The dark candlelight illuminated the corridors of the Root base, which seemed somewhat empty due to the lack of personnel.
A figure wearing a conical hat walked through the corridor, leaving long, narrow shadows under the flickering candlelight, making the base seem even more sinister. His body was rapidly changing, even his shadow growing longer and longer.
Swoosh.
A door quietly slid open.
Shimura Danzo sat in his seat, calmly pouring a cup of tea. He looked up, saw the visitor, and wasn't surprised in the slightest. "Did that fellow Orochimaru send you?"
Meeting a stranger alone might be dangerous, but Danzo wasn't worried. Not many people in the current ninja world could threaten him, especially here in Konoha.
"Yes," the visitor answered, standing calmly in place.
"Is there something you need my help with?" Danzo said, a hint of contempt on his face. He knew Orochimaru all too well. "After leaving Konoha, his days seem to be going swimmingly. If that fellow wasn't in trouble, he probably wouldn't have come looking for me."
"Yes," the visitor's voice remained calm.
"Where is Orochimaru now?" Danzo slowly drank his tea, still not bothering to look at the visitor. "My men have been looking for him for a long time, but have found no news."
"Now? He has joined a rather troublesome organization," the visitor said, frowning. "Although he has already established a new base in the Land of Rice Fields, he still hasn't been able to get rid of the threat from that organization."
"Which organization?" Danzo didn't pay much mind, and even said mockingly, "Hmph, after leaving the protection of Konoha, even some organizations in the ninja world can threaten him?"
That fool who thinks himself clever can't even solve some minor problems?
"This organization," the visitor slowly reached for his conical hat. "You should be very familiar with it. You've even had contact with them before."
"I and them... hmm?" As Danzo was thinking, he suddenly felt that something was not right. He instantly looked up and stared intently at the visitor, because he found the voice increasingly familiar.
And the attitude... it was a bit arrogant. Someone not familiar with him would never dare to use this tone.
The conical hat was lifted slightly, revealing a pair of narrow, snake-like pupils. Under them was a chiseled, pale face, the corners of the mouth curved into a wicked, sinister smile.
It was Orochimaru.
"It's you!" Danzo's expression changed slightly. He had not expected Orochimaru to come and see him in person. His guards had clearly reported a messenger. They must have checked his identity.
How could they not have discovered his disguise?
This was a bit awkward, because he had just spoken ill of him. Fortunately, Danzo didn't care about such small matters. He knew Orochimaru wouldn't hold it against him, and he subconsciously began to drink his tea again.
"Long time no see, Danzo," Orochimaru said, a hint of nostalgia on his face as he gazed at the old man with a bandaged head.
Really, long time no see.
Time, like a hurricane of cutting blades, had changed him into such an old man. The high spirits of his past were long gone.
"Hmph. You really have some nerve," Danzo grumbled, a little dissatisfied with Orochimaru's risky move and also trying to resolve his own embarrassment.
"If Hiruzen knew you had infiltrated the village..." Orochimaru's safety wasn't important. What was truly important was that if Hiruzen found out they had met here, he would also be in trouble.
"Right now, he probably doesn't have time to pay attention to these things, does he?" Orochimaru tilted his head up slightly, seeming to miss his teacher as well. "After all, I just prepared a big gift for him not long ago. Besides, after today, he should have even less time to pay attention to these insignificant little things."
"What did you do?" Danzo narrowed his eyes.
"Before asking that question," Orochimaru spread his arms, his voice faintly tinged with a questioning tone, "shouldn't I ask, what have you done?"
Danzo's momentum suddenly faltered.
He had done many things. Which one was this fellow asking about?
Did something he did damage Orochimaru's interests?
"The Akatsuki organization," Orochimaru took the initiative to remind him. "You should remember the name."
"Akatsuki," Danzo's brow furrowed tightly.
He quickly remembered the crisis in the Land of Rain where he had nearly died. That red-haired kid with the Rinnegan, who summoned a strange creature that spat out a terrifying chakra dragon, instantly taking the lives of dozens of people, forcing him to flee in panic.
