From a practical standpoint, selling the intelligence on Yakushi Nono to Orochimaru had been the optimal move.No one else could extract more value from it.
"The Wandering Shrine Maiden?" Orochimaru paused briefly, then let out a low, raspy chuckle. "I didn't expect the Uchiha to possess intelligence this deep. It seems your clan knows Root rather well."
He had misunderstood, of course.
To Orochimaru, the conclusion was obvious: Danzō's hostility toward the Uchiha had pushed them into quietly monitoring Root in return. Otherwise, how could they know such things?
First the Wood Release subject codenamed Kinoe.Now a former Root operative erased from all official records.
Secrets of that level did not surface by accident.
Yoru didn't correct him. Instead, he smiled faintly. "The Clan Head has instructed us to support you fully, Orochimaru-sensei."
That single sentence carried layers of meaning.
Orochimaru's lips curved upward. The Uchiha were not unified. Some elders had their own channels, their own games. That suited him just fine.
"Very well," he said lightly. "Clear this facility. We're moving to the next one."
His laughter echoed through the empty laboratory as he turned away.
Yoru followed without hesitation. As long as he remained useful, Orochimaru's trust was absolute. That was the man's true nature. Cold, pragmatic, and strangely fair.
Root Headquarters
Deep underground, the air was thick with suppressed fury.
Danzō Shimura stood in the center of a dim chamber, his visible eye sharp with rage as two Root operatives knelt before him.
"Still nothing?" he demanded.
Both shinobi lowered their heads. "No, Danzō-sama. Root has conducted three internal sweeps. No signs of infiltration."
The table shattered under his fist.
"Then explain this to me!" Danzō roared. "How did information about Kinoe leak? How did Orochimaru learn of Wood Release research that even Hiruzen doesn't know about?"
His voice trembled with fury.
This was not about lost data.This was about the unthinkable.
Root had been compromised.
"You are useless," he snarled. "Every last one of you."
The operatives did not respond. They couldn't.
Danzō's anger burned hotter by the second. The Wood Release subject had been his trump card, hidden even from the Hokage. And now Orochimaru was requesting tissue samples and proposing to restart the project outright.
That meant someone had spoken.
Or worse.
"Is it you, Hiruzen?" Danzō muttered, his eye narrowing.
Only one man in Konoha had the authority, reach, and subtlety to infiltrate Root without leaving a trace.
One of the operatives spoke carefully. "All Root members bear the Tongue Eradication Seal. Information leakage should be impossible."
Danzō laughed coldly. "Impossible? No jutsu is flawless. A seal can be suppressed, overwritten, or replaced."
The conclusion crystallized in his mind.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been watching.
"Excellent," Danzō hissed. "So that's how you've been playing me all these years."
To realize he had been operating in full view of the Hokage was intolerable. Rage twisted his expression into something ugly.
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a slow stream of smoke, eyes tired as he reviewed the latest reports from the border.
"The Third War's shadow still lingers," he murmured. "If only the smaller nations would settle down."
The burden on him was immense.
The Fourth Hokage was dead.Elite forces had been lost.The Uchiha remained volatile.Foreign spies prowled freely.
Konoha stood at a crossroads.
Hiruzen's gaze drifted to the wall of portraits. When his eyes lingered on Minato Namikaze's smiling face, he sighed.
"You left me a difficult inheritance, Minato."
A shadow flickered into the room.
"Hokage-sama. This is the full report on Uchiha Yoru."
Hiruzen's expression hardened as he accepted the file.
Orochimaru had taken an Uchiha disciple, at this of all times.
Was it ambition?Or a calculated move by the clan?
He opened the dossier.
Every detail was there. Birth records. Academy performance. Disciplinary notes. Arguments. Minor fights. Nothing was omitted.
The more he read, the deeper his frown became.
"Awakened the Sharingan on the night of the Nine-Tails…" he murmured. "Fear? Anger? Or resentment?"
Then one line caught his eye.
Maintains a close relationship with Yūhi Kurenai, daughter of the late Yūhi Shinku.
Hiruzen leaned back slightly, pipe clicking against his teeth.
"Greedy," he said quietly."…and distracted."
Whether that was a flaw or a tool remained to be seen.