After Satoru and Kakashi left the Hokage's office, another person arrived soon after.
The person who entered was none other than Danzo.
He walked in slowly and asked in a deep voice, "I heard that you found Orochimaru's stronghold?"
Although this question seemed directed at the Hokage, the affirmative tone suggested he already knew the answer. He had likely known about the exposure of Orochimaru's stronghold for some time.
Sarutobi didn't mind his attitude. He understood that where there is light, there is also darkness. The two are inseparable, and only by acknowledging both can balance be maintained. This is the law of Konoha's survival.
Sarutobi put down the pen in his hand and looked up at Danzo. "Yes, it's the research facility that Orochimaru left behind, and I've sent someone to investigate."
Orochimaru—his once promising apprentice. Even after leaving, he hadn't forgotten to make trouble for him. But Sarutobi wondered why Danzo suddenly seemed concerned.
"That's it?" Danzo's eyes shifted slightly, and he let out a long sigh.
Sarutobi, sensing his unease, asked with a concerned look, "Danzo, are you not at ease?"
It was rare to see Danzo so emotionally exposed.
Danzo's eyes flickered, and he shook his head, as if asking the question casually. "Even though it's an abandoned research facility, what if there are still traps left behind? I wonder if the investigator can be trusted?"
Sarutobi smiled. "It's two very reliable juniors."
"Although one is new, he has an extremely high mission success rate," Sarutobi continued. "The other is an experienced ninja. They should have no problem cooperating."
"New?" Danzo raised an eyebrow. "High success rate on missions?"
Sarutobi smiled, thinking of Satoru Uchiha, the newest member of the Shadows, who had a reputation for completing missions with impressive success.
Danzo, however, thought of the time when he had considered recruiting Satoru into the roots. But that idea had faded.
As he thought of this, Danzo's face darkened, and his expression turned a steely blue. He exhaled deeply, his eyes cold and calculating.
"It doesn't matter," he muttered to himself. "Soon, his eyes will belong to me."
---
Meanwhile, Satoru and Kakashi were on their way to Orochimaru's abandoned stronghold.
"Dark, damp, and without light... definitely Orochimaru's style," Satoru muttered, puffing out his cheeks as he looked around in disgust.
"It's good I didn't listen to Orochimaru's nonsense back then," he continued. "Everything's just as dirty and deceptive as I imagined."
"Let's go, our mission is inside," Kakashi interrupted, cutting Satoru off before he could complain further.
They reached the lab door, which was covered with a seal.
"解除!" Kakashi said, silently performing the hand seals for his ninjutsu.
He stepped forward and reached to undo the seal.
"Wait a minute." Satoru's voice interrupted Kakashi again.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi turned his head and asked, a little confused. He had teamed up with Satoru a few times, and while Satoru could be quite popular, he was also reliable when needed.
"Well," Satoru said with a lazy smile, "this seal is like an old woman's footwrap—you never know what it'll do next."
Kakashi gave a helpless glance at Satoru. He had to admit that sometimes Satoru's casual remarks were more trouble than they were worth.
After a moment of thought, Kakashi took two steps back. He then threw a shuriken, which hit the seal and caused it to break apart.
"Boom!"
The explosion was instant, sending smoke and flames rising into the air.
Kakashi looked at Satoru with a complex expression. "Really?"
Satoru simply shrugged, unbothered.
Kakashi sighed. If only Satoru had spoken up earlier. If he hadn't been so quick to try something, they wouldn't be dealing with this mess now.
There was no doubt that Satoru's personality often caused more problems than it solved.
Just as Kakashi was about to speak, the explosion's smoke parted, revealing someone standing nearby.
"Who?" Kakashi's voice turned cold as he scanned the area.
"Long time no see, Kakashi," a masked man said from the corner.
"A?" Kakashi's face showed sudden surprise.
Despite the changes in the figure—now taller—Kakashi immediately recognized him. The young man who had once fought alongside him, the man he knew as A.
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi's voice darkened.
Though A was an acquaintance, Kakashi didn't let his guard down. A ninja's first rule was to doubt everything, even if it was someone they knew.
A responded calmly, "I'm on a mission."
"A mission?" Kakashi frowned, pondering the words. "Is he here to support me?"
No, that didn't make sense. A was from Danzo's faction. It was impossible for him to be here on his behalf.
What was A really doing here?
---
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Up to Chapter 80 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
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