The aftermath of Orochimaru's defection required a lot of follow-up work.
For example...
Orochimaru's numerous hidden laboratories.
"Lord Danzo, we've searched this area and found nothing unusual," an Anbu ninja reported to Danzo inside one of Orochimaru's abandoned labs.
Danzo, however, shook his head.
"Orochimaru's methods of concealment are far more sophisticated than you imagine."
Through his Byakugan, Danzo could see that this abandoned base was far from ordinary.
Beneath the surface, a hidden barrier had been set up. Even Danzo's Byakugan could only see a blurry outline.
But this very fact confirmed Danzo's suspicion that something significant was hidden below.
Without hesitation, Danzo drew the tanto from his waist and, in front of the Anbu ninja, slashed the ground with several precise strikes. The floor was cut into a perfect square, revealing a hidden passage.
The barrier Orochimaru had set up was also destroyed in the process.
With a loud crash, the square slab of stone fell to the ground, exposing the secret laboratory hidden beneath the abandoned base.
"As expected..." Danzo showed no surprise.
For someone like Orochimaru, having multiple hidden bases was nothing unusual. Just as Danzo was about to jump down to investigate, one of his Root ninja moved faster.
"Lord Danzo, there might be danger below. Allow me to scout ahead," the Root ninja said before leaping down with his mask on.
In truth, after the barrier was destroyed, Danzo could already see the situation below with his Byakugan. There was no danger. But since his subordinate had offered, Danzo decided to let him proceed.
Once the Root ninja confirmed it was safe, Danzo and the others followed.
Upon entering the hidden laboratory, they were met with a shocking sight.
The room was filled with cultivation tanks. Unlike the ones they had discovered before, the subjects in these tanks showed clear signs of wood-like transformation. Some had branches growing from their shoulders, others had leaves sprouting from their heads, and some had half their bodies turned into wood.
All of them shared the same characteristic: their eyes were vacant, like lifeless dolls displayed in a shop window. They were less like humans and more like vegetative beings—soulless husks created through experimentation.
The purpose of Orochimaru's experiments was now clear:
Wood Release experiments using Hashirama's cells.
Only Hashirama's cells could have caused such drastic and horrifying transformations in the subjects.
However, if this was a Wood Release experiment, there should be at least one survivor, right?
Danzo's eyes scanned the laboratory until they landed on a target deep inside the room. Although the chakra reaction was faint, it was still alive.
Danzo quickly walked over to the cultivation tank and slashed it open with his tanto.
With a crisp sound, the glass shattered, and green cultivation fluid spilled out. A boy who appeared to be around ten years old was revealed.
However, his body seemed extremely weak. The moment he was separated from the cultivation fluid and touched the ground, his legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed. Danzo quickly caught him.
The boy barely managed to open his eyes and glance at Danzo before succumbing to exhaustion and passing out.
Sensing the boy's rapidly declining vital signs, Danzo immediately activated his ability:
"Hell Path: King of Hell Revival."
A massive figure of the King of Hell emerged behind Danzo, its eyes scanning the room before focusing on the boy.
The King of Hell opened its mouth, and a purple tongue shot out. The hand at the end of the tongue grabbed the boy and quickly pulled him into its mouth, where it began chewing.
The scene sent chills down the spines of the ninja accompanying Danzo.
Truly, this was the "Darkness of the Shinobi." Even his methods of healing were otherworldly.
But otherworldly or not, the power of the Rinnegan was undeniable.
After a minute or two of chewing, the boy, who had been on the verge of death, was revived. Although he hadn't regained consciousness, his vital signs had stabilized.
Just as Danzo was preparing to return to the Root headquarters, an Anbu ninja approached him and reported,
"Lord Danzo, the Hokage has requested your presence. Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya, who has just returned, are also there."
Hearing Jiraiya's name, Danzo raised an eyebrow.
"That guy is back already?"
After the war, Jiraiya had been wandering the shinobi world under the guise of gathering information and inspiration.
