Orochimaru

Danzo hadn't expected to hit such a soft wall.

He stood up and said, "No problem. I'll show you my sincerity. I hope the Uchiha will do the same."

After Danzo left, Uchiha Fugaku turned to Uchiha Yan and asked, "Yan, what do you think? What is that man Danzo really up to?"

Uchiha Yan rubbed his chin. He knew what Danzo was talking about.

A coup.

But the Uchiha couldn't afford to get mixed up in that mess.

What Uchiha Yan wanted was an intact Konoha.

At most, they could sacrifice Anbu, Root, and the Shimura and Sarutobi Clans.

That would be the best outcome for the Uchiha.

But now, the Uchiha seemed to have another option.

He looked up at Uchiha Fugaku and said, "Clan Head Fugaku, if Danzo really can get you appointed as an advisor, then what he said might be worth considering."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded, taking Uchiha Yan's advice.

After all, compared to Uchiha Itachi, the "dutiful son" whose loyalties were unclear, and the other prodigy, Uchiha Shisui,

Uchiha Yan's loyalty had always been firmly with the Uchiha.

So his opinion was crucial.

As Danzo left the compound with his trusted subordinates, Sarutobi Hiruzen received the news right away.

After hearing it, Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered to himself, "Danzo, Danzo... I hope you don't do anything foolish."

Three days later.

An unwelcome visitor arrived in Sunagakure.

With a hat on his head, Orochimaru slowly approached Sunagakure's gate.

The guard on duty watched him closely and asked, "What business do you have here, sir?"

It was no wonder he was nervous. When Orochimaru had defected, his killing intent alone had left Kakashi unable to move.

And this guard was just an ordinary sentry, at most a Chunin. It was impressive enough that he could even speak in Orochimaru's presence.

Orochimaru chuckled twice.

His smile was rather unsettling.

The two guards couldn't help tightening their grips on their weapons and the signal flares tucked in their pockets.

Only then did Orochimaru speak in a hoarse voice. "There's no need to panic. We're old friends of your Kazekage. Here's my token. If you don't believe me, you can pass along a message. I'll wait here."

With that, he took out a so-called token and handed it to the guard.

Perhaps sensing that Orochimaru truly meant no harm, the two guards relaxed a little.

Still, they spoke to him sternly. "Sir, we'll need to notify Anbu and confirm your identity first."

Orochimaru had no objection. He had come to negotiate a partnership, not to cause trouble.

He sat on a boulder by the village entrance and said calmly, "No problem. Do as you see fit."

The two guards exchanged a glance. In the end, one of them went to alert Anbu.

The other kept a tight grip on his signal flare. If Orochimaru made so much as a sudden move, he wouldn't hesitate to set it off.

Seeing how tense the guard was, Orochimaru obligingly made no sudden moves.

By then, the other guard had contacted Anbu.

The Anbu member's face changed when he heard the news.

He hurriedly sent one of his subordinates to report it.

Then he headed for Sunagakure's gate with another teammate.

When the Anbu member arrived and saw Orochimaru sitting there quietly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He walked up to Orochimaru.

"Sir, please wait a moment."

Orochimaru nodded.

Five minutes later.

An Anbu squad surrounded Orochimaru.

One of them, who seemed to be the squad leader, stepped forward.

He said respectfully, "Sir, this way, please."

Orochimaru nodded slightly, stood up, and followed the Anbu.

The other three Anbu members discreetly surrounded him.

Orochimaru glanced up and noticed several Anbu on the rooftops keeping watch over him as well.

It wasn't until he entered the Kazekage Building that the faint sensation of being watched finally disappeared.

The Anbu escorted him to a guest room, and he went inside.

Orochimaru saw that the guest room was protected by a simple barrier.

Of course, "simple" was relative to Orochimaru himself.

Given Sunagakure's scarce resources and sparse population, it was already impressive that they could maintain a barrier.

Just then, a man wearing a Kazekage hat appeared before him.

"Why did you want to see me?"

His voice carried the innate authority of a man in power, along with a hint of weariness.

Orochimaru slowly stood up and removed the human-skin mask covering his face.

He fixed his golden, serpentine eyes on the Kazekage and gave him a sinister smile.

"Kazekage, long time no see."

The Kazekage's calm expression turned ugly the moment he saw Orochimaru.

He spoke with some hostility. "Orochimaru, what does a Konoha defector like you want to discuss with me?"

Orochimaru could naturally hear the distance in the Kazekage's tone.

He chuckled. "Rasa, is there any need to be like that with an old acquaintance?"

Rasa rolled his eyes at Orochimaru, then sat down on the sofa and said with mixed feelings, "Orochimaru, to be honest, I never thought you would actually..."

Orochimaru chuckled and finished for him, "You never thought I'd become a defector?"

The two of them were old acquaintances, in a way.

During the Third Shinobi World War, they had fought each other many times, and neither had ever gained the upper hand.

Rasa had never expected someone as talented as Orochimaru to defect from Konoha.

Rasa said calmly, "Orochimaru, if you've come to discuss joining Sunagakure, you have my full support."

Hearing Rasa's offer, Orochimaru waved a hand. "I came to see you for something else."

"Something else?" Rasa raised an eyebrow.

Orochimaru spoke in a calm voice. "The Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind has been cutting your funding year after year because of your alliance with Konoha, hasn't he?"

Rasa's expression darkened at Orochimaru's words.

Because everything Orochimaru said was true.

Sunagakure's finances were already on the brink of collapse.

The village had even begun reducing the number of students it admitted to the Ninja Academy each year, intending to focus on producing elite shinobi.

Even so, the Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind kept cutting their funding every year.

The Feudal Lord had even handed more of the country's defense responsibilities to Konoha.

Sunagakure was now so poor that Rasa had to mine gold himself to support the village.

Looking at Rasa's grim expression, Orochimaru smiled.

His tone was full of persuasion.

"Several years ago, I left that place like a stray dog."

"Now, a powerful figure in Konoha has told me I can launch a counterattack against Konoha."