Kushina's due date had finally arrived.
Thanks to Tsunade giving a relatively accurate estimate, the village had been preparing for this moment for quite some time.
Inside a cave near the outskirts of Konoha, Namikaze Minato suddenly appeared with Kushina.
This remote location had been chosen specifically in case of any unexpected events—away from the village for safety reasons.
The cave was already surrounded by members of the Anbu, and a full Barrier Squad had set up a protective barrier around it.
Tsunade, Namikaze Minato, Shisui, and Nara Kagetsu were all present at the site.
Tsunade was there as the doctor.
Kagetsu was in charge of the Barrier Squad.
Minato was responsible for transporting Kushina if needed, or calling for reinforcements from the village.
As for Shisui? His role was to control the power of the Nine-Tails if it became necessary.
At this point in time, Obito was still alive and well, often bickering with Kakashi like always.
Rin Nohara was still studying at Konoha Hospital. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Even so, Kagetsu wasn't entirely sure—would something unexpected, something man-made, happen during Kushina's delivery this time?
…
In Konoha Village.
Inside the Hokage's office, Orochimaru frowned slightly as he looked at the kneeling Anbu before him.
"Danzo wants to see me?" he asked seriously. "Says it's regarding critical intel about the Nine-Tails?"
The Tailed Beasts still held great value in Orochimaru's mind. Their combat power aside, the fact that they were essentially limitless sources of chakra made them incredibly important to him.
Especially Konoha's Tailed Beast—the Nine-Tails—rumored to be the most powerful of them all.
The ANBU in front raised her head. A clear female voice came from beneath the cat-faced mask.
"Yes. Those were his exact words."
"Let him in," Orochimaru said after a moment of silence. A flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the end, he decided to meet Danzo.
Soon, Shimura Danzo entered the Hokage's office, guided by the ANBU, and stood face to face with Orochimaru.
Danzo's only visible eye revealed a hint of gloom as he looked at Orochimaru dressed in the Hokage robes. But under Orochimaru's cold gaze, he quickly buried his emotions.
"Someone found me," Danzo began calmly.
He knew all too well that Orochimaru was not Hiruzen Sarutobi. Having once mentored him for a time, Danzo understood—Orochimaru had no respect for him as an elder.
If he still held control over Root, perhaps he could go head-to-head with Orochimaru.
After all, Root had been a secretive organization that flourished under Hiruzen's silent approval within the ANBU for decades.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had once been part of Root during its prime. He knew exactly how to dismantle Root's operations—and its shinobi.
Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision to loosen control, Orochimaru, during his two-year tenure in power, had nearly completed a thorough purge and investigation of the entire Anbu from top to bottom.
As for the shinobi of Root, they were caught completely off guard. Without any warning, they were ambushed and taken over by Uchiha shinobi.
Even the Anbu had little involvement in this operation. Naturally, Danzo received no intel in advance.
Given the Uchiha clan's deep resentment toward Root and Danzo, there was no way they would allow any double agent to leak information.
After all, the current Uchiha were well-known to be fiercely loyal to Orochimaru.
Originally, Hiruzen could have intervened and taken control of the situation, but Hiruzen chose silence—just as he had done so many times before when faced with aggressive actions like this. He simply stood by, quietly.
And so, with a massive leak of Root's intelligence, the Uchiha swiftly took control of the organization, not even giving Danzo a chance to resist.
Once things were pushed beyond the point of no return, the Uchiha—armed with a direct order from Orochimaru—could justify their actions as a counterinsurgency operation.
Especially now, with Fugaku and Shisui revealing their Mangekyō Sharingan, the situation tilted entirely in their favor.
Times had changed. Even though Danzo was no longer under tight surveillance, Root had practically been disbanded. He no longer held much influence within Konoha's power structure.
His current strength was nowhere near Hiruzen's level, who could turn the tide on sheer power alone if needed.
"It's someone connected to Uchiha Madara! He calls himself White Zetsu," Shimura Danzo suddenly revealed.
"They know the jinchūriki is about to give birth—and they've confirmed the exact date.
There must be spies or informants inside Konoha! The most likely suspects… are the Uchiha!"
"Let's set aside the issue of the spy for now. What exactly did he want from you?"
Orochimaru rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, his voice laced with curiosity.
"They want me to cooperate with them," Danzo replied, his eyes flashing with dissatisfaction.
"They want me to cause some unrest in the village, something to distract your forces. I suspect their real goal is to make a move on the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki."
"Is that all?"
Orochimaru frowned slightly, then glanced sharply at Danzo and asked, "Doing that would benefit you, wouldn't it?
If chaos broke out in the village… if something happened to the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki… if the situation turned worse, and the Nine-Tails were somehow unleashed and ran wild in the village…
If you fanned the flames from behind the scenes, then as Hokage, my reputation and the villagers' trust in me would take a serious hit.
And if people lost loved ones in the chaos, their grief and rage might even push them to question my position as Hokage.
And if, in the middle of fighting the Nine-Tails, something unfortunate happened to me—wouldn't that be even better for you?"
"You're questioning my loyalty to the village?"
Danzo let out a cold snort.
Truthfully, if things played out the way Orochimaru described, he wouldn't be opposed to taking that gamble. But he didn't trust that man—Madara.
Though Madara claimed to be an ally, Danzo could sense his intentions were far from pure. He even suspected that the Nine-Tails was just a distraction—part of a larger scheme.
That gut feeling made him hesitate, and in the end, he decided to approach Orochimaru first.
At the very least, he needed to distance himself from whatever was coming.
If Madara truly had some trap laid out, Danzo didn't believe for a second the man would clean up every trace. He'd definitely leave behind some clue that could expose Danzo.
In the past, Danzo would've ignored such concerns—he knew the power he wielded and understood Hiruzen's nature all too well.
Even if he went too far, as long as he didn't pose a real threat to the village, Hiruzen would never lay a hand on him.
But now, the one sitting in the Hokage's seat… was Orochimaru!
Even if it had been Minato Namikaze who took the position, Danzo would have preferred that over Orochimaru.
But of all people, it had to be Orochimaru—someone so similar to himself.
The intent to eliminate him was practically written all over Orochimaru's face.
The only reason he hadn't acted yet was because he still had to consider Hiruzen and the others.
Suddenly, with a puff of white smoke, a small snake appeared from a pre-prepared ninjutsu scroll spread open on the table.
Its slender body slithered across the surface and, upon reaching Orochimaru, gently bit the tip of his outstretched finger.
The moment the snake's tiny fangs pierced his skin, the chakra belonging to Kagetsu clashed with Orochimaru's. Like a stored memory embedded within the chakra, the message was instantly read and understood by Orochimaru.
"A White Zetsu attack, is it?" Orochimaru narrowed his golden eyes as he glanced at the stern-faced Shimura Danzo.
****
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