But that organization should no longer exist.
He had never found any trace of them again. "The leader back then was a kid named Yahiko," he said in a low voice. "He was already killed by a plan I made with Hanzo."
"Unless... that red-haired kid..." Danzo thought of the young Nagato, and his voice became hoarse. "That red-haired kid with the Rinnegan, has he rebuilt the Akatsuki?"
"That's right," Orochimaru nodded slowly, his snake-like pupils gradually becoming sharper. "The Rinnegan possesses a power that can surpass the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama!"
"Hmph. Naive," Danzo couldn't help but mock him. He had seen a user of the Rinnegan, but he didn't believe they could surpass the First Hokage. "You have not truly seen the power of Lord First Hokage. Even if it is the eye of the Sage of Six Paths, it cannot match his Wood Style."
"Perhaps that may not be so," Orochimaro said, his expression unchanged. "According to the intelligence I obtained from a certain medical ninja I just revived, when the true power of the Rinnegan is unleashed, it is far above Wood Style and the Sharingan."
"Intelligence... a medical ninja..." Danzo suddenly stood up, no longer composed, his hands pressed firmly on the table. "You used Edo Tensei to revive Emiya Shirou!"
There was no need for speculation. This fellow must have revived Shirou to obtain such secret information.
This fellow! He actually secretly revived Emiya Shirou!
And he only came to tell me now! This bastard!
He also wants to use that medical ninja from the ancient era!
"No one would be unmoved by that crystal coffin," Orochimaru said, looking at the agitated Danzo, his expression still calm. "Even without me, there will be others after."
"Hand Emiya Shirou over to me!" Danzo's face immediately became serious. "Orochimaru, Emiya Shirou is not someone you can use. That is a power that belongs to Konoha!"
Just having Shirou grant his cursed seal to Konoha's ninjas could lead to a leap in their combat power.
This was something he had wanted for over forty years. "Only by handing him over to me can we maximize the benefits we get! A great figure like that will never be willing to obey your will. I have also studied the Edo Tensei jutsu. The caster may not be able to completely control the other's will!"
"Will he obey your will?" Orochimaru looked at the hand Danzo was using to cover his eye socket, seeming to have already seen through the secret under the bandages. "Can you do it with that Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Sharingan you took from Shisui Uchiha?"
"How did you know!" Danzo's exposed eye instantly tightened. He gripped the hilt of his ninja sword tighter, subconsciously wanting to draw it. This was his biggest secret, one even Hiruzen didn't know.
Thud!
Danzo's hand was suddenly pressed down.
"Because," Orochimaru said, instantly capturing Danzo's attention, "I happen to know the whereabouts of the other eye, and I also know the secret of Kotoamatsukami. This ultimate genjutsu can completely modify a person's will, but it requires a cooldown of over ten years after one use. If not for this dōjutsu, I wouldn't have personally come to Konoha to see you."
Danzo looked at him in silence.
No wonder. He came for the power of Kotoamatsukami.
And no wonder he dared to come even though he knew its power.
They were both insidious people; there was no need for further probing. Danzo knew Orochimaru wasn't afraid of his Kotoamatsukami, because the long cooldown meant he only had one chance to use it. It had to be at the most critical moment.
"Do you want to use my Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Sharingan?" Danzo's hand slowly loosened. He suddenly became calm again. "I can't possibly give this eye to you, nor will I rashly use Kotoamatsukami, which can only be used once in over ten years, for your affairs."
"After the matter is done, I will give you a Rinnegan in return," Orochimaru stated his price. "Because even if your body is transplanted with the First Hokage's cells, it can at most bear the power of one Rinnegan. For you, even the power of one Rinnegan is far more precious than Kotoamatsukami. This deal is not a loss for you."
Danzo didn't believe his promise at all. Although he couldn't help but be tempted.
"I don't want to waste my time and make a trip for nothing," Orochimaru released his hand, his stern face showing a hint of impatience. "If you don't agree, the Hokage's office will know that you have Shisui Uchiha's Kotoamatsukami Sharingan. My teacher probably wouldn't want to see you possessing the power to modify his will at any time."
