Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

Keiichi had no idea what the actual truth was; the manga hadn't exactly been clear on the details. However, he was more than happy to play along with Orochimaru's narrative, taking the opportunity to heap a few more black marks onto the Pot Kage's reputation.

You're the one guessing all this yourself, Orochimaru. If you've misunderstood something, go take it up with the real Danzo. What does that have to do with a mere Genin from the Leaf Village like me?

"Hehehe, then I shall settle this old debt with you properly!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Orochimaru caught him off guard, appearing directly behind Danzo.

An appalling sight unfolded: a snake's head emerged from Orochimaru's mouth, and from within the serpent's maw, a sharp blade protruded, stabbing viciously into Danzo's right shoulder.

Had Danzo not dodged slightly at the last second, that sword would have pierced straight through his heart!

Kusanagi Sword? Keiichi was startled.

It didn't end there. The Kusanagi Sword was a blade that could extend and retract at will; it pushed against Danzo's body, forcibly knocking him back dozens of meters. He smashed through countless trees along the way, leaving a deep trench carved into the earth.

Only when Danzo slammed into a rock face, cracking it into a spiderweb of fissures, did the Kusanagi Sword retract, leaving Danzo embedded halfway into the stone.

"Hehehe! So much for Wood Style." Orochimaru emerged from the rising dust, a sense of vindication washing over him as he surveyed Danzo's miserable state.

Yet, the next moment, his eyes shifted, flashing with extreme vigilance.

He had clearly seen the wound just inflicted by the Kusanagi Sword beginning to heal, faint wisps of steam rising from the flesh.

He even possesses the First Hokage's rapid regeneration ability?!

"Orochimaru, you truly disappoint me. It seems you haven't made any progress in all these years."

Danzo raised a hand, and a massive, hand-like vine burst from the ground, 'plucking' him from the rock wall. Once he landed, he brushed the dirt off his clothes as if nothing had happened.

"That damn old geezer!" Orochimaru's expression darkened. Facing this version of Danzo, he suddenly felt as though he had no opening to exploit.

"Now, it is my turn." As he spoke, Danzo's right arm suddenly 'came to life,' swelling instantly and growing into a massive tree at terrifying speed.

"Wood Style: Violent Tree Spear!"

"Summoning: Triple Rashomon!"

Gate after gate of Asura, summoned from the depths of hell, descended one by one to block Orochimaru's path. The Violent Tree Spear easily shattered the first gate and pierced through the second, but by then its momentum was spent, and it was finally halted by the last gate.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in horror, and he retreated without hesitation; he had underestimated the power of the Wood Style.

To think that the results of my own experiments back then have created the Danzo of today!

Seeing the Violent Tree Spear fail, Danzo retracted it without a second thought. He pulled out a Kunai, exhaled, and coated it in a layer of razor-sharp wind blades.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!"

From Orochimaru's perspective, Danzo seemed to have mastered a technique of shrinking the earth; he appeared to be walking slowly, yet he was closing the distance with ease, bearing down on him with calm, measured steps.

He really wants to kill me here! The thought suddenly struck Orochimaru.

Although their relationship had cooled significantly over the years, they occasionally exchanged intelligence, so he had never believed Danzo actually wanted him dead.

But the Danzo before him was completely different from the one he knew, as if he were a different person entirely.

He suddenly began to doubt whether this man was truly Danzo, even though he couldn't find a single flaw in his appearance or behavior.

In truth, Keiichi did intend to kill Orochimaru, but he also knew that doing so was nearly impossible. This guy had perfected the art of survival to an extreme; he wasn't that easy to kill.

Therefore, his real goal was to find an opening to use the Kotoamatsukami genjutsu on Orochimaru.

That's right—the ultimate, broken genjutsu that was impossible to counter once struck!

He might not have been confident in landing it on any other Kage-level opponent, but Orochimaru was different; he was certain of success.

It was all because Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation was still imperfect, causing his resistance to genjutsu to drop significantly after a transfer. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even considered it.

