Orochimaru secretly arrived at the Shimura clan compound.
The two met inside a sealed chamber.
"Danzo-senpai, why did you call me here in such a hurry?"
Danzo's voice was low and heavy.
"Orochimaru, you should already know that I've been stripped of my position as elder, and Root has been forcibly abolished as well, correct?"
Orochimaru nodded.
"Did Danzo-senpai offend Teacher Sarutobi?"
Danzo shook his head, then nodded again.
"I would not say I offended him. But to the current Hiruzen, my very existence may already be a crime."
"After the rumors regarding Konoha's White Fang erupted, Hiruzen's prestige inside the village suffered a tremendous blow, to say nothing of his reputation outside the village. That is why he is worried."
"Worried that someone might threaten his position as Hokage."
"And this old man is one of the people he fears."
"Hiruzen knows that I support you, Orochimaru. By removing me from the position of elder, he has removed one of your sources of support."
Danzo paused there and let out a sigh.
"For these past few decades, I thought I already understood Hiruzen. But I never imagined he had hidden himself so deeply."
"He is not at all the man I thought he was."
"Hiruzen has no intention of giving the Hokage position to anyone else."
"I used to think he favored Minato, but in truth, that was nothing but a smokescreen."
"His true target should be Sarutobi Shinnosuke—in other words, his own eldest son."
"He intends to turn Konoha into the Konoha of the Sarutobi clan."
"That is why we must seize the position of Hokage."
"Only then can we save Konoha."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered.
"Danzo-senpai, what are you planning?"
Danzo said, "Waiting will get us nowhere. If we want the Hokage position, we can only take extraordinary measures and force Hiruzen down from the seat of Hokage."
Orochimaru raised a brow.
"Danzo-senpai, you mean… kill Teacher Sarutobi?"
Danzo recalled the decades he had spent with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The two had known each other since childhood. One was the son of the Sarutobi clan head, the other the son of the Shimura clan head.
Both had been born noble.
Both had become disciples of Senju Tobirama at the same time, and among Tobirama's six disciples, they had been the two most outstanding.
The only person Danzo had ever truly acknowledged was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
And Danzo believed that the only person Hiruzen Sarutobi truly acknowledged was him.
Decades of friendship.
And yet, when he thought of his own dream, when he thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude toward him, when he thought of the Hokage position he had always desired—
Danzo nodded heavily.
"Correct."
"We will find an opportunity to kill Hiruzen. Afterward, I will support you with all my strength and recommend you to ascend as Hokage."
"We will sever the Sarutobi clan's conspiracy and return Konoha to the right path."
Orochimaru fell silent for a moment.
"Danzo-senpai, killing Teacher Sarutobi won't be easy. Teacher Sarutobi's strength is considerable, and he has numerous ANBU shinobi guarding him."
"If we cannot kill Teacher Sarutobi in a short period of time, then the ones who die will be us."
"And Jiraiya has returned."
"That fool's loyalty to Teacher Sarutobi is like stone."
"You can see it from his complete refusal to believe the rumors about Minato's death."
"Minato was his prized disciple."
"Besides… who will make the move?"
Danzo hesitated for a moment.
"The two of us together. If we act, we must go all out. We cannot give Hiruzen any chance."
Orochimaru glanced at Danzo. His expression did not change much, but he nodded.
"Then we wait for the opportunity."
After leaving the Shimura compound, Orochimaru could not help but shake his head.
"Is Teacher Sarutobi really so easy to kill? Besides… Danzo, you don't honestly think I can't see through your thoughts, do you? Once Teacher Sarutobi dies, you'll have your chance. And if you have a chance, will you really hand it over to me?"
"The situation is no longer the same as when Minato and I were competing."
A person from Konoha arrived in Sunagakure, swearing with absolute certainty that he had seen Kakashi. He claimed he could provide Kakashi's whereabouts and had come to Sunagakure to claim the three hundred thousand ryo bounty.
"You saw traces of Kakashi in Konoha?"
A strange expression appeared on Rasa's face.
But the information this Konoha person provided truly did not seem fake.
Very soon, Sunagakure's intelligence shinobi obtained related information as well.
There did indeed seem to be a Kakashi like that.
Rasa's mind stirred, and a guess flashed through it.
"So that's how it is!"
Rasa was perfectly clear on Kakashi's current location.
In such a short amount of time, Kakashi's injuries could not possibly have fully recovered. Given Uchiha Obito's feelings toward Kakashi, he was most likely arranging for Kakashi to recover from his wounds at the moment.
At the same time, Rasa also had information provided by Sasori of the Red Sand.
Rasa was certain that Kakashi was in Amegakure.
If he was in Amegakure, then he could not possibly be in Konoha.
As for who the Kakashi appearing in Konoha was, the answer was obvious.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi found a shinobi and had him use the Transformation Technique to take on Kakashi's appearance?"
"That really is a good idea."
"If Kakashi truly were dead, this method would be excellent."
"First, have a fake Kakashi appear. Then find an opportunity for that fake Kakashi to die in a reasonable way."
"Not only would it solve the rumors regarding Konoha's White Fang, but Kakashi's death would also no longer implicate anyone in Konoha."
"But all of that rests on one premise—that Kakashi really is dead."
A smile appeared on Rasa's face.
"But in truth, Kakashi is still alive."
"If Kakashi receives this news, what will he do? What will he think of Konoha? What will he think of Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
There was no need to think about it. Rasa knew Kakashi would inevitably be bitterly disappointed.
Completely disappointed in Konoha.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi actually dared to do this before confirming whether Kakashi was truly dead?"
"Is he not worried that the real Kakashi will appear and expose the lie?"
"Or did Hiruzen Sarutobi receive some false information that made him certain Kakashi was already dead?"
"Things are becoming interesting."
This was something Rasa had not anticipated.
But to Rasa, it was undoubtedly beneficial.
"Kazekage-sama, should we give that person the bounty?"
"Give it to him. Give it to him."
It was only three hundred thousand ryo. It was not as though Rasa could not afford it.
Once the real Kakashi appeared and tore apart Konoha's lie, Rasa could still bring up this three hundred thousand ryo again.
Once published in Ninja World Weekly, it would be another blow to Konoha.
…
…
Amegakure.
The distance between Amegakure and Konoha was, in truth, not much different from the distance between Sunagakure and Konoha.
And Uchiha Obito also possessed his own intelligence network.
Those countless White Zetsu, capable of hiding inside tree trunks and beneath the earth, were all excellent tools for gathering intelligence.
At this moment, Uchiha Obito had also received the news that Kakashi had returned to Konoha.
"Kakashi, here."
Konan handed the intelligence letter to Kakashi.