Life is unpredictable, and plans always fall through.
Orochimaru felt a brief pang of regret, then cast it aside and began thinking about his next move.
He still had the upper hand, able to communicate directly with Otsutsuki Isshiki, which was a significant advantage.
"It looks like I'll have to start the plan ahead of schedule."
Orochimaru took out the metal ring, a glint in his eyes.
This was what Kawaki had given him to make contact.
At this moment, Yakushi Kabuto suddenly stepped forward and said, "Lord Orochimaru, I have something else to report."
Orochimaru glanced at him, a hint of amusement in his tone, and smiled, "It's fine if you don't hide from me, but you even intentionally step forward... Do you really think I won't do anything to you?"
Although his relationship with Nagato was currently fine, the existence of Yakushi Kabuto as a spy was still quite necessary. This statement was partly to clear Yakushi Kabuto's name, and partly... he was also very curious about what this person had to say under these circumstances.
Nagato, overhearing their conversation, couldn't bother comforting Konan anymore. He got up from the ground, walked between them, and looked at Orochimaru, "It's not too late to hear what Kabuto has to say."
Adversity reveals character. When facing the surprise attack from Obito and Madara, Yakushi Kabuto could rush to rescue them at the first moment. For this alone, he wouldn't let anything happen to Yakushi Kabuto.
What's more, if Yakushi Kabuto hadn't kept Konan's cell samples, the rescue might not have gone so smoothly.
Orochimaru glanced at Nagato, then looked at Yakushi Kabuto, and said slowly, "What is it, tell me!"
"During Obito and Madara's attack, the four Jonin who restrained Konan's actions were key to the success of the plan."
Yakushi Kabuto threw four heavy objects from a scroll, splashing a little water on the platform of the tall tower, "These are the bodies of those four Jonin."
They died from explosive tags, but that was merely finishing them off. The real fatal blow came from the backlash when the barrier shattered, so these bodies were still relatively intact.
Orochimaru looked down, his gaze sharp. He sensed a familiar aura from these bodies.
"These are Root ninjas."
Yakushi Kabuto made his judgment and squatted down, prying open one of their mouths and pulling out a tongue covered with black striped curse seals, "The 'Tongue-Speaking Sealing Imprint.' These are Danzo's subordinates. Only Danzo could plant such a malicious curse seal."
After seeing the ninjas use barrier jutsu, he had this suspicion, and after examining these people, he confirmed it, even recognizing one of them.
Yakushi Kabuto was certainly not so naive as to not see through Obito and the others' deliberate provocation. Otherwise, with their abilities, they could have easily left no obvious trace. But even after realizing this, he still brought it out.
It wasn't just to vent his past hatred, but because with the current conflict, Danzo couldn't be allowed to betray them again.
Nagato and Konan's expressions also changed, and they looked at Orochimaru, seeking an explanation.
It was understandable that Danzo and Hanzō of Amegakure had joined forces back then to kill the Akatsuki organization in its cradle, as they had no prior relationship and conflict was normal.
But now, the Akatsuki organization had formed an alliance with Konoha, so such an act was undoubtedly a betrayal.
A stab in the back is something no one can accept.
"There's a possibility of faking the bodies and deliberate provocation... but well, that's unlikely, and it's indeed something Danzo would do."
Orochimaru's face darkened, a cold glint in his eyes. "I intended to deal with this after I'd freed up my hands, but it seems this matter will have to be moved up."
Saying this, he didn't shy away from Yakushi Kabuto and the others, took out brush and paper, quickly wrote a letter, and handed it to a summoned viper.
After watching it disappear with a "bang," Orochimaru turned his gaze to Nagato. "If things go quickly, there will be results today. You can contact Konoha later to find out what's going on."
Danzo was a considerable problem, but he naturally didn't intend to handle it himself. Time was of the essence now, and he had more important things to do.
Orochimaru seemed to look at the sky, but his gaze fell on the Genie Lamp floating in mid-air, and he transmitted his thoughts, "You said earlier that you found Kawaki's whereabouts. Where is it?"
…
Konoha.
Upon receiving the message from Orochimaru, Jiraiya hurried to the Hokage's office to report everything to the Third Hokage.