His return was undoubtedly related to Orochimaru's defection.
"I understand," Danzo replied. He handed the boy, Yamato, to a Root ninja behind him.
"Take this boy to the Root headquarters and have Nonō take care of him."
With that, Danzo disappeared.
When he arrived at the Hokage's office, Minato, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were already waiting.
Danzo glanced around but didn't see Hiruzen Sarutobi or the two elder advisors.
After the Orochimaru incident, they seemed to have become much more subdued.
Of course, if they hadn't, Danzo would have made sure they were subdued—permanently.
As soon as Danzo entered, Jiraiya stood up.
"Senior Danzo, is Orochimaru really dead?"
Jiraiya got straight to the point. Overcome with guilt and regret, he even addressed Danzo with the respectful title of "senior," something he rarely did.
Danzo looked at Jiraiya with slight surprise.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day when the 'Toad Sage' would call me 'senior.'"
Instead of answering directly, Danzo slowly took a seat before speaking.
"Orochimaru's ability to survive is something you two, as his teammates, should know better than anyone."
"The Root is currently conducting an autopsy on Orochimaru's body. While no issues have been found so far, I still don't believe he would die so easily."
Danzo's assessment was met with agreement from both Jiraiya and Tsunade. As Orochimaru's teammates, they knew how obsessed he was with achieving immortality. He had experimented with countless forbidden techniques, even modifying his own body. If Orochimaru had chosen to defect, he must have had a solid plan.
The body Danzo had killed might have been nothing more than a decoy.
Hearing Danzo's words, Jiraiya clenched his fists. He had already learned the full details of the incident from his student, Minato.
Orochimaru's crimes were undeniable, with clear evidence leaving no room for excuses.
What Jiraiya needed to do now was bring his former friend back to the right path.
"I will leave the village as soon as possible to track down Orochimaru," Jiraiya declared.
But Danzo immediately questioned his decision.
"Leaving aside whether you can even find that slippery snake, even if you do, are you sure you can defeat him?"
"And even if you do defeat him, do you have the resolve to kill him?"
Danzo's sharp gaze bore into Jiraiya. While Jiraiya possessed considerable strength, especially with his Sage Mode, he had a critical weakness: he was too emotional.
This trait was strikingly similar to his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Danzo believed that even if Jiraiya had the chance to kill Orochimaru, he would likely hesitate and let the opportunity slip away.
Faced with Danzo's questioning, Jiraiya fell silent. So did Tsunade and Minato, who were well aware of Jiraiya's nature.
While he was bold and charismatic, he was also deeply affected by his emotions.
After a long silence, Jiraiya finally spoke.
"Then what should I do? Just watch as Orochimaru continues to roam free, sinking deeper into darkness?"
His voice was filled with frustration. As a friend, he couldn't bear to see Orochimaru fall further into depravity.
Yet, he lacked the means to bring him back.
A profound sense of helplessness washed over Jiraiya.
"Not necessarily," Danzo said, tapping his cane lightly.
"When Orochimaru defected, Minato sensed someone using a space-time ninjutsu to enter Konoha. I suspect that person was there to help Orochimaru escape."
"Moreover, Orochimaru has likely joined a mysterious organization."
Danzo shared his speculation with the three of them. His theory wasn't baseless.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru had briefly joined the Akatsuki after defecting.
Under Danzo's influence, the Akatsuki hadn't become Obito's tool.
But would Obito, or the Black Zetsu behind him, simply give up?
If the Akatsuki couldn't be used, they would undoubtedly create a new organization under their control.
For Obito to achieve his "Eye of the Moon Plan," he needed to continuously strengthen his forces. And who better to recruit than Orochimaru, a newly defected Kage-level ninja with exceptional scientific expertise?
"Additionally, based on the intelligence I've gathered, the leader of this organization likely possesses a powerful space-time ninjutsu, making him a formidable opponent," Danzo added.
His words immediately put the three of them on edge.
If someone could make Danzo, with his current strength, feel wary, they were undoubtedly a significant threat.
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