Danzo's Backstab

Orochimaru would betray every boss he ever had.

But he would never abandon any of his subordinates.

That was precisely why

so many people followed him. Even after he defected from the village, many of his former subordinates were still willing to act as his spies in Konoha, feeding him information about the village.

He had even turned Sasori's spy, Yakushi Kabuto, against him.

Kabuto had proven his loyalty to Orochimaru with his life.

But Anko's choice

cooled the warmth in Orochimaru's heart toward his subordinates.

The next morning, at dawn,

the sky had only just begun to brighten.

Inside the Hokage's office in Konoha,

the Third had already been waiting for some time.

His bloodshot eyes proved he hadn't slept all night.

This concerned his most cherished disciple, Orochimaru, the one he hoped would inherit his legacy. He couldn't afford to act carelessly.

"Has Orochimaru said anything?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Anko, who had just entered the office.

Anko knelt on the floor and gently shook her head. Faced with the Third's question, she chose to remain silent.

Orochimaru-sensei hadn't said anything...

He hadn't responded at all.

A hint of conflict crossed Anko's face.

Had she made the wrong choice?

Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking her clothes.

So many thoughts raced through her mind.

Sensei...

Why... had you chosen a loser like Uchiha Ao as your closest assistant...

While I had followed you for so many years, yet never earned your trust!

What did Ao have that I didn't!?

Was it only because he was a member of the Uchiha clan!?

Sensei... why hadn't you listened to my advice back then and abandoned those dangerous experiments?

Did you really intend to keep going down this road of no return?

The village had always forbidden research into forbidden techniques.

And these experiments involved human subjects—a taboo among taboos.

At first, Anko hadn't understood these restrictions.

Only after the Third explained them to her had she realized that everything her teacher had done was forbidden in the village.

It went against all human decency.

The village would never accept it.

At that moment, the words Uchiha Ao had once said to her surfaced in her mind.

"What sensei needs isn't a puppet on a string, but an assistant with her own ideas and judgment..."

That upstart had dared to mock her for lacking judgment!?

Impossible!

Anko screamed inwardly.

She had her own judgment!

This was the judgment she had made now: abandon the forbidden research, uphold the Will of Fire, help her teacher preserve his reputation, and prepare him to compete for the next Hokage Position.

The Third was old.

If her teacher did nothing, he could become the next Hokage without difficulty.

Nothing would go wrong.

Just as Lord Third had said,

her teacher had chosen a road of no return. Those experiments that violated human decency were wrong from the start!

She believed the Third was right.

She believed her choice was the best way to help Orochimaru-sensei.

Anko refused to believe that what she had done was a betrayal. Instead, she saw it as a kind of salvation for Orochimaru-sensei.

She had made this choice and judgment so that her teacher could return to the right path.

She hadn't expected

Orochimaru-sensei to reject her good intentions outright, spurning all her efforts.

He had ruined the favorable situation she had worked so hard to create.

The experiments had already achieved a major breakthrough. They had developed the Cursed Seal, a forbidden technique that could let a Chunin advance to Jonin in a short time.

Any one of the Five Great Ninja Villages would go mad for it.

Jonin were the core and elite fighting force of every ninja village.

The Kage of every village valued them immensely.

The Third was no exception.

If she handed over these research results,

then even if the Third didn't care about their teacher-student bond, he would surely protect her teacher in light of such a major achievement.

But now everything had been ruined.

Anko was filled with despair and had no desire to keep answering the Third's questions.

Just as the two were locked in a standoff,

Danzo strode in and placed a letter of accusation on the Hokage's desk.

Even the Third had to take this accusation seriously, coming as it did from one of Konoha's most formidable High Command members—someone he himself was wary of.

And Danzo had delivered it right in front of Anko...

Handing the letter straight to him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was caught completely off guard.

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the letter, then silently lit his pipe and put it between his lips. He took a puff, but it wasn't lit.

He picked up the pipe, gently tapped it against the desk, and shook out a small pile of ash. Then he packed it with tobacco again and lit it.

"Do you know how Anko's been lately?"

He took a puff, picked up a file, tossed it in front of Danzo, and asked.

"What's wrong with her? Was she involved in Orochimaru's research too? Should we eliminate her as well?"

Danzo picked up the file and skimmed it. He glanced at Anko, kneeling nearby, with a trace of killing intent in his eyes, then asked as if he knew nothing.

He had successfully fused with the First Hokage Cells, eliminating the side effects of the Sharingan and restoring his strength to its peak.

Orochimaru was no longer of any use to him. His main reason for coming to see Sarutobi Hiruzen was to eliminate Orochimaru, the one remaining variable.

That would leave no one to compete with his choice for the next Hokage.

"The details here are interesting. A Chunin's Chakra rose to Jonin level in less than half a month? Could this have anything to do with research involving Lord First's remains?"

