(A/N) Hello! We're starting in on long term plotty stuff now, I have a plan, so don't worry about that. Now do I murder or brutally maim Orochimaru…
Mito noticed the extra ANBU following her after the gala as soon as they started. She hadn't ordered another squad, and she was pretty sure these were not her ANBU. She didn't recognize the signatures and they never came when she called for an errand of something or another.
Although perhaps she could understand not coming down for an errand, if not for the fact that most errands involved seeing baby Naruto, and as such were coveted. ANBU or not, they were not going to pass up a chance to see baby Naruto. Even if it meant delivering notes and assorted papers.
She began digging through old paperwork involving other ANBU segments, and came across ROOT. An ANBU division entirely under Danzo's control. Technically disbanded, but with the additional ANBU she didn't know, she doubted it was actually disbanded. Honestly, she wasn't all that surprised it wasn't. Hiruzen had been a pushover, and likely had passed the ROOT off as necessary for the village. Mito knew better.
She brought the papers to Kushina, who scanned them, and frowned. "There've been suspect incidents of people going missing, mostly kids with a lot of promise or clan members."
Mito hadn't been handling that side of the paperwork, so she took Kushina's word for it. "Suspect how?"
"Mostly weird cases of people dying mysteriously on missions that weren't even above their skill level. They weren't cases of the mission being of the wrong rank or anything." Kushina huffed, being careful not to pop herself, as she was a shadow clone, her real self at home taking care of Naruto. "I've been keeping track of them, and trying not to send people I know follow the pattern out alone. If they have to go on a mission I've been sending them with people of a higher skill level then the mission warrants."
"Has it been working?" Mito asked, planting herself on the edge of the chair Kushina was sitting on to get a better look at the paperwork. Kushina scooted over accordingly.
"A bit? Less chuunin and genin are randomly going missing, but I think the council caught on, they're giving me weird looks."
"Weird looks as in what," Mito asked suspiciously.
"Mostly just like, 'what are you doing you crazy woman' and 'why are you using our jounin like this'. Danzo seems kinda angry though, now that I think about it." Kushina hummed, adjusting some of the papers.
"Well considering you're preventing him from taking and brainwashing our shinobi, that is understandable. I did seal the room before I started by the way, only our ANBU can hear."
"Really," Kushina complained. "He should be more subtle about it if he really wants to get away with it. This isn't even remotely subtle! We're supposed to be shinobi!"
"And when have you been subtle in your life?" Mito asked mildly.
Kushina gasped in mock affront. "I'll have you know I can be subtle! I became a shinobi afterall!"
"Sure," Mito hummed, standing up.
"How could you, my fellow Hokage, do this to me," Kushina gasped dramatically.
"It really wasn't that hard," Mito remarked, grabbing a stack of papers and sitting down at her desk.
Another dramatic gasp came from Kushina, and Mito studiously ignored her, focusing on the paperwork she'd grabbed. Not complicated, just a petition for some more needed construction wood. She signed off on it and set it aside.
"Danzo," Mito said, standing after a council meeting in which nothing had gotten done. "If I may speak with you?" She nodded to the Kushina clone as it left, then to each of the councilors.
"Of course. What about?" He replied smoothly.
"ROOT."
He had the gall to look surprised. "What is there to talk about? It was disbanded years ago."
Mito raised an eyebrow. "Really? What about the ANBU I can sense following me that I know I didn't order to shadow me."
"Perhaps it was Kushina's doing," Danzo replied smoothly.
"Kushina's doing my backend," Mito replied immediately. "You and I both know that Kushina and I agreed that I have control of the ANBU for the moment. She wouldn't bother, and if she did, it would be changing who is on my rotation, not adding another squad."
Danzo was cornered and they both knew it.
"Disband ROOT," Mito said firmly.
"I-I'll need time," Danzo said, somewhat weakly. As weakly as a man like him could manage anyway.
"You have a month," Mito said, narrowing her eyes. "After that, I will come in myself and dismiss them."
Danzo narrowed his eyes right back and her, but huffed and stormed out.
Mito sighed as she felt the ROOT ANBU leave with Danzo. It hadn't been an empty threat, she would storm any ROOT base she could locate and free each and every person she came across, anyone who got in her way be screwed.
It would be troublesome, to quote a Nara, but she would do it. Or let Kushina run wild with them and watch over Naruto, which might just be worse for them, depending on how vindictive Kushina was feeling that day.
"Take care of him?" Kushina asked, grinning crookedly.
Mito returned it with a slight smile of her own. "I did. He has a month then we leave Naruto with Gai and go storming in there."
Kushina pumped a fist. "Yes! I've always wanted to get rid of the bastard!"
Mito chuckled. "Right. But we can't right now. Later."
"Later," Kushina agreed reluctantly.
(A/N) This isn't, of course, the last we see of Danzo, or of ROOT. I think you guys'll be interested to see where this goes! Danzo, unfortunately, will be alive for about the next 14 chapters. At least his end will be well deserved and long coming.