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At the Uchiha household, Sasuke informed Itachi and the others that he had been promoted to Jōnin and had accepted a long-term mission that required him to leave the village alone.
"Why did you take on a solo mission?" Itachi asked, a bit puzzled. Deep down, he wondered if his younger brother was drifting away from him.
"I want to experience the world on my own. I can't always live under your shadow," Sasuke replied with a small smile.
Originally, he wanted to poke Itachi's forehead in their usual gesture, but Itachi had grown taller and remained standing, so Sasuke couldn't reach.
"That's fine. I'm not worried about your strength. When do you leave?" Fugaku asked calmly, trusting his son's capabilities.
"I leave right away. The mission is urgent," Sasuke said, though he was hiding the full truth.
"Then prepare quickly. Be careful outside. No matter who your opponent is, don't let your guard down," Fugaku reminded him.
Sasuke nodded. He didn't really have much to pack—he had mainly returned to inform them.
After saying goodbye, Sasuke immediately departed for Kusagakure (the Village Hidden in the Grass). The mission he accepted was A-rank, requiring him to track down and eliminate a missing-nin who had fled from Konoha to the Land of Grass—dead or alive. The target wasn't especially strong—just a Tokubetsu Jōnin—but Sasuke wasn't concerned about difficulty.
The mission was scheduled to last up to six months. Bounty and rogue ninja hunts were typically long and thankless—low pay, high uncertainty. Most shinobi avoided them, but for Sasuke, the solitude and challenge made it ideal.
He planned to stay out even after completing the mission, only returning near the end of the assignment window…
Near Kusagakure, in the Land of Grass, a man with half his body wrapped in bandages followed a patterned snake to a tall tree. He tapped the trunk a few times. The grass beside the tree slid open, revealing a hidden underground passage. The mysterious man disappeared into the earth.
Below, in a dimly lit underground lab filled with strange equipment, Orochimaru sensed something and turned from his experiment table.
"What's the real meaning behind the message you sent me?" asked Shimura Danzō, sitting across from him in a stone-walled chamber.
"Exactly what it said," Orochimaru rasped with a smile. "I'll help you eliminate Minato. In exchange, you'll provide me with uninterrupted access to experimental materials."
Danzo's gaze narrowed, full of skepticism.
"Are you delusional? You already lost to Minato when you competed for Hokage. Now he's Hokage and the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. What part of this do you think sounds believable?" Danzo scoffed.
"Heh heh heh… If you came here, you must've believed me a little. I've never lied to you, but you've stabbed me in the back more than once," Orochimaru said coldly.
"What's your plan? If you can actually accomplish this, I'll get you all the bodies and resources you want. I could even push Konoha into war to fuel your experiments."
Danzo's tone was measured, but inside he was already intrigued. Minato had become an immovable obstacle in his path to power. Hiruzen's fading influence wasn't enough to challenge him.
In truth, Hiruzen had proven weak and ineffective, even losing grip of ANBU, most of whom now answered to Minato. Danzo didn't understand what the old man had ever seen in the Yellow Flash.
"I've completed the second Hokage's forbidden technique," Orochimaru said.
Danzo's expression shifted.
"You mean… the Impure World Reincarnation?"
Orochimaru nodded slowly.
"As his disciple, you should know how terrifying this jutsu is. One user can raise an entire army. If you provide me with enough DNA samples from powerful shinobi, defeating Minato will be easy. And afterward… you become the Fifth Hokage, yes?" Orochimaru said, his voice like a venomous whisper.
Danzo's mind lit with possibility. To be Hokage. To reshape Konoha as the strongest village in the world. He stopped thinking about anything else.
"I can get you DNA from some of Konoha's best," Danzo said. "But I want to hear the rest of the plan."
"It's simple. Lure Minato out. Kidnap his son, his students, maybe both," Orochimaru said smoothly.
Hearing the specifics, Danzo relaxed.
"Very well. I accept your proposal. Don't disappoint me," he said, rising to leave.
"Wait. I have another deal to offer," Orochimaru said, halting him.
Danzo paused, then sat again.
Orochimaru pulled out a scroll, released its seal, and revealed three cylindrical containers. Inside each floated a pair of Sharingan eyes, preserved and ominously glowing.
"You've dabbled in the Uchiha's forbidden techniques. I can transplant these eyes into your arm," Orochimaru offered.
Danzo's heart jumped. He had once learned about the ultimate ocular jutsu—Izanagi—from Uchiha Kagami, his old comrade. It was a technique that could turn death itself into illusion. But as a non-Uchiha, his body had limited ability to use it. Even after transplanting a Sharingan, he could only maintain the jutsu for around 60 seconds.
More eyes meant more power. But with the Uchiha clan regaining stability in the village, Sharingan were almost impossible to acquire now. The three pairs Orochimaru presented stirred great greed in him.
"What's the price?" Danzo asked, his voice neutral.
Orochimaru smirked. "You have a Root operative in Uchiha Itachi's team. I want all the intelligence you've gathered on Itachi and his younger brother Sasuke."
Although Orochimaru had agreed to another secret arrangement, he still needed more data.
"Done. I'll give it to you after the transplant succeeds," Danzo said.
"You'll need to prepare. Stay here a few days," Orochimaru rasped.
Danzo silently reached toward the containers, running his fingers along the glass…
—
At the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain, a blond-haired boy and a short, elderly man walked slowly in the direction of Kusagakure. Both wore black cloaks patterned with ominous red clouds.
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Five chapters uploaded every two days on patreon.
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