Infiltrating Deep

A breeze passed by, and a few leaves fell.

Danzo stared coldly at Orochimaru. Although he badly wanted to kill the bastard, he had no choice but to compromise for the sake of his right arm and right eye.

"How did you find out that Shisui had the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

He changed the subject.

Uchiha Shisui's ocular power was a secret among Konoha's High Command. Only a handful of people knew about it, so by rights, Orochimaru shouldn't have known.

Orochimaru gave a cold laugh. "I have my own channels."

Although he didn't consider Hozuki Mangetsu's strength impressive at the moment, he was very interested in his information.

Besides, his partnership with Danzo was based on mutual exploitation. They might turn on each other at any moment, so he had no desire to reveal where he'd gotten the information.

"Did someone in Konoha let it slip?"

A murderous glint appeared in Danzo's eye as he asked, each word deliberate.

If someone really had leaked the village's secrets, then this mysterious person might have obtained Uchiha Shisui's eyes as well.

Whether it was Shisui's eyes or the leak of the village's secrets, Danzo and Root wouldn't let it go.

Orochimaru smiled faintly and said nothing.

He was happy to cause Konoha's leaders a little trouble.

Danzo's heart sank. If Orochimaru had admitted it, Danzo would have suspected he was deliberately sowing discord. But Orochimaru's noncommittal silence left him uncertain.

If someone in Konoha's High Command really had leaked the information, then the matter was certainly more complicated than it seemed.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu.

Their faces circled endlessly through Danzo's mind. Other than himself, only those three knew about Uchiha Shisui's abilities.

Was it one of them?

Danzo narrowed his one eye again.

After thinking it over for a long while, he shook his head. He knew all three well, and none of them had any motive to do it.

"Can you tell me what happened during your fight?"

Danzo asked another question.

Judging by the traces at the scene, the two sides had clearly fought fiercely, but only the people involved knew exactly what had happened.

Orochimaru readily recounted the events.

There was no point hiding anything now. Besides, he also wanted to find the culprit.

After hearing Orochimaru's account, Danzo broke into a cold sweat.

Shisui's terrifying power seemed to exceed his expectations.

Even Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, had been no match for him.

So this was the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?

Danzo spoke with lingering fear.

Those evil Uchiha.

His unease grew more pronounced.

The Uchiha's Sharingan were outrageously powerful. Even their ordinary eyes could multiply their strength, and if they evolved to the Mangekyō, they would become a top-tier force in the Shinobi World.

Back when the Senju Clan was flourishing, they had been able to keep the Uchiha in check. But over the years, the Senju had dwindled, their numbers and talent fading until other clans had left them behind. They were no longer comparable to the Uchiha of today.

If the Uchiha produced two or three more talents like Shisui, Konoha would become their domain.

No!

Danzo clenched his fists.

Konoha was the legacy of the Second Hokage. As someone who had inherited the Second Hokage's will, Shimura Danzo would never allow such a thing to happen.

Hashirama, the First, was hailed as the God of Shinobi, but he was far too naïve, even foolish. Without his younger brother Tobirama, a man of great vision, assisting him, he could never have founded Konoha.

After Hashirama died, Tobirama succeeded him as the Second Hokage. He overhauled the village's system and introduced a series of measures.

The Konoha Military Police Force was established, pushing the Uchiha Clan, an unstable element in the village, out of the center of power.

The Ninja Academy was founded, breaking the clans' control over their members and strengthening the village's unity.

The assassination squad was created, boosting the authority of the village's leadership.

Other villages rushed to imitate these measures.

It was clear that the Second Hokage was a man of great vision. Konoha's stability and prosperity were thanks in large part to his policies.

Where there was light in the world, there was also darkness.

The Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had inherited the bright side of the Second Hokage, while Shimura Danzo had inherited the dark.

"Are you planning to move against the Uchiha Clan?"

Orochimaru was a clever man too. He could tell at a glance what Danzo was thinking.

The Uchiha Clan was an unstable element in Konoha, and Danzo, a Hawk, would never allow the situation to continue.

Orochimaru licked his lips. "If you're going after the Uchiha, we could work together."

"Not necessary!"

Danzo replied bluntly. "I can handle it."

He already had a suitable candidate in mind: Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha Clan's double agent.

Uchiha Itachi was a prodigy of the clan, and he was younger, which would make him easier to manipulate.

Orochimaru wasn't offended. He knew Danzo's temperament well.

The man was ambitious, but loyal to Konoha. He would never allow anything that threatened the village.

The Uchiha's Sharingan wielded tremendous power, and Danzo would never let them fall into Orochimaru's hands.

Their relationship was only one of mutual exploitation. It could fall apart at any moment, so Danzo had no reason to be polite to him.

"I don't mind if you leave me out of it!"

Orochimaru said unhurriedly, "I only want Uchiha Itachi's body."

"Dream on!"

Danzo sneered.

"Is that so?"

Orochimaru smiled faintly and murmured to himself, "Looks like I should go see my former teacher, Mr. Hiruzen. It's been so many years. I really do miss him."

"Bastard!"

A vicious glint flashed in Danzo's eye. How could he not hear the threat in Orochimaru's words?

If he refused, Orochimaru would leak information to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Root had done plenty of things that couldn't bear the light of day, and Danzo had often acted behind Hiruzen's back. Now, at such a critical time, if Orochimaru exposed those secrets...

Danzo slowly closed his eyes.

"Once it's done, I'll tell you where Uchiha Itachi is. That's as far as Root will go. Whether you can capture him is your problem."

"Deal!"

Orochimaru ran his long tongue over his lips.

He had already seen Uchiha Shisui's strength and learned about the Mangekyō Sharingan. Dealing with a young child shouldn't be a problem.

After the two left, a pool of water slowly rose and took the shape of a person. It was Hōzuki Mangetsu.

It had to be said: the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique was a real cheat. As long as Hōzuki Mangetsu wanted, he could infiltrate anywhere.

Even top-tier ninja like Danzo and Orochimaru would have a hard time detecting him.

So Danzo had finally decided to move against the Uchiha?

A smile touched Hōzuki Mangetsu's lips. He had taken Shisui's eyes, but he hadn't changed the course of history.

The Uchiha Clan was doomed to suffer a calamity after all.