pdf-ebookys Chapter 44 Orochimaru, Danzo
Chapter 44 Orochimaru, Danzo
Orochimaru, who was being blamed by Jiraiya, was indeed in a dark corner at this moment.
But what he did went far beyond researching disgusting ninjutsu—he was conducting human experiments on young, innocent children.
Outside Konoha Village, there is an underground experimental base that is not far away but extremely well hidden.
Rows of cylindrical containers stand solemnly.
The bottom light reflected upwards, making the bright green nutrient solution appear eerily translucent.
Through the glass exterior, one can clearly see children, only three or four years old, floating inside.
Most of them were asleep with their eyes closed, while the few who were awake stared blankly at the small, dim world before them.
Their gazes sometimes followed blankly the figure slowly moving between the containers.
Orochimaru, like a farmer inspecting his orchard, checked the condition of each child in the container and recorded the data fluctuating on the instrument.
The fruit grower longed for a bountiful harvest, while he only hoped that some of the experimental subjects would survive—even if only one out of the sixty would succeed.
Today, Orochimaru received intelligence from Danzo's messenger, learning that Jiraiya had returned to the village.
But he has no intention of showing up.
In his mind, the three of them—the so-called "Legendary Sannin of Konoha"—had long since parted ways, and their paths would only drift further apart.
Since we don't see eye to eye, why force ourselves to meet?
Listening to Jiraiya's drunken ramblings about his travels and his search for some "child of prophecy" is pointless; it's better to continue with the experiment at hand.
Orochimaru firmly believed that he was walking a lonely, yet absolutely correct, path.
……
Deep within the root base of Konoha Village.
Danzo Shimura was very pleased that Orochimaru had not attended the gathering.
He believes that Hiruzen Sarutobi's current reputation is largely supported by his three disciples.
In the past, Hiruzen always liked to show off his three outstanding disciples, Kazuma and Koharu, in front of him, intentionally or unintentionally.
"The Legendary Sannin of Konoha, what a prestigious title." Danzo sneered inwardly.
Of the three legendary Sannin, Orochimaru has been won over by him, Tsunade suffers from hemophobia and is nearly crippled, and Jiraiya has been wandering for many years. Hiruzen has rarely mentioned them lately.
Looking at the current situation, Danzo was quite satisfied with the decline of the "Three Ninja".
He casually picked up another intelligence report presented by his subordinate.
"Is this Nonou's report... As expected of the 'Walking Shrine Maiden'."
Yakushi Nonou, born in the Konoha orphanage, is one of Danzo's most outstanding spies.
At the tender age of seventeen, she traveled among the various ninja villages with her superb medical ninjutsu and unique intelligence gathering abilities, constantly collecting information for "Root" and earning the title of "Walking Shrine Maiden".
At this moment, she is lying in wait in Iwagakure Village.
The information she sent back largely matched what Jiraiya had reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The difference lies in the fact that Jiraiya's information came from observations and speculations in Kusagakure, while Nonou's intelligence came directly from within Iwagakure, making it more accurate and precise.
"Hmph, that old bastard Onoki, he really hasn't given up his wicked intentions." Danzo said coldly after reading the report.
He thought to himself, "It seems they want to stir up trouble during the transition of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Konoha. Those opportunists in Kusagakure deserve to die; they were so easily swayed."
Thinking of Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the old one is already old and frail, unable to fight, so he is no threat at all.
The new one, however, is idle and only cares about flirting with Jiraiya's blond apprentice.
He instinctively wanted to rebuke them, but he swallowed the words back down.
The person he fears most in Konoha right now is not Hiruzen Sarutobi, but Mito Uzumaki.
He still vividly remembers the scene when the four of them went to meet Mito Uzumaki after the destruction of Uzushiogakure and the fall of Uzushiogakure.
He had only argued briefly when he was blasted away by the opponent's immense Nine-Tails chakra.
That malevolent, suffocatingly terrifying force still sends shivers down my spine when I think about it.
"Hmph, Hiruzen will definitely be helpless; in the end, we'll have to rely on me."
Danzo concluded that Hiruzen was unable to solve the internal Jinchūriki problem and could only address the threat from Iwagakure from the outside.
"We should incite more conflict between Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure."
"With them checking and balancing each other, that old coward Ohnoki will never dare to make any rash moves."
Having made up his mind, Danzo waited patiently for Hiruzen Sarutobi to come to him when he had no other options.
He felt that the safety of the entire Leaf Village rested on his shoulders, and the burden on his shoulders seemed to have become even heavier.
He casually tossed Nono's report aside, completely ignoring her request to return to Konoha at the end.
Ninjas are merely tools; intelligence ninjas should be based in enemy countries.
Longing for Konoha, concern for the orphanage... these weak emotions shouldn't exist at all.
"Nonou, she's just not ruthless enough. If she could be more cold-blooded, she would definitely gather more information."
After reviewing one report, Danzo continued to peruse other reports.
"Is it another news report about Tsunade and that Star Source Chisaku's romance? Why is that guy always focusing on such trivial matters instead of keeping a close eye on Orochimaru?"
He had long forgotten that he had arranged for Bing to train medical ninjas—that was just an order he gave on a whim after arguing with Hiruzen.
"Tsunade suffers from hemophobia and is already a cripple. There is absolutely no possibility of her inheriting the position of Fourth Hokage."
"Xingyuan Qianshuo is just an ordinary medical ninja. Falling in love with her poses no threat whatsoever."
Danzo thought to himself, "If Tsunade's lover is Jiraiya, then that's the real threat to the Hokage position. An ordinary medical ninja... that's all the talent Hiruzen's disciple can achieve."
Danzo Shimura always believed that he only missed out on the Hokage position because he was a step too slow in responding to Tobirama, allowing Hiruzen Sarutobi to take the position by chance.
He also firmly believed that in terms of governance ability, Ri Zhan was far inferior to himself.
Hiruzen's personality was too weak, making him unable to eradicate the various threats both inside and outside Konoha.
Only Danzo could protect Konoha, lead the village to prosperity, and even rule the entire ninja world.
To become Hokage, he would stop at nothing and pay any price.
Thinking of Tsunade's lover, Danzo couldn't help but recall the Jonin named Kato Dan.
A ninja from a small clan dares to dream of becoming Hokage; he's truly overestimating himself.
Danzo had been keeping a close eye on all of Konoha's elite Jonin.
Anyone with the potential to succeed him as Hokage is seen as a threat by him.
Kato Dan possesses the S-rank ninjutsu "Spiritual Transformation Technique" and has repeatedly distinguished himself on the battlefield.
He was better at winning people's hearts and spreading his ideas about reforming Konoha and reducing sacrifices.
Initially, Danzo only kept Kato Dan in mind and did not regard him as a major threat.
Even the strongest ninja from a small clan has less than a 10% chance of becoming Hokage.
However, after Nawaki's death, Kato Dan suddenly fell in love with Tsunade.
Tsunade is the only remaining member of the Senju clan's main branch.
His union with her greatly increased the likelihood of Kato Dan succeeding as Hokage, even exceeding 90%.
This posed a tremendous and imminent threat to Danzo.
Recalling Kato Dan's death, Danzo couldn't help but feel a sense of smugness.
A cunning smile appeared on his gloomy face, making him seem even more sinister and treacherous.
That was his masterpiece—a ninjutsu with a fatal weakness. He only needed to leak a little information, and the enemy would eliminate his greatest threat.