In the sterile operating room of the Root, Shimura Danzo admired his new arm. It was a grotesque masterpiece: pristine white, adorned with the black, sprawling energy of a cursed seal, and embedded with eleven crimson Sharingan that stared out like bloodshot jewels.
The entire limb was a cocktail of Hashirama Senju's cells, Emiya Shirou's cursed seal, and the Uchiha clan's prized dōjutsu.
"You, my friend," Danzo said, caressing the arm as if it were a priceless work of art, "are a true, out-and-out genius."
The way these wildly different powers fused so perfectly was a marvel. The Hashirama cells, which had always been aggressively corrosive in past experiments, were now bizarrely stable. He could even feel the hum of Wood Style chakra within his grasp.
A surge of excitement coursed through him.
Even if Orochimaru failed to deliver the Rinnegan, this arm alone—capable of casting Izanagi eleven times—was a game-changer. It was an insurance policy against death, its value nearly on par with the legendary Kotoamatsukami.
And the cursed seal...
This arm not only contained the raw physical energy of the First Hokage and the potent spiritual power of the Sharingan but also amplified his own strength exponentially.
Orochimaru's eyes flickered, his gaze analytical. Besides the obvious risk of being controlled by the curse seal's master, the arm was flawless.
"Well then," he said, his voice a silken drawl, "until next time."
He reached for the glass bottle on the operating table, the one containing Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.
"Wait," Danzo called out, tossing a scroll. "The research funding you requested. If it's not enough, let me know. I'm not a cheapskate like that fool Hiruzen."
Orochimaru caught the scroll, a strange, satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"Leave Konoha as soon as you can," Danzo advised, already eager to test out his new Wood Style capabilities. "And don't forget our little alliance. If you learn any ancient secrets from Emiya Shirou... I expect you to share."
"Of course," Orochimaru replied smoothly, tucking the scroll away. "And a word of advice for you: start enhancing your chakra with this arm immediately. The Rinnegan is immensely powerful. Even a single one requires a body of considerable strength."
"Don't worry about me," Danzo said, a new fire in his eyes. Now that Hiruzen had relieved him of his duties, he had all the time in the world to train. He wouldn't fall behind. The transaction had been exceptionally satisfactory.
But after Orochimaru left the Root base, his appearance shimmered and changed, melting away to reveal Emiya Shirou.
Crack. The glass bottle in his hand shattered. The Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Sharingan inside was instantly consumed by a flicker of Fire Style, turning to ash. This wasn't just about a mission reward; it was part of his own, much larger plan.
Shirou had always been meticulous about eliminating potential threats, and a dōjutsu that could rewrite a person's will was a loose end he couldn't tolerate.
SSS-Rank Mission: Destroy Shimura Danzo's Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo Sharingan. Mission complete. Reward: Body Flicker Technique (Shisui), Ninja Crows (Summoning Beast), Uchiha Style Kenjutsu, S-Rank Kunai Throwing Technique, S-Rank Genjutsu, enhancement of Sharingan's visual prowess!
Is this... basically half of Shisui's entire life's work?
Shirou mused. It seemed everything but the dōjutsu itself had been handed over. He wasn't complaining. For his reanimated body, which had yet to recover its full strength, these abilities were incredibly useful.
He'd never bothered with genjutsu before—his own spiritual energy was already overwhelming—but now, he could cast powerful illusions without even needing a Sharingan. Still, there was another eye to deal with. Itachi's.
His earlier dismissal of Kotoamatsukami's effectiveness had been a calculated lie to placate Danzo. No one in their right mind would tolerate such a bizarrely overpowered ability, especially in the hands of someone as extreme as Danzo.
"Lord Emiya," Kabuto's figure materialized before him.
"Kabuto," Shirou said, tossing him the scroll. "Danzo's funds. Keep them. If you need more, ask him for it. But when you get back, keep a close eye on Orochimaru. Make sure he has no further contact with Danzo."
"Yes, sir," Kabuto replied, though the inner workings of this complex game were clearly beyond him.
"Now isn't the time to deal with Danzo completely," Shirou explained with a sincerity that felt almost out of place. "Partly to avoid alerting Konoha, and partly for my own reasons. I still need him for a few things. Danzo will keep pestering Orochimaru for the Rinnegan. Just stall him. Tell him the time isn't right."
"The time isn't right?" Kabuto echoed, but he didn't question the decision. He understood the value of an eye like Kotoamatsukami.
"Yes," Shirou's gaze drifted to the lake in the distance. "The time isn't right."
-----
By the shore of that lake, as the sun began to set, a black-haired boy sat on the grass, his face a twisted mask of pain and resentment. On the road nearby, a yellow-haired kid with goggles trudged along, his head hanging in dejection.
"Those two," Kabuto noted, frowning. "Ninja academy students?"
"Yes," Shirou nodded, a strange knowing in his voice. "And they'll become very strong in the future."
"You must be joking," Kabuto smiled, but Shirou didn't seem like the joking type.
Is there something special about them?
Kabuto stared intently, trying to see what his master saw. He'd have to gather intel on them.
"One of them is named Sasuke Uchiha," Shirou revealed. "An Uchiha on whom hatred and love have been inexplicably and forcefully imposed. Carrying all that from such a young age will make him more extreme than any other."
"Itachi Uchiha's younger brother," Kabuto realized immediately. The last of his name in Konoha.
"Should we eliminate him?" He had no moral qualms about it, following Orochimaru tended to strip one of such things.
"No, there's no need for that," Shirou said. He wasn't about to let the boy he'd waited a thousand years for fall into danger.
"In fact, we need to protect him. With the weight he's carrying, he might just become our ally in the future." His gaze shifted to the other boy. "And that one... is the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that everyone in Konoha avoids."
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki," Kabuto understood.
"I hope they grow up a little faster," Shirou's eyes lowered, a hint of ancient longing in them.
When he devised the resurrection plan in ancient times to see the two little ones, he had already prepared himself mentally. Yet, after all, the countless years spent in the underworld proved a bit too long for him.
He placed a hand on Kabuto's shoulder, and with a flash of the Flying Thunder God Technique, they vanished from Konoha. Kabuto had his own mission: to retrieve the children Orochimaru had left at his northern base.
Shirou, meanwhile, had to return to the Land of Rain and deal with Black Zetsu, who was no doubt impatiently waiting for him to start capturing the Tailed Beasts. Stalling Black Zetsu was never easy.
Fortunately, there was always someone else to take the blame.
Someone like Obito Uchiha, who had been sidelined since Shirou's resurrection and was itching to regain control of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Coincidentally, Shirou had been giving him plenty of opportunities. He wouldn't have put Obito and Orochimaru together otherwise.