Chapter 260: The Winds Rise, The Clouds Roll (Part 1)
Since Yotsuki Dana had been rescued, and the medical capabilities on-site couldn't find anything wrong with him, the Third Raikage hesitated no longer. He led the team back to Kumogakure, where better medical facilities were available.
The massive underground space beneath the stone sphere was also investigated, but there were no gains. They only knew someone had hidden there for a long time, but there were few traces of daily life. The massive object that once occupied the large hole had been moved away by unknown means. The entire area held nothing of value.
However, at this critical juncture, no one cared about that. It was merely recorded in the files. everyone's focus was on Yotsuki Dana's condition.
The Cloud's high-profile operation was hard to conceal. Whether it was the rainbow lights illuminating half the night sky upon arrival or the slow-moving large convoy upon departure... From daybreak... No, accurately speaking, since the "Dana Elopes with Sister" incident a few days ago, the other villages had smelled something unusual. After the sky-filling rainbow lights appeared, they dispatched numerous spies to investigate.
This might be the biggest flaw of the Heavenly Transfer Technique: the commotion was too big to hide. Let alone those looking for it, even unintentional observers would find it hard not to notice.
Almost as soon as the main Cloud force left the crater, spies from various factions crept in.
"This... are these traces caused by a battle... is this something a ninja can do?"
An Iwagakure ninja, moving underground and sticking to the mountain wall, poked his head out of the cliff face, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
Although the most bizarre stone sphere had been shattered, the massive amount of debris left behind and all the surrounding traces indicated an earth-shattering battle had taken place here. The number of people in the ninja world capable of causing such a disturbance could be counted on one hand.
Combined with Dana's tracks across the ninja world three days ago while chasing Black Zetsu, although unconfirmed, every village secretly linked one of the protagonists of this battle to Yotsuki Dana.
Thus, an even more scratching-head question arose.
With such a huge commotion from the Cloud...
That number one genius who suppressed the other young ninjas of the world so hard they couldn't breathe, one of the pillars of Kumogakure, the heir to the Raikage position written in plain sight... Could he be dead?
Just this possibility made the other four Great Ninja Villages want to celebrate, bathe, burn incense, and thank the heavens.
Although the Cloud's present strength already made the other villages feel oppressed, the Cloud's future worried them even more. Once that Yotsuki Dana, whose hostility was clearly greater, took over, life for the major villages would likely become even harder.
Thinking about it this way... if he wasn't dead, being crippled would also be acceptable!
Suddenly, life felt hopeful again!
Sage of Six Paths above, please take that monster away.
Konoha.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, rarely acting together, knocked on a plain wooden door.
Knock, knock, knock.
After a long while, the door opened by itself. Just as they were confused, they saw a small snake inside that seemed to have unlocked the door.
The snake didn't seem particularly intelligent; after opening the door, it slithered into the grass on its own.
The two advisors, accompanied by Anbu, walked into Orochimaru's home.
As Orochimaru's public residence in the village, there was nothing suspicious here. It looked overly plain, instantly telling visitors that the owner was cold-natured and indifferent to worldly pleasures.
The advisors entered the house. A hidden door in the entrance hall opened automatically, seemingly leading to a basement. The two advisors exchanged glances again.
In the basement, Orochimaru didn't even look up. He continued to stare into a microscope, adjusting the slide occasionally.
"How rare. Both advisors visiting together. I'm flattered..."
Knowing the personality of Hiruzen Sarutobi's favorite disciple, the two advisors skipped the pleasantries.
Koharu said, "Guests arrive, yet you don't even offer a cup of tea?"
"Indeed, I have none. My home only contains nutrients to maintain basic human needs. You certainly wouldn't be interested in those."
Homura asked, "Orochimaru, have Tsunade and Jiraiya contacted you yet?"
Orochimaru's hand paused, but he quickly recovered. "No."
When he left the village with Jiraiya back then, it was done secretly; they even left Shadow Clones in the village as cover. The subsequent kidnapping of the Daimyo couldn't be exposed, so Jiraiya's death remained obscure and unannounced.
The person who killed Jiraiya didn't publicize it afterward either, clearly having their own calculations.
Homura didn't press further. "Orochimaru, it's time you pulled yourself together. Since the war ended, you've been depressed long enough. The village needs you now."
