156. The Deal with Orochimaru

The blue light intensified, and the massive fist smashed through an entire wall, sending Orochimaru flying in the process!

Seated upright on the hospital bed, Danzo's single exposed eye gleamed with killing intent.

"Attacking my disciple while I'm asleep... that doesn't seem very appropriate, does it, Orochimaru?"

His voice was icy cold, carrying an ominous chill.

---

Danzo had been asleep for a long time.

And in that sleep, he had dreamed for a long time.

In his dream, he found himself back in a world of towering buildings, once again living the life of an ordinary office worker.

Working a nine-to-five job during the day.

Watching anime at night.

It was a mundane life, but at least it was peaceful.

Unfortunately, that peace didn't last.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in this cruel world once again.

What's worse—the first thing he saw was Orochimaru.

And not only that, Orochimaru was charging straight at him!

Danzo broke out in a cold sweat.

If there was anyone in the ninja world who knew Orochimaru best, it was him.

Knowing Orochimaru's personality and tendencies, there was no doubt that he had been interested in Danzo's secrets for a long time.

And if he ever fell into Orochimaru's hands, the best-case scenario would be death.

The worst case…

He'd become nothing more than a lifelong test subject.

Luckily, before undergoing treatment, Danzo had prepared countermeasures.

Shisui was there to protect him openly.

Numerous Root operatives were hidden in the shadows, monitoring the situation.

If Danzo had failed to wake up in time, those Root shinobi were ready to lay down their lives to buy Shisui enough time to deal with Orochimaru.

Thankfully, it never reached that point.

Seeing that Orochimaru remained silent, Danzo grew impatient.

"Stop pretending. A single punch isn't enough to kill you."

After all, this was Orochimaru—the most notorious "immortal" in the original timeline.

A master of survival and escape, who had done countless evil deeds yet still managed to outlive nearly everyone.

How could he possibly die from just one punch?

And sure enough—

A new Orochimaru shed its skin, emerging from the remnants of his old body.

Covered in sticky mucus, he smiled at Danzo.

"I'm relieved to see you're unharmed, Lord Danzo."

"Please forgive my earlier recklessness as a former subordinate."

His words carried a hidden meaning—

"I only barged in because I was worried about you. I had no other intentions."

Danzo let out a cold laugh.

"I appreciate your concern, but don't do it again, Orochimaru."

As he spoke, his Mangekyō Sharingan spun slowly.

Suddenly, Orochimaru found himself unable to move.

At the same time, flocks of crows descended from the sky, their razor-sharp beaks tearing into his flesh!

A sharp pain pierced his entire body, but he clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to scream.

A Genjutsu!

This was definitely a Genjutsu!

Orochimaru quickly calmed himself.

And then, the crows suddenly stopped pecking at him, fluttering into the air.

Before him, they gathered together, forming a humanoid figure.

It was Danzo.

"Attacking an injured frontline commander… that's a serious crime, you understand?"

In this illusionary world, Danzo still looked the same—his body wrapped in familiar bandages.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed sharply.

Breaking into the commander's hospital room could be as minor or as severe a crime as Danzo wished.

If he downplayed it, it was just a reckless act of concern for an old superior.

But if Danzo wanted to escalate the matter…

Well, Orochimaru knew Danzo was fully capable of doing so.

But if this incident were blown out of proportion, it would be a case of attempted assassination—

A deliberate attack on a high-ranking village official and Konoha's frontline commander!

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi would have a headache trying to cover that up.

After all, Danzo wasn't like him.

Unlike Hiruzen, he had no intention of tolerating subordinates trying to kill him.

Fortunately, leaning on his cane, Danzo took the initiative to speak.

"However, for the sake of Hiruzen, I'm willing to give you a chance."

Hearing this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

Since Danzo phrased it this way, that meant there was still room for negotiation.

Without hesitation, Orochimaru asked:

"I wonder, Lord Danzo, how would you like me to apologize?"

Danzo lifted his gaze.

"Talking to smart people is always easier. I want your research on Tailed Beast cultivation."

In the original timeline, Orochimaru infiltrated the Hidden Cloud Village, drugged the previous Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Blue B, and released his seal.

It took the Third Raikage and the Eight-Tails fighting for days and nights to re-seal it into Killer B.

But what did Orochimaru gain from this?

Just a bit of powdered horn from the Eight-Tails.

And yet—

With his expertise, he grew a new massive Eight-Tails horn from that tiny sample.

Even more terrifying, he sealed that horn into Edo Tensei Blue B, creating a "young version" of a Jinchūriki.

Although it wasn't a full transformation, it still possessed:

A functioning Tailed Beast Cloak.

The ability to fire Tailed Beast Bombs.

What more could Danzo ask for?

If this technique could be mass-produced...

Would that mean every Root operative could have their own Tailed Beast?

Even if the Jinchūriki went berserk, they would still be a valuable asset.

Upon hearing Danzo's demand, Orochimaru's snake-like pupils shrank visibly.

