(Last chapter of the day- Let me know your feedback)
"No problem…"
Orochimaru shrugged, flicked his tongue over his lips, and then—without the slightest hesitation—dropped a line that made the air go cold:
"I want to start human experimentation again."
"Can't you wait?"
Bang!
The moment Orochimaru said it, Danzō Shimura stood up, expression dark.
"The village leadership is already discussing the selection of the Fourth Hokage. I'll push for you as hard as I can. So you need to be careful—now of all times."
"I can't wait." Orochimaru's voice turned icy. "My research has hit a bottleneck. I need test subjects—genin and chūnin. Live ones."
He narrowed his eyes.
"As for the Fourth Hokage… tell me. How many chances do you think I really have?"
Danzō hesitated, then answered anyway.
"About… fifty percent."
He didn't sound confident.
"Right now, Namikaze Minato has too much momentum. War reputation, results—his support is surging."
"Heh." Orochimaru smiled faintly, pure mockery. "Sensei thinks he controls everything… but I've already seen through it."
After the victory at Kannabi Bridge, Hiruzen had quietly kept the Sannin away from the frontlines—just to give Minato a cleaner stage.
Orochimaru wasn't stupid.
Danzō stared at him. "So you're still competing?"
"Of course." Orochimaru's grin widened, cold and sharp. "I want to know what Sensei is really thinking."
"And I want to stop lying to myself."
"Good." Danzō nodded once.
"Back to the point," Orochimaru cut in immediately. "I must do these experiments."
"Really can't wait?" Danzō sat back down, brow furrowing deeper. His face looked like carved stone.
To him, Leon becoming Elite Jōnin was trivial.
The real battlefield right now wasn't outside the village.
It was inside the Hokage selection.
And at a time like this, a candidate being linked to human experimentation was… disastrous.
"I'm done waiting." Orochimaru's eyes were calm—too calm. "These tests decide whether Hashirama's cells can be transplanted safely."
The moment he said "Hashirama's cells," Danzō's expression hardened.
"…Fine."
They weren't partners. They were using each other.
If anything surfaced, Orochimaru would take the fall.
Danzō wouldn't.
Orochimaru's smile thinned into something sharp.
"I need Root to bring me living genin and chūnin."
"Living?" Danzō's eyelid twitched.
During the war, capturing enemy shinobi had been easy.
Now that peace had returned, snatching people off the books—especially inside Konoha—was courting disaster.
If it ever got traced back to him, Hiruzen would tear him apart.
Orochimaru read his hesitation instantly and added, casually:
"Konoha shinobi are fine too."
Danzō's gaze sharpened like a blade.
"…You're ruthless."
But he didn't refuse.
That was his answer.
"Then I'll be going."
Poof.
A puff of smoke—
Orochimaru dissolved into a small white snake and slipped away.
Left alone in the dim chamber, Danzō stared into the darkness for a long time.
"Someday… I'll sit in that chair too."
Meanwhile — The Uchiha Clan Erupts
The moment the clan learned Uchiha Leon had jumped from Chūnin straight to Elite Jōnin, the Uchiha District exploded.
Confusion. Anger. Humiliation.
Because everyone knew what the Uchiha took pride in:
the Sharingan.
So what was Konoha's leadership trying to imply by promoting a taijutsu specialist that high?
Was it saying the Sharingan wasn't worth much?
Or was it a public slap meant to shame the clan?
For the more extreme Uchiha, the answer was obvious:
It was an insult.
Uchiha District — By a Pavilion
Uchiha Fugaku sat alone, holding a teacup, eyes unfocused.
He looked like a man staring at a storm only he could see.
After a while, a gentle voice came from behind him.
"Trouble again?"
Uchiha Mikoto walked over, one hand resting lightly on her slightly rounded belly.
Fugaku exhaled.
"The clan gained another Elite Jōnin."
Mikoto's expression stayed soft. "Then you should be happy. Elite Jōnin is high-end power even for us."
Fugaku shook his head.
"He's taijutsu."
Mikoto's brows knit.
Fugaku continued, slow and careful—as if choosing the least dangerous words.
"An Elite Jōnin who specializes in taijutsu has never existed in Uchiha history."
"For the extremists… this isn't a success."
"It's humiliation."
Mikoto fell silent. She understood instantly.
Some Uchiha worshiped the Sharingan like a religion.
A taijutsu Elite Jōnin was an "outsider" inside his own clan—
a path that didn't fit their pride.
"…That is a problem," she admitted quietly.
Fugaku rubbed his temple, then set the teacup down.
"I'll call a meeting with the senior members."
"Leon's rise… opens another road for the clan."
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"Because the Sharingan is powerful."
"But its cost is too heavy."
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