Wandering Miko

Shimura Danzō was a ruthless man.

After losing his right eye, he immediately took out a Sharingan he had kept in his private collection for a long time and had Orochimaru transplant it into his own socket.

The facts proved that this was a surgery that only half-succeeded; although he regained his sight and possessed the power of the Sharingan, he could not awaken the Mangekyo to steal the authority of the gods.

If not for the possession by Guo Wang, this ocular technique known as Kyōka Suigetsu might never have seen the light of day again for the rest of his life.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had miscalculated. He had originally thought that by taking advantage of "Danzō's" shift in mood, combined with the somber setting of the Memorial Stone, he could persuade this most hardline hawk of Konoha to reach a ceasefire agreement with Iwagakure.

But "Danzō" was, after all, still Danzō. In certain respects, his stubbornness was even more terrifying than that old rock, Ōnoki.

The conversation between the two ended on a sour note. After Sarutobi Hiruzen left, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who had been waiting on the sidelines, came over to lay two bouquets of flowers. They didn't say much before leaving with the Hokage. As elders of the Advisory Department, they were also inclined toward a ceasefire.

"Hiruzen, that guy, he is ultimately too cowardly!"

A suppressed, icy voice rang out. The tombstone of Kagami Uchiha was suddenly overturned, and an arm, soft as if it had no bones, reached out from the ground clutching a long box, revealing a young man with snake-like pupils and pale skin.

"I didn't expect you to actually keep the remaining Sharingan in a place like this."

Following Guo Wang's instructions, Orochimaru had used Earth Release to retrieve the Sharingan from Kagami Uchiha's tombstone. After detecting his teacher's chakra, he had remained hidden underground, listening in, so he naturally understood Danzō's current mood.

"If you had even a shred of popularity, I wouldn't have to go to such lengths."

With a cold gaze directed at this subordinate who was already becoming somewhat uncontrollable, Guo Wang calculated in his heart when he should dispose of this mysterious fellow.

"That old man Ōnoki is not someone to be trifled with. If it weren't for my ninjutsu being quite effective at preserving my life, I would have long since been reduced to dust."

In this Shinobi World War, aside from Sarutobi Hiruzen, the commander who personally broke the front line at Mount Kikyo, the person with the greatest merit was likely Orochimaru.

On the Land of Lightning battlefield, Jiraiya and Danzō, two Kage-level experts, had joined forces to hold off the Third Raikage, while the Land of Water was just a mob of disorganized rabble. Only the Land of Earth, the second-largest shinobi village after the Land of Fire, posed a threat; Ōnoki's Dust Release meant instant death upon contact. At the most intense point, the Konoha army had retreated nearly a hundred miles in a single day, nearly allowing the enemy to strike at their rear.

One must know that although Namikaze Minato had learned the Flying Thunder God at that time, he was not yet proficient, his custom kunai were few, the Rasengan had not yet been fully developed, and his Sage Mode took too long to activate. At best, he was an elite jonin. Without Orochimaru's reckless disregard for death, how could they have held back the tens of thousands of Iwagakure troops?

But now that the Land of Earth battlefield was drawing to a close, Orochimaru's reputation was not as high as Namikaze Minato's. Beyond the fact that the latter's performance at Kannabi Bridge was too dazzling, it was also because the former's cold-bloodedness on the battlefield—ignoring his comrades for the sake of the big picture—made him vaguely feared by the Konoha shinobi who championed love and peace.

"Only the weak huddle together for warmth and crave validation."

Hearing Guo Wang's blunt criticism, the smile on Orochimaru's face began to fade as he stated his own values.

"The strong are always lonely, walking at the very front alone!"

Taking the long box containing the left eye of Kagami Uchiha, Guo Wang took a deep look at this young man who was losing more and more of his human essence, then turned and led the way.

"Follow me!"

Root!

No names, no emotions.

No past, no future.

Supporting the great tree of Konoha from behind, its roots buried deep within the earth!

In the entire shinobi world, the reputation of Root was even louder than that of the Konoha Anbu, because the results of every mission Root undertook were cruelly appalling. In the minds of the shinobi from the other four nations, Danzō's title of "Darkness of the Shinobi" was even more dangerous than that of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

No one knew that the headquarters of Root was not actually in Konoha, but in Kikyo City at the border, beneath a scenic spot called the "Footprint Ancient Path." The steel structures extending deep underground gave this mysterious organization an even deeper and more solemn air.

"Although I will not agree to Iwagakure's surrender, during the Jonin Council, Hiruzen will likely use his prestige to force the proposal through."

Wherever Guo Wang passed, the Anbu remaining at Root bowed to him solemnly. The former did not shy away at all, calling the Hokage by his name with a tone of utter disdain.

"Then, what will you do, Elder Danzō?"

After this Shinobi World War, Orochimaru's entire philosophy had undergone its final transformation. The reason he remained in Konoha was that he still held a final shred of karmic attachment in his heart. What he wanted to do now was to see the final outcome of this brutal war to draw a period at the end of the first half of his life.

And the old man before him, Shimura Danzō, was one of the only two people in the village he feared.

The other, the White Fang of the Leaf, had already committed suicide after the Battle of Mount Kikyo.

Compared to the gentle-minded Sarutobi Hiruzen, who valued personal bonds, the ruthlessness of this man named Danzō made even him hesitant to be careless.

"Nothing."

"Oh, that doesn't sound like you."

The answer surprised Orochimaru. He couldn't help but flick his tongue to lick his dark purple lips, his golden snake-like pupils fixed on the old man as he pondered the meaning behind these words.

"Orochimaru, what do you think is the most important thing in this world?"

The sudden question caught him off guard, but he immediately narrowed his eyes and spoke his true thoughts.

"Knowledge!"

"I am surprised you didn't say life!"

Guo Wang looked at the young man beside him with a hint of surprise. According to Danzō's memories, this was a wicked man who pursued immortality.

"Life is merely a prerequisite for me to acquire all knowledge and transform it into my own philosophy."

"To be able to say such things, young man, I will give you a chance today."

Being spoken to in a tone of appreciation was an experience he hadn't had in a very long time, making Orochimaru feel quite awkward, yet he was extremely interested in Danzō's words and couldn't help but prick up his ears, waiting for the old man to continue.

"To achieve immortality, one must first keep one's mind from drifting or becoming distorted. But in this world, the more knowledge you acquire, the stranger you become, gradually ceasing to be yourself, because in the process of reaching the source, your soul will inevitably be tainted with impurities."

"Immortality leads to paranoia, and paranoia leads to madness and self-destruction."

"To break this vicious cycle, one needs a shortcut to the source—to touch the authority of the gods before one's own self is corrupted!"

By the time he finished speaking, Danzō and Orochimaru had arrived at a pre-prepared operating room. Inside, a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a white lab coat and round-rimmed glasses, with a beautiful figure, was already waiting. Seeing the two, she bowed her head slightly in acknowledgment.

"Oh, isn't this the 'Wandering Miko'? I thought you had already quit Root; why have you returned?"