That night, Senmei Asahi moved through the moonlit streets of Konoha like a shadow. With careful precision, he avoided the regular patrol routes of the Anbu and slipped through the alleys, eventually arriving at the entrance of a well-concealed underground base.
The air was heavier here—quiet, almost unnaturally so.
This was Root's headquarters.
A place brimming with silent danger, where secrets were buried deeper than the stone beneath the village. But for Asahi, danger was merely another kind of opportunity. Ever since he had forged a covert alliance with Shimura Danzo, this hidden base had become familiar ground. Each visit brought him one step closer to his ambition.
Still, a nagging thought refused to leave his mind.
There was a high possibility—perhaps even a certainty—that the high-ranking Konoha official who had been secretly colluding with Uchiha Madara was none other than Danzo himself. The timeline matched too cleanly. By the time Madara had supposedly left Konoha behind, Danzo had already begun to operate with considerable autonomy in the shadows of the ninja world.
Given Danzo's cold pragmatism and thirst for power, if Madara had offered him an irresistible bargain, Asahi believed Danzo would have accepted it without hesitation—convinced all the while that he was the one manipulating Madara.
Of course, Danzo would also be plotting to betray Madara at the first opportunity.
That was the man's nature.
And it wasn't idle speculation. Asahi's suspicions were rooted in the historical record—according to the original timeline, Danzo had conspired with Hanzo of the Salamander to orchestrate the demise of Yahiko, shattering the original Akatsuki and setting Nagato on the path to awakening the Rinnegan. That scheme had opened the door for Tobi, the masked version of Obito, to embed himself within Akatsuki.
Danzo was never merely reactive—he was an instigator.
Asahi walked steadily down the dim corridors of Root. His footsteps echoed softly through the concrete halls, the only sound in the oppressive silence. Though his sensory perception wasn't elite, he could tell—barely—that he was being watched. The monitoring was obvious, as if intentionally left for him to notice.
'Classic Root tactics', Asahi mused. 'Let the rat know it's in the maze.'
He pressed on without hesitation and reached a heavy, steel-reinforced door at the heart of the base. Pushing it open, he found Shimura Danzo seated in a spartan chair at the center of the room, a wooden cane in hand, his eyes closed as if meditating. But Asahi knew better—Danzo had been waiting.
"Elder Danzo." Asahi greeted with a casual smile. "We meet again. I trust you've been well?"
Danzo opened his eyes slowly. "Your concern is noted. I am in good health, thanks in part to your contributions."
"But your face tells a different story." Asahi observed shrewdly. "You look... troubled."
Danzo snorted. "That old fool Hiruzen nominated Namikaze Minato as the Fourth Hokage. Worse, the Fire Daimyō accepted."
Asahi raised an eyebrow. "Minato-senpai? The Third Hokage recommended him?"
Danzo's expression twisted with frustration. "What right does that brat have to take the position? Konoha's future will rot in the hands of children and fools."
Asahi kept a neutral tone, but internally, he noted the implications. Danzo had clearly been maneuvering for the role himself. Given Orochimaru's fall from grace—thanks to Danzo's own whisper campaign to Hiruzen—Danzo had likely seen himself as the strongest contender.
But fate, or perhaps irony, had intervened. Namikaze Minato had eclipsed all other candidates, gaining support not just from the Third Hokage and the Daimyō, but also the common ninja. In contrast, Danzo's absence from public life and his grip on covert operations had cost him the visibility needed to seize the title.
It was a political checkmate.
Still, Asahi kept his tone light. "Though we may have lost this opportunity, that doesn't mean another won't arise."
Danzo grunted. "Spare me the platitudes. What do you want?"
Asahi's tone shifted to business. "I've made progress in my research—specifically in the fusion of First Hokage cells. But to move forward, I need access to Orochimaru's experimental subjects. The problem is... I can't enter his lab without help."
Danzo's expression sharpened. "Have you made progress?"
Asahi smiled faintly. "I have. Orochimaru once told you the Sharingan can suppress First Hokage cells. My compound achieves a similar effect. It temporarily suppresses the cells without inhibiting their fusion with ordinary tissue."
Danzo frowned. "Why not just use the Sharingan? It's simpler."
"Because a balance between two powerful forces leads to stagnation." Asahi explained. "If you implant both Sharingan and First Hokage cells, they neutralize each other. The Sharingan suppresses the cells so effectively that no fusion occurs. It's a stalemate, not synergy."
Danzo blinked once, absorbing the idea.
"My compound, on the other hand," Asahi continued, "suppresses the First Hokage cells just enough to prevent rejection—but still allows fusion to proceed. It's the path to true compatibility. Imagine an entire generation of shinobi wielding Wood-style—not as a mutation, but as a natural extension of their chakra system."
Danzo's eyes glinted with interest. "That kind of power could reshape the shinobi world."
"Exactly." Asahi said. "But I need to study the only surviving subject who underwent a successful transplant."
Danzo paused, calculating. Then, with a slow nod, he stood.
"Come with me."
As they left the main chamber and wound through the base, Asahi remained alert. Danzo trusted no one completely. In his mind, everything was either a tool or a threat. And anything that slipped beyond his control was destined for elimination.
Danzo had never forgotten the layout of Orochimaru's labs, nor did he accept being locked out of anything. Despite Orochimaru's efforts to secure the facility, Danzo had long since ensured he retained access.
It was precisely for this reason that Asahi had come to him. He couldn't wait any longer.
The war with the Kumogakure was nearing its end. When peace returned, Orochimaru would be summoned back to Konoha, and his research would once again vanish behind layers of security and serpentine schemes. Asahi's window of opportunity was rapidly closing.
And if he missed it—everything he had developed, everything he had gambled—would become meaningless.
*****
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