Chapter 80 – Take the Opportunity to Eliminate Them
Orochimaru had already anticipated that Shimura Danzō would come up with such a plan.
After all, that old man was both ambitious and insidious—ruthless to the extreme, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals.
So when Danzō said he wanted to take the opportunity to eliminate Uchiha Dali and Namikaze Minato, Orochimaru wasn't the least bit surprised.
But having experienced Uchiha Dali's strength firsthand, Orochimaru still felt a lingering fear toward that man even now.
He had no desire to get involved in this operation, so he gave himself an excuse.
"That experiment still lacks suitable test subjects, and this period happens to be critical."
What he meant was: first, he was leaving now to resume his experiments. Second, he would not take part in any actions targeting Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Dali. And third, he wanted Danzō to find him more experimental subjects.
A cunning fox confronting another, how could Danzō possibly let Orochimaru walk away unscathed while Root expended all the effort?
"Orochimaru, if we take down Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Dali, you'll be the best candidate for the next Hokage."
"As long as you become Hokage, you can conduct all your experiments openly—you won't have to sneak around like you do now."
Danzō's words were simple and calmly spoken.
But they made Orochimaru, who had been about to turn and leave, suddenly tense up. His expression stiffened slightly, and his steps came to a halt.
Danzō had already predicted he would react this way.
With his face still impassive, Danzō continued as if nothing had happened: "If you don't participate in this operation, it won't matter which of those two ends up as Hokage. It won't be good for either of us."
This statement intensified the pressure on Orochimaru.
It was also a veiled threat.
If his secret human experiments in the village were exposed, the consequences would be unthinkable.
He would no longer be able to remain in the village.
And he would face the relentless pursuit of powerhouses like Uchiha Dali and Namikaze Minato.
Although Orochimaru was confident in his own strength, it depended on who he was up against.
If it was those two… he couldn't afford to be careless.
In the end, with Danzō holding leverage over him, Orochimaru had no choice but to abandon his hopes of staying out of it and was forced to remain.
"I need confirmation of the exact location where those two will fight."
Danzō, acting as if nothing had happened, gave the order to another subordinate.
...
Because the clan heads of the major families in the village had already been informed in advance, they weren't too surprised when Nara Shikaku returned with Uchiha Dali's message announcing that the crisis had been resolved and that the Uchiha clan was officially stepping onto the most important historical stage since the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village.
They just found the whole thing incredibly hard to believe.
"I never thought Lord Third and Namikaze Minato would actually agree to something like this…" Hyūga Hiashi muttered to himself.
Unbidden, the image of that man surfaced in his mind.
His understanding of Uchiha Dali's capabilities had deepened once again.
"Maybe they had no choice but to consider the situation from every angle. After all, when you're facing the Uchiha, you have to think of the entire Leaf…" Yamanaka Inoichi added.
"In any case, the higher-ups have already reached a consensus. This matter is settled, so don't start entertaining any other ideas," said Nara Shikaku.
"We just need to go along with the current direction, do our best to cooperate with the Uchiha clan, and avoid causing more harm to the village."
"After all… this war has already inflicted serious damage on our village."
By this point, his tone had grown very heavy.
The war had only just ended, and many families were still grieving the loss of their loved ones.
No one wanted to see another major upheaval in a time like this.
"Let's split up and spread the news to the rest of the shinobi," Inuzuka Tsume suggested.
The village was large, and it would take too long and too much effort for just a few people to deliver the news throughout the village.
At that moment, Hyūga Hizashi spoke up, "From what I understand, a significant number of shinobi still haven't returned to the village."
"There's no need to worry about that," said Nara Shikaku. "The intelligence department has already started compiling a list. If those people do return, someone will contact them directly."
Everyone understood deep down—orders to stand down had already reached the front lines. Those who were supposed to return had mostly done so by now.
Anyone who still hadn't shown up was, in all likelihood, already dead on the battlefield.
So there wasn't much point in thinking too much about them.
Soon, everyone split up and set about their tasks.
In the Hidden Leaf, without the majority of villagers even realizing it, a complete shift had quietly begun.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
Kakashi, who had originally intended to bring Nohara Rin back to the village, now found himself in a perilous situation, fighting alone.
Due to a moment of carelessness, Nohara Rin had been captured by enemy shinobi.
Tracking them all the way, Kakashi discovered that the enemy was composed of Hidden Mist Anbu.
Charging in alone, he disregarded the danger to himself, determined to rescue Rin and return to the village together.
By now, he had reached a forest near the eastern border of the Land of Fire.
As Kakashi crouched to inspect some tracks on the ground and continue his pursuit, a sudden rustling came from the trees.
He looked up and saw a familiar figure running toward him in panic.
"Rin!"
Realizing it was his teammate, Nohara Rin, Kakashi's pupils shrank slightly.
Activating his Sharingan to observe, he confirmed that it wasn't an enemy using a Transformation Jutsu to impersonate her, and he let down some of his guard.
"Kakashi…"
"Get out of here, now!!"
Rin's expression was panicked and filled with pain, even tinged with despair.
Her shout was a warning with deeper intent, but Kakashi failed to pick up on the unusual tone in her voice.
He simply thought Rin was frightened by the enemy pursuing her.
So without pausing to question her further, he rushed forward and grabbed her hand, preparing to retreat with her immediately.
But in the next second, he felt resistance from her grip.
Startled, he turned back to look at Rin—and finally saw the despair in her eyes.
"Go, Kakashi!"
"They've sealed a Tailed Beast inside me. I can't hold back the power much longer…"
Tears streamed down Rin's face as she told him what had happened after she was captured.
"What?"
Kakashi's entire body trembled, as if struck by lightning, frozen in place, staring blankly as Rin took one slow step back after another.
"There's a Tailed Beast sealed inside Rin?"
The sudden revelation left Kakashi completely dazed, his mind buzzing.
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