"Wonder if the person controlling these bandits is from Konoha."
Muttering this, Shishou casually devoured the corpse in front of him and walked out of the basement, returning to the bandit camp.
The fact that someone could get information in advance and come here to silence witnesses almost certainly meant there were spies in Konoha.
However, Shishou had no interest in meddling in this, and since the informants had been dead for many days, even he couldn't trace any clues.
Unless he could make the dead speak.
"Hmm..."
Thinking about this, Shishou froze in place.
Because he suddenly remembered that in the Shinobi world, making the dead speak wasn't particularly difficult; he just needed to learn the Impure World Reincarnation technique like Orochimaru.
And he had White Zetsu to use as sacrifices, so he wouldn't need to sacrifice others.
"Looks like I might need to learn this dream-fulfilling technique."
Shishou sat in the camp, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, lost in thought.
Because his own strength had already reached the pinnacle of the Shinobi world, and because Impure World Reincarnation required living sacrifices, Shishou had instinctively rejected learning this technique, lacking the motivation.
But now that he had discovered its usefulness and could use White Zetsu as sacrifices, Shishou was naturally not going to pass up on this technique.
Of course, the most important reason...
Was that Shishou wanted to see Uchiha Obito's reaction when he resurrected Rin Nohara using Impure World Reincarnation.
Just imagining Uchiha Obito's enraged expression made Shishou think the scene would be very amusing.
And as long as Uchiha Obito showed any weaknesses when facing him, Shishou could seize the opportunity to kill him and eliminate this threat once and for all.
Thinking of this, Shishou felt a bit excited.
"Looks like I'll have to dig up Rin Nohara's grave when I get back."
"I hope she can forgive my offense for the sake of my plan to kill the madman Uchiha Obito."
"Hmm, I also need to find Tsunade and get her to give me the Scroll of Seals."
"It's a pity Orochimaru is hiding from me now, so I can't get his improved version of the Impure World Reincarnation technique."
With these random thoughts in mind, Shishou waited for the Chakra Bugs to finish devouring the bandit corpses before disappearing, preparing to launch a night raid on Kurenai Yuhi.
...
Land of Fire, Konoha.
In a secret underground base of Root.
"Lord Danzo, all informants among the bandits in the Land of Fire have been dealt with."
A Root ninja wearing a mask kneeled before Danzo Shimura, who was wrapped in bandages. At this time, Danzo's arm, which had been cut off by Shishou, had fully healed.
"Dismissed," Danzo Shimura said, nodding in satisfaction, continuing to handle the files in his hand.
To gather more funds for cloning technology, Danzo Shimura had been using various methods to amass wealth over the past two or three years. Manipulating bandits in secret was just one of his methods.
Meanwhile, after two or three years of continuous research and improvement in cloning technology, he was now able to produce clones without any defects.
After dealing with Root's affairs for a while, Danzo walked out of his office and entered a large training room.
In this training room, dozens of young clones identical to Yamato were practicing Wood Release techniques.
These were his achievements over the past three years!
"Lord Danzo."
Aburame Ryoma, the chief instructor, approached Danzo respectfully.
At this time, Aburame Ryoma's public identity was officially deceased, serving as a 'ghost' working for Danzo.
Looking at the hundreds of young Wood Release users in front of him, Danzo asked in a deep voice:
"How is their training progressing?"
These young Wood Release users were crucial for his plan to ascend to the position of Hokage; they could not afford any mistakes.
Aburame Ryoma respectfully replied, "The training on self-detonation abilities has been completed."
"Good!"
Hearing this, Danzo nodded in satisfaction.
Then, Danzo continued to ask, "When is Orochimaru arriving?"
Ever since trading Yamato with Orochimaru, Danzo had maintained contact with him.
Aburame Ryoma: "Midnight."
"Then it's time to meet him."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Danzo left the base with Aburame Ryoma, heading towards a location away from Konoha.
Before long, the two of them arrived in a forest where a figure had been waiting for some time.
It was Orochimaru, who had been hiding and evading capture all these years.
"Lord Danzo, you're late."
Orochimaru turned around, his voice hoarse as he looked at the approaching Danzo Shimura.
Danzo coldly said, "Orochimaru, just get to the point."
Orochimaru glanced at Danzo and laughed hoarsely, "Hehe, Lord Danzo, I wonder if you're still interested in the position of Hokage."
Hearing this, Danzo sharply turned his head to look at Orochimaru, frowning.
"What do you mean?"
Even though Danzo was already seventy years old, his ambition for the Hokage position had never waned.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been secretly cultivating his own squad of Wood Release users.
Orochimaru chuckled and said:
"Princess Tsunade has returned to the village. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi steps down, you won't get the position."
"Because in terms of prestige, popularity, and strength, you cannot compare to Tsunade."
"However, if you're still interested in the Hokage position, I might be able to help you."
Hearing Orochimaru's blunt words, Danzo's old face darkened.
Danzo was well aware of what Orochimaru said.
Originally, Danzo thought he could rely on the life force provided by Hashirama's cells to outlive the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, or find an opportunity to eliminate him, and then use his Wood Release subordinates to seize power.
But he hadn't expected Tsunade's sudden return, which completely disrupted his plans.
As long as Tsunade was in Konoha, he had almost no chance of becoming Hokage.
So, despite his darkened expression, Danzo felt tempted by Orochimaru's offer.
Because he was already seventy years old, if he didn't become Hokage soon, he'd miss his chance forever.
Staring at Orochimaru for a while, Danzo asked:
"What do you want?"
There's no such thing as a free lunch; if Orochimaru wanted to help him, he must want something in return.
"Heheh..."
Orochimaru laughed maniacally again, his voice hoarse as he said, "I have many goals, but becoming Hokage is not one of them. That position holds no value for me now."
"But, to show my sincerity, I'll tell you one of my reasons."
Pausing for a moment, Orochimaru continued:
"I want Tsunade!"
Note: I remember that Danzo has a chief instructor from the Aburame clan in previous chapters, but I can't recall his name. I temporarily named him Aburame Ryoma. Can someone remind me of his actual name or confirm if Danzo has someone like that in the original series?
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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek. change @ to a