(bonus)
— — — — — —
"Alright! As long as you're confident!"
Orochimaru nodded knowingly, a glint of amusement in his eyes, as if silently mourning the Second Hokage's impending misfortune.
Then, out of curiosity, he asked, "But you informed me that the downfall of the Senju Clan is tied to the old man and Danzo—that much I get. But Uchiha Kagami? Are you telling me even he was secretly taken out by Danzo and his cronies?"
"They were his fellow disciples! Damn, that's cold. Danzo and my teacher—both so ruthless!"
Realizing the depths of their betrayal, Orochimaru suddenly felt justified in turning against them and siding with Kaito's group.
This was the side of justice, wasn't it?
When he faced his teacher next, he could stand tall and defend his choices without a shred of guilt.
"You're not wrong! One of Uchiha Kagami's Mangekyo Sharingan eyes was found in Danzo's right eye socket, and the other was hidden in Danzo's secret base at the Root."
As he spoke, Kaito casually pulled out two test tubes, each containing a Sharingan, and showed them to Orochimaru.
"So these are Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Orochimaru immediately leaned in, eyes locked on the tubes, filled with an almost insatiable curiosity. "Kaito-kun, can I borrow these to study?"
His gaze was glued to the Sharingan, his tone almost begging. "This is Mangekyo Sharingan we're talking about!"
It wasn't surprising; he'd be intrigued by such advanced and mysterious power.
Although this wasn't the future version of Orochimaru who was obsessed with the Sharingan after being annihilated by Uchiha Itachi, his fascination was still intense.
"Not for now!"
Kaito immediately put the test tubes back into his storage space, much to Orochimaru's disappointment. "I still want to study them myself and see if I can replicate the Mangekyo techniques. I can't let you mess with them just yet!"
"But if your research proves useful later, I have several pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan that I wouldn't mind letting you study."
Who knows? Maybe Orochimaru could create something interesting with them.
"Deal?"
Orochimaru's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Deal!" Kaito nodded affirmatively.
"Great! I can't wait for you to become Hokage and set up the Research Division. I'm eager to dive in!" Orochimaru rubbed his hands together with anticipation.
For the next few hours, Orochimaru bombarded Kaito with questions about the future and even convinced him to take a short trip to the Pirate World. They briefly toured the bases Kaito had established there.
They returned just in time for Tsunade and her team's arrival.
— — —
The moment they regrouped, Tsunade wasted no time summoning all the Jonin in the camp for a meeting.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Tsunade began, standing tall as her gaze swept across the room with an air of authority.
"In this rescue operation, the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clans not only successfully saved Kaito's squad and several other patrol teams, but my disciple Kaito also managed to annihilate over 2,000 elite Rain shinobi with his unparalleled Lightning Style techniques."
"Moreover," she continued, her voice steady and firm, "we've uncovered that the reason Kaito's squad was ambushed by Hanzo was due to a trap targeting the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clans."
"And the mastermind behind this trap… was none other than Danzo himself!"
The room erupted into chaos.
Was it shock over Kaito's terrifying feats? Or disbelief that Danzo had plotted against his own allies?
While the dissenting voices were fewer due to the thinning ranks of Danzo and the Third Hokage's loyalists in the camp, there were still murmurs of doubt.
A Sarutobi clan shinobi, one who hadn't participated in the plot against Kaito, stood up and questioned loudly, "Lady Tsunade, how can you accuse Danzo-sama of such a heinous act without evidence?"
"Without evidence…?"
Tsunade cut him off with an icy glare. "There's no 'without.' I have solid proof!"
The shinobi froze, silenced by her commanding presence.
Tsunade ignored him and turned to Kaito, signaling him with a nod. "Kaito, bring out the bodies of Hanzo and Danzo."
"Since we have so many members of the Yamanaka Clan and the Interrogation Squad here, let them investigate and verify the truth for themselves!"
Indeed, their plans had shifted. Rather than playing the long game, they had decided to expose Danzo and his crimes openly.
After raiding Danzo's Root base, they'd uncovered a trove of evidence implicating both him and the Third Hokage in countless heinous acts.
There was no need for subtlety anymore.
On the frontlines, the Sarutobi and their allies had been nearly wiped out. Orochimaru had already been contracted by Kaito, and clans like the Nara and Akimichi, who had grown closer to the Uchiha and Senju in recent years, were shifting their allegiance.
Control of the frontlines was already within their grasp.
It was time to go bold.
"Got it!"
Kaito waved his hand, and the bodies of Hanzo and Danzo materialized in the center of the room.
