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Midorima had nothing to do.
Even though Orochimaru had already informed him of the plan—which involved luring Uchiha Itachi into the forest outside the village and using various methods to capture him—Orochimaru had even borrowed two Root members from Danzo to ensure success.
As for Midorima, Orochimaru had forbidden him from intervening to prevent him from causing trouble.
By "causing trouble," Orochimaru meant that Midorima might take advantage of the chaos to slip away or do something detrimental to Orochimaru's plans.
In reality, Orochimaru was overthinking it.
Now that Midorima knew Danzo had so many valuable secrets, he wouldn't leave the village empty-handed even if he did escape. So, for the time being, he planned to stick with Orochimaru—at most, he'd go easy on Itachi if they met.
But Orochimaru didn't even give him the chance to use the "Hiding in Mist Technique."
"What if you run away? How would I deal with you then?" Orochimaru's words left Midorima with no rebuttal.
If he used the "Hiding in Mist Technique," everyone except himself would be affected—including Orochimaru.
Thus, Midorima had no choice but to hole up in a rundown house with Orochimaru.
Earlier that day, Orochimaru had informed Danzo that a ninja had met with Shizune. Danzo immediately investigated and quickly identified the ninja as Uchiha Itachi.
Upon learning this, Danzo grew tense.
Itachi and Shisui had been close, so Itachi must have known something. Moreover, when Root ambushed Shisui, someone had indeed rescued him—and Itachi was the most likely suspect.
As for Shizune, she was Tsunade's apprentice, and Tsunade's return to the village was clearly not just a casual visit.
If the two of them were colluding, what good could come of it?
Would they tell Tsunade about Danzo stealing Shisui's eye?
Shisui's Sharingan could unleash "Kotoamatsukami," and if it was used to control the Hokage, the village would be doomed.
Danzo had resorted to drastic measures precisely to prevent such a scenario.
He would never use such underhanded methods against the Hokage.
But his actions were easily misunderstood.
If conflict arose between him and Tsunade because of Uchiha Itachi, things could turn ugly.
So, Danzo had to take precautions.
Coincidentally, Orochimaru was eager to obtain Uchiha Itachi and was willing to take him away from the village.
Considering that Itachi's presence was destabilizing the village, Danzo agreed to Orochimaru's plan—leaking Orochimaru's whereabouts to Itachi.
Later, Orochimaru would bring Itachi back to the village. By then, even the ANBU wouldn't be able to find Itachi outside.
As for inside the village… who would expect Uchiha Itachi to be trapped there?
Of course, only one of the two Root members could be killed—otherwise, how would anyone know Itachi had "disappeared" outside the village?
On the surface, it seemed like a simple mission to track Orochimaru, but in reality, it was full of schemes.
Midorima was quite curious about how Itachi would perform.
After all, he was the Uchiha clan's next prodigy after Shisui—a genius with extraordinary talent and a sharp tactical mind, making him one of the few shinobi capable of leading in battle.
If Itachi managed to escape this trap, Midorima's opinion of him would rise even higher.
Orochimaru wasn't idle either—he had prepared scrolls, jutsu, and even selected summoning creatures, all to ensure Itachi's capture once he appeared.
Midorima yawned and glanced out the window when suddenly, a snake slithered in.
Orochimaru quickly retrieved the snake and said, "He's approaching. Get ready."
"Ready for what?" Midorima asked, inwardly scoffing—wasn't he not supposed to participate?
"..." Orochimaru stared at him. "If he tries to escape, stop him."
"'Stop him,' huh?" Midorima repeated, making sure.
"I mean capture him," Orochimaru clarified.
If Midorima took the order literally, both he and Danzo would suffer huge losses.
Midorima nodded.
He'd see how things played out—whether he'd actually capture Itachi depended on the situation.
"Oh, one more thing," Midorima said.
"Speak."
"ANBU wear masks, right? How do we tell which one is Itachi?"
"..."
Orochimaru realized he hadn't asked about Itachi's mask design. After a moment's thought, he said, "We'll identify him by his jutsu."
Midorima rolled his eyes. How unreliable.
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Uchiha Itachi followed the two Root members.
This mission had come too suddenly, making him suspicious.
Normally, ANBU operations required the Hokage's approval—missions directly assigned by Danzo were rare.
On the way, Danzo had explained the urgency:
"Orochimaru is extremely dangerous. If we delay, he might escape."
"This is an emergency. Most Root operatives are already on missions, and among the ANBU, few are truly trustworthy. You're one of them. If Orochimaru notices you, retreat immediately and report back—that's the priority."
After saying this, Danzo suddenly dismissed the two Root members and whispered to Itachi:
"If the situation turns dire, sacrifice them."
"Everything is for Konoha."
Those words lingered in Itachi's mind, making his feelings toward Danzo even more complicated.
Was Danzo really doing this for the village?
Itachi hesitated, glancing at the Root members.
Did they know they were expendable?
They were so loyal—just like Shisui, who had remained faithful even in death…
Wait.
Itachi thought of Shisui—and then of his own situation.
Shisui had been ambushed by Root. Now, he was on a mission with Root.
So who was the real sacrifice here—Root, himself, or both?
Itachi grew more alert, but another thought struck him:
What if Orochimaru's presence was a lie?
What if he was the real target?
And if they already had intel on Orochimaru, why send scouts instead of an ANBU strike team? Wasn't this just wasting time?
Realizing this, a chill ran down Itachi's spine.
"You two—"
The Root members suddenly stopped, raising a hand for silence.
"We've arrived," one whispered.
Itachi looked up and saw the faint outline of an abandoned building—no lights, no signs of life.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Itachi asked skeptically.
"We'll go in first. If anything happens to us, retreat immediately."
Before Itachi could respond, the two Root operatives rushed inside.
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