"You still love playing these little tricks."
Although Danzo wasn't surprised by Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions, he still found them annoying.
Just moments ago, he had been full of determination to promote high-quality seeds for the benefit of the entire ninja world.
And now, this old man Sarutobi Hiruzen was dragging him down. Who wouldn't be furious?
More importantly, without the village's financial support, Root was in real trouble.
That was what angered Danzo the most.
The original Danzo had never thought to secure his own private assets over the years, relying solely on village funds to keep Root operational.
Foolish…
Utterly foolish.
Sitting in his personal chair, Danzo's expression darkened slightly.
"As expected, economic power must be in my own hands."
He stroked his cane, seriously considering whether he should establish a business association or something similar.
Not only could it bypass the village to fund Root, but it would also prepare for his future plans.
Since Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to use the nobility to suppress him, there was no need for him to hand over these seeds right away.
Seeing Danzo deep in thought, Shisui dared not interrupt and waited patiently until Danzo came back to his senses.
"Teacher, what should we do next?"
Silently enduring hostility from others was not the way of Root or the darkness of the ninja world.
Danzo smirked.
"Heh, since Sarutobi Hiruzen made the first move against me, I won't hold back either."
"Tell Kakashi to come see me."
Shisui immediately complied.
Before long, Kakashi arrived before Danzo.
"Lord Danzo."
By this time, Kakashi was completely devoted to Danzo, obeying his every command without question.
"I have an important mission for you."
Danzo spoke as he pushed a scroll toward Kakashi.
Kakashi picked it up, examined its contents, and immediately showed a puzzled expression.
"Hiruko?"
Under his Dog mask, Kakashi frowned.
The scroll described a ninja named Hiruko.
Judging by the timeline, he seemed to be from the same generation as Jiraiya and Tsunade.
But Kakashi had never heard of him before.
Even through his mask, Danzo could sense Kakashi's confusion. He chuckled.
"Don't underestimate this ninja. While he lacks the talent for combat and training like the Sannin, in other areas, his abilities rival even Orochimaru."
Danzo's evaluation piqued Kakashi's curiosity.
After all, few people in the ninja world received such high praise from Lord Danzo.
"Go. Your task is to monitor him. If possible, find something incriminating about him."
"If necessary, you may reveal a few weaknesses of your own."
Danzo lifted his gaze, his eyes seemingly piercing through everything in the world.
"Don't worry—I'll be watching you."
Without hesitation, Kakashi accepted the mission.
"I will complete the task!"
— — —
Before long, the consequences of the Daimyo's budget cuts became evident.
A large number of projects and constructions within the village were halted due to financial pressure.
Even some basic infrastructure temporarily shut down.
For a time, the villagers were full of complaints.
Many voices within the village started blaming Danzo.
They claimed that if Danzo hadn't insisted on starting the war and disrespecting the nobility, Konoha wouldn't be in this crisis.
The accusations against Danzo were anonymously published in several Konoha tabloids.
That's right—after the explosive popularity of The Shinobi World Union Times, various small newspapers sprang up like bamboo shoots after the rain.
Among them was The Hokage Report, founded by the Third Hokage, which primarily focused on Sarutobi Hiruzen's interpretations and analysis of the Will of Fire.
Danzo, however, took a completely hands-off approach.
He didn't seem to care that his idea had been plagiarized, nor did he mind people using these publications to attack him.
He also made no effort to restrict or suppress the distribution of these tabloids.
—
"Lord Danzo, it seems like things aren't going too well for you lately."
In a hidden underground laboratory in Konoha, Orochimaru observed Danzo with an intrigued expression.
From being hailed as a Konoha hero to becoming the target of public criticism—he was curious to know what was truly going through Danzo's mind.
But Danzo's expression remained utterly indifferent.
"They're nothing more than petty rabble."
His attention was fully focused on the test tubes before him.
Inside these variously sized test tubes were large amounts of green liquid.
Suspended within them were countless small fragments of a sharp horn—cut from the head of the Five-Tails.
"Orochimaru, rather than wasting time worrying about outside gossip, you'd be better off focusing on the experiments."
Danzo spoke in the tone of a mentor.
Orochimaru chuckled coldly.
He wasn't naïve enough to believe that the Darkness of Shinobi in front of him hadn't already devised a counterattack.
Danzo had likely begun plotting his response the very moment he received the news.
But there was no need to say that out loud.
If Danzo wasn't going to mention it, there was no need for him to ask.
Setting aside his curiosity, Orochimaru shifted his focus back to the experiment.
"The growth of these Tailed Beast cells is progressing at a steady rate," Orochimaru noted, "but at this pace, it will take decades to reach the scale you're aiming for."
