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To maximize benefits, it was clear that selling Yakushi Natsumi's information to Orochimaru would yield the greatest returns. Whether to tell Uchiha Tori or not was another matter.
"Wandering Priestess?"
Upon hearing this information, Orochimaru was initially taken aback, then he broke into a hoarse laugh, "Heh, I didn't expect the elder of the Uchiha Clan to know so much. It seems the Uchiha Clan is quite familiar with Root."
Clearly, Orochimaru had misunderstood, thinking that due to Danzo's enmity, the Uchiha Clan had been secretly keeping an eye on Root, thus acquiring so much information.
After all, with Root's Wood Release Shinobi 'A' offering his allegiance and now the 'Wandering Priestess,' these were Root's most secret and confidential matters. For the elder of the Uchiha Clan to know about them, it was hard to believe there was no foul play.
However, the Uchiha Clan's representative, Night, did not bother to explain. Instead, he smiled and shook his head, saying, "Teacher Orochimaru, the clan leader said he would do everything in his power to help you become Hokage."
This statement contained a lot of information. Orochimaru immediately broke into a smile. It seemed the Uchiha Clan was not as united as it appeared. The elder had his own intelligence network, while the clan leader was a different faction. However, this did not concern Orochimaru much.
"Heh, Night, clean this place up. We don't need it anymore. Let's go to the next base."
Orochimaru turned around and let out a hoarse laugh that sent shivers down one's spine. But Night felt at ease. As long as he was still useful, he could act freely under Orochimaru. This was perhaps Orochimaru's capacity and personal charm.
---
In Konoha, Root.
In the dimly lit secret chamber, Danzo, his face covered in bandages, looked terrifyingly grim. He glared at the two figures kneeling before him and said in a cold voice, "Still haven't found anything?"
Without any emotion, the two Root shinobi, kneeling and masked, replied in unison, "We apologize, Lord Danzo. Root has been thoroughly searched three times, but we found no signs of infiltration."
Hearing this, Danzo's anger flared. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "No infiltration? Then how did the information about Shinobi 'A' being a Wood Release user get out? Tell me! Not only was our deepest secret leaked, but we can't even find a trace of it. Useless! A bunch of useless fools!"
At this moment, Danzo was truly furious. The information about Shinobi 'A' being a Wood Release user had not even been disclosed to Hiruzen Sarutobi, yet Orochimaru now knew about it.
Orochimaru had also demanded data and some flesh for research, even saying he wanted to restart the Wood Release Project.
When Danzo saw Orochimaru's message, he was enraged. His anger was not about the precious data and flesh, nor about the leak of Shinobi 'A's information. It was about knowing there was a problem with Root and being unable to find it, which was the true source of his fury.
"Useless!"
Danzo's furious curses left the two Root shinobi silent. They dared not show any dissatisfaction, and even they felt a sense of fear. The infiltration of Root was a terrifying matter.
"Hiruzen, is it you!" Danzo narrowed his eyes in anger. The only person he could think of with the ability and power to do this was his old friend, the Third Hokage.
After all, in Konoha, only the long-serving Third Hokage had the means to secretly place someone in Root without Danzo discovering anything.
"Lord Danzo, all Root shinobi have the 'Seal of Tongue Disaster Elimination.' The possibility of leaking information is almost impossible."
Hearing this confident statement from one of his subordinates, Danzo sneered, "Almost impossible? There is no perfect jutsu. If it's a sealing jutsu, it can be undone, and another seal can be placed on it."
At this point, Danzo was certain it was Hiruzen Sarutobi's doing. After all, only the Third Hokage had the means to seal the 'Seal of Tongue Disaster Elimination,' obtain information about Root, and then remove the seal.
Thinking about this, Danzo felt like a monkey being toyed with. He had been so smug, thinking the other side didn't know, but now his face turned green with anger, and he gritted his teeth, "Hiruzen! Fine! Fine! You've been toying with me like a monkey for all these years!"
He could already imagine that everything in Root was under Hiruzen Sarutobi's watchful eye. He had been smug about his secret plans, only to realize he was nothing more than a clown.
---
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearily puffed on his pipe, a thick cloud of smoke slowly escaping his lips. He frowned as he read the intelligence report from the border.
"Sigh, fortunately, the shadow of the Third Great Shinobi War has not yet lifted for the other great nations. With the provocations of some small countries, I hope for a swift resolution."
Suddenly taking on this heavy responsibility, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not deny the immense pressure. The village was home to the extremely dangerous Uchiha Clan, known as the premier clan of the ninja world.
In the border regions, some small countries were trying to incite another war between the great nations to weaken them, and spies from various countries were constantly probing Konoha's weaknesses.
Konoha had just lost its youngest and shortest-reigning Fourth Hokage, along with a large number of elite shinobi. It was a time of turmoil.
Thinking about this, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but look at the photos of the previous Hokages on the wall. When he saw the last photo, the young and radiant smile of the Fourth Hokage, he sighed, "Minato, you've really left me a mess."
With so many elite shinobi gone, many departments were short-staffed. Now, only the great clans and his own Sarutobi clan could fill the gaps. Recently, he had noticed that the stabilizing border situation seemed to be making some in the clan reluctant to give up their newfound power.
Internal and external troubles were the current state of Konoha.
"Hokage-sama, this is all the information on Uchiha Night."
A shadow flashed by, clearly a member of the Anbu, and a stack of intelligence appeared on the Hokage's desk. Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned serious.
In this time of turmoil, Orochimaru had taken on a disciple from the Uchiha Clan. What was going on?
"Orochimaru, are you seeking the position of Hokage and thus need the Uchiha Clan's support? Or is this a plot by the Uchiha Clan?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself as he flipped through Uchiha Night's file. The file contained detailed information from his birth to his time in the ninja academy, even recording who he had conflicts with and who he fought with. It was truly meticulous.
As he read through the entire file, Hiruzen Sarutobi's frown deepened, and the pipe in his mouth clicked and clacked.
"Night of the Nine-Tails awakened his Sharingan? Was it from fear, or anger? An orphan, or perhaps because of the great loss suffered by Konoha?"
As a disciple of the Second Hokage, he understood the Uchiha Clan very well. He mused to himself, and then his eyes narrowed as he noticed a seemingly insignificant piece of intelligence.
On a plain sheet of paper, it clearly stated that the daughter of the late elite jōnin Yūhi Kurenai (Mother), Kurenai Yūhi, had an ambiguous relationship with him.
Greed! Lecherous?
Thank you to 'Pigeon Spirit of the Sea' for the 100 Qidian Coins tip.
(End of Chapter)