Chapter 45 – Orochimaru Flees, Danzō Takes the Fall — What a Beautiful Sound
That very night.
Inside Orochimaru's secret underground laboratory.
Uchiha Yujiro sat quietly, his eyes calm, as he faced the infamous mad genius himself.
Orochimaru's golden eyes glimmered under the dim light.
"So… we've been exposed, hm?"
He chuckled softly.
"As expected of Minato-kun. He might not know the full truth yet, but he's definitely sensed something."
Even now, Orochimaru's voice carried no panic—no anxiety, no irritation.
Smooth, poised, eerily composed.
Yujiro couldn't help but admire it.
"So that's how it is," he thought. "Even cornered, he's completely unruffled."
Most people, when told that the Hokage himself suspected them of treason, would break a sweat at the very least.
Orochimaru? Not even his smile changed.
He only laughed again—low, deliberate, reptilian.
"Fufufufu… well, it was inevitable. I suppose I've been a little too conspicuous lately."
---
Yes.
Yujiro had told him everything.
Minato's growing suspicions.
The Hokage's quiet request for Yujiro to keep an eye on both Orochimaru and Danzō.
He hadn't hidden a single detail.
And now, after laying it all out, Yujiro watched him carefully—searching for even a flicker of fear or tension.
Instead, what he found was… admiration.
Orochimaru actually looked impressed.
Yujiro blinked. Then it hit him.
Right—he'd almost forgotten.
Orochimaru had a soft spot for talented young men.
When Senju Nawaki died, the emotional scar hadn't just affected Tsunade—it had affected him too.
That loss had fueled his obsession with immortality, his thirst for knowledge that would never die.
It had shaped the monster he became.
And while Minato was no longer a "child,"
for Orochimaru… well, age (and even gender) were never real obstacles to interest.
So of course he admired the boy.
Yujiro sighed and couldn't stop himself from muttering:
"I'm not telling you this so you can compliment Minato, damn it. We don't need two Hokage fanboys—one's enough."
"What I mean is—what are we going to do about it? You can't seriously let Minato come after you, right?"
Orochimaru chuckled again, long and slow.
"Fufufufu… of course not. But before I say more—don't you have a plan already, Yujiro-kun?"
Yujiro smirked faintly, the tension on his face melting away.
"Naturally. I just wasn't sure if you'd be willing to go along with it, sensei."
Orochimaru waved a hand, unconcerned.
"Willing? Why not? Perhaps I was reluctant before—after all, Danzō's funding and connections were useful. But now?"
His lips curved into that chilling, serpentine smile.
"Now, it doesn't matter at all."
---
It was in that moment Yujiro understood:
Orochimaru had already made up his mind.
Danzō would be the sacrifice.
The perfect scapegoat.
And the sound of that realization—
the mental click of their scheme falling into place—
was beautiful.
Like a kunai slicing through silence.
Orochimaru would vanish.
Danzō would take the blame.
And the Leaf… would stay intact, none the wiser.
Both men were geniuses—sharp, pragmatic, and perfectly aware of what needed to be done.
It didn't take long for them to reach an unspoken agreement:
Orochimaru would leave Konoha.
They'd find a secluded yet resourceful location—beautiful, remote, and convenient for research.
Yujiro was the first to speak.
"The place needs to be accessible, but also hidden. What about… Amegakure?"
Orochimaru's thin lips curled into a slow, amused smile.
"Fufufufufu… so you were expecting this all along. Everything—Minato, Jiraiya, those foolish little students of his… even me—it's as if we're all pieces on your shogi board, Yujiro-kun."
Yujiro returned the smile, polite and unbothered.
"You give me too much credit, Sensei. I'm merely adapting to the flow of things."
"Fufufu… adapting to the flow, hm? That alone requires talent. Still, starting anew from nothing won't be cheap."
Yujiro exhaled in relief.
That tone—half amused, half resigned—told him everything.
Orochimaru had accepted.
It made perfect sense.
After all, a man obsessed with immortality was unlikely to throw his life away in some political purge.
You can't chase eternal life if you're too dead to enjoy it.
The rest was just negotiation.
---
"Your departure benefits us both," Yujiro said evenly.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.
"And once I'm gone, I suppose you and the Fourth plan to let Danzō take the blame?"
Yujiro didn't even flinch.
"Yes. Though to be precise—it's not really blame, is it? Danzō was the real mastermind. You were, at best, an accessory."
"Fufufufu… I can agree to that—in broad terms. But let's discuss the specifics, shall we?"
Yujiro smirked. He already knew what was coming.
"Fine. You'll still receive your share of the profits. And your research funding—" he paused dramatically, "—will be increased by ten percent. Any future breakthroughs, we'll continue our partnership as usual."
Orochimaru tilted his head.
"Ten percent? My, my… that's rather stingy, don't you think?"
"Then how much do you want?"
"At least fifty percent."
"What are you, a bandit?!"
Orochimaru chuckled, voice low and velvety like a snake coiling around its prey.
"Tell me, Yujiro-kun… what do you need all that money for, hmm? Charity? Altruism? How many of those people you help will truly remember you?"
His tone dripped with poison, his words deliberate and slow.
The dim laboratory light danced across his pale face, turning his every word into an incantation.
"People are fickle, Yujiro-kun. Selfish. Forgetful.
The moment you stop giving, they'll curse your name.
They'll mock you, spit on your generosity, and call you the villain.
I thought a disciple of White Fang would have understood that better than anyone."
He spoke like a serpent whispering into the dark—
magnetic, venomous, and eerily persuasive.
Truly, one of Konoha's Three Great Silver-Tongued Monsters.
For a moment, Yujiro almost applauded.
Orochimaru's composure, his rhythm, his confidence—
it was hypnotic, almost like genjutsu.
More convincing than Kotoamatsukami itself.
But Yujiro merely replied, voice calm and measured:
"You're not wrong. Which is why I don't just give—I command.
Carrot and stick, not charity."
Orochimaru gave a quiet laugh.
"How admirable. Then I'll show some good faith too. Forty percent, final offer."
Yujiro folded his arms.
"Twenty percent. Not a coin more."
"Thirty-five."
"Twenty-five."
"Thirty."
"Deal."
---
And with that, the agreement was sealed.
Without even realizing it, Shimura Danzō had just been sold—
and for a very respectable price.
The board was set, the pieces moved.
By the time anyone noticed, Danzō would already be holding the bill for Orochimaru's sins.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, accepted Yujiro's next proposal—
to participate in the coming assault on Amegakure.
He had a feeling this would be the final operation where the Legendary Sannin would ever act together.
For a fleeting moment, he looked strangely nostalgic.
"To think… this might be the last time the three of us stand together."
Then he shook his head, as if brushing the thought aside.
There was no point in sentimentality.
Yujiro didn't comment either.
Bringing back Tsunade was difficult enough; convincing Orochimaru to return was nearly impossible.
The difference between them was clear—
Tsunade's body may have left Konoha, but her heart never did.
Orochimaru's body may still be in Konoha, but his heart… had long since slithered away.
Yujiro smirked to himself.
"Only once he fully embraces his own inner femininity—
and learns to reproduce asexually—
will Orochimaru finally find peace… as a proper wife and mother."
He couldn't help but sigh.
"Kishimoto's brain must've been fried to write that one. But hey—whatever works.
As long as it's not my gender getting swapped, I wish him all the best."
---