Orochimaru moved his eyes away from the microscope and looked at the two advisors.
Depressed? Perhaps to outsiders, it looked like depression. In reality, he was immersed in the excitement of going further every day.
There were still too many things in the ninja world for him to research. He didn't even have time to eat or sleep. If the wards in his house hadn't been triggered, he wouldn't have used Reverse Summoning to return from his secret lab. His experimental subjects were still waiting for surgery there.
However, since the destruction of Root, many of Orochimaru's research projects had been affected. Once his current research reached its limit, it would probably be time for him to leave Konoha. The village had too many restrictions.
Experimental subjects, funding, manpower, venues—everything was constrained.
Orochimaru waited quietly for the advisors to speak. If it was just the same old persuasion to return to active duty, he wouldn't agree.
He didn't have the time.
"Orochimaru... by the unanimous decision of the Hokage and the advisors, we hope you will assume the position of the new leader of 'Root'. The new Root will be different from the old one. It will no longer be an independent, fully functional department with arbitrary power. Its main responsibility will be undertaking research tasks, directly subordinate to the Hokage and Anbu."
A flash of surprise appeared in Orochimaru's eyes, but he smiled. "The 'Root' you speak of probably shares only a name. It's not the same as the Root in Danzo's hands. Using such an empty title..."
Koharu shook her head. "A significant portion of the original Root members will be merged into the new Root. It is not an empty shell. The village's support for the new Root is unquestionable. Orochimaru, the village needs your talent. Some things are indeed unsuitable for the public eye, and I believe you will be interested in these things."
Orochimaru finally heard something useful.
It seemed that after Root's destruction, the loss of research capability was a bigger headache for Konoha's high command than the loss of military force. Most of Konoha's top-secret research had been handled by Root, hence the desire to rebuild it.
"You don't need to hide your previous cooperation with Danzo. Having thoroughly investigated Root, we naturally found those things. The projects you collaborated on with Root can all be restarted within a controllable scope. Furthermore, you will be permitted to consult the Scroll of Seals."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. These two old fossils were really paying a high price this time. He had opportunities to view the Scroll of Seals before, but only as a reward for training, allowing him to learn one or two jutsu. He never had the right to read it cover to cover. Especially after Hiruzen's death, Orochimaru lost his eligibility to view the Scroll. Now that his experiments had hit a bottleneck, he had long wanted to find inspiration from the Scroll of Seals.
Seeing Orochimaru waver, Homura decided to raise the stakes. There was no one in Konoha more suitable for the new Root than Orochimaru.
A core member of the Hokage lineage, loyalty unquestionable.
Hiruzen's favorite disciple, with transcendent research abilities, currently the number one person in Konoha.
Moreover, Orochimaru was of a younger generation and easier to control, unlike Danzo who became too big to handle.
After careful consideration, he and Koharu agreed that Orochimaru was the perfect candidate for the new "Root."
Homura took out a sealing scroll and extracted a small test tube containing a small amount of blood.
Orochimaru couldn't help but wonder: Is this the First Hokage's blood preserved by the village? If so, it might be very helpful for my recent research.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Whose blood is this?"
Koharu spoke a name he completely didn't expect.
"Yotsuki Dana..."
"What?!"
"On the Night of the Purple Moon, when Yotsuki Dana rampaged through Konoha, the Fourth Hokage returned and engaged him briefly. He slashed Dana's right arm, leaving behind a fair amount of blood. This small vial was collected using a special secret technique. originally, we wanted to hand it to Root for research long ago, but by then, Danzo was already under suspicion, so we held onto it until today. Orochimaru, what do you say? Will you accept this appointment?"
A scorching light burst from Orochimaru's eyes. After witnessing the battle between Yotsuki Dana and Jiraiya, Orochimaru was deeply fascinated by that power.
This fascination even surpassed his interest in Hashirama Cells. He had heard about Wood Release since childhood, but Yotsuki Dana's power held more unknowns, more curiosity.
And the unknown and curiosity were poisons Orochimaru couldn't quit.
In a sense, the title "Poison Ninja" fit Orochimaru unexpectedly well.
Orochimaru smiled sinisterly. "Truly an offer hard to refuse..."
"Then from today on, you are the new leader of 'Root', Orochimaru."