Danzo's expression stiffened for a split second.
Even though he'd long since figured out what kind of person Uchiha Feiyu was, the casual way the boy treated killing—like it was no different from drinking water—still sent a chill down his spine.
Danzo had seen plenty of murder-hungry shinobi. Hell, most of Root was drenched in blood. But those kinds usually ended up at one of two extremes:
Either they became numb—turning themselves into tools.
Or they went fully mad—no regard for anyone's life, including their own.
Feiyu was different.
This brat valued his own life to an absurd degree. Back when his strength wasn't fully formed, he refused any mission that carried real risk. Try to force him, and he'd smile and agree—then slack off, play dumb, and prioritize his own survival above everything. Push too hard, and Danzo had no doubt: Feiyu would defect without hesitation.
But when it came to other people's lives?
Feiyu didn't just feel indifferent—he treated them like numbers. Like they didn't even qualify as "people" in his eyes.
Danzo suppressed the irritation in his chest and spoke evenly.
"This time, it isn't an assassination. It's another kind of assignment."
"No interest," Feiyu said flatly, already turning to leave. "Send someone else."
On the surface, his face didn't change at all. But inside, Feiyu was already certain: Danzo was trying to pull something. He paused, then asked with a faint, amused tone—
"It's wartime. Four Uchiha went missing. So what? That's a problem now?"
On the battlefield, four missing shinobi was nothing. Forty missing shinobi was still "normal."
Danzo's brows twitched.
Feiyu continued lazily, as if tossing out small talk.
"Let me guess. You want me to investigate? Dig up some 'truth' you've prepared?"
Danzo's breath caught for a beat. He'd been hoping the word Uchiha might hook the boy emotionally.
Instead, Feiyu looked like he'd rather take a nap.
Danzo forced himself to stay calm and switched tactics.
"If you complete this mission, Root's forbidden techniques will be opened to you."
Feiyu almost laughed.
A year ago, that might've tempted him. But over the past year, with his Five-Senses Control, he'd already rummaged through Root's so-called "secret inheritance" until there was nothing left to surprise him. And it wasn't like Root had things on the level of the Edo Tensei or the Reaper Death Seal anyway.
"Not needed," Feiyu said, voice bored. "I already know more jutsu than I can use. If I actually study them properly, I'll be busy for the rest of my life."
Danzo's face turned a shade darker.
He took a slow breath.
"The Uchiha have had… an incident. Four shinobi with three-tomoe Sharingan have disappeared without explanation."
"Mm." Feiyu's tone was meaningless.
"They didn't vanish on the frontlines," Danzo added, his voice sharpening. "They disappeared inside Konoha."
Feiyu didn't need Danzo to explain. He already knew exactly whose "good work" this was.
Danzo leaned forward slightly.
"And Root recovered… discarded pieces of corpses. Based on examination, they're most likely those missing Uchiha. Signs of human experimentation were found."
Feiyu's mouth twitched—an expression so warped Danzo misunderstood it as fury.
Danzo felt a surge of satisfaction.
Good. So you do care, after all.
If Danzo had known the truth—that those bodies had been tossed into Feiyu's Blood Pool long ago, becoming nothing more than fuel for his evolution—he would've choked on his own smugness.
Feiyu forced the twitch back down and asked, very politely—
"So Root's assignment is for me to find the mysterious person or organization behind these experiments?"
Danzo nodded solemnly.
"Root can't openly interfere with the Uchiha clan. They're… a top family. But you are Uchiha yourself. This mission is best suited for you."
Feiyu stared at him.
Danzo's expression was so earnest it was almost inspirational.
Feiyu had to admit it—Danzo's shamelessness and moral floor were genuinely impressive. Root kidnapped the targets, delivered them to the lab, and now Danzo could look him in the eye and ask him to "investigate" the crime.
Feiyu didn't even need to think to know where Danzo wanted this to end.
If Feiyu investigated seriously, he'd "discover" Orochimaru's involvement.
And if an Uchiha saw Orochimaru dissecting their clan members…
Most Uchiha would explode.
But Feiyu?
He was the exception.
Even if he didn't already know the truth, the best outcome in his mind wouldn't be revenge. It would be bargaining with his "cheap teacher" for a cut of the leftovers.
Still… since Danzo had carefully set a trap for him—
How could Feiyu not "respect" that effort?
"Fine," Feiyu said. "Since it's an Uchiha matter, I'll take it. Any intel on the missing Uchiha?"
Danzo's aged face relaxed into a smile. He pulled out an intelligence scroll and handed it over.