Danzo glanced at him and asked,
"Then how did you cultivate your Eight-Tails cells?"
He distinctly remembered that in the original timeline, Orochimaru had managed to grow Eight-Tails cells to nearly the same size as one of the original beast's horns.
A flicker of surprise passed through Orochimaru's eyes.
This old man… he knows too much about my secrets.
It seems I need to thoroughly investigate my research team.
Quickly concealing the cold glint in his eyes, Orochimaru's face returned to its usual faint smirk.
"That's because, in order to cultivate Tailed Beast cells, one crucial condition must be met."
"And that is the environment."
Placing both hands on the control panel, Orochimaru's face was bathed in the eerie green glow of the liquid. He looked almost otherworldly.
"Unlike humans, Tailed Beasts don't extract chakra from within themselves—they are pure chakra entities."
"If they need chakra, they simply absorb it from the air."
"This process is as natural to them as breathing is to humans."
A smirk played on Orochimaru's lips, his tone laced with both admiration for the Tailed Beasts and disdain for humanity's frailty.
"They do not age. They do not die. They are eternal."
"However, chakra does not appear out of thin air. The chakra that Tailed Beasts absorb from the air is, in essence, the energy that dissipates from the deceased before they reach the Pure Land."
Hearing this, Danzo immediately grasped the implication.
"You're saying that when a human dies, their chakra disperses, and the Tailed Beasts absorb it?"
Orochimaru nodded.
Talking to someone intelligent was easy—just a few words, and Danzo had already understood the concept.
Still, he elaborated further:
"It's not just death. Every time you use a jutsu, or even through the basic activities of life, chakra constantly dissipates."
"This stray chakra drifts through the air until, eventually, it is absorbed by the Tailed Beasts, becoming a part of their own chakra reserves."
Danzo raised an eyebrow. He had to admit that Orochimaru's theory had some merit.
"So, if we want the Tailed Beast cells to grow faster, the best way is to keep them in an environment where people are constantly dying?"
Orochimaru nodded, a wicked grin forming on his face.
"Or, you could gather enough sacrifices to accelerate the growth of the Tailed Beast cells."
Danzo shot him a glance and said,
"If your teacher knew you had become such a depraved shinobi, I'm sure he'd be quite disappointed."
Orochimaru, however, didn't take offense. Instead, he smirked and countered,
"Lord Danzo, have you forgotten your own title just because you've acquired a new nickname?"
"When it comes to darkness and cruelty, even a hundred of me wouldn't compare to you."
Orochimaru chuckled coldly. Having once been Danzo's right-hand man, he knew Danzo all too well.
The entire world could call him dark and evil, but Danzo was the last person who had the right to judge.
Danzo didn't bother continuing the verbal sparring and instead gestured for two Root shinobi to step forward.
Since Orochimaru had proposed the theory, Danzo figured he might as well test it.
He immediately ordered the two shinobi to retrieve six prisoners from the Root dungeon.
These were enemy shinobi—already sentenced to death. Using them for experiments was simply efficient recycling.
If the experiment succeeded, perhaps their deaths could even serve as fuel for Konoha's flames.
Once the prisoners were brought in, Danzo transferred a sample of the Tailed Beast cells to a sealed laboratory.
Then, he led the prisoners inside.
To minimize outside interference, he layered the lab with numerous sealing jutsu, completely isolating it from the outside world.
And then—amidst their screams—Danzo casually waved his hand.
The hidden mechanisms in the room swiftly ended their lives.
As their bodies thudded to the ground, Danzo activated the Byakugan implanted in his forehead, carefully observing the changes in the lab.
Just as Orochimaru had predicted, the moment they died, their chakra began to dissipate.
With his enhanced Byakugan, Danzo could see it clearly.
But what happened next was even more intriguing.
The scattered chakra drifted through the air, then, as if pulled by an invisible force, rapidly converged toward the Tailed Beast tissue in the center of the room.
As the chakra gathered, the tissue began to grow—slowly but surely.
"Tch…"
It actually worked.
Danzo narrowed his eyes.
So this was how Orochimaru had cultivated that massive Eight-Tails horn?
Considering Orochimaru's history—the countless test subjects in his labs—Danzo found it highly plausible.
But his observations weren't over yet.
Because then, he noticed something strange.
Even after the shinobi had died, not all of their chakra was absorbed by the Tailed Beast tissue.
A portion of it lingered in the air—some even remained inside their bodies—and then… it vanished.
Vanished?
Danzo's pupils contracted ever so slightly.
A thought surfaced in his mind—
Could this portion of chakra be following the soul… to the Pure Land?
Unfortunately, Danzo lacked the ability to observe souls directly.
Perhaps he should take the time to learn Spirit Transformation Jutsu?
__
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