Formulating a Battle Plan

"This... if you put it that way, then yes. As someone with the Mangekyo Sharingan, you were the most qualified to say that."

After hearing Itachi's words, Orochimaru froze slightly, then grew somewhat solemn.

"Orochimaru, have you ever fought Danzo? Do you have any information on him?"

Hearing the gravity in Orochimaru's voice, Itachi asked softly.

He guided Orochimaru toward the topic he wanted to discuss.

In the original story, Orochimaru had been severely injured because he had not expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to possess a technique that could take them both down.

There was nothing wrong with this man except that he was a little too proud, making him prone to underestimating his enemies.

Yet as an intelligent man—and one widely acknowledged as such—it was easy for him to take the wrong path and have his vision obscured. Without realizing it, he had developed the bad habit of being somewhat arrogant.

"Danzo... He was nothing special in the past, but now? It was not as simple as having a Mangekyo Sharingan in his right eye. His right arm also contained Hashirama Cells and a whole armful of Three-Tomoe Sharingan."

As he spoke, Orochimaru's expression carried a trace of pride and disdain...

On one hand, he had created the thing. On the other, it was simply too ugly.

Thinking of that, Orochimaru recalled his perfect test subject...

What a pity...

"A whole arm of Three-Tomoe Sharingan? And Hashirama Cells?"

Hearing Orochimaru finally get to the point, Itachi inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and feigned confusion.

If possible, he did not want to reveal the secret of Kotoamatsukami. If Orochimaru learned that he possessed such eyes, their seemingly close relationship would probably end immediately.

Though Itachi was somewhat wary of someone like Orochimaru, he did not want to use Kotoamatsukami on someone who bore him no hostility, even if Orochimaru held immense value.

Uncle Snake was still quite a charismatic person. If his will were changed, Orochimaru would lose the unique qualities that made him who he was.

Unless the situation became urgent, Itachi did not want to do that.

"Sigh, back then, in order to study the secrets of Wood Release, I made an arm. It contained not only Hashirama Cells, but also a pile of Sharingan, which I installed as well."

Orochimaru had no intention of mentioning Shin Uchiha. He merely spoke with a touch of sentimentality.

"Oh? Then how was your research into Wood Release going...?"

Orochimaru's words piqued Itachi's interest. Hashirama Cells were no less enticing to him than Shisui's other Mangekyo Sharingan.

And since Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan would be sitting in Danzo's eye socket, Itachi still did not have a clear understanding of Hashirama Cells.

"Don't mention it. I only produced one person capable of using Wood Release, but... compared to the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, it could only be used for landscaping and building houses..."

There was a hint of melancholy in Orochimaru's tone. To him, this counted as a failed experiment.

After hearing Orochimaru's words, Itachi fell silent. But then he thought of Madara's crude transplantation method and Obito's half-rebuilt body. Weren't those two successful examples?

"By the way, you said Danzo's entire arm is covered in Three-Tomoe Sharingan. That could be troublesome."

Itachi continued the previous topic.

He pushed Wood Release, Hashirama Cells, and the Sage Body to the back of his mind.

"Hm? What was troublesome about Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"

Orochimaru was somewhat stunned by Itachi's words. As far as he knew, Three-Tomoe Sharingan were all trash.

If he wanted them, he could get a whole pile.

"You don't know this, but our Uchiha Clan has two great forbidden techniques."

"One of them is called Izanagi."

"For a very short period of time, this technique can turn all unfavorable events suffered by the user, including injuries and death, into dreams. At the same time, it turns all events favorable to the user, such as the user's attacks, into reality. It is a technique that freely converts dreams and reality, a Genjutsu. The price is that the eye used will lose its light forever."

As Itachi spoke of Izanagi, a figure suddenly appeared in his mind.

Madara seemed to have used it once when fighting Hashirama. That claim about permanently losing the light seemed to have been just talk, though. His eye had evolved into the Rinnegan and regained its sight.

"I've heard of this technique. Didn't it disappear long ago? Are you saying Danzo knows this forbidden technique?"

After hearing Itachi's explanation, Orochimaru's eyes lit up. The technique sounded quite interesting. Then, recalling Danzo's requirements for that arm, he became certain that Danzo knew it.

"Based on what you said, there was probably no doubt about it..."

Itachi shot Orochimaru a glare, seemingly saying, Look at the trouble you created...

Seeing Itachi's look, Orochimaru pretended not to notice. They both understood.

"Then doesn't this forbidden technique have any weakness? That whole arm of his is filled with Three-Tomoe Sharingan... If that's the case, taking the eyes won't be easy. Even if you pluck them out, he can just make them disappear again..."

Orochimaru analyzed the situation with a grave expression.

"The only flaw is that chakra already expended by the user cannot be recovered. And Izanagi seems to consume a great deal of chakra. But his strength is what it is, and he has the support of Hashirama Cells..."

Itachi murmured softly, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Oh? Itachi, you know quite a bit about Hashirama Cells too. Hashirama Cells not only contain Wood Release, but also immense vitality and chakra."

Itachi's words made Orochimaru slightly curious.

His focus was always somewhat different from others'...

"Of course I've researched someone as powerful as Hashirama Senju."

Itachi set down his empty glass of milk and spoke calmly.

He was also considering how to take the eye.

The attempt with the greatest chance of success was undoubtedly the first one.

If he failed to take the eye on the first attempt, he would need to guard against Danzo destroying it.

He also had to guard against the Kotoamatsukami in Danzo's right eye. He did not know whether that old schemer had already used that ocular technique.

But recalling the Five Kage Summit, Danzo seemed to have used Kotoamatsukami on Mifune in an attempt to seize influence. Yet it had been exposed immediately, so it was more or less useless now...

As he thought, Itachi still came up with a method. There was no use agonizing over too many things.

This method was simple and brutal. There was no need to weigh too many gains and losses. No matter how meticulous a plan was, there would always be loopholes.

It would be better to keep it simple and brutal—use Kotoamatsukami directly!

His genuine one against Danzo's imitation had a good chance of succeeding.

After all, Kotoamatsukami could directly invade the target's mind without being detected, alter the target's will, and do so permanently.

Even the official description called this technique one that could "turn anyone seen by the user into his puppet!" It was hailed as the "strongest Genjutsu."

The previous owner of this body had originally implanted the will to protect Konoha into Kotoamatsukami and intended to use it on Sasuke. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he encountered Naruto. His Mangekyo Sharingan activated the crow within Naruto, causing it to use the technique on himself. He thus broke free from Kabuto's control and changed the course of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

That also meant the Kotoamatsukami in his eye was extremely powerful.

"Alright, alright. I've already thought of a way. When the time comes, you just need to provide support..."

Seeing that Orochimaru was about to say something else, Itachi spoke irritably.

He had changed his battle plan.

But the gloom in his heart had already vanished completely.

He had simply been too cautious, thinking too much.

Subconsciously, he had imagined infiltrating Root with Orochimaru and making a move against Danzo.

That was why he had worried about this and worried about that.