Danzo's words

left the Third silent. The words he'd been about to use to defend Orochimaru died in his throat.

Desecrating the dead—especially the First, founder of Konoha...

If this crime came to light, not a single villager would forgive Orochimaru.

Danzo's move clearly showed that he had no intention of giving Orochimaru a chance to mend his ways.

Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his pipe and opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But when he saw how eager Danzo looked, he immediately understood. His old comrade was waiting for him to make a mistake!

If he chose to shield Orochimaru, his most cherished disciple, word would surely spread throughout the village.

Then his reputation would be ruined in his final years.

Was sacrificing the dignity he'd spent his whole life maintaining worth it for Orochimaru?

The Third hesitated.

Memories of the time he and Orochimaru had spent together surfaced in his mind.

He couldn't bear to let go.

Instinctively, he wanted to bury the matter.

He looked at Danzo, full of hope, but the words of defense on his lips died away.

In Danzo's one eye, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw a hunger for the Hokage Position, along with an unfathomable darkness.

Konoha could never be entrusted to someone like Danzo.

As a comrade and rival who had relied on each other and fought one another for decades,

he knew Danzo's character well.

Danzo could be an excellent ninja, but he would never be a great Hokage.

In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen convinced himself and made a decision—to abandon Orochimaru!

He would abandon the brilliant disciple he had trained for decades.

That genius ninja had always been a source of pride to him. But once he had fallen into darkness, even as his most beloved disciple, he would receive no leniency!

I'm sorry... Orochimaru!

My negligence led you down the wrong path.

As your teacher, I can't shirk my responsibility!

Since you were wrong,

you must accept the consequences and work hard to make amends. You can still become an important pillar of the village.

Orochimaru, your teacher still believes in you... I know you can turn over a new leaf and become a better person!

"Anko has already confessed to me. She had nothing to do with Orochimaru's research. She was a victim too."

"You are not to touch her!"

The Third noticed Danzo's hostile gaze toward Anko and warned him.

He knew Danzo was worried Anko would pass information to Orochimaru.

Anko had secrets of her own.

She could be of great use to the village, and Danzo was not to interfere with her.

Besides, she was Orochimaru's only disciple.

He couldn't protect Orochimaru.

But he could at least protect Anko!

"The Anbu will keep a close eye on Orochimaru from now on. If we discover any illegal research, I'll deal with him myself."

The Third's gaze grew firm. He put his feelings aside and regained his usual composure.

He would give Danzo no opening to exploit.

Konoha could not endure any more turmoil.

The only choice was to suppress the matter by force, sacrifice Orochimaru, and keep the upheaval to a minimum.

Soon, he sent Danzo away.

Then he looked at Anko, who had lowered her head and remained silent.

"Where is Orochimaru now?"

Anko hesitated, but under the pressure of the Third's gaze, she finally revealed Orochimaru's most secret hideout.

"Lord Hokage... can you spare sensei's life?"

Anko asked through her tears.

The Third glanced at Danzo, still waiting quietly outside the door, and didn't answer.

He slowly rose and walked to the window. Through the glass, he looked down over most of Konoha.

He took a deep drag from his pipe, letting the thick smoke fill his lungs.

At last, he nodded gently.

It was a promise.

He exhaled a heavy cloud of blue smoke, as though trying to blow all the gloom from his chest.

Anko saw this and smiled with relief.

As long as Lord Orochimaru was still alive, that was enough.

Everything she had done had been worth it.

"Kakashi... move out!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen set down his pipe, tore off the Hokage's ceremonial robe, and revealed the black combat gear beneath.

Whoosh!

Kakashi Hatake, waiting outside the window, vanished in an instant.

Several squads of elite Anbu disappeared alongside him.

They would seal off the key positions around Orochimaru's base first and wait for the Third to arrive.

"Danzo, I'm leaving the village in your hands. I'll bring Orochimaru back myself to answer for his crimes!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned toward Danzo, who was still waiting at the office door. Then, with a single flash, he vanished.

Anko instinctively tried to follow,

but Danzo stopped her at the doorway.

"The Third spared your life. Stay right here. The moment you step outside this room... his promise is void."

Danzo said coldly.

If it weren't for the Third's sake,

he would have already arrested Anko and thrown her into Root's prison.

At that moment, Anko was stunned.

She had never imagined things would come to this. Suddenly, a face surfaced in her mind.

Ao...

What would you do if you were faced with something like this?

she wondered unconsciously.

Faced with Lord Hokage and the entire elite force of the Anbu, you'd probably abandon your teacher and run far away!

Anko silently muttered to herself.

She unconsciously took a few steps back and slipped into the Hokage's office, avoiding Danzo's cold, vicious gaze.

This wasn't fear.

It was the best choice!