Konoha's ANBU scrambled for two days and a night and found nothing, then had to pull back to base.
Well… except for Kageyama Kogetsu. Ever since his meeting with Orochimaru, everything the public saw had been shadow clones. The real body had gone fishing.
You can't keep a lid on fire forever; news of Orochimaru's defection spread soon enough.
Konoha's shinobi were shocked. A few diehard Orochimaru loyalists refused to believe it and preferred to think he'd been persecuted into leaving.
He missed out on a Hokage seat that looked like a sure thing, and now one of the Legendary Sannin has defected—if that isn't persecution, what is?
Most shinobi were rational, though. The evidence Konoha's leadership laid out was convincing.
But a Sannin's defection was a massive blow to Konoha. Orochimaru's knowledge might leak out; the village lost a top-tier combatant; and the chain reaction from a high-ranking figure bolting was ugly.
From the outside it looked like this: if even the Hokage's student, one of the Sannin, wasn't considered top leadership in Konoha, then who was?
Konoha's shinobi couldn't help but be shaken; the Land of Fire's nobles and mission clients inevitably grew doubtful.
The small villages only dared to gloat and wouldn't make moves while Konoha was sensitive.
The great villages were different. With deterrence down, they couldn't just watch.
Kirigakure was a mess of infighting and, being out across the sea, only snickered from afar and didn't act.
Sunagakure, though an ally, quietly poached missions.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure brazenly snatched missions and even challenged resources Konoha controlled directly or indirectly.
Trouble poured in from every direction, keeping the leadership, ANBU, Root, and mission shinobi all racing around putting out fires.
To quell the chaos fast and kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, Kageyama Kogetsu—the ANBU ace—was sent out.
Kogetsu went on a ruthless tear and annihilated an elite strike team each from the two great villages.
To intimidate the enemy, he heaped the severed heads into a skull mound and wrote a bloody warning beside it.
Kumo and Iwa's leadership were furious, but they didn't let anger cloud judgment. Reluctantly, they reined in their moves.
At first Hiruzen Sarutobi had issues with Kogetsu's bloody methods and lectured him. After seeing the results, all that was left was embarrassment.
To mend things, Hiruzen personally invited Kogetsu to dinner at his home.
He had to. With Orochimaru gone and the other two Sannin almost never in the village, Kogetsu was one of Konoha's few Kage-class powers—and a trusted one at that. They couldn't afford a rift.
Sad but true: in just a few years Konoha had lost three regular Kage-class pillars.
First Sakumo Hatake, then Minato Namikaze, and finally Orochimaru.
If not for Kogetsu holding the line, Konoha would already be scraping the bottom of the barrel.
…
One night a month after Orochimaru's defection.
After work, dinner, and a wash, Kageyama Kogetsu lounged on the sofa in a loose black robe, reading while soft instrumental music played in the living room.
Lately Nonō had been busy resting up and modestly expanding the orphanage, so she'd been coming by less often.
Of course, if he called, she'd come, but Kogetsu didn't need a woman to sleep. Sometimes he actually enjoyed the solitude.
"Kogetsu-sama, Danzō-sama has business with you." On the balcony, a Root shinobi flickered into view and bowed.
"Where?" Kogetsu asked without looking up.
"The usual place."
"Got it."
The Root shinobi vanished. Kogetsu finished the page he'd opened to, set the book down, rose, and left—didn't even bother changing.
Riding the cool night air, he drifted toward the Dead Forest's finish point, then dropped into place.
Seeing his mark arrive, Danzō jumped down from the tower to the clearing.
"Turning in early, are we?"
"Yeah. Work tomorrow."
"I'm not like you, Elder Danzō—I still have two bosses over my head in ANBU," Kogetsu said, stretching lazily.
"Sounds like you're angling for a promotion."
"Hiruzen's kept his son and daughter-in-law parked on ANBU and won't move them. It's a bit much."
"Give it some time. I'll bring it up with him," Danzō said.
Kogetsu struck while the iron was hot. "That'd be great. I think having both spouses in ANBU is risky. Better to have one go home and start preparing for a baby."
"If I'm not mistaken, Lord Hokage doesn't have any grandkids yet, does he?"
Uh… he'd only been making small talk. How did it get here?
Still, it wasn't a bad angle. Making the man before him deputy commander might benefit him more. It couldn't be worse than now; Hiruzen's son and daughter-in-law had ANBU on lock. Moving anyone in or out cost blood every time.
"Good reasoning," Danzō said approvingly.
"Before you pitch it, I'd suggest sounding out Elder Homura and Elder Koharu," Kogetsu said with a pleasant smile.
His rank had been stuck for a while. If he didn't advance, his patience would run out.
"Kogetsu-kun, your mind really is sharp," Danzō said—half admiration, half wariness.
"It's fine, but with my age and seniority, even fast progress still hits a ceiling," Kogetsu said with a helpless shrug. "It's not wartime. You can't just copy Fourth Hokage's trajectory."
A thought struck Danzō, and his face suddenly lit up. "Kogetsu-kun, your iron-blooded methods earlier were right up my alley."
"Hiruzen's soft there. You and I see eye to eye."
Kogetsu dipped his chin. "True. He did give me a talking-to."
"I believe whether it's a person or a village, the weaker it is, the more it needs to show an iron, unyielding side."
"Haha—well said. That's the truth!" Danzō beamed, praising loudly.
"Kogetsu-kun, how about this."
"You back me fully to become the Fifth Hokage, and I'll fully back you to become the Sixth. How about it?"
Heh… took the bait. Watch me reel you in like a prize catch.
Kogetsu let interest show on his face, then looked troubled. "Sounds good, but I can't betray Lord Hokage."
"I'm not asking you to betray Hiruzen. Just support me at the key moment."
"Hiruzen's already old. How many more years can he serve?"
"He can't sit there forever. We still have to pick a Fifth Hokage, don't we?"
Maybe Hiruzen wanted to keep sitting, but Danzō wouldn't allow it.
Look at what Konoha's become.
If he took the seat, he'd do better than Hiruzen—so he told himself, full of confidence that bordered on delusion.
"If that's all, then no problem."
"Oh, and if Lord Hokage keeps going?"
"His prestige has slipped, but it's enough to keep him in the chair," Kogetsu said, sounding worried.
Danzō's smile vanished in an instant. His face went cold. "If the old won't move off the seat, don't blame me for being discourteous."
Kogetsu's expression tightened. "Politics is politics, but you do not harm Lord Hokage's life. If you do, don't blame me for being discourteous."
Danzō didn't get angry. He admired those who would use any means to achieve ends, but that didn't mean he liked such people.
"Relax. Hiruzen and I go way back. I'll show restraint," Danzō said gravely.
Like hell. You wily old fox, you're rotten to the core.
He had tried to assassinate Hiruzen before and merely failed.
Still, in pure political struggle, he couldn't match Hiruzen—hence the years of being kept under thumb.
Fine. The more stuck you are, the more I profit.
Konoha needs the infighting. You, me, everyone—no strife, no progress.
Getting my own hands dirty is beneath me. Stirring others to fight while I harvest the gains? Much nicer.
"Fine. Keep it measured."
"Back to business."
"Elder Danzō, you asked me here—have you decided what you want my help with?" Kogetsu asked, face turning serious.
"Mm." Danzō nodded slightly.
"It's like this…"
<><><><><><>
Read Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Every 150 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]