Danzo Is in a Very Bad Mood

"Old man, call Jiraiya back. Someone has their eyes on Konoha, and on the Jinchuriki."

Orochimaru chuckled with a sinister edge, "If you won't let me raise him, then hand him over to someone else who can protect him."

To Orochimaru, as long as the power of the Otsutsuki represented by Naruto could be developed faster and better, it didn't matter who raised him.

Innovate? It was easier said than done, as the Genie had put it; he hadn't even figured out what the 'old' was yet, let alone the latter.

Under these circumstances, a precious resource with such rich elemental potential as Naruto could not be wasted carelessly.

For this reason, Orochimaru didn't mind being an alarmist.

"Someone has their eyes on Konoha?" The Third Hokage's gaze sharpened, "Orochimaru, what do you know?"

"I don't know any more than you do."

Orochimaru retracted the smile from his face, his expression turning solemn, "Aside from a Jinchuriki, there is only one other way to control the Nine-Tails."

The Third Hokage fell silent upon hearing this.

Even Minato, with his limited experience, had his suspicions; as a witness to the battle at the Valley of the End, how could the Third not understand?

Or rather, in the ninja world, this was never a secret to begin with.

Madara Uchiha.

The Mangekyo Sharingan.

The current situation where major ninja villages manage their own Tailed Beasts stemmed from the fact that Madara had once controlled the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha. Afterward, the First Hokage, fearing that other stray Tailed Beasts would become a scourge again, collected them and distributed them to the various villages.

Tonight, the tomoe in the eyes of the Nine-Tails as it went berserk were clearly visible.

Was it merely a contingency left behind by Madara? Or had the Uchiha within the village participated as well?

Thoughts flooded the Third Hokage's mind, causing his train of thought to fly off in all directions, uncontrollable.

The former would be one thing—all he could do was guard the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki well—but if it were the latter...

The village had suffered heavy casualties tonight and lost two Kage-level powerhouses, the Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; it was indeed necessary for Jiraiya to return to suppress those with ulterior motives.

"I will send someone to contact Jiraiya to return to the village as soon as possible."

As the Third spoke, his gaze fell back onto Orochimaru.

This was also his student, possessing Kage-level strength capable of suppressing a village, but he didn't know when the two of them had started drifting apart.

To this day, even a simple, ordinary conversation seemed difficult to achieve.

Facing the Third's complex and indescribable gaze, Orochimaru sneered in his consciousness, The old man is still so sentimental.

Orochimaru had once harbored the thought of one day destroying the village the old man cherished right in front of him, but he no longer cared about such things. Now, he pursued only one thing: eternal life.

"Genie, if there is nothing else here, let's hurry back to Root. I can't wait to restart the First Hokage Cells research."

"Regarding that, you don't need to be too anxious."

The Genie's voice carried a hint of a smile, "In the previous First Hokage Cells experiment, one test subject survived and successfully awakened Wood Release."

"What?"

Orochimaru was both shocked and furious, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"So, our first small goal is to snatch that Wood Release boy back from Danzo, and while we're at it, fleece him for everything he's worth."

Meanwhile, in the heart of the village.

Amidst the chaotic ruins, the captain of the Uchiha Police Force, Fugaku Uchiha, was directing his clansmen to properly settle the non-combatants and guide them toward the shelters.

And in the shadows, deeper than the night itself, a squad of ninjas was watching the busy Uchiha.

A Root ninja couldn't help but speak up, "Sir, are we not going to participate in the rescue?"

Although the Nine-Tails had rampaged through the village for less than ten minutes, the destruction caused was immeasurable. Among the ruins, there was no shortage of wounded who had lost the ability to move and were wailing loudly; rescue personnel were in short supply everywhere.

"Prioritize watching the Uchiha." Danzo cast a sidelong glance at the Root ninja, "Don't forget, they cannot escape responsibility for tonight's events."

The Root ninja felt a chill in his heart. The Nine-Tails had appeared for no reason, and the unique tomoe of the Sharingan had been swirling in its eyes; the Uchiha clan was indeed highly suspicious.

Swish!

After a sound of wind being broken, a Root ninja knelt on one knee, "Lord Danzo, the Intelligence Division has sent word: the Nine-Tails has been sealed, and the Fourth and his wife have sacrificed themselves for it."

"Hm?"

A commotion stirred in the surrounding shadows. Even Danzo, who was usually expressionless and deeply calculating, couldn't help but change color. He stepped forward and gripped the Root ninja's shoulder, "Say that again. What exactly happened?"

The Root ninja's tone also carried disbelief, "The Nine-Tails has been sealed, but the Fourth and his wife have sacrificed themselves for it."

Danzo clenched his fists violently, as if it took all his strength to suppress his surging emotions.

For a moment, only one thought remained in his mind: the young Fourth had fallen, and the position of Hokage was finally vacant once again.

The night grew deeper, and as dawn approached, Danzo dragged his weary body back to the Root base.

As for the position of Hokage, once he calmed down, Danzo understood that it couldn't be his this time.

Konoha has suffered a massive upheaval this time, with heavy losses among its mid-to-high-level ninja and the death of the Hokage. Under such circumstances, everyone will prioritize stability, and it is highly unlikely that a new Hokage will be elected in haste; the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is the most likely candidate to return to power.

After all, the Third Hokage is not yet too old to move; he can still swing his staff with enough vigor to drive the rampaging Nine-Tails out of Konoha, so serving as Hokage for a few more years is more than manageable for him.

On the other hand, the Fourth Hokage had only been in office for a short time, and the power that the Third Hokage was supposed to hand over had not yet been fully transferred, so taking it back now would not be particularly difficult.

Anticipating that the former victor would once again emerge victorious before his eyes, Danzo was in a very foul mood tonight.

And soon, his mood became even worse.

In the Root conference room, sitting in a chair identical to the Hokage's, was a thin figure who had even arrogantly propped both feet up on the table.

Danzo was startled at first, but upon seeing the face of the person in the chair, his expression darkened instantly, and he demanded, "Orochimaru, what are you doing here?"

"Lord Danzo, judging by your appearance, you've had a very fulfilling night."

Orochimaru let out a long sigh, his voice raspy as he lamented, "I, on the other hand, am different. My long-time partner has been two-faced, saying one thing to my face and another behind my back. It has me trembling with rage, breaking out in cold sweats and feeling chilled to the bone in this heat, unable to even get a good night's sleep."

What kind of nonsense was this? Danzo did not understand this insider jargon and frowned, "What on earth are you talking about, Orochimaru? I don't have time to play guessing games with you."

"The First Hokage Cells experiments—all test subjects died without exception. That is what you told me back then."

Orochimaru dropped his casual demeanor and stared intently at Danzo, "But today I discovered that is not the case at all. How much longer were you going to keep that Wood Release boy, codenamed Kinoe, a secret from me, Lord Danzo?"

Danzo felt a jolt in his heart, followed by a surge of fury, and he snapped harshly, "Orochimaru, how dare you meddle in my Root?"

New book period, really need those votes (づ￣3￣)づ╭~