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"Konoha needs power," Danzo said plainly. "Your research could give us that."
"And what do I receive for dirtying my hands?" Orochimaru asked.
"I will supply funds. Complete anonymity. And whatever resources you require."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed into slits. "An S-rank confidential assignment, then."
Danzo nodded.
Orochimaru almost laughed. "You expect me to continue such work here? Inside Konoha walls? Even I'm not that reckless."
Danzo simply stared at him, unblinking.
Orochimaru realized he wasn't being asked. He was being handled. But it is ok, I don't have to bother about funds and I was anyway planning to experiment on hashirama cells after the fight he witnessed.
"I can leave whenever I want," Orochimaru thought to himself, "and you know it, Danzo." But there was still one thing tying him here... one bond not yet severed. Tsunade. The only friend he still felt a shred of warmth for.
Just as that thought sharpened, an intrusive image pushed itself into his mind... Jiraiya grinning stupidly, saying, What about me?
Orochimaru's face twitched with irritation. He shook the memory off and met Danzo's gaze again.
"Very well," he said. "I'll consider your request."
Danzo smirked faintly. "Try not to take too long."
Orochimaru turned to leave. The kunoichi by the door watched him pass with eyes like a hawk sizing up a threat. Orochimaru glanced at her briefly.
So he took her in. He is upping his own faction. Danzo, it seemed, was gathering new pieces for his board. Orochimaru left with a soft, snake-like chuckle echoing through the hallway.
--
Once the doors shut, the kunoichi stepped forward.
"Orders, Danzo-sama?"
Danzo didn't answer at first. He studied the Hokage chair again, fingers tapping once, twice. He was close. Just one decisive push from sitting in it fully—not as a caretaker, but as Konoha's new shadowed sun.
"We move to phase two," Danzo said at last. "Strengthen Root. And monitor Orochimaru. Closely." "And you have a new mission."
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
She bowed once, her movements crisp and absolute, and departed.
Danzo exhaled quietly. Everything was shifting too fast... Hiruzen gone, the Raikage wounded but alive, the Fugaku fought too well against the raikage, the war tightening its jaws. And somewhere in that tangle, Orochimaru walked free, unpredictable as venom always ready to bite his fangs.
Danzo sat in the Hokage chair and let the village lay beneath him like a fragile thing waiting to be shaped.
"Soon," he whispered, "Konoha will have the strength it needs. And I will make sure of it."
--
The courtyard atop the Kumo training plateau was packed wall to wall. Storm clouds hadn't gathered yet, but the air still carried that sharp sound the mountains were known for. Young genin and chūnin.... some confident, some terrified... stood in line as the elite instructor paced in front of them.
He raised his voice enough to carry across the stone terrace.
"Today, we search for the partner of the future Third Raikage. The one who earns this title will be known as Bee."
There was no cheering. Every candidate understood the weight behind that single word. Being Bee wasn't just a ceremonial title. It meant living as the Raikage's shield, sparring partner, final safeguard. Dozens had already failed in the last three months.
The Second Raikage stood to the side with Green B, the current Eight-Tails jinchūriki. Green B looked tired in a way that had nothing to do with injuries. The octopus inside him had grown restless lately... violent, unpredictable, and more demanding than ever.
If we don't find the right partner soon, Green B thought, even I won't last.
The elite instructor stepped forward once more and demonstrated the lariat. It wasn't elegant. It was blunt power given shape: a straight line of acceleration, a shoulder lowered, and then impact strong enough to warp a training dummy like wet clay.
Candidates were called in one at a time. The future Third Raikage... still young but already monstrously built... stood at the opposite end of the field. He wasn't using his full strength. He didn't need to. Even the faintest flex of his natural power sent the first three candidates tumbling through the air like tossed stones.
The Fourth candidate tried using chakra reinforcement. He still sailed away, coughing blood.
Another tried dodging. Didn't help.
Another tried countering with his own lariat. He bounced off the future Raikage's chest like a child running into a tree.
Eventually the murmurs grew louder. Green B folded his arms and looked at the Second Raikage.
"This isn't working. They can't survive against him."
"They don't need to survive against him," the Second Raikage replied quietly. "They only need to match him."
Green B didn't look convinced.
After the twelfth failure, the instructor glanced down at his list. A name with no clan identifier. No proper place of birth. Barely any formal academy training.
"Next. Candidate… Benihime."
She stepped forward with a deliberate slowness, not out of fear but from the simple fact she didn't particularly care about the rush. A pacifier rested between her lips, bright red against her pale face. She didn't remove it. Her expression didn't change.
She had a headband. Her stance was casual, shoulders loose, eyes half-lidded as if she had just woken up.
The future Raikage eyed her for a moment, confused more than anything. She didn't carry herself like a fighter, but something about her posture... settled, balanced... made even seasoned shinobi pay attention.
The instructor stepped aside.
"Begin."
They vanished at the same time. No preliminary footwork and no chakra flare. Just a blur of motion as both launched forward.
The crash never came.
What they heard instead was a sharp, rubbery snap... clean and sudden. A rubber doll head rolled across the ground, bisected cleanly.
Gasps echoed across the plateau. Benihime stood exactly where she had started, arms folded which are covered in red bruise. The future Raikage skidded to a halt a few meters behind her. His forearm had red marks carved across it... not deep, but enough to surprise him.
The instructor scrambled for the candidate list, staring at the sparse profile.
"She's not… she's not even from a numbered sector," he murmured.
He cleared his throat and said aloud, "It doesn't matter. You have already proved you are worthy of the title, Lady Bee—"
The girl shifted the pacifier slightly and said, "Benihime."
--
A/N: A little past. It would be weird if the third raikage didn't have his own bee. From the known characters there is no one suited to be the third raikage partner.
Green B is the father of Blue B. Blue B mentioned to Ay that his father and his uncle were also jinchuriki and they couldn't control it.