"Perhaps Obito and the others framed him..."
The Third Hokage said this, but his hand holding the pipe felt somewhat weak, and his tone was very bitter.
He had always known of Danzo's obsession with becoming Hokage, to the point of being almost delirious. Now... with Orochimaru's existence, Root was disbanded, and he firmly held Konoha in his grasp, leaving Danzo very few loopholes.
Thus, colluding with Obito's side was not impossible.
This wasn't the first time the Third Hokage had heard about such things. Before this, he had caught wind of the other party's contact with Kusagakure ninjas, but he had never obtained concrete evidence and had let it slide. He never expected Danzo to...
"Old man, you can't be soft-hearted about this anymore."
Jiraiya respected Danzo's contributions over the years, but at the same time, he had many grievances with him.
From Orochimaru and Nagato's words, he had learned the truth behind the Akatsuki organization's downfall, and Danzo was one of the direct causes.
If it hadn't been for his provocation, perhaps Yahiko wouldn't have died, and Konoha and the Akatsuki organization wouldn't have experienced the previous conflict.
"I know the seriousness of this matter."
The Third Hokage let out a long sigh, his expression becoming serious. He waved his hand and called for several ANBU guards, "Go and invite the three Hokage advisors, especially Elder Danzo. Make sure he is brought here. We have urgent matters to discuss."
"Yes!"
After a unified response, several figures disappeared from the Hokage's office.
A moment later, elders Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura arrived at the Hokage's office first. After hearing the Third Hokage recount the transmitted intelligence, their expressions both changed.
"Hiruzen, perhaps we should reconsider this. To condemn one of Konoha's elders based solely on some deliberately left bodies..."
Mitokado Homura disagreed with the Third Hokage's attitude and said in a deep voice, "This matter needs further investigation."
"Yes, Hiruzen, this is a serious matter and requires caution."
Utatane Koharu also saw that the Third Hokage clearly wasn't looking for a simple conclusion but was involving life and death, and she didn't want this so-called condemnation to come so swiftly and decisively.
After all, they were also advisor elders. Although they hadn't committed and wouldn't commit such mistakes, they couldn't help but feel a sense of shared fate.
"..." Facing the two's questioning, the Third Hokage didn't reply, just smoked his pipe with his head down.
In the past, when he sent people to call these elders for a meeting, Danzo was usually the first to arrive. But after waiting for so long, there wasn't even a sign of him. The Third Hokage felt something was wrong.
As expected, after a while, an ANBU guard entered the Hokage's office and knelt on one knee, "Lord Hokage, Danzo-sama cannot be contacted. The duty ninja said he is currently not in the village."
"Not in the village?"
Mitokado Homura stood up from his seat, exclaimed in surprise, then turned his gaze to the Third Hokage.
Hokage advisors were already among the most powerful people in the village, and as such, their freedom was restricted to some extent, making it impossible for them to leave privately.
Meeting Mitokado Homura's questioning gaze, the Third Hokage shook his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
When he opened them again, his eyes were devoid of all emotion, filled with resolute determination. "Send for Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga... Hizashi. I have a mission for them."
He had previously considered a face-to-face confrontation, but Danzo's unauthorized departure had already confirmed Orochimaru's message to some extent, leaving no room for hesitation.
The Hyuga clan's Byakugan were Konoha's strongest reconnaissance and tracking ninjas, and the Uchiha clan had always been at odds with Danzo. Assigning these two types of ninjas to pursue him... this was with the intent to kill.
"Jiraiya, take two ANBU squads and participate in the pursuit as well."
The Third Hokage glanced at Jiraiya, then looked away. "Be sure to bring Danzo back, dead or alive... it doesn't matter."
"I understand."
Jiraiya immediately left the Hokage's office, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had no objections.
In the silence of the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage took a deep puff from his pipe.
"Damn it! Damn it..."
In the forests of the Land of Fire, a thin figure sped through, spewing a barrage of vile curses, clearly at the height of his rage.
After so many years of being a hidden "shadow" in Konoha, only to have to flee alone in such a disheveled state due to a slip-up.
"Damn Obito, damn Uchiha Madara!"
Danzo's face contorted. Even though he could see no one behind him, he didn't dare slow down, as if pursued by some invisible beast.
