Danzo's words were a mix of truth and falsehood, his attitude deceptively sincere. After leaving the hospital room, he walked through the streets of Konoha. It was evident that the current Konoha was in ruins, awaiting reconstruction. Most ninja were helping to rebuild the village. In this Konoha Crush plan, both the Sand and Konoha had suffered grievous losses. Only Orochimaru was the sole victor.
After returning to Root headquarters and making a series of arrangements, Danzo established initial contact with Orochimaru.
Within a forest near Konoha.
"I wonder if I should call you the Fourth, or would Minato be more appropriate?" Orochimaru said with a sinister smile. Minato stood before him. After leaving Konoha, Orochimaru had first dispatched his subordinates back to Otogakure, while he himself waited in a secluded forest for Minato to rendezvous with him. Since Minato had left a Flying Thunder God marker on Orochimaru, he found him quickly.
Facing Orochimaru's teasing words, Minato smiled faintly. "Just call me Minato. From now on, we are partners."
"If you, Minato, hold no lingering affections for Konoha, then our cooperation will certainly be very pleasant."
"I keep my word. I will cooperate with you fully."
Minato's answer greatly satisfied Orochimaru. He looked up at the sky, a strange smile appearing on his face. "A guest will be arriving soon. Would Minato-kun mind concealing himself for a bit?"
"It seems I don't have much choice, do I?" Minato said coldly. He had already roughly guessed who Orochimaru was expecting. A meeting in a forest near Konoha, with many Root ninja hidden in the distance... it was clearly Danzo.
"If you wish to stay, Minato, that's fine too. However, it might cause some trouble for Naruto."
"I'll return after you're finished talking." Hearing Orochimaru's words, Minato snorted coldly. He disliked being threatened, especially when his family was used as leverage. His figure flickered, vanishing instantly from Orochimaru's sight.
'Hmm? Is that the same footwork Naruto uses? Reiatsu-type movement combined with the Flying Thunder God... It seems Minato's strength has become even more terrifying.' Orochimaru silently watched the empty space where Minato had disappeared, his eyes filled with apprehension. Such a Fourth Hokage was frighteningly powerful. Cooperating with him required utmost caution.
Orochimaru waited in place for a moment, and soon the sound of footsteps reached his ears. Danzo's figure appeared, drawing closer. That usually stooped figure now stood ramrod straight, exuding a chilling aura.
"Orochimaru." His cane tapped against the ground, occasionally striking pebbles with a grating sound. "Why didn't you kill the Third?" Danzo demanded, his face dark as he stood before Orochimaru.
"Danzo, our agreement, it seems, was merely for the Third to step down," Orochimaru said leisurely.
"But you clearly had the chance to kill him directly. Why didn't you?" Danzo pressed coldly. Although Root's intelligence network was formidable, it was difficult to eavesdrop on the conversations between the Third and Jiraiya. Thus, Danzo didn't know Orochimaru had promised someone not to kill the Third.
Facing Danzo's questioning, Orochimaru appeared quite calm, even seating himself comfortably on a rock. He explained in his silken voice, "Whether the Third is killed or not, your objective has been achieved, hasn't it? Having lost an arm and even allowed Konoha to become Shukaku's plaything, he is no longer qualified to continue as Hokage."
"I have fulfilled my part of the deal. Isn't it your turn to settle the remaining payment?" Orochimaru's gaze was piercing. After the Konoha Crush plan, he had anticipated some of Danzo's likely reactions.
"Hiruzen is indeed stepping down. The other elders have also pressured him this time," Danzo didn't hide this. After all, having cooperated with Orochimaru for many years, they had already established a reasonably solid connection. With Orochimaru's help, Root's research progress had been almost exponential. If they fell out with Orochimaru now, the losses for Root would be too great.
"I will send the subsequent experimental subjects to the transaction point. But before that, I need you to tell me what those monsters that appeared in Konoha were."
"What monsters?" Orochimaru feigned ignorance, though the malicious smile playing on his lips betrayed his inner thoughts.
"So it was you who unleashed those monsters! Why did you do it?"
"Our cooperation has always been pleasant, and this Konoha Crush plan was also discussed smoothly."
"You bring the Sand-nin to create chaos and make Hiruzen lose prestige, and I provide you with experimental subjects."
"Everything was supposed to be perfect, but you turned Konoha into your laboratory to satisfy your own selfish desires!"
"This caused severe damage to Konoha, and other ninja villages might declare war on us in the future."
"You have unilaterally destroyed the trust between us."
"You've crossed the line, Orochimaru!" Danzo's tone turned abruptly cold.
'Looks like... I'm the scapegoat,' Orochimaru thought, a bitterness he couldn't voice. At the same time, he really wanted to retort: 'A rogue ninja and a sly old fox... what trust could there possibly be between us?'
