It was early January, and the midday sun was not intense. Minato slowly stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the open space in front of the Hokage Tower, his eyes reflecting deep thought.
Behind him, Shibi Aburame stood in front of the desk, detailing the mission:
"The group of human traffickers were first discovered by Shinichi."
"Although 'discovered' isn't quite accurate. The trafficking group found the lone Shinichi and abducted him to their base."
"Initially, we only thought it was a simple operation to deal with a group of traffickers."
"That ninja appeared later."
"Shinichi was busy branding the abducted children with the Flying Thunder God markers in the dungeon, and Shisui was using Genjutsu to calm the children. We were afraid of causing a panic if we simply let them go."
"Guy and I were setting up an ambush at the entrance to the dungeon, aiming to control everyone who came down to that location."
"The buyer couple was brought in later by someone else."
"Based on my observation, those people weren't making their first transaction."
"I was the one who engaged the black-robed person. However, my sneak attack was detected by the opponent."
"That person's Taijutsu was formidable. Although I didn't see him use any Ninjutsu, I could sense he was very strong."
"My insects couldn't get close to him, so I couldn't confirm his identity."
"Shinichi rushed to the battle using the Flying Thunder God after hearing the commotion. The opponent seemed to retreat after seeing our numbers."
A written report was just a written report. Minato was very concerned about the presence of an unidentified ninja in the Land of Fire's borders and specifically kept Shibi to hear his detailed report.
While Shibi was speaking, Minato stood by the window, his brow furrowed, quickly analyzing the intelligence. When he heard Shibi mention that the enemy chose to retreat immediately after seeing Shinichi arrive, his eyes narrowed slightly. Shibi guessed the opponent retreated because they thought reinforcements had arrived, but Minato had a different idea.
Shinichi's young age was his best protective color. Why would the opponent choose to leave because of a small child's arrival?!
Unless....
"That person likely recognized Shinichi..."
"Or rather... that person recognized the Hyūga Clan's Byakugan!"
Although Shinichi's eyes were not the pure white typical of the Hyūga Clan, but a shade of blue close to white, someone familiar with the Hyūga would instantly recognize Shinichi's eyes as belonging to the clan. The person choosing to leave was likely trying to prevent their own identity from being exposed.
"Could it be a ninja from the Village...?"
"Someone from the Third Hokage's faction, or someone from Danzō's faction..."
Minato already had multiple theories in mind, and his eyes, gazing out the window, grew deeper. After becoming Hokage, Minato had gained some understanding of the dark side of Konoha Village. Combined with the ninja's strength, Minato's suspicion was currently focused on only a few individuals.
Minato intended to dig deeper into this matter, to see if he could unearth something valuable! Wielding the full authority of the Hokage was not easy; simply relying on strength would not grant him absolute authority. To become a true Hokage, he ultimately needed to remove certain constraints! Minato was a gentle and kind person, but that didn't mean he lacked ambition. A person without ambition could not have emerged victorious in the race for Hokage.
...
A surgical light shone on an operating table.
In front of the table, dressed in protective gear and wearing a mask, Orochimaru was meticulously dissecting the corpse before him. The corpse lying on the operating table was young, a boy, likely only seven or eight years old based on his size. However, the boy's body seemed to have undergone some mutation. It was covered in a thick layer of white scales, like a snake's skin. Orochimaru was carefully cutting various tissues from different parts of the boy's body, cautiously placing them into separate containers.
"Tap—"
A faint sound of footsteps echoed in the dark corner of the laboratory. Immediately after, a low voice spoke from the shadows:
"Shibi Aburame and the others have returned to the Village. Shibi was kept alone in the office by Minato."
"Orochimaru, are you certain you've completely covered your tracks?"
"Could there be any problems?"
The low voice caused Orochimaru, who was engrossed in the dissection, to pause slightly. A moment later, Orochimaru turned his head slightly in annoyance and let out a light chuckle:
"Heh heh heh heh..."
"If you are so concerned, why don't you send your own people to clean up the mess?"
With that, Orochimaru turned back, ignoring the person in the darkness.
"Hmph!"
"Orochimaru, you and I are on the same side now!"
"If Minato discovers what we are doing, do you think we will have a place left in Konoha?"
"This entire situation is your mistake!"
"Since you already ran into Shibi Aburame, why didn't you eliminate him immediately!"
"Only by doing that can we cut off the future trouble!"
As he spoke, a person slowly emerged from the shadows. Shimura Danzō, leaning on his cane, stared grimly at Orochimaru's back, his voice filled with anger.
"There was another ninja present besides Shibi Aburame—the Jōnin Might Guy."
"And the brat from the Hyūga Clan who uses the Flying Thunder God also arrived."
"I was not confident in eliminating that brat, so retreating was the best choice."
Orochimaru continued his work without turning around.
"The Flying Thunder God...." Hearing the technique, Danzō fell silent for a moment. Then, he anxiously pressed:
"Was your appearance seen by the Hyūga brat?"
Danzō pressed on, but Orochimaru's patience finally ran out. He straightened up, took off his gloves, and said nonchalantly:
"Relax, Consultant Danzō!"
"Even if I were discovered, I wouldn't tell anyone you are the one providing me with material!"
"I failed to transport the material back to the laboratory that day. Now, I don't have enough material on hand."
"Danzō-sama, please be faster."
Orochimaru walked closer to Danzō, lightly licking his lips, an action that seemed both provocative and threatening.
"Put a stop to things for a while."
"Finding a new supply chain is not an easy task."
"Especially doing this right under the Fourth Hokage's nose."
"I will handle the material. In the meantime, I suggest you review whether you've missed anything and cover your tracks completely!"
"You must know that only the dead can keep a secret!"
"Whether it's the Aburame Clan or the Hyūga Clan, don't allow any accidents to happen!"
The cold atmosphere in the laboratory grew even gloomier after Danzō uttered those words. Orochimaru glanced sideways at Danzō and then brushed past him, walking away.
As he reached the laboratory door, Orochimaru suddenly stopped, turned back, and warned:
"What I do is not something you need to worry about, Danzō-sama."
"Next time you enter my lab, announce yourself first."
"Otherwise, you might not leave alive..."
Orochimaru licked his lips, dropped the warning, and vanished from the laboratory.
Danzō glared in the direction Orochimaru had departed, his cane fiercely striking the ground as he roared:
"That unruly brat!"
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