"We understand, Aoshi-sensei." Kurenai and the other two answered in unison.
With a nod, Aoshi led the three of them to familiarize themselves with the working environment of Konoha Hospital.
Then came their first real surgery.
"Remember—during the operation, you act only after receiving my instructions. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me immediately."
He gave them one final reminder.
Then Aoshi led the three into the treatment room and began the procedure.
---
At the same time, inside Konoha Prison.
Danzo was still seething in helpless rage.
That's right. Even though more than two years had passed, he was still being held in Konoha Prison.
During this time, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu had tried to intervene on his behalf.
But every request had been flatly rejected by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At first, Hiruzen had still cared about their old friendship and considered finding a reason to release Danzo after some time.
However—as the days passed, he gradually realized something astonishing.
…After locking Danzo up, the village had far fewer problems.
Konoha had become noticeably more peaceful.
Even the Uchiha Clan, which had always given him endless headaches, was no longer as difficult to manage as before.
This discovery made Sarutobi Hiruzen decide that keeping Danzo in prison indefinitely was the better choice.
Everything was for the sake of the village. Presumably, Danzo would understand.
Unfortunately, Danzo did not understand at all.
For every extra day he spent behind bars, the hatred in his heart toward Aoshi, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and everyone else only grew deeper.
"What on earth is Orochimaru doing? How long has it been? Why hasn't he taken action yet?"
Two years. He had already rotted in this hellhole for more than two years. And it was rapidly approaching three.
"Heh… Danzo, you're still as impatient as ever." At that moment, a raspy voice echoed through the darkness.
It was Orochimaru. The voice came first. Then, in the next second, a familiar figure slithered out from the mouth of a small snake.
"To make sure the operation succeeds, every preparation must be flawless."
It sounded like an excuse for delaying more than two years.
After appearing, Orochimaru calmly offered his explanation.
Hearing this, Danzo snorted but said nothing more.
Clearly, he accepted it. And even if he didn't, there was nothing he could do.
At this point, aside from Orochimaru, he had no one else to rely on.
As for Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu—in Danzo's eyes, they were nothing but useless dead weight.
For over two years, they hadn't been able to get him out of this cursed prison.
A dignified Hokage's Assistant—a man once aimed to be a future Hokage—being locked up like a criminal.
Did that make any sense?
"Since you've come, I assume you've brought news that will finally please me," Danzo said coldly.
Hearing that, Orochimaru let out a low, hoarse chuckle. "Of course. The preparations are complete. I'm ready to put the plan into motion—and I'll need help from Root."
The moment those words were spoken, even Danzo couldn't hide the spark of joy in his eyes.
Finally. A revenge delayed for more than two years.
"Very well. When the time comes, I'll have Ryoma lead a team to act with you."
Although Danzo trusted Root's loyalty, he would never hand over command to Orochimaru.
Even though the two had always cooperated… they were never truly of one mind.
They were bound by—interests—nothing more.
And Aburame Ryoma was Danzo's most trusted subordinate. Only by having Ryoma stay beside Orochimaru could Danzo feel at ease.
Orochimaru naturally saw through these little calculations. He smiled faintly and didn't bother to comment.
Danzo looked down on Homura and Koharu every day. But in truth, Orochimaru looked down on Danzo just as much.
A man with no real vision—yet he still wanted to become Hokage?
In Orochimaru's eyes, Danzo's way of controlling subordinates was crude and outdated.
Someone like him would never become Hokage. If not for their shared interests, Orochimaru wouldn't have cooperated with him at all.
"So, how exactly do you plan to proceed?" With his mood improving, Danzo's tone grew more relaxed.
Orochimaru slowly licked the corner of his mouth with his snake-like tongue.
"Aoshi is extremely strong. If we want him truly dead, we must prepare an ambush in advance."
"For that purpose, I've already contacted people from Kusagakure. The operation will take place at Hozuki Castle."
Orochimaru's words made Danzo frown slightly.
"Kusagakure?" Doubt filled his voice.
If Hirakawa Aoshi was truly that dangerous, why cooperate with a small village? Could such a plan really succeed?
"Don't underestimate Kusagakure," Orochimaru replied calmly. "They may not compare to Konoha, but their strength is still respectable."
"This plan was designed by me personally. The lord of Hozuki Castle has mastered a sealing technique capable of suppressing a ninja's chakra."
"No matter how strong Aoshi is, once his chakra is sealed, he'll be nothing more than prey waiting to be slaughtered."
In the end, a ninja's power always came down to chakra.
A ninja who lost their chakra was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person.
Seeing Orochimaru's absolute confidence, Danzo finally let go of his doubts.
Indeed. If Orochimaru was personally taking action, failure was unlikely.
"By the way," Danzo added, "how is the Wood Release experiment progressing?"
After discussing Aoshi, this was the matter he cared about most.
He firmly believed that once he mastered Wood Release, Konoha—no, the entire ninja world—would be under his control.
"It's the same as before. None of the test subjects could withstand the power of Wood Release. All of them died."
In truth, over the past two-plus years, Orochimaru had experimented on hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of people.
Every single one of them had died. Yet the way he spoke made it sound as though only a few lab animals had perished.
Danzo was no different. He didn't care about the lives lost.
What dissatisfied him was that, after so long, there were still no results.
Root was no longer what it used to be. Supporting Orochimaru's research had become increasingly difficult.
"Orochimaru, I don't want excuses," Danzo said coldly. "I want results."
Seeing his displeasure, Orochimaru merely smiled.
"It's not that there's been no progress. Once we deal with Aoshi, I'll devote more energy to the Wood Release experiments."
"By then, there will certainly be results."
Listening to yet another carefully worded promise, Danzo could only swallow his frustration. "I hope so."
---
Meanwhile, at Konoha Hospital, the surgery also concluded successfully.
"For newcomers, the three of you performed very well," Aoshi said. "At this rate, you'll soon become full-fledged members."
Hearing that, Kurenai and the other two were filled with excitement.