One of the legendary Sannin had walked right into the Uchiha's hands. Andrew didn't hesitate—he had Orochimaru dragged to the police department prison, placing the most powerful restraints on him with his own hands.
Danzo, locked in solitary confinement just two cells away, could only stare wide-eyed as Andrew carried Orochimaru like a sack of garbage.
His visible eye bulged behind the iron bars.
That was… Orochimaru!
"How could that slippery snake end up like this?!"
Danzo felt his breath catch. Today… wasn't this the day Orochimaru was supposed to contact him? Had he really been caught?
"Impossible!" Danzo hissed under his breath. "That man is too cunning. He wouldn't be captured by the Uchiha so easily—unless…"
A shiver passed down his spine.
"He must've fallen under a genjutsu! That kid… Andrew… his illusions are dangerous…"
Dozens of frantic thoughts rushed through Danzo's head, but none could change the reality before him. Orochimaru was now imprisoned, bound by chakra seals, and under constant Uchiha surveillance.
This was bad. Very bad.
If Orochimaru didn't deliver the suppressants for the Hashirama cells fused to Danzo's right arm… there was no telling how long he could hold out before his body began to reject them.
A riot of wood release chakra could kill him.
Just then, Andrew stepped into view outside Danzo's cell, arms folded, a sly grin curling on his lips.
"Danzo-sama, you seem awfully nervous. Something troubling you? Perhaps seeing your old friend Orochimaru like that?"
Danzo growled, narrowing his eye. "Evil Uchiha brat… nervous? Hardly. I'm just surprised an S-rank rogue ninja got dragged in here by you."
He tried to sound calm, but even he could hear the tension in his own voice. This couldn't be real. It had to be a setup. A trick. He refused to believe otherwise.
Andrew's smile widened.
"Is that so? I hope that's true. Funny thing—Orochimaru just happened to appear near the police department today. I assumed he came here for a reason." He paused meaningfully, letting his words hang. "Maybe to visit an old friend... you, perhaps?"
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for receiving negative feedback from Shimura Danzo. +4873 feedback points.]
Andrew chuckled inwardly. Danzo looked like he was about to explode.
"Tell me something, Danzo-sama," Andrew continued, stepping closer. "We all know why your right eye is bandaged—you're hiding a Sharingan. But what about your right arm? Why wrap it up like a mummy too?"
Danzo's expression shifted at once. Panic flickered in his eye.
Did Orochimaru betray him? Was the secret exposed?
No. Impossible. Orochimaru wouldn't gain anything by revealing that. And surely, no one else knew what was under those bandages.
But Andrew's words cut deep.
"What could I possibly mean?" Andrew said softly, voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's just… controlling Wood Style is no easy feat, is it?"
That one sentence was enough.
Danzo's carefully constructed composure shattered. He had always believed himself untouchable. A shadowy kingmaker pulling strings behind the Hokage's back.
But now… his greatest secret was being mocked openly.
His plan to use Hashirama's cells and the Sharingan as tools to become the next Hokage—that dream was crumbling.
Before he could gather a response, heavy footsteps thundered down the prison corridor. Andrew turned his head.
The Third Hokage was marching down the hallway, his long robe flowing behind him. At his side were Tsunade and Jiraiya, both looking grim.
"Where is he?" Hiruzen demanded, stopping short. "Where's Orochimaru? Is it true he was captured?"
Tsunade looked collected, her arms folded. But Jiraiya—he looked visibly shaken. His eyes darted from cell to cell.
Andrew pointed casually to the cell beside them. "Still trapped in the illusion. Don't worry, he's not going anywhere."
They followed his finger and looked inside.
Orochimaru lay motionless on the cold stone floor, bound tightly with chakra-suppressing chains, twitching occasionally as the illusion tormented his mind.
"What the hell happened?" Jiraiya burst out. "How did you manage to catch him like that?!"
Andrew shrugged. "He wandered too close to the Uchiha district. Our patrol caught him lurking near the prison. When I showed up, he just stared into my eyes. After that… well, you're looking at the result."
Jiraiya's hands clenched into fists.
This was Orochimaru. A shinobi who had dodged Jiraiya's pursuit for years. A Sannin with monstrous intelligence and cunning. And yet here he was—brought down in minutes.
"Is that really him?" Jiraiya muttered. "I've chased that bastard across the continent… and now he gets caught in the middle of the village."
Tsunade said nothing. Her gaze slid away from Orochimaru and instead landed on Danzo.
"There's only one reason Orochimaru would be snooping around a low-security police prison." she said, her voice laced with suspicion. "And it's not for sightseeing."
The implication was clear. The truly dangerous criminals were kept in Anbu dungeons, not the Uchiha-managed facility. The only "interesting" person here… was Danzo.
Danzo flinched as Tsunade stepped toward him, her aura oppressive.
"Send word to the Yamanaka clan. I want a full mental interrogation," she ordered coldly. "We'll get to the bottom of what these two have been plotting."
The color drained from Danzo's face.
If they brought in the Yamanaka, everything could unravel—his experiments, his stolen Sharingan, the Root files, even his link to Orochimaru.
The Third Hokage stood quietly, his arms crossed, watching both Orochimaru and Danzo with a distant look.
This was the final straw.
He had tolerated Danzo's actions for too long, convinced himself it was all for the good of the village.
But now?
Now his heart burned with betrayal.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen!" Danzo suddenly shouted, breaking the silence. "Don't play innocent! You knew about Orochimaru's human experiments—I wasn't the only one involved!"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Jiraiya turned slowly toward Hiruzen, frowning.
The Third Hokage stepped forward, finally speaking.
"Whether you were involved or not will be proven in time. But if you think hiding behind my past mistakes will shield you… you're mistaken."
His voice was low, but the chill in it was unmistakable.
"I warned you before, Danzo. You've gone too far. This time, there will be no excuses."
Danzo felt his legs tremble.
He had never seen Hiruzen look at him like that.
Not with disappointment. Not with sympathy. But with cold, righteous fury.
This wasn't just an investigation.
It was judgment.
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