Chapter 40
The Snake in the Shadows
"Lord Danzo!"
A man wearing a black cloak and black sunglasses knelt on one knee and addressed the man respectfully.
"Ryoma, go and call Orochimaru over here."
Danzo had his back to Aburame Ryoma, so his expression was not visible.
Longma replied in a deep voice, "Yes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly got up and left.
Danzo stood alone in the dark underground chamber, constantly stroking the cane in his right hand.
"Orochimaru... this guy is dangerous. Although we've only just formed a cooperative relationship, I'll probably have to give up some benefits if I want to use him..."
Danzo Shimura squinted, his right fingers tapping the tips of his cane one by one.
"Uchiha Sumi..."
"..."
"If your roots are rotten, just stay buried in the dark mud and struggle; don't come out and embarrass yourself!"
A cold, mocking remark echoed in his mind. Danzo suddenly gripped his cane tightly, so hard that it made a cracking sound.
"It's just a loss of some benefits. If it can remove this scourge from Konoha, it will be worth it."
As if it were a self-comforting remark, footsteps could be faintly heard in the corridor outside the dark room.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
As the footsteps drew closer, a pale-faced man appeared in the doorway. He had long black hair, and beneath his golden vertical pupils, a narrow purple eyeshadow extended all the way to his nose.
This man is handsome yet dangerous, like a bewitching spider lily on the road to the underworld...
Orochimaru looked ahead and saw Danzo with his back to him, his posture stiff and his back ramrod straight, clearly indicating that he was not in a good mood.
He narrowed his golden vertical pupils, the information he had just received flashing through his mind.
"That's really interesting."
Orochimaru stopped in front of Danzo and spoke in his distinctive, hoarse voice:
"Danzo, I've arrived. You should know I'm conducting experiments right now, right? The fee for calling me here to do this is quite expensive."
As he spoke, Orochimaru's lips curled up, and his eyes revealed undisguised greed.
"That poisonous snake!"
Danzo cursed inwardly, then turned around and said calmly:
"I have a new project that I think you'll find interesting."
Although Orochimaru already had a guess in his heart, he still cooperated by showing a hint of anticipation.
Tell me about it.
"The Sharingan, a power capable of rivaling Wood Release, what do you think?"
"Heh~"
Orochimaru sneered, "I don't want to be targeted by those lunatics from the Uchiha clan."
"It's alright, I'll prepare the timing and cover. With your skills and my cooperation, no one will get a word of it."
As Danzo spoke, he looked directly into Orochimaru's eyes without flinching or looking away, his expression calm.
"What are the benefits?"
Orochimaru seemed interested, and his hoarse voice rose a few notches.
"As a start to our collaboration, this first pair of Sharingan is yours, and I will provide new funding for the experiments. However, when there are research results, the first share must be mine."
As a seasoned cunning fox, Danzo knew perfectly well that he couldn't be too eager at this time, or he would inevitably expose his true intentions and suffer heavy losses. But no matter how much he schemed, he could never have imagined that Orochimaru had come to him with the answer.
"Hehe~"
Orochimaru stuck out his long, narrow tongue and licked his upper lip. "No rush. Tell me who your target is first."
"..."
Their eyes met, and the air suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, Danzo calmly uttered four words.
"Uchiha Sumi".
"..."
"Danzo, are you kidding me?" Orochimaru's pale face instantly lost all its smile, his snake eyes narrowed, and a chilling aura spread through the underground chamber.
"This is a rising genius of the Uchiha clan, and you chose him as your target at this time... Danzo... you wouldn't be using me to eliminate an obstacle, would you?"
"..."
Danzo's eyelids twitched, and he gripped his cane tightly.
"I can increase the funding for the experiment."
"Hehe~"
Orochimaru smiled and licked his lips again with his long, narrow tongue.
"Build me another laboratory of the same level as a reserve for Sharingan-related experiments."
"Orochimaru! Don't be greedy!" Danzo narrowed his one eye and tapped the floor with his cane.
