"So, Danzo wants my research?"
At Naruto's words, Orochimaru's faint smile didn't falter, but a cold shadow seemed to fall over his features, as he stopped himself from going on rampage. 'How could he possibly know? My work on the Impure World Reincarnation... the breakthrough was recent.'
Naruto had stated it plainly: "Danzo-sama is aware of your progress with the Impure World Reincarnation and requires your latest data."
"And he's set his sights on my humble findings?" Orochimaru's tongue darted out, wetting his lips. He gave his answer without hesitation. "But that's impossible."
'What a joke,' he thought. 'This is one of my greatest assets. Does Danzo truly believe he can just demand it? On what grounds?'
"Is that so?" Naruto sounded entirely unconcerned by the refusal. He knew it wasn't a true rejection, merely an opening bid. From his pocket, he produced a small glass bottle, dangling it casually in front of the Sannin.
"And what if this is part of the exchange?" he asked, his voice laced with temptation. "Danzo-sama was very specific. He said this is something you desire a great deal."
When Orochimaru's eyes focused on the bottle's contents, a sharp hiss of breath escaped him. His golden pupils contracted into thin, vertical slits. For a moment, his usual composure fractured, his hand twitching with the urge to seize it.
A faint pulse of killing intent radiated from him, and the two Root ninja at Naruto's side instantly shifted, placing themselves between their charge and the Sannin, poised to react.
Inside the bottle, preserved in a preservation fluid, was a single-tomoe Sharingan.
It was the one thing Orochimaru coveted most right now. Naruto had instructed Fu Yamanaka to retrieve it from Danzo's private collection. With his access, Root held no secrets from him, Danzo's stores were effectively his own.
While others coveted the Uchiha's dojutsu, Naruto himself had little use for it. Logically, implanting a Sharingan might eventually awaken the Rinnegan in a body like his, but what was the point? He could already unleash devastating beams of energy from his eyes, blasts that were both incredibly powerful and faster than any jutsu.
To Naruto, the Sharingan was something he could have, but had no real need for.
"Patience, Orochimaru-sama," Naruto said, tucking the bottle away. "It will be yours in due time."
Only when the eye was gone from his sight did Orochimaru's breathing steady. It was then that his gaze sharpened, finally recognizing the two figures beside Naruto.
'Fu Yamanaka... and Torune Aburame.' The two were Danzo's most trusted operatives. 'So, he assigned his personal guard to this boy... They're no ordinary grunts.' The presence of these two only solidified Orochimaru's assessment: Naruto was a prodigy hand-picked and groomed by Danzo himself. Some of his resentment toward the old warhawk began to fade, replaced by a grudging respect.
"Danzo-sama also wished to express his... regret," Naruto continued, his tone carefully measured, "regarding the matter of your arm."
Orochimaru stared, in confusion. 'My arm? How could he possibly know?' In an instant, his mind raced through possibilities. 'Is there a Root agent inside the organization? Or was it Itachi?' Dozens of theories flashed through his mind as he tried to connect the varied pieces of information, but he had too little to form a complete picture.
Beneath his mask, Naruto narrowed his eyes, a knowing, fox-like smile playing at his lips. With confidence, as if reading Orochimaru's mind, he said, "That's right, It's exactly as you suspect, Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru's thoughts stalled. 'As I suspect? What did I... Itachi?'
Before he could ask, Naruto spread his arms in an almost theatrical gesture of reverence. "There is very little in this world," he said, his voice filled with a disturbing, zealous respect, "that can be hidden from the eyes of the great Danzo-sama. He is truly omniscient and omnipotent!"
'A fanatic,' Orochimaru thought, a label clicking into place. 'A true believer.' It wasn't unheard of for powerful shinobi to attract such followers, he had plenty of his own. But to find one so devoted within Root was rare. 'Omniscient and omnipotent Danzo? Fufufu.'
Naruto's next sentence almost made Orochimaru lose his composure. "The arm you provided for Danzo-sama's use... he finds it quite suitable. He also asked me to inquire about Shin. How is he doing?"
Danzo's right arm had been given to him by Orochimaru. To gain power, Danzo had implanted First Hokage's Cells, but he hadn't expected them to be so overbearingly cancerous. Thus, to suppress the First Hokage's Cells, Danzo had used an arm covered in Sharingan.
The owner of this arm was an experimental subject under Orochimaru named Shin, calling himself Shin Uchiha. This Shin possessed an extremely unique body that wouldn't reject any transplanted tissue.
It was one of his most closely guarded secrets, known only to himself and the subject. Not even his right-hand man, Kabuto, was aware of it.
Orochimaru's pupils constricted until his golden eyes were little more than black vertical slits. 'Even Shin...'
Once could be a coincidence. Twice was a pattern. To have so many secrets laid bare one after another threw even Orochimaru's formidable mind into disarray. He replayed every interaction, every meeting, every scrap of intelligence, searching for a link. Then, a faint memory surfaced, a tiny, insignificant detail from a past meeting with Danzo. A flash of insight connected the dots. 'So that's how it is.'
Orochimaru felt as though he had finally understood. In that moment, his perception of Danzo shifted. The man was no longer just a bitter old hawk, he was a master of shadows, deeper and more unfathomable than he had ever imagined. 'As expected of the "Darkness of the Shinobi." I truly underestimated him.'
"Danzo-sama isn't bothered by your little side projects," Naruto added smoothly. "In fact, if it weren't for the arm, what comes next would be far more difficult." He paused, his voice dropping as if speaking to himself. "The time is nearly ripe."
'Time?' Orochimaru wondered. 'For what? To make his move for the Hokage seat?' As a long-time associate, he knew that was Danzo's ultimate ambition. But to orchestrate something this elaborate, to hide his hand so completely... was it all just for the hat? It seemed disproportionate.
But Naruto said no more. He had planted the seeds of doubt and awe. Saying too much would only invite questions he couldn't answer. It was better to let a mind like Orochimaru's fill in the blanks.
'Go on,' Naruto thought with a hidden smile. 'I'm sure you'll come up with a far more impressive story than the truth.'
--**--**
One hour later.
An hour later, Naruto left with Torune and Fu in tow, the scroll containing the Impure World Reincarnation data held securely in his hand. He left Orochimaru standing alone in the darkness of his hideout, lost in thought.
As for the Sannin's subordinates, they would not see another sunrise. Knowing what they now knew, their master had dealt with them personally. Two massive pythons had unhinged their jaws, swallowing the men whole before vanishing in a puff of summoning smoke, leaving no trace behind.
Naruto wondered what grand conclusion Orochimaru would ultimately reach. He was honestly curious himself.
'After all,' he thought, a flicker of amusement in his eyes, 'I'm the Nine-Tailed Fox in human form. A little deception is only natural, isn't it? This rotten village really messed me up. How many times have I used that excuse to take vengeance on this village... It's still their fault. Don't they know that if a lie is told multiple times it might be taken as truth? Did they ever account for me just embodying and accepting that I could be Nine-Tails?'
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