Ibiki Morino had seen this situation far too many times.
As captain of Konoha's Interrogation Department, he had interrogated all sorts of people and experienced every kind of strange occurrence.
Some lost control of their bowels and bladders, some cried for their parents, some offered their bodies in exchange for release, some refused to yield even in death, and others... simply went mad.
Many spies and criminals could not endure the physical and mental pressure of interrogation, and their minds collapsed, robbing them of reason and driving them insane.
In other words, they became mentally ill.
Danzo's current symptoms were exactly the same as those of those mentally ill people.
Seeing this, Shikaku Nara adopted a look of profound contemplation and said nothing.
Inoichi Yamanaka scoffed at this. He waved to the Anbu members beside him and instructed:
"It doesn't matter whether he's gone mad or whatever else. Time won't wait. Take Danzo to the Intelligence Department, now."
The Anbu members did not move.
Inoichi Yamanaka was just about to urge them on when an aged hand suddenly clamped down hard on his shoulder.
"Inoichi, look at the state Danzo is in. Don't make things harder for him. After all, he's contributed a great deal to our Konoha. Without him, Konoha would never have reached its position today... Whatever mistakes he's made, now that he's been reduced to this, I think he's been punished enough."
"But... Lord Hokage, Danzo...!"
"I understand your concerns." Hiruzen released his grip and settled his pipe back between his lips.
"Danzo might be putting on an act to some extent. Let's do this: have the Medical Ninja examine him first, and we'll discuss it once the results are out. That's settled."
Without waiting for anyone to agree, Hiruzen tilted his head and gave the Anbu Ninja behind him a meaningful look. They immediately understood, walked straight into the barred cell, and hauled the still-deranged Danzo to his feet.
"Take Danzo to the hospital. Remember, stay by his side around the clock, without a moment's absence. Without my orders, no one is allowed near him. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible!"
"Yes!"
With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi left with his troops.
"Shikaku... wh-what is going on here? Why would Lord Hokage...?"
Inoichi genuinely could not understand why Lord Hokage was acting so strangely today.
Shikaku sighed. "There's... probably something behind this. Forget it. Let's wait for Danzo's examination results. Some things are beyond what you and I can influence in our current positions."
"Ah..."
The Land of Rice Fields, Orochimaru's secret base.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Orochimaru had just finished a human experiment not long before. Now, he washed the remaining blood from his hands, put on the Akatsuki's black robe with red clouds, and straightened his appearance in the mirror before him with a sinister smile, in an excellent mood.
"Lord Orochimaru, it's rare to see you so happy."
Kabuto Yakushi walked in through the doorway.
At the sight of Kabuto, Orochimaru was slightly surprised. "Hmm? Kabuto, I didn't summon you. Why did you suddenly come back instead of staying in Konoha and gathering intelligence?"
Kabuto Yakushi replied respectfully, "Lord Orochimaru, something major has happened in Konoha."
"Heh..." Orochimaru's lips curved upward as he slipped the Void ring onto his little finger. "What major incident could happen in such a peaceful village? Kabuto, I have something urgent to attend to right now. I'll hear you out when I return."
"Lord Orochimaru, where are you going?"
"Hehehe... To take back the eyes that belong to me, of course..."
"Could you mean... Uchiha Itachi?"
"Yes. Something major has happened in the Akatsuki recently, too. Itachi's partner, Juzo Biwa, died, and he's currently alone. I must act as soon as possible, before Kakuzu, who also lost his partner, teams up with him."
"Lord Orochimaru, please take me with you! Uchiha Itachi's strength is unfathomable. I'm afraid dealing with him alone won't be so easy for you."
"Fine. Come along if you want, but make sure you don't spoil my fun. Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk... Oh, right, you can tell me on the way what happened in Konoha that warranted you coming all the way back."
"I'd better tell you now. Danzo has been arrested, and his Sharingan arm is essentially ruined. Also, a ninja capable of using Susanoo has appeared in the Uchiha Clan."
"!!! What did you say?"
For Orochimaru, this news delivered two explosive shocks in succession.
The arrest of his associate Danzo had undoubtedly dealt a severe blow to Orochimaru's network of connections in Konoha.
But what surprised him most was that the Uchiha Clan, which had been massacred over a year ago, had actually produced a Susanoo user?
"Who is it? Could it be Sasuke??"
"No! It's someone named Uchiha Xia Yu."
"Oh? Xia Yu? Who is he?" Orochimaru marveled inwardly.
He had heard at least a little about nearly every ninja with any degree of fame, let alone a member of the Uchiha Clan.
Yet he had never heard of this Uchiha Xia Yu. He did not even have the slightest impression of him.
"Lord Orochimaru, Xia Yu's history is quite dull and tedious..."
"How so?"
"Since the massacre, he's married over a thousand wives. Every day, he's either having children or on his way to having children. They say that on the night of the massacre, he only escaped because he was having an affair in someone else's home. You could call him a lecher through and through. He's always been that way, ever since he was little..."
"...Heh, that really is dull. What's the point of someone like that being alive?"
"Forget it. Let's get going first. Once I've taken Itachi's eyes, you can tell me more about this Xia Yu when we return."
"Yes!"
The next day, just as dawn was breaking.
Uchiha Itachi walked down a long flight of steps alone.
What a coincidence.
Walking toward him with vigorous strides was none other than Orochimaru, whose eyes were fixed entirely on him.
Orochimaru's lips curled into a teasing, seductive smile, while Uchiha Itachi remained expressionless and chose to ignore him.
The two brushed past each other.
Yet before even a meter separated them, seeing the person he yearned for most moving farther and farther away, Orochimaru drooled with desire and finally could no longer restrain himself.
"Pfft!"
A huge, dark python suddenly emerged from Orochimaru's sleeve and bound Uchiha Itachi's body.
It bound him skillfully and thoroughly.
Just right.
Itachi was slightly startled. He said nothing, merely wearing an expression that said, "You can't force these things."
Orochimaru confessed, "Itachi, do you know what eternal life is?"
The python's coils tightened and tightened. Itachi frowned slightly and let out faint moans. "Mmph... mm..."
Orochimaru lifted Itachi high, flicked his tongue, and said longingly:
"For eternity, I need a new body. Itachi, offer your body to me~ Your body is the perfect one to let me attain eternity!"
"Orochimaru, as a human being, it's important to control your desires. Ultimately, this is a problem with your desires."
Itachi seemed to gradually adjust to the tightness of the binding, and his breathing steadily evened out.
Orochimaru snorted coldly. Just as his lewd laughter was about to ring out, reality and illusion... along with their positions, suddenly reversed.
Uchiha Itachi appeared behind Orochimaru completely unharmed, while Orochimaru could not break free of the invisible restraints on his body, no matter how hard he struggled.
Only then did he realize that he had fallen under Uchiha Itachi's Body Bind Technique.
"I-I never thought... that the one bound would actually be me!"
Rather than growing angry, Orochimaru laughed.
"What powerful visual prowess. Itachi, you're marvelous~"
PS: Writing the Akatsuki characters really does come more naturally. My hands practically flew over the keyboard~
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