This sudden display of a storage jutsu caused many to narrow their eyes in surprise.
"Spatial storage? Looks like the Uchiha and Senju still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves," thought Nara Shikayama, impressed.
"Yamanaka Yuya, take the interrogation squad and delve into Danzo and Hanzo's memories. Let's confirm the truth," Shikayama instructed, exchanging a glance with Akimichi Torifu.
They trusted Tsunade and her group wouldn't make baseless accusations.
And with this act, they made their stance clear. If what she said was true, Nara Shikayama could almost guarantee that the Third Hokage must have been involved.
After all, Danzo hadn't just taken the ninjas from the Shimura clan and the Root Division. He also dragged members of the Sarutobi, Mitokado, and Utatane clans into this mess.
With such an enormous scandal, it was enough to force the Third Hokage to step down. The combined strength of the Uchiha and other allied clans could easily achieve this.
Especially since Danzo and the elite forces of the Sarutobi faction stationed on the front lines were practically wiped out.
The Third Hokage's days were numbered.
"Alright."
Yamanaka Yuya immediately stood up and called on a few members of the Interrogation Unit to head towards the central table where the corpses of Danzo and Hanzo were placed.
"Destroy the bodies! Quickly!"
The next moment, a Sarutobi ninja suddenly shouted and charged toward the center table, throwing multiple explosive tags as his chakra flared violently.
It was obvious—he was attempting to destroy the evidence and eliminate the corpses.
As the leader left behind to guard the camp by Danzo, he knew all too well about the plans involving the Third Hokage and Danzo.
Seeing Danzo and Hanzo's corpses displayed like this, he immediately realized: The plan had failed.
Tsunade was preparing to expose their plot publicly. Danzo's death was one thing, but he couldn't allow the Third Hokage to get dragged down as well.
Otherwise, the Third Hokage would be forced to step down, and the Sarutobi clan would face severe consequences for their complicity.
At the same time, several other Sarutobi and Shimura ninjas rushed out from different directions with similar intentions—desperation evident in their eyes.
The room erupted into chaos. Explosive tags flew in every direction, and the terrifying aura of unchecked chakra filled the air.
"Not good!"
Many onlookers either scrambled to retreat or prepared to intercept the attackers.
"Four Violet Flames Formation! Activate!"
Suddenly, four shadow clones appeared at the four corners of the central area. A purple barrier instantly took shape, enclosing the bodies of Danzo, Hanzo, and the charging attackers.
In the blink of an eye, Kaito teleported inside the barrier using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
His Sharingan spun into a deadly three-tomoe pattern.
A massive golden skeleton began forming around him, growing larger and more defined by the second.
"Susanoo!"
Without hesitation, the colossal arms of his Susanoo came crashing down.
The Sarutobi attackers and their explosive tags were crushed under its immense power.
"AAAAAH!!!"
Before they could even scream, they were reduced to nothing but fragments.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A series of explosions echoed from within Susanoo's massive hands.
However, none of the blasts penetrated the barrier, sparing those outside from any harm.
The room fell into stunned silence as the dust settled.
"Whoa… Is that… the Susanoo? That's a Mangekyo Sharingan ability!"
"And the Four Violet Flames Formation! That's Uchiha Kaito, Tsunade-sama's disciple? Lord Uchiha Naori's son? His reaction speed and raw power are terrifying!"
"Now I'm starting to believe he actually killed Hanzo and wiped out 2,000 Rain ninjas."
"Wiping out 2,000 might be exaggerated, but killing Hanzo? Yeah, I think he could've done it."
"Wait a second!" another ninja interjected. "Isn't the most shocking part that Uchiha Kaito is using the Susanoo with only a three-tomoe Sharingan? Susanoo is supposed to require the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"That's true! How is he pulling this off?"
"Wait, wait, what's a Mangekyo Sharingan? Isn't the three-tomoe Sharingan the highest form of the eye?"
"You must be joking! Anyone who knows about Uchiha Madara would be aware of the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Amid the whispered debates, one ninja sighed.
"What a pity. Hanzo's and Danzo-sama's bodies were destroyed after all."
"That means Tsunade-sama's claims might be true…"
"Still, right now…"
However, Nara Shikayama's expression was thoughtful. "No, not necessarily. Since Kaito can use a storage seal and reacts so quickly, he could've easily stored the bodies before they were destroyed."
"Exactly!" Hyuga Hizashi chimed in. "Kaito already stored the corpses before they were hit. They're intact."
Their sharp eyes had caught the crucial moment.
After sharing a knowing glance, the two men smirked.
.
.
.