However, after the brief exchange, Keiichi was stunned to find that Orochimaru seemed to be intentionally avoiding eye contact, his movements erratic and elusive—all standard countermeasures against genjutsu.

Could it be that he knows I'm planning to use Kotoamatsukami?

After a moment of thought, he realized why: Orochimaru had likely been traumatized by Itachi's genjutsu in the past, and seeing the many Sharingan transplanted onto Danzo's body, he was constantly on guard against his ocular powers.

If a Kage-level powerhouse was prepared for genjutsu, there really wasn't much he could do.

Talk about a backfire!

If he could successfully land Kotoamatsukami, he could erase Orochimaru's obsession with Sasuke. That would inevitably force a massive change in the plot, one that would be difficult to correct even with the timeline trying to snap back into place.

If he couldn't do that, Orochimaru would never give up on Sasuke. Even if he stopped him this time, what about the next?

Sooner or later, Sasuke would still be branded with the Cursed Seal.

Thus, he decided to plant Kotoamatsukami in Orochimaru's mind to prevent all of this from happening.

Orochimaru retreated rapidly, using Earth Clones as decoys to distract him, refusing to give Danzo a chance to close the distance. The two fell into a stalemate.

Keiichi thought for a moment, attempting to use his silver tongue to shake the other's resolve: "Orochimaru, you didn't come to the Leaf Village just for Sasuke, did you?"

"Isn't that something you should be investigating yourself? Why ask me?" Orochimaru chuckled lightly.

"Are you still planning to deal with Hiruzen?"

"You joke. To deal with Master Hiruzen, surely I alone am not enough, am I?"

"You have a fair amount of self-awareness. But what if I told you we could cooperate to take down Hiruzen together?"

Orochimaru's eyes widened at these words, and he stared at Danzo in disbelief, as if trying to discern whether he was speaking the truth or a lie.

Was this truly something that could come out of Danzo's mouth?

Before Keiichi could seize the opportunity to cast Kotoamatsukami, Orochimaru looked away and chuckled, "Very well. I am also quite thrilled to be working with Lord Danzo again."

Clearly, he did not believe it at all.

"I have only one condition. No matter what your plan is, you must not harm the Leaf Village."

"Well, well, did I hear that right? Are you serious?" Orochimaru's smile faded.

"Of course. You only need to find a way to kill Hiruzen. When the time comes, I will have the Root cooperate with you to ensure no one disturbs your reunion as master and apprentice."

"For the sake of the Hokage seat, you are actually ruthless enough to eliminate even Hiruzen?"

"Only by pruning unnecessary branches can a great tree grow strong. What are a few moments of pain compared to that?"

This was indeed something Danzo would say, and the small amount of doubt Orochimaru had left was now dispelled.

"As expected, you are still the Danzo I know—stopping at nothing to achieve your goals! But I still dare not trust you."

Danzo remained silent for a moment, then said with a hint of melancholy, "Orochimaru, I am sixty-nine years old this year. If I don't make a move now, will I ever be able to sit in that seat in this lifetime?"

These words struck a deep chord within Orochimaru.

The passage of life cannot be stopped; people eventually grow old. Yet, how could one be content when their lifelong ambition remains unfulfilled?

That was precisely why he researched the art of immortality; only with infinite time could he achieve his life's dream.

Otherwise, the Danzo before him was the perfect example—even though it wasn't the best opportunity, he was forced to act because he had so little time left.

Even he, a traitor to the Leaf Village, could cooperate with such a man, turning into something so ugly and wretched.

Constantly breaking one's bottom line to achieve a goal, weighing pros and cons to make compromises—do you even remember what your original intention was?

"Fine, I agree. We can cooperate." Orochimaru nodded after a brief silence.

"Then, I shall proceed to..."

Just as Orochimaru pricked up his ears, focusing all his attention on the words, Danzo appeared before him like a ghost. A Kunai coated in wind blades struck upward with biting killing intent, as if to cleave him in two.

Heh, that old fox is as cunning as ever!

Chapter 40: Who is Cheating?

Orochimaru nearly cursed Danzo to death in his heart.

