"Danzo's been acting restless lately?"
The Third Hokage's brow furrowed. His voice turned grave.
"What do you mean by that? Be specific."
"It's nothing concrete," Orochimaru replied with a cryptic smile. "Just something I heard through a special channel."
With that, he vanished from the Hokage's office, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi alone, puffing on his pipe and lost in thought.
He couldn't tell if Orochimaru was trying to subtly undermine Danzo—or if there was some truth to his words.
After a long pause, the Third Hokage summoned his aide.
"Keep a close eye on what's left of Root's operations. Quietly increase surveillance."
"Understood." The aide bowed and disappeared in a blur.
The Third sighed, smoke drifting past his face.
"External threats, internal ones... always both at once."
Knowing Danzo as well as he did, Hiruzen had to admit: Orochimaru might be right. Danzo had never let go of his ambitions. And with recent movements from the bloodline hunters of Kirigakure and the activity in the Land of Iron involving Kusagakure... unease was mounting.
But one man sensing danger wasn't enough. The village needed to feel that urgency too.
The Hokage's eyes sharpened as he turned back to the documents on his desk.
---
After leaving the Hokage's office, Orochimaru headed straight for the Uzumaki household—not to see Minato's son, but the guard watching over him.
In a quiet alley, Yamato bowed slightly.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru got to the point.
"How's Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan? Has the vision recovered?"
Yamato thought for a moment.
"I can see normally now, but I'm not sure what powers the eyes hold exactly."
"Oh?" Orochimaru smirked, his tone playfully curious. "So you've tried them out? What do you think? Can you use them freely?"
Under the piercing gaze of Orochimaru's serpentine eyes, Yamato gave a subtle nod.
It felt strange to admit, but Shisui's Sharingan was far easier to use than expected—much better than his original eye. Hidden behind colored contacts, he'd even tested them during a match with Guy-senpai, keeping up with his speed and landing a few hits. It was exhilarating.
It really was like having a cheat code.
He knew why Orochimaru had come. And the thought of losing this power made him feel... reluctant.
"Good. Then I'm glad you enjoyed the gift."
From his scroll, Orochimaru produced a small glass jar. Inside floated an eyeball.
"That's…" Yamato's eyes widened slightly, already guessing what it was. But before he could say anything more, Orochimaru deftly removed Yamato's current eye and replaced it with the Sharingan that Shisui had previously discarded.
The original eye and the kaleidoscope were carefully preserved and sealed back into the scroll.
"Try it out," Orochimaru said smoothly.
Yamato focused. The red glow of the Sharingan returned, three tomoe slowly spinning into view. He could activate and deactivate it at will—something even Kakashi had struggled with.
"With me backing you, the Uchiha won't interfere," Orochimaru added. "But don't flaunt it. This is for your own safety."
The Sharingan was a world-famous bloodline, known for being unusable without a Uchiha body. But exceptions would draw attention—and ambition.
"Understood," Yamato replied, replacing his colored contacts and concealing the eyes once again.
"With Hashirama's cells, who knows? Maybe one day, you'll awaken your own Mangekyō."
After that casually delivered bit of encouragement, Orochimaru dismissed him and headed toward a secluded training ground near the Uchiha compound.
Shisui was already waiting.
He bowed in greeting. Orochimaru said nothing, simply brought out the jar from earlier and began the eye replacement.
"How does it feel?" Orochimaru asked as he sealed away Yamato's removed eye.
"This was the reward I promised. I've fulfilled my part."
"Thank you very much, Lord Orochimaru."
Shisui couldn't hide his gratitude. He'd thought his Mangekyō was lost forever after the battle in the Cloud. Why would Orochimaru go this far to restore it? Just because of their previous duel? Shisui didn't believe that.
And yet, here they were. The eyes had been returned to him.
"No need to thank me," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. "There's just one thing I'd like in return."
"Just name it."
Shisui had been waiting for the ask. It was more in line with who Orochimaru truly was.
"Susanoo," Orochimaru said with a gleam in his eyes. "I want to study the ultimate power of the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Shisui exhaled.
"That's no problem."
As long as Orochimaru wasn't trying to manipulate his Kotoamatsukami, Shisui didn't mind demonstrating the other abilities.
With a flick of his eyes, the tomoe spun into a shuriken-like Mangekyō.
"I'm ready, Lord Orochimaru. We can begin anytime."
"Here? Aren't you worried someone might see your Mangekyō has recovered?"
"I've already used Susanoo once during a mission. The Third knows."
Shisui gestured around the quiet area. "Besides him and the barrier team, no one else comes here. It's safe enough."
In fact, letting people know might even be beneficial. Things were different now than they were during the Nine-Tails incident. A recovered Mangekyō would likely only make the clan more confident, not more volatile.
Orochimaru nodded.
"Very well. Let's begin."
"Yes."
A low breath escaped Shisui's lips as chakra surged violently around him. In an instant, a vibrant emerald Susanoo erupted from his body, towering in its half-formed skeletal state.
Orochimaru stepped back instinctively, putting a good ten meters between them. He stared up at the spectral giant, eyes filled with fascination.
"Tch... what exactly is this? Manifested spiritual energy? Specialized chakra? Or something else entirely... the soul itself?"
From above, Djinn floated casually.
"Hard to say. But I can tell you this—those Otsutsuki bastards out in the stars? They can't use Susanoo."
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