Hokage's faction, Root would not let their guard down regarding the Uchiha Clan, "The other party is only an Elite Jonin at most, and the two of you were easily defeated?"

"…" The two Root's members, being in inferior position, had no words to refute, but they had some complaints in their hearts, 'If you're so capable, why don't you try it yourself…'

Among them, the one with the dog mask spoke in a low voice, "That Raiden Hattori has formidable strength... It wasn't a fight to the death, so we're no match for him."

While Logan had fought and defeated two Root's members, battles between Ninja weren't always fights to the death. Nevertheless, the excuses from the Root's member with the dog mask were more about saving his and his teammate's reputation, implying, 'We're still capable fighters. When it comes to real fight, we'd be impressive. The outcome might not be what you expect, bla bla bla..."

The elder snorted disdainfully, ignoring the subordinates' attempts to justify themselves. With an angry expression, he was about to say something when someone entered the room.

Hearing the door open and the footsteps of several people, the elder looked up, then he immediately adopted a respectful demeanor, "Danzo-sama."

The two Root's members bowed their heads even lower.

Danzo, with his right eye covered by bandages, entered the room with a stern expression. He nodded to the elder and was about to proceed to his office when he glanced at the two Root's members kneeling on the ground, "What happened?"

The elder spoke calmly, without any reprimands towards the subordinates. After recounting the incident, he said: "It was my incompetence. I will continue to..."

"No need." Danzo interrupted the elder's thoughts of pursuing further investigation. It is unknown what he was hiding in his one eye, "The situation is sensitive at the moment, so don't make any big moves."

The name Raiden Hattori passed through Danzo's mind. He seemed to have some impression of this formidable Jonin.

Logan's strength was commendable, and he had a good relationship with Itachi. Moreover, Danzo had even tried to recruit him in the past, but Logan had refused.

"Just send a few people to keep an eye on him. Uchiha Itachi won't be stupid enough to tell the other party what he is going to do." After giving his orders, Danzo waved his hand. After the elder acknowledged, Danzo left with his men.

In the eyes of some big shots, the name Raiden Hattori ultimately didn't carry much weight. Logan was an outstanding Elite Jonin and a pillar of Konoha, and these qualities might garner more attention from someone like the Third Hokage.

However, for individuals like Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, Logan was just one of many formidable Jonin. Lacking Kekkei Genkai or prestigious clan background, no famous teacher and student background, traditional notions made them inadvertently overlook Logan's significance.

The fact that Logan easily defeated two Root's members this time might make Danzo pay a little more attention to him, but only a little.

There is a gap in strength between Ninjas, even if they are both Jonin, the strength of two people will not be the same, and there is no clear quantifiable standards.

Danzo himself was no stranger to this and understood this better. ANBU and Root might sound like they were filled with skilled individuals, but not all of them were Jonin, and the strength comparison between Jonin could vary due to various reasons.

'Raiden Hattori was probably indeed a very capable Ninja.' This thought flashed through Danzo's mind.

Logan had completed numerous high-level missions, and his strength had long since improved by leaps and bounds. However, if he really wants to truly enter the sight of some big shots, he lacked a battle that would make him famous.

…

'Let me see, Space-Time Ninjutsu..."

In the ANBU's data room, Logan was flipping through something.

After driving away two the Root's members, Logan returned to the ANBU to report the next day as if nothing had happened. He knew that the other party wouldn't make a fuss since he hadn't committed any wrongdoing.

At most, they would accuse him of assaulting colleagues, and then someone might come later to look for trouble again. However, Logan wasn't afraid, unless Danzo personally intervened, which is very unlikely.

Upon arriving at the ANBU's Headquarters, Logan found that he didn't have much to do for the time being. Takeshi warmly invited people who were interested in learning the leadership roles in the ANBU, but Logan firmly declined, stating that his interests lay elsewhere. He then went to the data room in the building to study some knowledge.

In the data room, one could borrow various scrolls and books, covering a wide range of subjects from Ninjutsu to espionage and combat experience. Logan had visited occasionally when he had free time, but with so many scrolls filled with densely written text, Logan didn't have the courage to immerse himself in them completely.

Logan had originally intended to find some information on Space-Time Ninjutsu, but he quickly became disappointed. There was little information available on this subject, and most of it was vague and cryptic, resembling fortune-telling rather than credible knowledge.

In this situation, Logan thought he might as well look up physics books when he returned to the modern world. At least, concepts like wave-particle duality and quantum theory sounded more plausible...

Logan soon gave up trying to find scientific exploration in this area and instead turned to scrolls on Fire Release and Genjutsu.

At present, Logan's proficiency in Lightning Release surpassed that of anyone else in Konoha. Even without his trump card, the Railgun, his Lightning Release combined with Taijutsu skills, Logan was already unmatched among those below the level of Kage.

Unbeknownst to many, except for being slightly weaker in Genjutsu, Logan had made much progress in his strength over the past two years, reaching the height that exceeded many people's imagination.

However, there weren't many who knew about Logan's progress, but Logan also didn't care about it. As long as he knew about his own improvement, that was enough.

Looking at the Genjutsu's scrolls does not mean that Logan is preparing to practice Genjutsu, as he likely had no talent in that area. He only needs to increase his ability to resist Genjutsu in battle, as that would be beneficial. As for the Fire Release Ninjutsu, it never hurt to have more techniques at his disposal.

However, when Logan finished reading a scroll and set it down, he noticed something different in the corner of the bookshelf, distinct from the other scrolls.

"Summoning Technique." Logan read out the name.