Although the Scroll of Seals was still there, most of the sealing scrolls inside had already been read.
With Orochimaru's talent, memorizing all of them wouldn't have been difficult.
He hadn't taken them with him because he didn't want to give Konoha another reason to hunt him down.
The moment he defected, he'd become an S-rank rogue ninja.
If he took the Scroll of Seals as well, Konoha would probably stop at nothing to bring him back.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't mobilize all of Konoha just because Orochimaru had killed Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Orochimaru knew his teacher well.
"Now..."
"I'll go!"
"I'll bring him back, no matter what!"
A grave expression crossed Jiraiya's face.
He'd already sensed that something was wrong with Orochimaru, but he hadn't expected...
"Lord Hokage, we found several secret bases in the village. They were all Orochimaru's laboratories."
"There's no one left. Only some bodies and experimental equipment remain..."
An Anbu member appeared just then.
After hearing the report, regret showed on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
He'd actually discovered Orochimaru's secret experiments back then.
But Danzo had protected him, and Orochimaru was Hiruzen's own student, so he hadn't dealt with him right away.
And now, this had happened...
"Put out an S-rank wanted notice. Once any Konoha ninja learns of Orochimaru's whereabouts, they're authorized to attack immediately."
"If they can't defeat him, they should report the information at once."
"Director Fugaku, the village needs a thorough cleanup. I'll leave it to you."
After saying this, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned and left, looking as though all his strength had drained away.
Inside a secret chamber.
"Was this part of your plan, too?"
Danzo looked at the two men before him, puzzled.
"We don't know. This wasn't part of our plan."
"Besides, our two clans were already prepared, yet he started with his own..."
Mitokado Homura was just as confused.
At least, there had been no such plan in the information he'd received.
And he couldn't imagine Sarutobi Hiruzen sacrificing his own son.
"Don't worry about what Hiruzen is thinking for now. Since the first move has already been made, we should prepare."
"Danzo, make sure no one finds out you have any connection to Orochimaru."
Utatane Koharu eyed Danzo suspiciously.
Of everyone in Konoha's High Command, Danzo had the closest ties to Orochimaru.
And he was like a madman, doing whatever he pleased without regard for the consequences.
The two of them were afraid of getting dragged into this, too.
"I had nothing to do with this."
"Throwing everything into chaos does me no good."
Danzo sounded helpless.
At the moment, he was the one most likely to have made a move.
But he hadn't been involved, and he hadn't gained anything from it.
Instead, this had only created a rift between him and Konoha's High Command.
Danzo couldn't help feeling exasperated.
The three men had each brought their own agendas to the meeting, and then they went their separate ways.
Inside the Uchiha Clan compound.
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke is dead?"
"Orochimaru defected?"
Roy's voice came from the mouth of a crow.
"Yes."
"And now our Uchiha Clan has been given a role: rooting out the village's spies."
"Is Sarutobi Hiruzen trying to set us up?"
Uchiha Fugaku asked directly.
The one controlling the crow was Uchiha Shisui.
"Clan Head, just follow the Third Hokage's orders and do the job."
"Keep an eye on those people in the High Command. Whether they're guilty or not, don't make a move for now."
Roy's voice sounded again.
"Understood."
"Roy, are you nearly done with your mission?"
Uchiha Fugaku asked again.
"Almost. I should get useful information in the next village."
"Clan Head, we have two Mangekyō pairs in the clan now, and both are on the clan's side."
"Keep things steady for now. Don't get caught up in the High Command's infighting."
"The clan's ninja should keep training. As for those who refuse to obey, have Big Brother Shisui deal with them."
"Sometimes, violence can solve a few problems in the Uchiha Clan."
Lu Yu thought for a moment before answering.
"Me?"
Shisui was baffled.
There had indeed been some grumbling in the clan since he'd become deputy director of Konoha's Military Police Force.
But Shisui didn't care about such complaints.
As long as those people didn't cause trouble during missions, that was enough for him.
"Understood."
"Stay safe yourselves, too. A large number of Root and Anbu members left the village tonight."
After Uchiha Fugaku finished speaking, the crow before him turned into white smoke and vanished.
Lu Yu watched the white smoke dissipate, his expression grave.
Orochimaru had defected just like that?
Then Orochimaru had probably nearly finished his research on Hashirama Cells by now.
He'd likely mastered Living Corpse Reincarnation, too.
It was hard to say about Impure World Reincarnation, but after robbing the Scripture Library, Orochimaru had surely learned it.
Orochimaru had become an extremely dangerous man.
And his target might well be Uchiha Itachi, who was with Lu Yu.
At the thought, a confident smile tugged at Roy's lips.
Orochimaru... Just imagining what was coming made Roy want to laugh.
"Big Brother Roy, should we—"
"Don't worry about what's happening in Konoha. Let's focus on our mission."
"Let's go."
After Roy spoke, the three of them vanished again.
For a time, Orochimaru's defection stirred up a storm across the entire Ninja World.
Land of Water, Kirigakure.
"Orochimaru defected?"
"Then it's about time to make a move. He should still be useful."
Obito looked at the intelligence in his hand, delight showing on his face.
"Go. This village has no use for us anymore. From now on, you can act on your own."
After Obito spoke, his Sharingan began to spin.
Behind him, the Mizukage Yagura's eyes shifted slightly before he disappeared into the mist.
Land of Lightning.
"Orochimaru defected, and Konoha is now pursuing him with all its might."
"It's about time we dealt with what we left behind."
After A spoke, several Kumogakure ninja vanished at once.
Iwagakure.
"Orochimaru?"
"Who would've thought Sarutobi Hiruzen would get played by his own student?"
"We can get involved, but don't engage them head-on."
Ōnoki spoke and sent his ninja out as well.
Before long, the storm centered around Orochimaru began to gather force.
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