Orochimaru: Teacher, let's go!

Beneath the spiral staircase connecting the Root base to the surface, Danzo stood on the stone bridge leading into the facility, flanked by two Anbu ninjas.

Five masked Root ninjas guarded the intersection ahead of the bridge; though they had not drawn their blades, their cold, indifferent demeanor was plain for all to see.

Looking at these once-loyal subordinates, Danzo felt a faint sense of melancholy in his heart.

If he could, Danzo would still very much like to bring them back under his command.

But he knew all too well just how loyal they were to him under his brainwashing, and how hostile they were toward the Hokage.

As light footsteps approached from the distance, Danzo reined in his wandering thoughts, his eyes becoming bright and sharp.

Under his gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru emerged from the dim passage, crossed the platform, and stepped onto the stone bridge.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, having just witnessed the darkness within his disciple, felt terrible, his expression grave.

Orochimaru stood slightly behind him, a faint, ambiguous smile on his face, as if he were anticipating something interesting to happen.

"Danzo, starting today, relieve Orochimaru of his duties in Root. I have other arrangements for him." Danzo, currently acting as the Hokage, spoke first, issuing a direct order.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing before Danzo, looked even worse. "Hiruzen, what is the meaning of this?"

"Orochimaru, come with me!" Ignoring Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo looked directly at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru looked at the two men before him, his expression calm, though he found the situation increasingly intriguing.

Thinking back to the familiar look Danzo had worn in the room earlier—that expression of pained regret—and now observing his teacher's uncharacteristic stubbornness, Orochimaru felt a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness.

What was familiar was how they behaved during their conflict; what was strange was that their roles seemed completely reversed.

A bold hypothesis began to form in Orochimaru's mind.

"Hiruzen, I have matters to discuss with Orochimaru. Once we are finished, I will have him come find you," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a low voice, his eyes carrying a hint of warning.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!" Danzo barked sharply.

Ever since he had transmigrated into the body of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo had said this line to the real Hiruzen many times.

Yet, he had not grown tired of it; on the contrary, every time he spoke those words, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Decades of obsession with the Hokage position and the stifling suppression he had endured under Hiruzen Sarutobi had gradually twisted Danzo's psyche.

"You!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's mood was the exact opposite of Danzo's. Even after so many days, whenever he heard Danzo use that line to suppress him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's body could not help but tremble.

In the past, he had often used that line to keep Danzo in check, but he never imagined that the words would be turned against him in such a bizarre fashion.

That bastard Danzo was simply going too far!

"Orochimaru, come with me." Danzo looked at Orochimaru on the surface, but his peripheral vision remained fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi. Watching him tremble with rage brought a surge of satisfaction to his heart.

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled upward. He stepped out from behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, and as he passed, he whispered, "My apologies, Elder Danzo."

With that, Orochimaru looked toward the "teacher" in front of him, a smile on his face, deliberately testing him: "Teacher, let us go."

As soon as these words were spoken, Orochimaru clearly felt the "Danzo" beside him shudder violently.

Observing from the corner of his eye, Orochimaru saw a flash of fury cross "Danzo's" face, though it was quickly suppressed and held in check.

Meanwhile, the "teacher" standing before him showed a trace of smug satisfaction, which he just as quickly concealed.

This discovery gave Orochimaru even greater confidence in his hypothesis.

Although he did not know what methods Danzo had used while at the front lines, it was highly probable that the two had swapped bodies.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru found the situation increasingly interesting and became deeply intrigued by the secret technique Danzo had employed.

Orochimaru walked up to Danzo, his eyes filled with a hidden playfulness as he looked at the Third Hokage, the corners of his mouth lifting once more.

Danzo looked back at Orochimaru, nodding with a smile. "Let us go."

With those words, Danzo took Orochimaru and left the Root base, leaving behind a Hiruzen Sarutobi who had regained his composure, staring at the direction in which the two had departed.

After they left, they did not head to the Hokage Building; instead, Danzo brought Orochimaru to the observation deck above the Hokage Rock.

"Orochimaru." Danzo stood with his back to him, looking out at the village below. "You must have figured it out by now."

Orochimaru wore a twisted smile, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips as he spoke: "The old man's behavior in front of me was far too obvious."

"That fellow is hardly a qualified ninja," Danzo said with disdain, turning around to face Orochimaru.

"How did you do it, Danzo?" Orochimaru took a step forward, his eyes burning with intense curiosity as he stared fixedly at Danzo.

"Do you wish to know?" Danzo laughed.

"To perform a soul swap between two humans with no physiological connection, without even a fluctuation in their chakra—I have never seen such a ninjutsu." Orochimaru's curiosity and thirst for knowledge grew stronger; he could not wait to understand how this had been achieved.

"Help me complete an experiment, and I will give you the answer." Danzo seized the opportunity to set a condition.

"What kind of experiment?" Orochimaru did not refuse, asking only out of curiosity.

"A cloning experiment. Follow my requirements and help me create a body," Danzo said.

"A cloning experiment?" Orochimaru seemed to realize something, a gleam of excitement erupting in his eyes. "You have found a way to continuously transfer a soul into a new body?"

Orochimaru pursued immortality with fanatical devotion, and to achieve his goal, he had conducted forbidden experiments that could be described as crimes against humanity.

Orochimaru had been engaged in this research for several years, and now he had found a path to success: discarding the physical flesh and transferring his soul into a new vessel.

Orochimaru had already confirmed the feasibility of this line of thought; it was only in the concrete process of implementation that many difficult problems remained unresolved.

For instance, how to ensure the safety and integrity of the soul during reincarnation, as well as the compatibility between the soul and the new body, and so on.

In short, having reached this stage of research, Orochimaru was absolutely certain that his train of thought was sound; the only issue lay in how to resolve these practical difficulties.

And now, Danzo's behavior, along with the fact that the two had swapped bodies, made Orochimaru unable to stop himself from speculating that Danzo had found a method for eternal life through soul reincarnation.

Danzo did not answer Orochimaru's question directly; he simply smiled calmly and said slowly, "Once the cloning experiments are complete, I will tell you what you want to know."

"If it fails to satisfy me..." Orochimaru's tone was gloomy, his words harboring a hidden threat.

"You will not be disappointed," Danzo said confidently.