Eyes in the shadows

Gojo Satoru and Kakashi had barely left when someone else stepped into the Hokage's Office.

It was Danzo.

The moment he entered, he asked in a low voice.

"I hear you found Orochimaru's hideout?"

The question was directed at Hiruzen Sarutobi, but his tone was utterly certain. He clearly already knew everything.

He had long since learned all about the discovery of Orochimaru's hideout.

Hiruzen Sarutobi paid no mind to his attitude.

Where there was light, there were bound to be shadows.

Light and shadow were two sides of the same whole. Neither could exist without the other.

Only by attending to both could he maintain a balance.

That was how Konoha had survived to this day.

He set down his pen and raised his head to look at Danzo.

"Yes. It's a research facility he left behind. I've already sent people out."

Orochimaru, that wayward student of his.

Even after fleeing, he still insisted on lighting fires under his old teacher.

But why had Danzo suddenly taken an interest in this?

"I see." Danzo's gaze shifted, and he let out a long sigh.

Hiruzen Sarutobi found the hint of worry on his face rather strange.

"Danzo, are you concerned?"

It was rare to see him wear his worries so openly.

Danzo's eyes flickered. He shook his head, pretending it was merely a casual question.

"It may be an abandoned research facility, but there could still be traps inside. Is the person you sent to investigate reliable?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.

"Two younger shinobi. Both quite dependable."

"One is a novice, but his mission success rate is absurdly high."

"And he's paired with a seasoned shinobi."

"With those two working together, nothing will go wrong."

A novice.

A high mission success rate.

He's most likely talking about Uchiha Satoru.

Among the ANBU's new recruits, he was one of those with the highest mission completion rates.

Danzo had once considered bringing the boy into Root, but who could have imagined...

At that thought, Danzo's face turned livid.

He swallowed his anger, his eyes dark enough to chill the air.

No matter. Those eyes of his will soon be mine.

Meanwhile, Gojo Satoru and Kakashi reached Orochimaru's abandoned hideout not long after setting out.

"Dark, damp, and not a speck of light. That's Orochimaru's taste, all right." Gojo Satoru puffed out his cheeks and surveyed the place with open disgust.

Good thing I didn't believe Orochimaru's sweet talk back then.

So this dump was what all those pretty promises amounted to.

Scheming people have filthy hearts. Always tricking honest folks.

"Get moving. The mission's farther in."

Kakashi cut him off before he could keep rambling.

The two reached the Laboratory entrance, where a sealing strip was plainly affixed to the door.

"Release." Kakashi formed a hand seal.

He stepped forward and reached out to peel off the strip.

"Wait." Gojo Satoru's voice grew serious.

"What is it?" Kakashi turned to look at him in puzzlement.

He had teamed up with Gojo Satoru several times now. The man could be infuriating, but occasionally he really was dependable.

The trouble was...

"Seals are like an old woman's foot bindings. You never know what stink you'll find under the next layer." A lazy smile curled at the corner of Gojo Satoru's mouth.

He offered no direct answer.

A trace of resignation showed beneath Kakashi's drooping eyelids.

The trouble was that sometimes this man would only drop a cryptic hint, then stand aside to enjoy the show.

Kakashi considered it for a second, then took two steps back. A shuriken flew from between his fingers, skimming the doorframe and slicing the sealing strip loose.

Boom!

An explosion rang out.

Smoke and flames billowed upward.

Just as expected.

Kakashi turned his head and shot Gojo Satoru a look filled with mixed feelings and resignation.

Couldn't he just say it plainly?

If I hadn't believed him, or had simply brushed it off...

He would probably have stood there laughing at me again.

No need to guess. That's exactly the kind of person he is.

As Kakashi mulled this over, the explosion revealed a figure to him.

"Who's there?" Kakashi's voice turned cold at once.

"Long time no see, Kakashi." A masked man emerged from the corner.

"A?"

At the sound of that voice, surprise immediately spread across Kakashi's face.

The man before him had grown considerably taller and bigger, but Kakashi still recognized his voice instantly.

It was A, the boy he had met once before, fought alongside, and crossed blades with.

"What are you doing here?" His voice suddenly dropped.

Kakashi did not lower his guard just because he knew him. Instead, he scrutinized him warily from head to toe.

A shinobi had to endure when endurance was needed, and be suspicious when suspicion was warranted.

"I have a mission." A's tone remained as calm and steady as ever.

A mission.

Kakashi turned that over in his mind.

Is he here to back me up?

No. He works for Danzo.

There's no way he'd come to support me.

What exactly is he here for?