The meeting at the Hokage Building had ended on bad terms, but rather than making Shimura Danzō restrain himself, it was like a ladle of boiling oil had been poured over the dry kindling long smoldering in his heart.
Inside the Root base, Danzō sat alone behind his desk, recalling Hiruzen Sarutobi's demeanor from earlier that day, his fingers clenched tightly around the armrests.
The force he exerted had drained his knuckles of color.
His single eye gleamed with cold unwillingness as he muttered, "Hiruzen... such an unstable weapon, yet you only want to keep it in your hand and lack the courage to forge it? How laughable and cowardly!"
His voice sounded especially sinister in the empty office. He believed he was no longer the "cowardly" deserter he had once been. He would not give up any possible opportunity.
Every time he recalled the moment the position of Hokage had slipped through his fingers, it gnawed at his bones. If only, back then in the Cloud Village...
Fortunately, on that battlefield in the Land of Rain, drenched in blood and schemes, he had caught sight of a "shortcut" that would allow him to overtake others through more secretive cooperation.
Both he and Orochimaru disdained conventional ninjutsu, and both possessed an almost obsessive desire for ultimate power.
After several "collaborations," the two had long reached a mutual understanding on the path of taboo.
"The laboratory... progress must be accelerated."
He gave his order to the empty darkness. "All materials and equipment must be in place before Orochimaru returns."
A shadow in the corner answered in a low voice, "Yes, Lord Danzō. The laboratory has already been constructed underground outside Konoha. It is fully covered by barriers and absolutely concealed."
Danzō nodded in satisfaction. He could practically see the brilliant Orochimaru