He believed that if Danzo had truly found an opening, he would have killed him without a moment's hesitation. As for the verbal agreement just now, it could be treated as if it had never happened.

Fortunately, Orochimaru had been prepared. Using a substitution to shift his position, he bit his finger, slammed his hands onto the ground, and summoned Manda!

A colossal beast instantly crashed into the Forest of Death, startling countless birds and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Danzo's expression darkened immediately. The commotion was far too great, and since Manda was Orochimaru's signature summon, everyone would now know he had infiltrated the Forest of Death.

In a few minutes at most, Anbu would arrive, and that would be troublesome!

He hadn't expected Orochimaru to be so protective of his own life; he had resorted to a "mutually assured destruction" tactic before he had even been put at a disadvantage.

Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!

Compressed air slammed into Manda like a cannonball, forcing the beast to let out a pained wail. Danzo, however, remained unmoved, launching attack after attack until, in no time at all, Manda screamed and retreated back to Ryūchi Cave.

He hadn't even been given a chance to fight back.

What made Danzo's expression turn ugly, however, was that while he had driven off Manda, Orochimaru had also vanished without a trace. He had clearly used the opportunity to slip away!

The plan to plant Kotoamatsukami on his target had failed!

Keiichi could not be reconciled. He continued to search the surroundings, even using the power of Wood Release to churn up everything within a hundred-meter radius, looking as if he would dig three feet into the ground to find him.

Yet, by the time the Anbu arrived, he had found nothing, and Keiichi finally had to accept his fate.

Even though only a few minutes had passed, Orochimaru had likely already fled a great distance; continuing the search would be a waste of effort.

Fortunately, the system notification that rang in his mind provided some comfort.

Cheating disabled. Sasuke failed to receive Orochimaru's Cursed Seal. Obtained 50 Magic Modification Points.

Wonderful. This reward was comparable to Naruto breaking his "no-kill" golden body!

System, you truly have a keen eye!

"Lord Danzo?!" Several Anbu ninjas arrived on the scene, startled, and quickly bowed.

Although Danzo's Root had been disbanded, his reputation as the former deputy to the Hokage remained; who would dare treat him as an ordinary person?

"Orochimaru disguised himself as an examinee to infiltrate this place. He clearly has ulterior motives. Go and track him down at once!"

"Yes!"

The Anbu ninjas scattered, but one of them returned shortly after leaving.

"My Lord!" The man knelt respectfully, his attitude noticeably different from the others.

Danzo was slightly surprised, but he quickly realized what was happening and said, "Open your mouth."

The man was very obedient. He removed his mask and opened his mouth, and Keiichi saw that, sure enough, a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal had been planted on his tongue.

This was actually a member of Root!

Keiichi suddenly had an epiphany; no wonder Root remained active long after its official dissolution. It turned out they had broken down into smaller units and integrated themselves into the entire Anbu organization.

What kind of Hydra plot was this!

On the surface, they obeyed Hiruzen's orders, but in private, they remained loyal to Danzo. At a single command, they could turn their blades on their own comrades at any moment.

To think such a ticking time bomb was hidden within the Leaf Village!

Fortunately, in his past life, Danzo successfully became the acting Hokage, allowing Root to resurface. Not long after, he was slain by Sasuke, eliminating the threat. Otherwise, there was no telling how much chaos would have erupted in the Leaf Village.

No matter how sturdy a fortress might be, it could never withstand internal strife.

"Where is Aburame Tatsuma?" Danzo asked coldly.

"Lord Tatsuma is nearby."

"Have him come see me."

"Yes!"

So these were Danzo's subordinates? They were truly obedient; they didn't even harbor a shred of doubt.

Before long, a tall ninja knelt before Danzo. He wore dark sunglasses and possessed a very low presence—a typical trait of the Aburame Clan.

"My lord, Tatsuma awaits your orders."

"I just met with Orochimaru."

"..."

"Do you have nothing to say? I recall you two have some history."

"I only follow the orders of Lord Danzo," Aburame Tatsuma replied stiffly.