Not long ago, a White Zetsu clone hidden near the Root ninja base suddenly relayed a message, telling him that the Root suicide squad members he had used as pawns couldn't properly dispose of their bodies for "certain reasons" and had been discovered by Nagato and the others, warning him to take care of himself.
What nonsense about not having time, what nonsense about taking care of himself... it was clearly a deliberate frame-up.
He didn't believe that a powerful figure like Uchiha Madara would make such a mistake.
But even knowing this would happen, he dared not refuse Uchiha Madara's request earlier. After all, whether it was the Mangekyo Sharingan or other leverage... the other party had firmly grasped him, and if even a hint of it were revealed, Orochimaru would not let him go.
After Hiruko's lure trap succeeded, his current situation was almost predetermined.
It was just that Danzo was unwilling to accept it. His roar echoed through the forest, "Short-sighted, short-sighted! My value is maximized when I remain in Konoha..."
"Lord Danzo... your insults won't make your situation any better."
From the branches of the trees, several White Zetsu heads popped out, their peculiar tone and strange expressions looking particularly mocking as they spoke to Danzo, who had stopped.
"Konoha has already dispatched personnel to pursue you. There's Jiraiya, Uchiha Shisui... and two ANBU squads, along with three elite Jonin squads from the Uchiha clan. You'd better run faster."
"Why..." Danzo stomped heavily on the tree trunk, roaring angrily, "Why do you force me into this situation and still not send someone to meet me?"
He wasn't stupid. If Uchiha Madara only wanted him dead, he wouldn't have bothered to warn him.
"Unfortunately, there was just a major battle in Amegakure, and everyone is occupied."
White Zetsu explained with a playful grin, "Although Obito is heading this way, he's too far away. You'll have to run more in this direction."
"Scum!"
Danzo shot out a hand, grabbing White Zetsu by the neck, intending to forcibly drag it out of the tree trunk.
"Tell that guy to hurry up, or I'll defect to Orochimaru and spill all your secrets. Don't think I don't know where you are!"
"Cough, cough, cough..." White Zetsu gagged, but its expression didn't change. "I can't decide that. Please run further away first."
Obito was indeed heading in this direction, but he wouldn't show himself until he confirmed Orochimaru wasn't nearby.
"Hmph!"
Danzo threw White Zetsu back onto the tree trunk, a strange glint in his eyes. Without another word, he sped off towards the Land of Hot Water.
Although he was enraged by Uchiha Madara's betrayal, he knew that whether he could escape now depended entirely on himself.
.....
Half a day later, on a desolate hilly area, there were no people for a hundred miles; even plants and living things were scarce.
Normally, no one would come here to suffer, but this time, someone had arrived.
Surveying the surroundings, Orochimaru nodded slightly. "Here, even if a battle breaks out, I can fight freely."
Saying this, he took out the metal ring from his pocket and infused it with chakra. Almost instantly, a transparent projection appeared from it.
"Orochimaru, have you made up your mind?"
Kawaki, dressed in a plain white samurai outfit, looked around and asked, seeing that they were in a barren land, "Where is the Outer Path?"
"This Ninjutsu is really convenient, it's quite similar to Nagato's 'Chakra Resonance Technique'..."
Orochimaru didn't answer Kawaki's question directly but instead looked him up and down and smiled, "Is this a special ability of the Rinnegan?"
This commentary made Kawaki's eyes turn cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Did you contact me just to spout this kind of nonsense?"
"Not entirely. I just want to make a deal with you."
Orochimaru glanced at the projection and said, "Have your true body come here now. You're proficient in spatial jutsu, so this small matter should be achievable, right?"
"There's no need."
Kawaki flatly refused, "Besides Kaguya's Ten-Tails, I have no good deal to make with you."
"Are you sure?"
Orochimaru took something out of his hand, his lips pulling into a grin, "This concerns a large amount of natural energy, and it can even make a young Ten-Tails grow to the level of the Divine Tree."
Kawaki stared at Orochimaru's palm for a moment before looking away. "You'd better not lie to me?"
"Of course not."
Orochimaru licked his lips, a peculiar glint in his eyes. " I really hope to complete this transaction."