"I prepared everything in advance. I'm also assigning you a few operatives skilled in investigation, tracking, and interrogation. If you have doubts during the process, you may ask them."
"Sure," Feiyu said easily. "Give me the manpower."
As he left Root with the "specialists" trailing behind him, Feiyu paused and glanced back at the dark entrance.
"So Danzo really wants to make a move… because Orochimaru's reputation's gotten too big, and the Hokage seat is within reach?"
He clicked his tongue.
"Old man's already halfway into the grave and still obsessed with being Hokage. Where does that kind of confidence even come from?"
Behind him, the Root operatives stood like statues, as if they hadn't heard a single word. In their eyes, faint tomoe-like patterns spun quietly.
The investigation itself wasn't worth talking about.
Feiyu barely lifted a finger.
He simply watched Danzo's "experts" work—picking up traces, tracing routes, "following clues."
Two or three days later, they led him to a hidden underground laboratory deep in the forest on Konoha's outskirts.
Standing before the entrance, Feiyu wore an expression of complete lack of surprise.
Because this lab… was the same place he'd once visited in silence to "collect" bodies.
"Feiyu-sama," one of the Root operatives said, kneeling low. "This is where we confirmed the missing Uchiha were taken."
Feiyu's lips curved slightly.
"That's interesting," he murmured. "This place feels… a lot like Orochimaru-sensei's style."
The kneeling men said nothing.
Feiyu waved his hand.
"Let's go. We'll see what's inside."
He pushed the door open and walked in first. The Root operatives followed immediately.
They weren't just here to "assist." They were here to observe—watching to see whether Feiyu and Orochimaru would turn on each other.
Unfortunately for Danzo…
The moment Feiyu stepped inside, his three-tomoe Sharingan flashed with an eerie glint.
Five-Senses Control activated without a sound.
In an instant, the Root operatives became puppets—breathing, blinking, obeying… and utterly unaware.
Feiyu's bloodline had advanced again. His Yin Release chakra and ocular power had surged, and his Five-Senses Control had improved dramatically—he could control more people than before, with less effort.
Even Danzo himself had been caught more than once without noticing.
These little Root agents never stood a chance.
The only limitation was that this control wasn't like some permanent "seed." Once Feiyu left the scene, the effect would naturally break.
But for now?
It was more than enough.
They walked through a long corridor.
A sealed laboratory door appeared ahead, faint warning seals etched across it.
Feiyu didn't care.
He put a hand on the door and shoved—cracking the seals apart like brittle glass.
Inside, Orochimaru's brows knit briefly. His eyes sharpened with instinctive caution.
Then he saw Feiyu.
The tension drained from him.
"Feiyu," Orochimaru said calmly. "Why are you here?"
Feiyu smiled, cheerful as ever.
"Sensei… you've been sloppy. Someone caught a handle to use against you."
Then he tilted his head and spoke as if reciting a mission brief.
"I'm here under Danzo's orders. I've come to arrest the rogue shinobi who's been using Uchiha as human experiment material."
Orochimaru's gaze went cold.
"Danzo…"
His voice turned sharp.
"What a perfect example of crossing the river and kicking away the bridge."
Crossing the river…
Feiyu's eyes narrowed slightly, catching the implication.
"Sensei. Your Wood Release research succeeded? And you reported it to Danzo?"
Orochimaru didn't deny it.
"Yes. And I didn't expect that less than three days after reporting it, he'd move to eliminate me."
Orochimaru had never minded Feiyu knowing these secrets. After all, Feiyu had been the one feeding him the direction in the first place.
And as for human experiments?
Orochimaru knew Feiyu's temperament better than anyone. Even if Orochimaru slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, Feiyu would at most sigh a few sentimental lines—then immediately figure out how to squeeze value from the corpses.
If Danzo had sent anyone else, Orochimaru might've truly been cornered already.
Instead… Danzo had given him buffer time.
Feiyu clicked his tongue.
"Sensei, you've got guts. You know exactly what Danzo is like, and you still handed him something that important."
Orochimaru's lips curled.
"And what if I did? In this entire village, besides me, who else can truly merge the power of the Sharingan with Wood Release?"
He wasn't bragging. It was simply true.
Feiyu laughed softly.
"You're confident. But Danzo's even more confident."
He clapped twice.
Behind him, the Root operatives surged forward on cue, shouting toward empty air like actors on a stage.
"Orochimaru! So you're the mastermind behind the human experiments!"
"Give up resistance and surrender!"
Orochimaru's face darkened.
…Because for the first time, it hit him.
These weren't investigators.
They were witnesses.
And the scene had already been written.
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