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Danzo sat rigidly on the cushion, listening to Orochimaru recount the events. His entire body stiffened in shock.
"You're saying he has the 'Mangekyō Sharingan'?"
"Yes," Orochimaru replied calmly, as if the one who had battled Itachi wasn't him but someone else entirely.
"Then what should we do? How am I supposed to explain this to the Hokage?" Danzo clenched his fists tightly.
Originally, if Orochimaru had captured Uchiha Itachi, Danzo could have easily omitted Orochimaru's name when reporting to the Hokage. He would have used a vague explanation—something like discovering unusual activity and dispatching Itachi along with two Root operatives to investigate.
But now, with Itachi having escaped, the fact that Orochimaru had appeared near Konoha could no longer be concealed.
This raised an extremely difficult question to explain—why had Orochimaru returned to the village?
With the entire village on high alert, both Orochimaru and anyone else would find their movements severely restricted.
"Isn't this a good opportunity for you?" Orochimaru said. "Thanks to your suggestion, Konoha has become aware of my presence. The Hokage will likely place even greater trust in you now."
"Of course. Who else can he trust besides me?" Danzo replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Midorima glanced at Danzo and noticed that his face showed not even a hint of shame.
He wore that expression of absolute certainty.
Most people didn't have the audacity to be so shameless.
"But Uchiha Itachi will definitely report this to the Hokage. What do we do then?" Danzo pressed.
"No, you must be the one to report it first. Otherwise, wouldn't it seem like your intelligence network is slower than Itachi's? You can say that your Root operatives informed you I had already left the village. Redirect everyone's attention outside Konoha. That way, we both remain safe, and it won't interfere with our next steps."
"Right. I'll go see the Hokage immediately." Danzo stood up at once.
"Wait…" Orochimaru rose and stopped him, whispering something into his ear.
Danzo frowned, looking surprised. "You… will that really work?"
"It will, but there's no rush. Go make your report first." Orochimaru gave a slight nod, and Danzo hurriedly changed his clothes before leaving with the Root operatives who had just returned.
Midorima desperately wanted to know what Orochimaru had told Danzo, but since Orochimaru was being cautious around him, it was either related to him or something he wasn't supposed to know.
"If there's nothing else, I'll rest now," Midorima said.
"Wait." Orochimaru suddenly called out to him, his eyes serpentine, his tongue even flickering like a snake's. "Your performance today was poor. You said things you shouldn't have… Were you afraid he would replace you?"
"What?" Midorima's eyes widened. He had no idea why Orochimaru would think that.
Was being a vessel something to be proud of?
"Don't worry. You're decent, but you'll never compare to him."
Orochimaru smirked, his hands suddenly forming a seal. A sharp pain erupted from Midorima's cursed mark, spreading throughout his entire body.
Midorima clawed at the mark, his nails breaking the skin, but the agony still surged through his nerves, seizing every muscle.
"In the future, keep your mouth shut." Orochimaru was displeased with Midorima for warning Itachi about the Root operatives.
Gasping for breath, Midorima staggered out, his steps heavy. Once back in his room, he collapsed to the floor.
He pressed his forehead against the wall, taking deep breaths to endure the pain from the cursed mark.
This experience had jolted him awake—he could no longer afford to drift aimlessly. He needed a plan, one that would allow him to remove the cursed mark while also obtaining Danzo's Sharingan.
Thinking of the cursed mark, Midorima immediately recalled the [Cell Laboratory], his gaze shifting to the [Analysis Lab].
The numbers had finally changed—17%.
Only a 2% increase, but it was enough to unsettle him.
The last time the [Analysis Lab] had progressed was after the activation of the Cursed Mark.
Could it be that triggering the cursed mark accelerated the lab's analysis? If so, could he use the remnants of Jūgo's blood mixed into the seal?
The relentless pain from his neck made it hard to focus, but in that moment, he made a decision.
If Orochimaru's activation of the Cursed Mark could influence the [Analysis Lab], what would happen if he triggered it himself—or even pushed it to the second stage?
He knew it was dangerous, but he had no choice. If he didn't take the risk now, he might never get another chance.
Clenching his fists, Midorima began forcibly activating the cursed mark. Waves of agony radiated from the seal, spreading across his body as the curse's patterns crawled over his skin.
---
Meanwhile…
Tsunade was jolted awake by Shizune's voice.
Bleary-eyed, she looked up to see her disciple kneeling before her, her mind still foggy with sleep.
"What is it?"
"Lady Tsunade, the Hokage has summoned you," Shizune whispered.
"Now?" Tsunade glanced outside—the sky was still pitch black.
"Yes." Shizune nodded.
Tsunade's expression darkened. Being called at this hour meant it was no trivial matter.
"What's happened?"
Shizune shook her head. "The messenger didn't say."
Tsunade immediately got up, throwing on her coat before striding out, Shizune close behind.
When they reached the Hokage's office, Tsunade motioned for Shizune to wait outside before entering.
Inside, besides the Hokage, four others were present—Uchiha Itachi, two masked individuals (likely Root operatives), and Danzo.
Tsunade bowed slightly. "Lord Hokage, at this late hour… what's the matter?"
"Yes," Hiruzen replied, his gaze shifting to Danzo. "Explain the situation."
"Very well. You're already aware of this. Earlier today, I mentioned an urgent mission requiring Itachi's assistance. The truth is, Orochimaru was spotted outside the village."
"Orochimaru?! Where is he?!" Tsunade demanded sharply.
Danzo shook his head. "He escaped… But the two Root operatives and Itachi witnessed his movements and even engaged him in battle. Itachi can confirm this."
Itachi nodded in agreement.
"But why would he return to Konoha? Does he not know the entire village is searching for him?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.
"That remains unclear," Danzo said. "However, I've already advised the Hokage to tighten security—we cannot allow Orochimaru to infiltrate the village. Additionally, we must dispatch teams to track his movements. No matter the cost, we must capture him!"
Itachi's expression was complex as he studied Danzo. Then, he stole a glance at Tsunade—only to find her already watching him.