"For certain reasons, one of the village's clans has fallen out with the village. After Iwagakure learned of this, they tried to launch a large-scale attack."
"We don't know whether the intelligence is true, so we need you to verify it."
After Aburame Ryoma, standing behind Danzo, finished speaking, Nonō clenched her fists.
Then she replied, "You've got the wrong person. I'm just the head of this Orphanage now."
Danzo frowned slightly. "You should know why the Orphanage still hasn't received its funding."
Aburame Ryoma's voice rang out again from behind him. "The funding might come through eventually. After all, it was something the Fourth promised. But this place is rather remote. Are you planning to hire some shinobi to protect it? To keep the money from being stolen, or to protect those children..."
Orochimaru continued, "Children of unknown origins can be useful. I have a great need for..."
He didn't finish, but Nonō understood exactly what he meant.
She had no choice but to agree...
Perhaps she could find the money elsewhere, but the children at the Orphanage...
As a former Root Division elite, Nonō knew all too well how Root used orphans.
That was right: used them. Brainwashed them and turned them into weapons of war, or directly subjected them to human experimentation. Either way, it was hell for the children.
"Phew... I understand."
When the other side held your weakness in their hands, surrender came all too easily.
Danzo's gaze flickered, and Orochimaru behind him smiled.
"The intelligence this time cost me a subordinate, so I'll need to take one of the children from you..."
"No!"
Before he could finish, Nonō stood up and firmly refused. The children at the Orphanage were her weakness, but they were also what had led her out of the darkness and become her support.
Outside, Kabuto clenched both fists, as if he were making some kind of decision.
"Smack!"
The sudden hand on his shoulder nearly scared him to death. He turned around and found the red-haired big brother who had treated him to barbecue a few days ago.
"You..."
Sora smiled and replied, "You're thinking of rushing in and agreeing? Then do you know what kind of place they mean when they say Root?"
Kabuto shook his head. "I just don't want the headmistress to be upset. As for me... it doesn't matter."
Sora looked into the room, and a shadow inside abruptly began to grow larger.
"Go wait over there for me."
He pushed Kabuto away with a wave of his hand and swung his long blade sideways.
"Bang!!"
"Whoosh!"
The wooden door shattered from the impact, but the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands that surged out were cut apart by the blade.
I'm having a little trouble controlling my strength.
Sora drew back his blade and frowned slightly. His vitality and physical abilities had surged, leaving his speed, strength, and Chakra on a completely different level from before.
But along with them had come a sharp decline in his control, something he'd already gotten used to.
Uh... I didn't just break Kabuto's shoulder, did I?
"Red hair. Are you from the Uzumaki Clan? You're not a Konoha shinobi. It seems I'll soon have another excellent specimen in my laboratory."
Orochimaru licked his lips with his scarlet tongue, as if he were looking at something delicious.
"Honestly, you're fucking disgusting!"
As the words left his mouth, Sora moved both hands, throwing the eight Flying Thunder God Kunai from his ninja tool pouch.
His aim wasn't great, but at least two of them went toward the enemy, while the other six landed in different spots.
"Your aim is so poor that it reminds me of the jutsu of a certain white-haired fellow."
Orochimaru had just been about to casually deflect them when he saw the three-character formula on the approaching Kunai. The snake pupils in his eyes shrank rapidly.
"Flying Thunder God!"
Amid his startled cry, a Kunai pierced his heart from behind.
"Pfft!"
"You guessed right, Orochimaru."
Sora's voice came from behind Orochimaru's ear, but in the next instant—
Orochimaru showed no pain despite having his heart pierced. He immediately turned his head, lengthening and softening his neck until his head reached behind Sora.
"Whoosh!"
The Kusanagi Sword that emerged from Orochimaru's mouth stabbed into the back of Sora's neck, then swept sideways.
"Pfft."
A cloud of smoke rose. It was a Shadow Clone.
"As one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, you were never my target."
Sora appeared behind Danzo and thrust his Kunai down at once.
"Clang!"
The Kunai was deflected by a long blade. Sora looked at Aburame Ryoma, who had stepped in front of him. "From the beginning, you weren't paying any attention to me. You've been watching the area around Danzo the whole time. You're certainly loyal."
Aburame Ryoma showed no expression as he replied calmly, "Root's mission is to protect Danzo. The Fourth's Flying Thunder God Jutsu is fast, but it's only speed."
"Bzzzz..."
A mass of black insects flew out from his body, sweeping toward Sora like a dark cloud.
"Whoosh!"
Sora flashed backward to avoid the Kikaichū, then smiled. "No. You have no idea how terrifying the Flying Thunder God is."
"Poof."
Flames ignited around a Flying Thunder God Kunai, and Sora suddenly hurled it toward Danzo.
"Clang!"
The first flaming Flying Thunder God Kunai had barely been knocked away when the second was already upon him, with the third right behind it.
"Whoosh!"
Sora appeared behind Aburame Ryoma in an instant. The next moment, his Kunai cleaved him in two.
"Pfft!"
"Bzzzz..."
A mass of black insects rose into the air. It was an Insect Clone.
"Uzumaki, what makes you think a single Flying Thunder God can defeat me?"
At the sound of Orochimaru's cold voice, several large snakes shot from his hand and coiled toward Sora.
"Whoosh!"
Sora vanished in a flash, then suddenly appeared behind the Aburame Ryoma who had just shown himself. This time, it was the real one.
"Smack!"
An arm was severed at the shoulder, and blood gushed out, but Sora frowned.
As a member of Root, Aburame Ryoma had plenty of combat experience. It seemed he had deliberately made contact with Sora's body during that last strike.
"Phew..."
The pain of losing an arm brought cold sweat to Aburame Ryoma's forehead, but compared to Obito, this man's nerves seemed not to register pain at all.
"I think losing an arm to keep you here is well worth it."
Aburame Ryoma continued without expression, "There's no need to explain the power of Space-Time Ninjutsu. The main reason you dared attack us is that you can leave at any time, isn't it?"
"You left formulas elsewhere, and you can just leave if things go badly. That must be your biggest advantage."
Sora paused slightly, feeling something squirming inside his body.
This was...
Aburame Ryoma kept his eyes on Sora. Seeing his reaction, he said, "The Parasitic Giant Insect has already started consuming your Chakra. Next, it'll swell and reproduce rapidly until..."
There was no need to say anything more. The Aburame Clan was a Konoha clan with a secret technique, and they truly had the ability to turn the tide of battle.
(Note: The timeline here is a little messy. Danzo pressuring the Orphanage may actually have happened during the Third Shinobi World War, since Aburame Ryoma said Iwagakure might launch a large-scale attack during the war. So I changed that line a bit and made the Uchiha situation the trigger. Think of it as the butterfly effect.)
Before you continue