"You dare threaten me!" Danzo's face instantly turned sinister. "That bastard Hiruzen is not worthy. I won't modify his will!"
This bastard! To actually use this matter to threaten him!
"A person holding a ninja sword is always suspected of committing violence," Orochimaru said, without a care.
Danzo knew he was right. Once his possession of the Sharingan was exposed, Hiruzen's vigilance would be raised to the highest level. He would never be able to tolerate him, just as he couldn't tolerate Shisui back then.
"Alright. This is not a threat. I will always need you as an ally," Orochimaru added to Danzo's stake. "Because in order to deceive Emiya Shirou, when I revived him, I claimed that I was a Konoha ninja who had feigned defection to join the Akatsuki on your orders. So I also need your continued endorsement to help me forever deceive him into being used by me."
Danzo's heart relaxed a bit. A rogue ninja like Orochimaru was unlikely to be recognized by Shirou.
An evil fellow like him would surely be despised once his true face was exposed. Only he himself could vouch for Orochimaru. This could indeed be called making a fake show into a real one. And if Orochimaru always used the name of a Konoha ninja, it meant he could also continue to use Shirou in the future.
"It's a pity," he sighed. "The opportunity to use Kotoamatsukami is too precious. I wanted to use it to control Emiya Shirou."
"Against him, Kotoamatsukami won't be effective," Orochimaru said, telling the truth while also lying. "His spiritual energy far exceeds ours."
"How do you know? You've used it?" Danzo immediately thought of the other eye. "You've already obtained the other Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Sharingan, and you've used it on Emiya Shirou?"
"It failed. But it wasn't me who did it," Orochimaru felt no pressure telling these lies. "Itachi Uchiha knows about the relationship between you and me. He thought I was using Emiya Shirou, so he used Kotoamatsukami in a foolish attempt to rewrite his will, but failed."
"Fortunately, that great figure generously forgave Itachi, and because of that, trusts us even more. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you for the Kotoamatsukami to deal with the user of the Rinnegan."
Danzo's pupils couldn't help but constrict.
That bastard Itachi Uchiha! So it was him who got the other eye! And he actually did such a thing first!
His heart was both shocked and furious, but he also couldn't help but feel a bit of relief. It meant the eye had entered a long cooldown period, which could be considered the removal of a hidden threat.
Wait, no.
If Kotoamatsukami couldn't control Shirou, then they could still only use deception. In that case, his role as the person who vouched for Orochimaru's credibility should be quite important.
"So," Orochimaru seemed to see through his thoughts and curled his lips. "Now our alliance is very important. Unprecedentedly important. I also came this time needing some research funds."
Danzo's heart was both satisfied and a little angry.
This bastard! He's really used both coercion and inducement! It seems he is determined to get my Kotoamatsukami!
However, their fates seemed to be truly tied together. He really couldn't do without Orochimaru, and Orochimaru really couldn't do without him. Asking for money was easy to talk about, but asking for his eye really filled his heart with a sense of insecurity.
"Rinnegan," no matter how uneasy he was, he had to accept Orochimaru's offer. He could only look forward to the Rinnegan he could get in the future. "Are you confident enough?"
"Enough," Orochimaru nodded slowly. "I happen to be a member of the Akatsuki. I just need to secretly find an opportunity."
"I can agree to give you the Kotoamatsukami," Danzo reached out and took out several glass jars containing Sharingan from his desk. "However, before I get that Rinnegan, I still need a Sharingan."
As long as he possessed a Sharingan, he still had the power to use Izanagi, a forbidden jutsu that could reverse life and death.
"One might not be enough, right?" A dangerous light flashed in Orochimaru's snake-like pupils. He reached out and pressed down on one of the jars. "I have just mastered a bit of new biotechnology, as well as the cursed seal energy that Emiya Shirou mastered. It's enough to make you willingly exchange that Kotoamatsukami eye with me."