"How do you know about that?"

Tailed Beast cultivation was one of his most closely guarded secrets, second only to his Reincarnation Jutsu.

He had never shared this information with anyone.

So how did Danzo find out?

Danzo's expression remained unchanged, exuding an aura of absolute confidence.

"You only need to answer one thing—"

"Yes or no."

Faced with this relentless pressure, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed dangerously.

For a brief moment, he even considered fleeing.

But after weighing the risks—

Danzo's unpredictable abilities.

His own research data still stored in the village.

Orochimaru reluctantly conceded.

He wasn't ready to defect just yet.

Betraying the village wasn't a decision to be made lightly.

"Fine. Once I leave here, I'll give you the technology to cultivate Tailed Beast cells."

Hearing this, Danzo nodded in satisfaction.

The illusionary ground beneath Orochimaru vanished, and he regained control of his body.

As the Genjutsu lifted, Orochimaru gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling heavily.

Clearly, the experience had shaken him deeply.

He realized he had underestimated the Uchiha Clan's power.

Suddenly, a white snake slithered out from Orochimaru's wide sleeves.

Opening its mouth, it spat out a scroll.

Watching this, Shisui frowned deeply.

This way of storing things was beyond disgusting.

Ignoring the reaction, Orochimaru grabbed the scroll and tossed it to Danzo.

Danzo, however, did not catch it directly.

Instead, he waved his hand, summoning a flurry of paper sheets that wrapped around the scroll.

Only after wiping off all the mucus did he finally bring it toward himself.

Activating his Sharingan, he quickly scanned the contents.

After confirming that the information was legitimate, he nodded at Orochimaru.

"Don't let this happen again."

Orochimaru licked his lips, his voice chilling.

"Understood, Lord Danzo."

Without another word, he vanished from the scene.

Watching Orochimaru's retreating direction, Danzo chuckled coldly.

It wasn't that he didn't want to eliminate Orochimaru right now.

But this matter was far more complicated than it seemed.

If this incident were exposed, Hiruzen Sarutobi—as Hokage—would undoubtedly do everything in his power to protect his student.

At that point, conflict between Danzo and Sarutobi would be inevitable.

Worse still, Danzo and Orochimaru had too many shady dealings over the years.

If Orochimaru was pushed too far and decided to reveal everything, things could get very messy.

Considering all this, Danzo decided that making a direct trade with Orochimaru would be the most practical solution.

After all, Orochimaru was inhuman, but his biotech research was far ahead of this world.

Even Danzo had to tread carefully when dealing with him.

To Danzo, Orochimaru was a treasure trove.

His best option was to extract all of Orochimaru's technology before he defected.

That was what would best serve Danzo's core interests.

Although the illusion seemed like a long standoff, in reality, it lasted only a brief moment.

By the time Orochimaru left, the Konoha camp finally sprang into action.

The first to arrive on the scene was, of course, Minato Namikaze.

In fact, he had been there all along.

He had placed a Flying Thunder God seal and a detection formula in the area.

The moment Shisui attacked Orochimaru, he had sensed it and teleported nearby.

However, when he saw that Danzo had awakened and was personally handling the situation, he decided not to intervene.

Next to arrive was Fugaku Uchiha, followed by several other key figures.

Seeing them, Danzo immediately began issuing orders.

"Shikaku, draft a ceasefire agreement immediately.

Inform Iwagakure and Kumogakure that if they want peace, they must pay the price."

"Minato, we no longer need your protection here.

Take your team to the border between Fire Country and Grass Country—put pressure on Iwagakure."

"Fugaku, you will organize the army.

Make it look like we are preparing a massive offensive against Grass Country!"

With a wave of his hand, Danzo sent out a series of decisive orders.

It was as if—with his awakening—the entire Konoha war machine had roared back to life.

Even while sitting on a hospital bed, he remained the beating heart of the army!

"Lord Danzo, wouldn't this risk escalating the war?"

Nara Shikaku, ever the strategist, voiced his concerns.

Konoha was in no condition to continue fighting.

The ninja forces were mentally exhausted from prolonged battles.

The entire northern Fire Country was devastated, forcing all supplies to be transported from the rear.

Most importantly—Konoha was out of money.

If the war dragged on any longer, they might not even be able to pay compensation to fallen ninja families!

Of course, Danzo was fully aware of this.

Yet, he remained firm in his decision.

"We don't need to actually fight—

We just need to create the illusion of an impending attack."

"If our situation is difficult, then for Onoki, who has suffered defeat, it is even worse!"

"Right now, it's a matter of who has more resolve!"

With Danzo's decision made, Nara Shikaku had no choice but to comply, doing everything he could to secure the best possible outcome for Konoha.

Fortunately, Danzo's reputation on the front lines was unparalleled.

The moment he showed himself, every Konoha ninja rallied behind him.

They stood together and declared with unwavering determination—

"For Lord Danzo!"

"Victory is ours!"

_

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