Facing Wood Release enhanced by Sage Mode, Orochimaru knew very well he wouldn't gain anything tonight without preparation. And this was deep within Konoha—if a fight broke out, both Hiruzen and Tsunade could arrive at any moment.
He could guess how fiercely the Sandaime would strike.
He could certainly guess how hard Tsunade would hit.
"If you ever change your mind, Roshi-kun, my door is always open."
Leaving that final remark behind, the rogue Sannin slipped away as quietly as he had appeared.
Roshi didn't pursue. Killing Orochimaru was an improbable task under the best circumstances—unless he offered himself up, eliminating him was nearly impossible.
Roshi merely watched his silhouette melt into the darkness, then quietly returned, choosing not to tell Anko what had happened.
The next morning, when he met Tsunade—her face drawn and tired from an entire night of fruitless Anbu searches—Roshi casually mentioned the previous night's encounter.
"Orochimaru? He went to the Senju house?" Tsunade's voice spiked instantly. Her fists tightened, knuckles whitening. She forced herself to inhale, then exhaled slowly to steady her tone.
"How did he come straight to you?"
On paper, Roshi was just an ordinary jōnin. His Wood Release was always disguised under an Anbu identity. For Orochimaru to approach him directly meant he already knew something—and had planned his visit.
That information could only have leaked from one place: someone among the higher-ups was collaborating with Orochimaru.
And the likely name was obvious.
"…Danzo," Tsunade growled, teeth clenched.
Even though she was the internal successor to the Fifth Hokage position, she had not formally taken office. Her current authority wasn't enough to move against Danzo, who was the Hokage advisor and the head of Root.
For now, only Hiruzen could rein in Root.
"His target is still probably the Uchiha," Roshi said.
Tsunade agreed immediately. She ordered an Anbu to inform Fugaku of Orochimaru's possible movements, urging heightened vigilance within the clan.
But then Roshi continued, his tone contemplative:
"However… the likelihood of Danzo choosing this moment to spark large-scale conflict inside the village is low."
"Why?" Tsunade asked sharply.
"Because the daimyo and other guests are still in Konoha. Any internal incident now would damage the Chūnin Exams' outcome—undercutting negotiations for additional mission quotas."
"And even without evidence, mere logical suspicion would throw Danzo into a corner."
At their level of politics, proof was often secondary to motive and capability.
Mission quotas directly influenced Konoha's financial future and strategic standing. If the daimyo lost confidence during negotiations, Danzo's recently regained influence—thanks to the Kusa incident—would collapse instantly. Perhaps even worse than before.
"Danzo knows this," Roshi concluded.
And indeed, Danzo understood it better than anyone.
That was why, when he heard Orochimaru had moved on his own again, his fury surged uncontrollably. For a fleeting moment, he even considered severing ties altogether—letting the Hidden Sound Village project rot.
"Where did you go last night?" Danzo asked, voice colder than steel.
"I visited the place you secretly hoped I would investigate," Orochimaru replied smoothly, entirely unfazed by Danzo's murderous glare. "That child truly exceeded my expectations."
"You killed him?" Danzo burst out before catching himself.
But no—if Roshi had died, Tsunade would already be here, tearing down Root headquarters stone by stone. The Village wouldn't be this calm.
A trace of regret flickered across Danzo's mind.
If Orochimaru had killed Roshi, then even enduring Hiruzen's wrath would've been worth it.
It might have triggered Tsunade's hemophobia again, crippling her ability to fight.
And without Roshi—the key figure supporting her—the Uchiha Clan's tenuous position would collapse, returning them to their former isolation.
Then Danzo could resume his original plan:
Eliminate the Uchiha Clan.
Erase Konoha's greatest internal threat.
And seize the Sharingan for himself.
But he swallowed his spiraling thoughts.
"Your unauthorized actions are ruining my plans," he said coldly. "I'm beginning to question whether I should continue supporting the Hidden Sound Village at all."
Orochimaru merely answered Danzo's threat with a soft, amused chuckle.
Danzo still failed to grasp the simple truth—the initiative in their "cooperation" had never been his. It had always belonged to Orochimaru.
Even regarding the fate of the Uchiha Anbu squad, the ultimate decision of who would receive the Sharingan rested entirely in Orochimaru's hands. If the research value of those eyes outweighed the importance of Otogakure, he could simply keep them. And even if he offered Danzo only a portion of the spoils—what could Danzo do?
Right now, the one most desperate to shift Konoha's balance of power—the one who needed outside, unconventional help—was Danzo Shimura, not Orochimaru.
"As compensation for this little… unexpected incident," Orochimaru drawled, his hoarse voice cutting through the tension, "I will personally handle the matter of that Uchiha squad."
Danzo was silent for a moment, weighing his options. Finally:
"The relevant intelligence is prepared. But listen, Orochimaru—until you receive explicit instructions from me, you are forbidden from taking any further unauthorized action."
"Now leave the village at once. I'll arrange for someone reliable to contact you."
"In this situation," Roshi explained to Tsunade, "if Danzo really intends to use Orochimaru to stir trouble, then the Uchiha Anbu squad outside the village is the most convenient point of attack."
"At such a critical moment, if they were to die suddenly—and someone secretly fans the flames afterward—then the already-tense Uchiha Clan would be pushed to the edge. Even Fugaku might start doubting the Village."
Tsunade immediately grasped the severity.
"Do we need to order them back to Konoha at once?"
Roshi shook his head.
"That would be unwise. If we recall them now, the reforms to the Uchiha Military Police will be disrupted—and all our earlier efforts might unravel."
"And afterward? Do we keep them inside the village forever?"
He shook his head again. "If so, the reforms will never progress."
Furthermore, if those four—despite Anbu training and probation—still clung to extreme ideology, then their fate was already set.
Whether they died labeled "traitors" or "killed in action" was only a matter of timing and narrative.
"The immediate priority is to warn Shisui," Roshi continued. "If he stays vigilant, with his strength, Orochimaru can't do much."
"But what we truly need is to accelerate the reform process."
"We must bring more Uchiha into Anbu as soon as possible, give them real responsibilities, real missions—let the clan see the concrete benefits of integration."
"That way, even if the current Anbu members meet with misfortune, the shock will be contained."
Roshi then asked, "Lady Tsunade, the Ninja Academy is still recruiting teachers, right?"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly. She was starting to understand.
"You're suggesting…?"
"The Village could select several Uchiha chūnin—those with lower status in the clan, unable to join the Police Force, but with decent aptitude and stable personalities—and place them in the Academy as instructors."
"The Police Force's core benefits never belonged to them anyway. But stable Academy posts—teaching roles, administrative work—those are tangible benefits any ordinary Uchiha household can appreciate."
"Let them feel the advantages of reform."
"Then recall Shisui," Roshi said decisively. "Have him work with Fugaku to suppress the loudest hardliners, and push the Hyūga–Uchiha joint Police Force reform through completely."
"We need results immediately—new career paths for Uchiha who previously had none, new hope for ordinary families long excluded from the Police Force, and real change in their daily lives."
"In this way, the radicals will find their support base shrinking day by day. Their extreme views will lose the soil they rely on to grow."
"And when only a handful of stubborn elements remain," Roshi concluded, "a small Anbu squad will be enough to deal with them. No unrest. No tragedy."
"By then, no matter what petty tricks Danzo tries to pull… they will be meaningless."
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