Walking along the dark, damp wooden corridor, both ends were swallowed by dense shadows.
This corridor floated above a bottomless abyss, the depths below an endless void of darkness.
And this corridor was but one among LTC countless crisscrossing hallways.
Orochimaru strode steadily into the darkness of the corridor, and only when he reached the end did he push open a door and enter within.
Someone was already waiting for him inside the room.
"Danzo, what do you want with me at this hour?"
Orochimaru asked the person sitting in the room.
Nominally, he was a new member of Root, acting as Danzo's right hand; but in truth, he was Teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi's nail driven into Root.
He was there to monitor and restrain some of Danzo's extreme actions.
Therefore, after joining Root, he suffered neither restriction of freedom nor the planting of a Curse Seal; even his name was preserved, unlike those members of Root who lived like mechanical puppets.
"Take a look at this first."
Danzo wasn't bothered by Orochimaru addressing hog as an equal; in fact, he lacked the means to force Orochimaru into anything he disliked.
Seated there, Danzo tossed a file onto the table before Orochimaru.
Orochimaru sat down, cast Danzo a questioning glance to discern his intent, but seeing nothing, withdrew his gaze and picked up the file to read.
But just seeing the project name on the cover, Orochimaru's expression shifted slightly.
—Wood Release Cultivation Project.
"This is a newly established village research project, aimed at developing ninja capable of mastering Wood Style like the First Hokage. I want your cooperation."
Danzo's voice was low as he closely watched Orochimaru's ever-changing expression.
"Is this for dealing with the Tailed Beasts?"
Orochimaru quickly regained his composure, grasping the intent at once.
Wood Style, like the Sharingan, could restrain Tailed Beasts.
Yet since the First Hokage's death, Wood Style had vanished from the Ninja Realm, with not a single other Wood Style Ninja emerging since.
The Sharingan, on the other hand, had been preserved—though it was the exclusive ability of the Uchiha Clan.
And as the leader of Root, Danzo was the high-ranking official most hostile toward the Uchiha Clan.
Unable to control the Sharingan, cultivating Wood Style Ninja was a viable alternative—and much easier to keep in hand.
"It's not only about Tailed Beasts—it's also to intimidate some ninja within the village harboring ill intentions. For that, we must harness the power of Wood Style."
Danzo was also subtly making it clear that he remained ever vigilant towards the Uchiha Clan, and would take extreme measures if necessary to limit the rise of that Ninja Clan.
"Is that so? What an interesting plan."
A hoarse, magnetic smile curled on Orochimaru's lips.
"Many fine ninja were lost in the last Ninja Realm War. Who knows when the next one will break out? This is for the village's future. The power of Wood Style to pacify the chaos will be a sharper blade than even the White Fang."
"So that's how it is."
Sakumo's passing had indeed gutted Konoha; in war, the Konoha White Fang, who specialized in pressing deep behind enemy lines, was an exceptional threat to all nations.
Now a weapon as sharp as the White Fang was needed to intimidate the other nations and shore up Konoha's defenses.
"Does Tsunade know about this?"
To cultivate Wood Style Ninja, the First Hokage's remains must be used; necessary cellular energy had to be extracted from the corpse.
Desecrating the remains of her grandfather—the First Hokage—someone like Tsunade would never consent, even rioting in the council chamber if she found out.
Especially since those were her grandfather's remains.
"Of course she cannot be allowed to know. If she did, things would get very troublesome indeed."
Danzo's face remained unchanged, thoughts unreadable.
"So, Teacher Sarutobi has already given tacit consent for this project—am I correct?"
Orochimaru mused for a moment.
If Hiruzen hadn't given tacit approval, he wouldn't believe Danzo would dare lay hands on Wood Style.
Besides, Root alone wasn't capable of researching the power of Wood Style.
"For you to grasp things so quickly—you truly are the most gifted of the Sannin. Your intellect, your knowledge, and your understanding of Ninja Techniques will provide tremendous momentum for this project."
Danzo made no attempt to hide his appreciation for Orochimaru's talent.
"It seems Teacher Sarutobi didn't put me in Root just to have me watch you. I understand now. Since it's for the village's benefit, I'll go through with it."
His greatest idol, the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, had developed so many forbidden techniques through human experimentation, founding multiple Ninja Techniques schools that still benefited many Konoha Ninja today.
Indeed, there were many things in this village that could not see the light of day.
And most of these dark secrets were manipulated from the shadows by Root.
Konoha's executioners of shadow.
"Where are we to find our 'materials'?"
"That needn't concern you—volunteers have already been selected from the village and will cooperate during the experiment."
"Then I have no further reservations."
Orochimaru nodded in acknowledgment.
"The experiment will start next week. I'll need to consult some documents and prepare thoroughly first."