Several days later, deep in the night, somewhere in the desolate mountains of the Land of Fire,
The night sky was gloomy. A bright moon hung high overhead, its clear light filtering through thin clouds and falling upon Shimura Danzō, who stood expressionlessly with a cane.
It was already December, nearly winter. Cold winds howled endlessly past his ears across the vast wilderness.
That poisonous snake actually contacted me of his own accord?
Ever since Orochimaru's human experiments had been exposed several years ago, forcing him to flee Konoha and become a rogue ninja, their cooperation had ended. That fellow Orochimaru had seemed to vanish without a trace and had never once contacted him first.
He must be plotting something again!
Shimura Danzō sneered inwardly. Although he knew exactly what Orochimaru was after, he had still come. After all, his body was deteriorating by the day, and his research into the Sharingan and First Hokage Cells had yielded no progress.
And Orochimaru?
Though Shimura Danzō deeply despised and feared that poisonous snake, he had to admit that the man was exceptionally talented and gifted.
That was why he had come!
Time passed second by second, yet Orochimaru still had not appeared. Shimura Danzō was not impatient, however, and simply continued waiting in silence.
When a drifting cloud covered the moon overhead, a tall, slender figure finally appeared at the foot of the mountain.
Orochimaru had arrived!
Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing his gaze on him as he observed every movement.
Orochimaru paid no attention to Danzo's scrutiny. With several swift leaps, he appeared before Shimura Danzō and rasped, "I want the Sharingan in your possession!"
Something must have happened to this poisonous snake!
The moment Orochimaru appeared before him, Danzo had keenly noticed the changes in him.
The Orochimaru of the past had been a venomous snake with deep schemes and an unfathomable mind, one who would bite back the instant anyone lowered their guard.
But the Orochimaru now?
Danzo saw a profound sense of defeat in him, along with frenzied madness in his eyes. He was like a hysterical wild wolf.
No, more accurately, he was a stray dog!
Shimura Danzō smiled upon noticing this. Rather than answer his question, he asked in return,
"How did you know I have Sharingan?"
Orochimaru sneered mockingly. "Stop playing dumb, Danzo. What you and that old man did may be hidden from others, but you can't hide it from me!"
"Heh heh..." Shimura Danzō chuckled and nodded directly. "Fine!"
"That was quite straightforward." Orochimaru licked his lips and asked in a dangerous tone, "But Danzo, what is the price?"
Orochimaru understood that their relationship had always been one of cooperation, exploitation, and mutual wariness. There was not the slightest shred of sentiment between them.
For Danzo to agree so readily, he must have needed something from him as well.
"The price?" Shimura Danzō unwound the bandages around his body, revealing that half-woodenized arm.
"I need you to create an arm that can perfectly transplant Sharingan!"
Orochimaru glanced at his arm and agreed without further nonsense. "Fine! But you must give me some Sharingan for research first."
"How many pairs do you need?"
"Ten pairs!"
Shimura Danzō fell silent for a moment before saying flatly, "I'll give you twenty pairs, but some of them must be used on this old man's new arm!"
"Heh heh... It seems you can't wait any longer."
Orochimaru chuckled meaningfully.
"But... a pleasant cooperation!"
"Hmph!" Shimura Danzō looked around and said blandly, "This method of meeting is ultimately unsuitable. Give me a way to contact you, Orochimaru."
"Of course." Orochimaru licked his lips as a pure white snake crawled from his sleeve, which he handed over.
Shimura Danzō accepted the white snake and inspected it carefully for a moment. After confirming there was no danger, he took out a mysterious scroll from his pocket and sealed the snake within it.
Then he used a technique similar to the Reverse Summoning Technique, and the scroll vanished at once.
"Once I return, I'll have the items delivered to you."
With that, Shimura Danzō turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared. This Shimura Danzō had been nothing more than a Shadow Clone all along!
"That old fellow is as cautious as ever."
Orochimaru mocked him, but then he seemed to recall something, and his expression instantly darkened.
"Uchiha Itachi!"
Orochimaru gritted his teeth as he spoke. Anyone could hear the intense hatred in his voice!
Uchiha Clan Compound, the clan head's residence.
"Current date: December 9, Konoha Year 56..."
As usual, Sasuke was writing his daily summary. Having only just written the date at the beginning, he froze, his pen stopping mid-stroke. After a moment of silence, he let out a sigh.
Without realizing it, I've already been in this world for more than five months.
He missed home. No matter how deep his thoughts ran, he was still human. And humans missed home.
I wonder what happened to my original body. Did it die? Is it in a vegetative state? Or did it disappear?
His melancholy lasted only a moment. Sasuke quietly closed his eyes, gradually regained control of his emotions, and pulled himself together once more.
Shaking his head, Sasuke returned his gaze and thoughts to the papers before him.
The current date was December 9, Konoha Year 56.
Naruto and the original Sasuke were born in Konoha Year 48. They would be twelve to thirteen when they graduated, which meant Konoha Year 61.
Moreover, he was currently in his second year and about to enter his third, so his deduction was correct!
In addition, the academic year in this world followed the same system as real-world Japan. Students entered school every April, and each academic year lasted until March of the following year.
"Konoha Year 61, March: Graduation from the Ninja Academy!"
Based on information from the original timeline, Team 7 carried out basic missions for one month after graduation before encountering the Land of Waves mission.
Thinking of this, Sasuke continued writing:
"Konoha Year 61, April: Land of Waves C-rank mission!"
Based on the deduction that the Third Hokage announced the Chunin Exams on July 1:
"Konoha Year 61, July: The Chunin Exams hosted by Konoha."
"Konoha Year 61, August: Chunin Exams finals. Orochimaru launches the Konoha Crush Plan!"
"Konoha Year 61, September: Tsunade becomes Konoha's Fifth Hokage."
"..."
Before you continue