Originally, Danzō was worried that Orochimaru and Shin were of one mind. After all, the two had been working together on research for a long time. But with Hiruzen's assurance, and the fact that Orochimaru indeed came to meet him without informing Shin, he finally let go of his concern.
"Please, sit." Danzō gestured for Orochimaru to sit as he poured him some tea.
"I heard Hiruzen gave you a scolding?" Once they were both seated, Danzō asked with apparent concern.
Orochimaru replied indifferently, "That did happen. After all, I was also tasked with monitoring Shin. Watching him grow to this level right under my nose without me noticing a thing, getting scolded was only right."
Sakumo wasn't the first to be summoned by Hiruzen for a talk, the first was actually Orochimaru. He valued this disciple of his very much. So from the very beginning, he had ordered Orochimaru to monitor Shin's every move on his behalf. But despite these measures, Shin still managed to grow this powerful. How could he not be furious?
Orochimaru didn't offer any explanation and simply endured Hiruzen's wrath. But he did give his own speculation. He told Hiruzen that Shin's rapid growth was most likely due to him mastering summoning techniques, and those techniques were probably taught to him by Tsunade.
The reason he could train so long and remain completely undetected was because he hadn't been in the shinobi world at all, he had been in Shikkotsu Forest.
Hiruzen agreed with Orochimaru's assessment, in fact, that was exactly what he had suspected. It was the only reasonable explanation.
Orochimaru also expressed his anger toward Shin. He lamented how he had looked after the boy for so long, even protected him because he admired his talent, only to be deceived by him in the end.
He appeared furious. extremely furious.
With such a flawless justification, along with his perceived understanding of Orochimaru's character and the trust built over years of being teacher and student, Hiruzen had no reason to doubt him. Among his three disciples, why did he value Orochimaru the most?
Because this one wasn't just extraordinarily gifted, he was also cold and ruthless.
Yes, Hiruzen had seen that in him early on. That was why he trained him so heavily, at first, intending to turn him into a blade he could wield. But as Orochimaru began to show great promise in research and developed a strong interest in it, he changed his view.
It was still for his own benefit, and if it was research, that was acceptable too. In recent years, the results of Orochimaru's research had proven that this path was valid. But Hiruzen was no scientist. He couldn't comprehend the mind of one, especially not a mad scientist who would do anything in pursuit of truth.
Not only could he not understand this, neither could Danzō. They still viewed Orochimaru through the lens of conventional thinking, so their judgments were inevitably flawed.
"It's good that the two of you talked things out. Hiruzen may like to act one way in public and another in private, but with you, he wouldn't go that far. He just says things, don't take them to heart."
Danzō's words sounded conciliatory, but in truth were meant to sow discord.
Orochimaru acted as though he hadn't heard them. Such low-level manipulation might fool ordinary people, but there was no way he'd fall for it.
"You sent word saying you had a piece of research that could change the shinobi world. Could you elaborate?" Uninterested in Danzō's attempts at small talk, he cut straight to the point.
They had worked together before. But once he had delivered what Danzō wanted, and Hiruzen began paying more attention to the research facility, their contact ceased.
Seeing this, Danzō got to the point. "What's your opinion of the Sharingan?"
"Very powerful," Orochimaru replied succinctly.
Danzō nodded and continued, "Would you be interested in researching it? Is this the research you claimed could change the shinobi world?"
"Don't be absurd," Orochimaru shook his head. "The Uchiha are the strongest clan in Konoha. While they may not guard their eyes as obsessively as the Hyūga clan… they still recover the eyes of their deceased. Anyone who tries to interfere will become their enemy. I'd love to research it, but I have no materials to work with."
"Materials aren't a problem!" Danzō declared boldly. "If you're willing to research it, I can supply the materials."
"You actually have some?"
"I do," Danzō answered firmly. "Not a lot right now, but enough to begin preliminary research. And once the research is underway, I'll keep supplying more."
It was true that the Uchiha recover their Sharingan after death. But unlike the Hyūga clan, who were timid and almost never left the village for missions… Nor did they, like the Hyūga branch house, have the Caged Bird Seal that destroyed the Byakugan upon death. So, naturally, there were always some oversights. And with Danzō being both calculating and opportunistic, over the years, he had managed to collect about ten pairs of Sharingan.
Though most were only single-tomoe or two-tomoe Sharingan. As for three-tomoe Sharingan, he had only one pair, belonging to Kagami. As for the Mangekyō Sharingan, he certainly wanted it, but simply never had the chance.
Seeing that Orochimaru was tempted but still hesitant, he continued coaxing him, "You saw Shin's battle that day, didn't you? Once the Sharingan evolves to its highest form, it truly grants godlike power. Are you not even slightly tempted by power of that level?"
Orochimaru's eyes flickered, as though he was even more intrigued, but he still didn't give an immediate answer and instead fell into thought. Seeing this, Danzō decided to pull out a bigger card. "I heard from Hiruzen that you were furious at Shin for deceiving you. Considering the unmatched power he possesses, don't you want to study his eyes?"
Orochimaru sneered inwardly. How do you know I haven't already studied them? In fact, Shin handed them to me personally for research!
What's more, Shin had already begun his own extensive research into the Sharingan, and had achieved remarkable results. It was just that fools like Danzō had no way of knowing.
He scoffed at Danzō's logic.
Orochimaru was a pure scientist, what he pursued had never been absolute power. He was never interested in that. He wasn't even particularly interested in the Sharingan itself. The reason he later became so fixated on Itachi and Sasuke wasn't because of their eyes. It was because he needed a perfect Uchiha body to perform Living Corpse Reincarnation and gain immortality. But now, he no longer needed that method to attain eternal life. Because under Shin's guidance, he had found a completely different path.
However, he recalled what Shin had just said to him earlier: "Our research budget is nearly gone. You don't want our progress to be stalled due to lack of funding, do you? So go. How smoothly our research proceeds from here depends on how well you can swindle Danzō."
At the thought of Shin's scheming merchant-like expression, he felt infuriated.
You went all the way to Uzushio for nothing? You've borrowed from every village you could, and even got a pledge of loyalty from Fukuyama, and you still have the nerve to cry poor?
Where do you get the face to say that?
But… that was Shin, after all. So he had no choice but to speak up: "Your sincerity has moved me. But didn't you once want to recruit Shin into your fold?"
"If I can't have him, then I'll destroy him," Danzō growled maliciously. "Don't tell me you still feel any sympathy for him?"
Orochimaru smirked coldly. "You misunderstand me. I was only afraid you'd turn around and blame me for ruining your plans."
"You're overthinking it, Orochimaru. Right now, I just want him dead, and his eyes in my possession."
He finally nodded and made his decision. "But you should know, the secrets of the Sharingan have been studied for generations, including by the Uchiha themselves, and with very little result. To conduct proper research will take a long time. Are you truly willing to wait?"
"I am. No matter how long it takes," Danzō quickly responded, seeing that Orochimaru was finally softening.
Had the plot followed its usual course, Danzō would have valued Orochimaru, but not to this extent. Because without Shin, they would still need each other equally. But now, he was the one in need.
Combined with the research Orochimaru had contributed to Konoha over the years, work that astonished everyone in the know, Danzō was convinced that Orochimaru was his best possible research partner.
After all, besides Orochimaru, Shin, and Tsunade… Everyone else believed Orochimaru was the sole lead on Konoha's cutting-edge research projects, and Shin was merely his assistant.
"Ah!" Seeing Danzō's eagerness, Orochimaru put on a troubled expression and said, "But research doesn't run on time alone. It also needs proper equipment and a sufficient budget."