But to get back to the point. He hadn't released the Hollows, but Naruto, who had, was also cooperating with him. And he himself would be experimenting with Hollows in the future. Even if he told Danzo now that it wasn't him, it would be pointless. Once his own research was exposed later, his relationship with Danzo would reach freezing point. And he still needed to obtain experimental subjects from Danzo. Rather than decorating it with one lie after another, it was better to admit it frankly. After careful consideration, Orochimaru decided to take the blame.
"Indeed, I released the Hollows. However, the impact was beyond my expectations."
"I believe you know I've always been conducting soul-related research. These Hollows—those monsters—are the fruits of my research."
"Originally, I only intended for my subordinates to release a small number of Hollows to help the Sand-nin increase our plan's success rate. But unexpectedly, the Hollows went berserk and killed my subordinates."
"Plus, I was busy dealing with the Third myself. You know what happened after that," Orochimaru explained with a shrug, feigning nonchalance. He even added a few words: "I am very sorry for what Konoha has suffered. But precisely because of this, the Third was able to step down so smoothly. From another perspective, Danzo, you should actually thank me."
"I think you should understand that everything I have ever done has been for Konoha's sake." Danzo clasped his hands behind his back, gazing in Konoha's direction, his tone full of lament. "I founded Root, conducted all the research that couldn't see the light of day, and carried out all the shadowy commissions."
"Everything I've done was for Konoha's prosperity."
"The Will of Fire burns eternal. Without Root's nourishment, Konoha would not have grown into a mighty, towering tree."
Watching Danzo elevate himself to such a righteous pedestal, Orochimaru wasn't buying it at all. Having cooperated with this dark man for over a decade, he understood Danzo better than anyone. Danzo was an intriguer who particularly loved to use "Konoha" as a cloak for his own dark, despicable, and ambitious schemes. His feelings for Konoha had long been corrupted by greed.
"Enough with the useless talk. Just say it, what do you want?" Orochimaru asked directly.
"I want the Hollows."
"Take my advice: you won't be able to control the Hollows."
"?"
"Since you insist, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."
In the evening, Naruto prepared to visit the Third Hokage in the hospital. Before that, he stopped by Ino's family flower shop. The nearby streets were riddled with potholes and craters, with ninja coming and going to help with repairs. Fortunately, the flower shop was largely undamaged. Sadness clouded the villagers' faces. Even in such dire circumstances, Ino's family had chosen to keep their shop open, allowing the complex fragrance of flowers to drift through the streets, perhaps giving people a sense that "the world isn't so bad after all."
The blonde-haired Ino stood at the shop entrance, smiling as she awaited customers. Before Naruto even stepped inside, he heard Ino's cheerful voice, as melodious and clear as a lark's: "Naruto-kun, what brings you here today? You don't have a crush on me, do you?!"
"Good evening, Ino. I'd like to buy a bouquet of flowers," Naruto said with a faint smile.
"Flowers? Who are they for? Don't tell me it's Sakura?" Ino looked curious. "Have you two developed feelings for each other over time? Oh my, congratulations~~~"
"If it's not for Sakura, you could consider me too~~ I've been thinking, Sasuke and I don't seem to be a good match after all. I think you and I would be great together~" Ino said playfully, grabbing Naruto's arm.
"No, I want to give them to Grandpa Hokage," Naruto said, paying no mind to Ino's teasing, gently withdrawing his arm and explaining.
"Alright, no fun at all," Ino said, sticking her tongue out charmingly, a look of mock disappointment on her face. "If they're for Lord Third, then carnations are a good choice, representing respect. Of course, lilies are nice too, symbolizing blessings, and also..." Once she started talking about flowers, Ino became quite voluble, as if she had endless things to say. In that moment, she didn't resemble a ninja at all.
"I'll take a bouquet of lilies, thank you," Naruto said with a smile, gently ruffling Ino's hair.
"Okay!" Ino's face flushed slightly. She fetched a bouquet of lilies from inside the shop and handed it to Naruto. "Thank you for your patronage! That will be forty ryo."
After paying, Naruto carried the lilies towards the Konoha Hospital. When asking for the Third Hokage's room, Naruto was initially stopped, but soon, with ANBU permission, he arrived at the Third's hospital room.
"You're here, Naruto." The Third Hokage, his arm severed, was sitting up in bed, leaning against the wall. The evening breeze drifted in through the window, adding a touch of the night's fresh scent to the room.
"Yes, I'm here, Grandpa Hokage!" Naruto placed the flowers on the bedside table and sat down beside the Third.
"Ah, lilies. You're the first one to bring me flowers since I was injured." The Third picked up the lilies and sniffed them appreciatively. "Smelling this fragrance has already made me feel much better. That's very thoughtful of you, Naruto."
"It's the least I could do. I hope you get well soon, Grandpa Hokage. Everyone is very worried about you."
"Thank you, Naruto." Looking at such a gentle Naruto, the Third felt a stir in his heart and couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "In the blink of an eye, you've grown so much."
"By the way, have you encountered any difficulties in your training recently? What have you learned from Jiraiya?" the Third began, trying to make conversation.