The twilight afterglow scattered deep within the dense forest, and three figures moved like ghosts, the scent of blood extremely thick.
Along the way, although they had been very careful, they still encountered some Ninja from Hidden Cloud Village blocking their path.
Fortunately, there were no major incidents.
"Just a little more, the Root stronghold is just ahead."
Yakushi Nonou nodded when she heard Chiye's voice.
"Kumogakure's pursuers are even more persistent than expected…"
"After all, we killed their Jinchuriki."
The three finally passed through a patch of bushes and arrived at the hidden Root stronghold.
The heavy stone door slowly opened, and the dim torchlight illuminated the deep passage.
Once the three entered, the heavy stone door slammed shut behind them, cutting off the last ray of twilight.
Inside the Root stronghold's secret room, the atmosphere was tense.
Under the dim light, Danzo sat at the head of the table, his single eye gleaming with a cold light.
In front of him, Uchiha Chiye and Orochimaru stood side by side, while Yakushi Nonou stood to the side.
Upon seeing the three arrive, Danzo wasted no words.
"Mission report."
Orochimaru stepped forward half a pace, his golden slit pupils gleaming with excitement.
"The Eight-Tailed Jinchuriki is confirmed dead, Hidden Cloud Village has lost at least ten Jonin, and facilities within a five-mile radius around Yunlei Gorge were affected."
A dangerous arc formed on his lips.
Hearing this result, even the "Pot King" of Konoha had a hint of joy on his stiff face.
Danzo immediately stood up and quickly walked to Orochimaru's front.
"Specific details."
Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, and a sealing scroll was tossed into the air.
Danzo's single eye suddenly lit up, and the scroll was intercepted midway by a bandaged hand.
He opened the scroll and began to read.
"You have no missions recently, so feel free to stay in my Root!"
Orochimaru nodded, not refusing.
After Danzo finished speaking, his gaze skipped over Yakushi Nonou and landed on Uchiha Chiye.
"Chiye, this mission was completed exceptionally well."
Danzo's voice was low and powerful, his gaze fixed on Chiye.
"I see your strength and potential."
Chiye smiled.
"Lord Danzo, you flatter me. I merely did my duty."
Danzo nodded.
"Konoha Village's future needs talents like you. I have a proposal: I hope you will join Root and become my subordinate."
Join Root?
Isn't that handing my life over to this old man?
How could Chiye agree?
His face remained calm, and his tone was steady.
"Lord Danzo, I appreciate your kindness. However, the war on the front lines cannot do without me, and I cannot leave at this time."
Danzo's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
"The war on the front lines is indeed important, but Root also needs a genius like you. By joining Root, you will gain more resources and support, allowing you to better unleash your potential."
What, are all of you in Root talented?
However, Chiye was quite adept at dealing with such situations.
"Lord Danzo, I understand what you mean. Joining Root would certainly enhance my skills and strength. However, the war on the front lines is where my concern lies, and it is my most important mission right now. I cannot leave at this time. Konoha Village's future needs us to protect it together, and I hope to continue serving the Village on the front lines."
The light in Danzo's single eye flickered slightly, as if he was weighing Chiye's words.
He was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Alright, since you insist, I won't force you. But I hope you remember that Root's door is always open for you."
Chiye smiled slightly and bowed.
"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Danzo."
Orochimaru's eyes held a hint of playfulness.
He licked his lips and said softly, "Chiye-kun, won't you consider it more? Going to the front lines is to contribute to the Village, and Root is the same."
Chiye smiled slightly, not responding.
He knew Orochimaru's thoughts, but he would not be easily manipulated by anyone, no matter who.
Danzo's gaze swept over Chiye and Orochimaru, finally landing on Yakushi Nonou.
"Yakushi Nonou, how is your situation?"
Yakushi Nonou bowed her head slightly, her voice calm.
"Lord Danzo, I have completed the mission as per your orders. Now, I wish to rest for a period."
Danzo's gaze flashed with an almost imperceptible hint of displeasure, but he still nodded.
"Alright, you've worked hard. Go rest."
Yakushi Nonou bowed slightly and turned to leave the secret room.
Seeing this, Chiye also did not linger and walked out, leaving the Root stronghold.
Inside the secret room, only Orochimaru and Danzo remained.
"Lord Danzo, it seems the recruitment failed!"
Danzo glanced at the smiling Orochimaru and snorted coldly.
"An Uchiha who doesn't know what's good for him."
"Orochimaru, have you made any breakthroughs in your Sharingan research that I entrusted to you earlier?"
Upon hearing "Sharingan," Orochimaru put away his smile.
"If Lord Danzo wishes to transplant a Sharingan, I'm afraid Hashirama's Cells will be needed as an auxiliary."
Almost every Sharingan possesses "spiritual power," so to fully utilize the power of the Sharingan, corresponding "physical energy" is needed for balance.
Without corresponding "physical energy" for balance, discomfort or Chakra exhaustion would occur.
Just like Kakashi in the original story, using the Sharingan too much would make him look like he had kidney failure.
And to increase the corresponding "physical energy" for non-Uchiha individuals, Hashirama's Cells are the first choice.
Hashirama's Cells can provide a large amount of "physical energy," and once successful, there would be no need to worry about one's own consumption.
However, fusing with Hashirama's Cells still carries a certain risk.
Danzo was silent for a moment, a hint of madness appearing in his eyes.
"Didn't you say you had a stable plan some time ago? I can't wait any longer, proceed with the transplant!"
After Danzo spoke, he carefully took out a scroll from his embrace, bit his finger, and pressed it onto the scroll.
A glass bottle appeared before the two of them.
"This is also a Sharingan?"
Gazing at the Sharingan in the glass bottle, Orochimaru's eyes lit up and he immediately became interested.
"Mm, this is a Mangekyo Sharingan, which surpasses the Three-Tomoe Sharingan."
Mangekyo… Sharingan, huh?
Orochimaru gazed at the eye in the glass bottle, his eyes gradually replaced by intense interest.
"Lord Danzo, such an eye, if it were used for research…"
Danzo snorted coldly.
"I only have this one such eye."
"Begin!"
Danzo said, unwrapping the "eye" that was bound with bandages.
"What a pity!~"
Hearing that there was only one, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
He looked at Danzo's empty eye socket, a hint of teasing in his gaze.
"Lord Danzo, since you didn't transplant a normal eye before, the tissue around the eye socket has necrotized a bit. It looks like it needs to be thoroughly cleaned before transplantation!"
Danzo's single eye had a gloomy look, as if he had already expected it.
"Clean it!"