"Oh……"
Their gazes met in the air, and Orochimaru's lips curled into a cruel smile, his golden pupils filled with undisguised greed, showing no sign of yielding.
"..."
"High-precision experimental instruments are not easy to obtain. You need to provide the channels, and I will find a way."
"Can."
Orochimaru glanced at Danzo's covered eye, then chuckled and turned to walk towards the door.
"It's a pleasure working with you, Danzo."
After leaving through the door, Orochimaru's smile faded, and the scene from the Uchiha clan compound suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Uchiha Sumire... his killing intent towards Danzo was genuine. Why would a ten-year-old child be so certain that he could kill the Dark Lord of the Shinobi World who had dominated the shinobi world for decades? Was it ignorance, stupidity, arrogance, or something else...?"
"This is really interesting..."
With steady footsteps, Orochimaru's body completely disappeared into the darkness, leaving no trace.
……
"I see... Orochimaru, it seems this is indeed a bit troublesome..."
In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly closed.
……
Before I knew it, a month had passed.
Uchiha Mo has completed his task of teaching Kurenai genjutsu, and in the past month, he has also led Team 8 on a second mission.
Time passed peacefully, but Mo felt something was very strange.
Could it be that Danzo and Orochimaru's meeting wasn't for their own purposes, but simply a collaboration?
During that month, he almost never let Zhishui out of his sight, but after half a month, they still couldn't detect anything unusual.
Then, the restless members of Class 8 started clamoring to take on another mission.
Mo thought about it again and realized that Danzo might have been planning this.
So, during a C-rank bandit suppression mission, Mo and Shisui were on high alert the whole time, always ready to be attacked. But even after returning to Konoha, they did not sense anything unusual, and even their Clairvoyance could not detect the slightest trace of the Root.
He was puzzled. Had Danzo really given up?
After all, the best time to make a move is when you leave the village, but when Mo saw Asma holding a pair of flying swallows and looking arrogant at the front of the group, he hesitated.
Perhaps Danzo simply didn't want to provoke Hiruzen Sarutobi?
And so, one morning a month later, just as Mo was about to temporarily lower his guard, something unexpected happened...
A man wearing a black cloak and black sunglasses knelt on one knee and addressed the man respectfully.
"Ryoma, go and call Orochimaru over here."
Danzo had his back to Aburame Ryoma, so his expression was not visible.
Longma replied in a deep voice, "Yes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly got up and left.
Danzo stood alone in the dark underground chamber, constantly stroking the cane in his right hand.
"Orochimaru... this guy is dangerous. Although we've only just formed a cooperative relationship, I'll probably have to give up some benefits if I want to use him..."
Danzo Shimura squinted, his right fingers tapping the tips of his cane one by one.
"Uchiha Sumi..."
"..."
"If your roots are rotten, just stay buried in the dark mud and struggle; don't come out and embarrass yourself!"
A cold, mocking remark echoed in his mind. Danzo suddenly gripped his cane tightly, so hard that it made a cracking sound.
"It's just a loss of some benefits. If it can remove this scourge from Konoha, it will be worth it."
As if it were a self-comforting remark, footsteps could be faintly heard in the corridor outside the dark room.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
As the footsteps drew closer, a pale-faced man appeared in the doorway. He had long black hair, and beneath his golden vertical pupils, a narrow purple eyeshadow extended all the way to his nose.
This man is handsome yet dangerous, like a bewitching spider lily on the road to the underworld...
Orochimaru looked ahead and saw Danzo with his back to him, his posture stiff and his back ramrod straight, clearly indicating that he was not in a good mood.
He narrowed his golden vertical pupils, the information he had just received flashing through his mind.
"That's really interesting."
Orochimaru stopped in front of Danzo and spoke in his distinctive, hoarse voice:
"Danzo, I've arrived. You should know I'm conducting experiments right now, right? The fee for calling me here to do this is quite expensive."
As he spoke, Orochimaru's lips curled up, and his eyes revealed undisguised greed.
"That poisonous snake!"
Danzo cursed inwardly, then turned around and said calmly:
"I have a new project that I think you'll find interesting."
