"Smack!"
Danzo said nothing, simply tossing a file over. He handed a copy to Orochimaru as well.
Danzo recognized Orochimaru's talent; especially in the field of experimental science, the word 'genius' was insufficient to describe him.
"..."
Sarutobi stared at the file, stunned.
Even the usually nonchalant Orochimaru felt a jolt internally. This infant possessed a wondrous "Kekkei Genkai"!
In everyone's perception, this was a new bloodline limit. An infant who could restore health just by being touched... if it grew up...
Even without combat abilities, it would be of strategic importance.
At this, Sarutobi spoke seriously, "Danzo, I will permit this experiment, on the condition that I am made aware of all research results."
"And finally, you are not to harm him."
This child is destined for my Anbu.
Danzo understood Sarutobi's meaning—the power of the Hokage, a power he himself coveted.
At present, Sarutobi was the renowned 'God of Shinobi', and a good working relationship was beneficial for Danzo's own development.
Just as Danzo was preparing to leave, a Root ninja suddenly appeared.
"Lord Danzo, those test subjects... they all committed suicide."
"?!"
...
Root Headquarters!
When Danzo led Sarutobi and Orochimaru into the facility, they were met with the sight of dozens of corpses in the laboratory.
What made everyone's blood run cold was that these old, weak people, women, and children had all died with smiles on their faces, a stark contrast to the grim atmosphere of the lab.
"What happened?!"
Lord Danzo was angry, and the consequences would be severe.
Were the Root ninja all idiots? They couldn't even stop ordinary people from committing suicide?
Feeling Danzo's wrath, the Root ninja spoke with a dry voice.
"Lord Danzo, after the Cursed Infant was locked away, some of them went into a frenzy, shouting for the Child of God, and then... they committed suicide en masse."
"Even my immediate medical treatment was useless. It was as if..."
"Their souls were missing."
Hiss!!
Was this for real?
Danzo felt his scalp tingle.
The report had said they treated the Cursed Infant as a god of their faith, but Danzo had assumed it was just a figure of speech.
Now it seemed that his parting words, which they must have interpreted as an order to execute the infant, had led to...
Self-sacrifice? A funeral by suicide?
"What kind of bloodline is this? A new form of truth?"
Watching the tragic scene in the lab, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips, his interest intensely piqued.
Of course, Uncle Snake had not yet gone to extremes, but his thirst for the truth had never changed.
"Where is the child? Take me to see him..."
Sarutobi was also annoyed, reminded of things like the Jashin cult in the Land of Rivers.
It was a good thing Danzo discovered this in time. If this had gone on for a few more years, wouldn't Konoha have fallen?
"Hmph!"
Danzo glanced at the bodies and led the way without another word.
"Click!"
"Clack!"
Watching as more than a dozen heavy doors were opened one after another, the path growing ever darker, Sarutobi's eye twitched.
Danzo was being far too cautious.
"Sensei, something's not right..."
Just as they were about to open the final door, Orochimaru suddenly spoke.
Danzo and Sarutobi exchanged a look. They felt it too—the deeper they went, the more they could feel a faint, oppressive presence.
It wasn't chakra, nor was it killing intent, but it exerted a strange pressure.
Believing it was just a three-month-old infant inside, Danzo relaxed and said, "No outsider can ever break into Root, especially not this underground space."
"Open the last door."
As he watched the door slowly open, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
Is it finally time? But that pressure... it's definitely not my imagination.
"They're here!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Lucian clenched his fists.
His three-year-old body had now transformed into that of a six-year-old. The price of this growth...
Was absorbing the soul energy from the suicides of the orphanage members.
And it had unlocked most of his abilities!
"Schatten Bereich!"
With a flicker of shadow, Lucian vanished from his spot.
Schatten Bereich, a common skill for pure-blooded Quincy: using a black shadow to move a person or object into another space.
However, the time one can exist in that other space is limited. Once the time is up, the shadow will envelop the user or object and forcibly return it to its original space.
"Where is he?"
"Where did he go!"
The cell before them was empty and dark. Danzo scanned the room but saw nothing.
The Root ninja behind him were shocked and panicked, swearing that no one had come out. It was like they'd seen a ghost!
"There are traces of movement, but they just vanish here..."
Sarutobi followed the tracks, but they led to nothing but a shadow.
"Mini... Heilig Pfeil!"
To form the spirit particles as quickly as possible, Lucian created a simplified version of the Heilig Pfeil within the Schatten Bereich; after all, it was just a method of applying spirit particles.
Just as Danzo was about to erupt in anger, a faint glimmer of light flickered in the shadow before him, instantly causing everyone present to tense up.
"Look out, get back..."
Amidst Sarutobi's cry of alarm, the glimmer of light suddenly flared brilliantly.
The light shot out like an arrow, streaking through the void like lightning, aimed straight for Danzo!
Fast!
It was too fast!
Danzo, who was in the middle of a Body Flicker retreat, only saw a flash of light before subconsciously raising his right arm.
A sharp pain shot through him, accompanied by the sound of the air itself tearing apart.
"Aaaaargh!!"
Danzo's raised right palm was instantly shredded, and the projectile continued through half his arm, shooting straight into his right eye!
When Sarutobi turned back, he saw Danzo's right hand torn into a bloody mist and the gruesome wound where his right eye had been. A heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout Root.
A maimed arm!
A single eye!
"Protect Lord Danzo!"
The Root ninja reacted instantly, launching attacks into the dungeon while pulling the agonized Danzo back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
A dozen ninjutsu simultaneously bombarded the narrow dungeon, the explosions echoing endlessly as dust and debris filled the air.
Lucian: We're not even in the same dimension. Blast away all you want!