Danzo's expression didn't change, but he now knew the outcome of his tentative assassination attempt.
Sarutobi Hiruzen saw nothing unusual on the faces of his three old friends.
All he could do was pick up his pipe and take a puff, then tell the two of them how the assassination had unfolded.
Finally, he added, "I called you here to remind you to stay alert. If the assassin was willing to target me, they might come after you, too!"
At Hiruzen's words, all three nodded gravely.
At that moment, Danzo spoke unhurriedly. "Could the Uchiha have been driven to desperation? After all, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui have been missing for two days."
The other two brightened as well. Mitokado Homura said in a low voice, "Danzo might be onto something. Could the Uchiha really be behind this?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "I've already investigated. It couldn't have been the Uchiha."
Hearing the certainty in Hiruzen's voice, the three nodded, accepting his explanation.
"All right." Hiruzen's tone grew more relaxed. "You may all get back to work. I still have several documents to deal with."
Seeing that Hiruzen was dismissing them, Danzo and the others exchanged glances, then rose and left.
The three of them walked out of the office.
Mitokado Homura said, "I never expected this assassin to be so brazen as to target even the Hokage."
Utatane Koharu quietly agreed. "Yes, far too brazen."
Danzo listened to their conversation without expression.
In his characteristic chilly tone, he said, "Would the two of you like my Root operatives to protect you personally?"
At Danzo's offer, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu glanced at each other and waved it off together. "Danzo, thank you for the offer, but we're not yet so frail that we can't look after ourselves."
Hearing them turn him down, Danzo nodded and said, "All right. Just let me know if you need anything."
With that, he leaned on his cane and slowly walked away.
Once he returned to his hideout, Danzo summoned his trusted subordinate.
"Lord Danzo." The subordinate stepped up to him.
Danzo spoke in a chilly voice. "Can you get in touch with Orochimaru?"
The subordinate hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. Orochimaru has joined an organization called Akatsuki. As you instructed, we've kept in contact with him."
Danzo said, "Tell Orochimaru I have a plan to discuss with him. Meet me at the usual place."
"Yes." The subordinate didn't ask any questions. He bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Three days later.
At a courtyard outside Konoha.
Orochimaru, dressed in Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds, leaned against a pillar.
Danzo sat in a chair, flanked by two elite Root operatives wearing masks.
The two looked at each other.
Orochimaru smiled and said in his characteristic chilly voice, "Lord Danzo, what made you go to all this trouble to find me?"
Danzo spoke up. "Orochimaru, are you really content with having been driven out of Root in disgrace?"
"Content?"
Orochimaru chuckled. "Why ask a question when you already know the answer, Lord Danzo?"
Of course he wasn't content. He had once been one of Konoha's renowned Sannin, and a strong contender for the Hokage Position.
Yet in the end, he had fled Konoha like a stray dog.
As for those so-called human experiments?
Come on. Whose research was Orochimaru looking at?
The records of Second Tobirama Senju documented countless forbidden techniques, including the unholy Impure World Reincarnation.
Orochimaru refused to believe that Senju Tobirama, the Second, had never conducted human experiments.
It was just as the saying went: once I've succeeded, the scholars will find arguments to defend me.
Looking at Orochimaru's shifting expression, Danzo suddenly smiled.
He said mildly, "So, do you want to come back?"
"Come back?" Orochimaru fixed his golden, slit-pupiled eyes on Danzo and asked, enunciating each word, "What do you plan to do?"
Danzo replied calmly, "Simple. The Konoha Crush Plan."
At those words, Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
But they soon dimmed again. "We already lost last time, didn't we?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "We lost last time, but Hiruzen doesn't have Minato this time."
Hearing Minato's name stirred nothing in Orochimaru.
Even though Minato had been his direct rival for the Hokage Position.
Orochimaru knew that which of them became Hokage had depended on Danzo and his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But after he defected from Konoha, he realized that it wasn't raining outside after all.
He had actually done better than he had in Konoha.
Orochimaru spoke. "Interesting. But how do you plan to topple this rotten Konoha?"
Hearing Orochimaru's question, Danzo chuckled.
He said, "Simple. I've already taken complete control of Root. All we need to do is promise the Uchiha Clan that their clan head will be made a Hokage Advisor and that we'll hand them the Seventh Hokage Position."
Orochimaru folded his arms and looked toward Konoha.
He still felt some affection for the land of Konoha. Eighty percent of the love and hate in his life was tied to that place.
So he fixed his golden, snake-like eyes on Danzo and asked in a chilly voice, "No problem. Should we try contacting the Sand Ninja as well?"
"The Sand Ninja?" Danzo asked, puzzled by Orochimaru's suggestion.
"Didn't the Sand Ninja already ally with Konoha?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Orochimaru looking at him with an exceedingly complicated expression.
Even though Danzo had lived through half a lifetime, he still couldn't make out what Orochimaru's gaze meant.
Orochimaru explained, "It wasn't Sunagakure that allied with Konoha. It was the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire."
He continued in his distinctive raspy voice, "That's why Sunagakure's funding was cut. Konoha Ninja cost less than Sand Ninja, so the Land of Wind gave almost all its missions to Konoha. That's why the Sand Ninja don't like Konoha. They even hate it."
At Orochimaru's words, Danzo's pupils shrank.
He hadn't expected there to be another layer to the situation.
Still, another ally would be welcome.
Danzo nodded. "Fine. Convince Sunagakure to join us. I'll persuade the Uchiha Clan."
Orochimaru nodded. "All right. Let's hope everything goes smoothly."
Danzo also got to his feet and slowly walked away, leaning on his cane.
Watching Danzo's retreating figure, Orochimaru scoffed. "What a rotten village. It hasn't changed at all over the years."
"And that ridiculous Will of Fire. Konoha's windmill has stopped turning. It's time for a gust of wind to set it spinning again."
After finishing his lament, Orochimaru vanished from the spot with a Body Flicker Technique.
He still needed to find a wind strong enough to set Konoha's windmill in motion.
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