Time rewound to the period of the second Chunin Ninja Exams.
Konoha, the underground base of Root.
The defensive barrier set up within the headquarters of the Root organization led by Danzo was even stronger than Konoha's village-protecting barrier, leaving intruders with nowhere to flee.
Yet at this moment, Root's barrier had completely failed to serve its intended purpose.
The intruder ignored the barrier and swaggered right up before Danzo.
Two masked Root guards immediately placed their bodies between Danzo and the intruder, protecting Danzo while assuming combat stances.
"No matter, Kaede, Torune."
Danzo spoke in a calm tone, telling his guards to lower their guard.
Yet Danzo's eyes remained fixed on the intruder, never leaving him for even a moment.
"The entire Konoha is turning the village upside down looking for you, yet you appear before me at a time like this... What are you planning, Orochimaru?"
Danzo called out the intruder's name.
The man before Danzo, with long black hair, a pale complexion, and an unnaturally youthful face—
—was Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, who had infiltrated Konoha and long since left the village as a rogue ninja.
The barrier had failed to activate entirely because the one invading Root headquarters was Orochimaru, who had once worked seamlessly with Danzo.
Orochimaru understood the underground base's barrier almost as well as Danzo himself.
"It was clearly you who first had Root agents hidden within ANBU monitor the ninja in my village. I merely came in response to your 'invitation.'"
Orochimaru merely glanced at the guard Danzo had called Kaede before identifying who he had been before joining Root.
Orochimaru then exposed the identity of the other guard beside Danzo. "This one is from the Aburame Clan, isn't he?"
Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune.
"Does Teacher Sarutobi know that