C213

After Orochimaru finished speaking, the expressions of everyone in the Hokage's office changed.

Assassinating the heirs of the daimyo and a dozen high-ranking ministers of the Land of Fire was nothing short of an act of betrayal. 

It could sever the alliance between the Land of Fire and Konoha, potentially plunging the village into a crisis worse than what Cloud Shinobi faced during the Third Ninja War.

There were only two choices: either the entire village admitted guilt and allowed the daimyo to pass judgment on them, or they would have to prepare for the possibility of an attack from the four major ninja villages—something that the other daimyos would not sit idly by and watch.

As for reconciliation with the daimyo, after thinking for a while, everyone in the room found it nearly impossible.

Hatake Sakumo's mind went blank upon hearing the news. He couldn't fathom how he had been poisoned, and now he was being treated as a suspect?

"Lord Hokage..."

"Don't worry , the daimyo does not suspect you," Orochimaru reassured him. "The daimyo's mansion is conducting a strict investigation, but the evidence so far points to Root as the culprit. Now, I hope everyone here can provide their opinions..."

As Orochimaru spoke, the five Guardian Shinobi couldn't help but feel uneasy. However, when it came to matters of this magnitude, it no longer mattered which faction they belonged to.

"Anbu, take the five of them to the interrogation unit and have them questioned about everything that has happened recently."

Upon hearing Orochimaru's order, Sarutobi Hiruzen grew anxious. Among the five, three were Jōnin from the Sarutobi clan. 

Quickly, he interjected, "Orochimaru, isn't it too rash to interrogate them like this? I believe they wouldn't do something like this."

Among the detained shinobi were three Jōnin from the Sarutobi clan, one from the Yamanaka clan, and one from the Nara clan. If they became entangled in such a serious incident, the consequences would be severe. 

Even if they were proven innocent, their futures would be overshadowed by suspicion and forced into doing the village's dirtiest work.

Orochimaru smirked and said, "In that case, why don't you take responsibility for handling this, Sarutobi-sensei?"

"This..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately hesitated. How could he take on such a responsibility so easily? Feeling a sense of helplessness, he slumped back into his seat and reluctantly said, "Then… we will follow the orders of the Fourth Hokage."

A squad of Anbu stepped forward to take the five Jōnin into custody. None of them dared to resist; every person in the room was stronger than them. Cooperation seemed to be their only option.

"Next is Root," Orochimaru continued. "I recall that Danzo Jōnin has not returned since he left the village last time. I've given him ample time. Is he still preoccupied with that so-called secret mission?"

At his words, the expressions of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu darkened.

Previously, before Sarutobi Hiruzen resigned as Hokage, he and his advisors had granted Root considerable autonomy. This had prevented Orochimaru from taking action against them. 

But now, it appeared that Danzo had gotten himself into serious trouble. The very poisons commonly used by Root had been traced back to the assassination attempt on the daimyo's heirs and key ministers.

"Danzo is currently unreachable, but he will return as soon as he receives the news," Sarutobi Hiruzen stated, attempting to defend him. After all, this was an unprecedented felony. Based on what he knew of Danzo, it seemed impossible that he would do such a thing.

"Perhaps we should conduct another investigation," he suggested. "It may not have been Root's poison after all—"

Tsunade interrupted him. "Orochimaru, as Fourth Hokage, you personally ordered Anbu to retrieve a corpse. Upon examination, the poison traces left on it matched those used by Root in the past. The evidence is undeniable."

"Two days!"

Orochimaru removed his Hokage hat and spoke to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others in an unquestionable tone. "In two days, Danzo must return to Konoha with his Root forces for review. If he refuses, Konoha will initiate a full-scale manhunt."

"Sakumo-kun, don't leave Konoha for now."

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Understood, Hokage-sama."

He was fortunate this time—protected by the daimyo and spared from Hokage's judgment. The same could not be said for the five Guardian Ninja. 

Unless something unexpected happened, they would remain in the interrogation unit for at least a few months.

Orochimaru continued, "If there's nothing else, we'll adjourn. Hiashi-kun and Yatsushiro-kun, stay behind. Tsunade, focus on your assigned task for now."

Tsunade nodded. Her primary responsibility was caring for Uzumaki Kushina. Most of the village's shinobi were unaware of Kushina's connection to the Nine-Tails, and there was concern that her childbirth could trigger a Tailed Beast riot. 

For this reason, only a medical master like Tsunade was entrusted with overseeing the delivery—a privilege reserved exclusively for Konoha's Jinchūriki.

As the meeting concluded, the group slowly exited Hokage's office. Orochimaru then dismissed his Shadow Clone.

Ryūchi Cave

Orochimaru had relocated his laboratory to a canyon near Ryūchi Cave. The spacious terrain provided ample room for experiments, and the presence of fire dragons within the cave had made space increasingly scarce.

When Orochimaru arrived, Kain was already waiting for him.

"Danzo will never return this time," Orochimaru said, sitting on a stone bench across from Kain, a smirk on his face. "If he has any sense, he'll flee to a small nation and establish his own organization."

