"Your nonsense is really too much."
Obito casually tossed Danzo's severed arm aside.
Blood sprayed in an arc, splattering across the sterile white walls of the laboratory. The sight was grotesque, almost unbearable to look at.
Danzo's face twisted with agony, his teeth clenched, eyes burning with hatred. He understood clearly—Obito's strike had been a warning. If he dared provoke him again, Obito would not hesitate to kill him.
With no anesthetic, Danzo endured the blinding pain in silence, forcing himself to hold still.
Obito pulled one of the White Zetsu from its nutrient tank and, without hesitation, sliced off its left arm. He then attached it to Danzo's shoulder.
Hashirama's cells possessed terrifying devouring properties, but also incredible regenerative ability. As soon as the new arm touched the wound, smoke hissed from the fusion.
Within moments, the White Zetsu's arm merged seamlessly into Danzo's body. Aside from the skin tone, it looked and moved no differently than his original arm.
Onto that arm, Obito even implanted several Sharingan. Normally, he would have kept such eyes for himself, but he knew Danzo needed them—to activate Izanagi when the time came.
"Try it."
Obito stood watching, his mask and even his red-cloud cloak splattered with Danzo's blood.
Danzo didn't reply. He simply clenched his new hand into a fist. It responded perfectly, like his own. He could feel the surge of power coursing through him. Despite the stabbing pain still lancing through his nerves, the strength of Hashirama's cells was his now.
"Good. I'll have Root operatives slip into those villages Kaede controls. When the exams begin, we'll strike from inside. But remember this—if Kaede dies, the largest share of his territory is mine. The rest, we can divide. Do not stand against Konoha again, or you'll regret it."
Danzo, newly emboldened by his restored arm, spoke with arrogance, as though he now had the right to dictate terms.
"Oh."
Obito's response was flat, uninterested. In truth, Danzo was just a fool—useful for now, nothing more. He sought to use Obito against Kaede, but Obito only intended to use him as a stepping stone to the God Tree and the Tailed Beasts. His goal had never been mere power. It was the Moon's Eye Plan, the illusion of eternal peace.
Danzo soon departed.
Once he was gone, another figure emerged from the depths of the laboratory. Unlike the Akatsuki cloak, this one wore a long red robe. His face bore golden glasses, his pupils slit like a snake's, his skin patterned with scales. His legs were still human, but the rest of him was unsettlingly inhuman.
Kabuto.
"I thought for sure you were going to kill him in your anger just now," Kabuto said with a sly smile. He had clearly felt the killing intent radiating from Obito when Danzo had provoked him.
"It will happen," Obito replied coldly. "He'll die soon enough. As long as Kaede is destroyed, every sacrifice is worth it."
Kabuto nodded. "True. Kaede is our greatest obstacle. Danzo is just a fool. But my preparations are complete. I recorded all of Orochimaru's experiments, learned everything I could. Now, the pieces are in place. Once war begins, the board will move exactly as we plan."
"Orochimaru has already joined Kaede," Obito warned. "What you've created may even turn on your former master."
Kabuto's smile widened. "That would be perfect. I've dreamed of surpassing him. If my creations bring about his death, then I'll have proven myself the superior one."
Indeed, the laboratory was still running only because Kabuto had joined Akatsuki, using their resources to continue experiments in secret. His body, warped between man and serpent, was proof of how far he had gone. His power had grown—but whether it now rivaled Orochimaru's was yet unknown.
"Do not underestimate him," Obito cautioned.
"Relax," Kabuto replied confidently. "I still have my trump cards. Nothing will go wrong."
"…Fine." Obito nodded once.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Danzo returned to his quarters and immediately ordered his Root operatives to infiltrate Kaede's villages, disguised as participants in the Chunin Exams. Their mission was to gather intelligence, sabotage, and wait for the signal to strike.
"Yes!"
His followers bowed, then departed toward a small border village.
...
"Risa, did you hear? The Chunin Exams are coming soon. Our village will be sending two participants—and you're one of them!"
The man who pushed open the door was brimming with excitement as he looked at his daughter.
"Father, really?" The girl's eyes went wide, her heart pounding with excitement.
"Of course! You'll travel to the very heart of the Nation of Gods. If you do well, you'll become a chunin. And if one of the strong ones notices you, maybe even take you as a disciple, our whole village could rise!"
"Be noticed…"
Risa's heart stirred with longing. To be chosen by a great shinobi, to no longer be overlooked—that was her dream.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]