Although Orochimaru already had a guess in his heart, he still cooperated by showing a hint of anticipation.
Tell me about it.
"The Sharingan, a power capable of rivaling Wood Release, what do you think?"
"Heh~"
Orochimaru sneered, "I don't want to be targeted by those lunatics from the Uchiha clan."
"It's alright, I'll prepare the timing and cover. With your skills and my cooperation, no one will get a word of it."
As Danzo spoke, he looked directly into Orochimaru's eyes without flinching or looking away, his expression calm.
"What are the benefits?"
Orochimaru seemed interested, and his hoarse voice rose a few notches.
"As a start to our collaboration, this first pair of Sharingan is yours, and I will provide new funding for the experiments. However, when there are research results, the first share must be mine."
As a seasoned cunning fox, Danzo knew perfectly well that he couldn't be too eager at this time, or he would inevitably expose his true intentions and suffer heavy losses. But no matter how much he schemed, he could never have imagined that Orochimaru had come to him with the answer.
"Hehe~"
Orochimaru stuck out his long, narrow tongue and licked his upper lip. "No rush. Tell me who your target is first."
"..."
Their eyes met, and the air suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, Danzo calmly uttered four words.
"Uchiha Sumi".
"..."
"Danzo, are you kidding me?" Orochimaru's pale face instantly lost all its smile, his snake eyes narrowed, and a chilling aura spread through the underground chamber.
"This is a rising genius of the Uchiha clan, and you chose him as your target at this time... Danzo... you wouldn't be using me to eliminate an obstacle, would you?"
"..."
Danzo's eyelids twitched, and he gripped his cane tightly.
"I can increase the funding for the experiment."
"Hehe~"
Orochimaru smiled and licked his lips again with his long, narrow tongue.
"Build me another laboratory of the same level as a reserve for Sharingan-related experiments."
"Orochimaru! Don't be greedy!" Danzo narrowed his one eye and tapped the floor with his cane.
"Oh……"
Their gazes met in the air, and Orochimaru's lips curled into a cruel smile, his golden pupils filled with undisguised greed, showing no sign of yielding.
"..."
"High-precision experimental instruments are not easy to obtain. You need to provide the channels, and I will find a way."
"Can."
Orochimaru glanced at Danzo's covered eye, then chuckled and turned to walk towards the door.
"It's a pleasure working with you, Danzo."
After leaving through the door, Orochimaru's smile faded, and the scene from the Uchiha clan compound suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Uchiha Sumire... his killing intent towards Danzo was genuine. Why would a ten-year-old child be so certain that he could kill the Dark Lord of the Shinobi World who had dominated the shinobi world for decades? Was it ignorance, stupidity, arrogance, or something else...?"
"This is really interesting..."
With steady footsteps, Orochimaru's body completely disappeared into the darkness, leaving no trace.
……
"I see... Orochimaru, it seems this is indeed a bit troublesome..."
In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly closed.
……
Before I knew it, a month had passed.
Uchiha Mo has completed his task of teaching Kurenai genjutsu, and in the past month, he has also led Team 8 on a second mission.
Time passed peacefully, but Mo felt something was very strange.
Could it be that Danzo and Orochimaru's meeting wasn't for their own purposes, but simply a collaboration?
During that month, he almost never let Zhishui out of his sight, but after half a month, they still couldn't detect anything unusual.
Then, the restless members of Class 8 started clamoring to take on another mission.
Mo thought about it again and realized that Danzo might have been planning this.
So, during a C-rank bandit suppression mission, Mo and Shisui were on high alert the whole time, always ready to be attacked. But even after returning to Konoha, they did not sense anything unusual, and even their Clairvoyance could not detect the slightest trace of the Root.
He was puzzled. Had Danzo really given up?
After all, the best time to make a move is when you leave the village, but when Mo saw Asma holding a pair of flying swallows and looking arrogant at the front of the group, he hesitated.
Perhaps Danzo simply didn't want to provoke Hiruzen Sarutobi?
And so, one morning a month later, just as Mo was about to temporarily lower his guard, something unexpected happened...