"However," he added, "Konoha can't spare the manpower to track down Root right now. Cloud Shinobi and Mist Shinobi seem to be showing signs of forming an alliance."

"It's fine. I'll divert their attention elsewhere."

Kain's expression darkened slightly as he asked, "If Cloud Shinobi starts a war, why don't you let my biomechanical warriors enter the battlefield? I don't care for those black skins either."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Biomechanical warriors?"

"They're similar to puppets, but modified from human bodies. Their strength and speed rival that of a Chūnin in taijutsu, but they primarily fight with firearms. I could deploy a hundred of them to support you."

Kain then explained that he had updated the biomechanical warrior data to the Red Queen. The mechanical endoskeleton was constructed by the Red Queen, while Shinno was responsible for injecting the G-virus into the experimental subjects.

So far, 117 biomechanical warriors had been successfully created, and the production was ongoing. If they used bodies from the Pirate World, the results would be even more powerful.

Orochimaru's curiosity was piqued. He was eager to study these warriors once reinforcements arrived. "Then I'll leave it to you," he said. "By the way, I've heard that the daimyo is planning to appoint a new successor soon..."

"We just need to wait until Kushina gives birth," Kain replied casually. "It's already a done deal. It might seem unreasonable, but with Danzo's actions, it all falls into place."

A sly smile formed on his lips. Any nobles who opposed the change would eventually die at Danzo's hands. Since this was a decision made by the daimyo himself, no one else had the authority to object.

"That works," Orochimaru said indifferently, shifting the topic. "Would you like to see my latest research?"

Politics didn't interest him much. Research, however, did. He was especially eager to exchange knowledge with Kain, confident that his findings would catch his attention.

Kain, intrigued by Orochimaru's research, leaned in. "I'd be happy to take a look. I might even be able to provide some support."

Orochimaru's latest research was still in its early stages—a mere prototype—but it was no ordinary prototype. He had taken inspiration from Yamata no Orochi, transforming its snake heads into fire dragon heads, resulting in a nine-headed creature.

The sight immediately reminded Kain of the legendary Hydra. Orochimaru's ambitious goal was to cultivate nine dragon heads infused with the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Beast. 

However, at this stage, the creature could only breathe fire, which was far from impressive.

Orochimaru's true objective was to enable all nine heads to fire Tailed Beast Bombs. However, he was still missing two crucial components: a stable source of Tailed Beast chakra and an effective storage method. 

Once those issues were resolved, he believed he could create an entity embodying the combined power of all nine Tailed Beasts.

Kain knew he could provide the necessary Tailed Beast chakra. He also informed Orochimaru that Konoha likely had research records on the Zero-Tails. With these two resources, Orochimaru's Hydra project was bound to succeed.

After discussing research for a while at Ryūchi Cave, Kain dismissed the Summoning Technique and returned to Konoha.

Konoha

The village was in turmoil. The incident at the daimyo's mansion had sent shockwaves through Konoha, affecting it deeply. All security team ninjas had their vacations canceled, and the village was once again operating as if on the brink of war.

"Itachi, don't stay out too late practicing. Come home early," Uchiha Mikoto reminded her son.

She could sense the tense atmosphere in the village and didn't want Itachi wandering around alone for too long.

"I know, I'll be careful," Itachi replied. His tone was calm but vague—he had no intention of training within the clan grounds, where all he received were endless praises and expectations to uphold the Uchiha's glory.

After leaving home, Itachi headed to a training ground at the village's edge, as he often did. Although he had not yet entered the academy, his skills already surpassed many of its students.

As soon as he arrived, a voice called out from the trees.

"Itachi, you're here."

A thin figure emerged from behind the foliage, greeting him with a kind smile.

"Lord Third Hokage."

Itachi bowed respectfully to Sarutobi Hiruzen, feeling a surge of excitement. The last two times he had received guidance from the Third Hokage, his strength had improved significantly. Talking with him also allowed Itachi to learn more about the world.

'Itachi, even though you're still young, I see the heart of a Hokage in you. One day, you will become Hokage and protect this village.'

That single statement had remained deeply etched in Itachi's mind, fueling his determination.

"Do you want to practice shuriken again today?" Hiruzen asked. "Your shuriken skills are already among the best in the fourth grade of the ninja academy. Instead, I recommend focusing on chakra control. For a shinobi, chakra is the foundation of everything."

With a warm smile, Sarutobi Hiruzen demonstrated tree-climbing training, and Itachi immediately took his advice to heart.

Though still young, Itachi's natural talent was undeniable. Even with his limited chakra reserves, it only took him about half an hour to climb near the top of a tree.

"Take a break, Itachi," Hiruzen advised. "In another half an hour, you should be able to fully control this technique. After that, you'll just need to refine your chakra control, and then you can move on to the next stage of training."

The Third Hokage sat beside Itachi, discussing both training and the village with him. Once he felt Itachi was at ease, he decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"Itachi, I have something to ask you."

…

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