Returning to Konoha, Orochimaru completed his mission report in the Hokage's office with Tsunade and then sought out Takuya.
"This weather is getting colder and colder," Takuya muttered as he walked along the empty streets, braving the biting wind. Pushing open the wooden door of a small, secluded restaurant at the end of the street, he rubbed his face in frustration.
The little restaurant was quiet, with only Orochimaru sitting alone in a corner.
Walking over, Takuya sat down opposite him. Pouring himself a cup of hot tea, he warmed his hands and glanced at Orochimaru.
"I thought you'd take longer to find me."
"Because of Tsunade?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"There's no rivalry between Tsunade and me, not even concerning the Hokage position."
You've certainly let it go. Weren't you once fervently vying to become the Fourth Hokage? And now, you're saying you've given up just like that?
If Danzo were still around, he'd be furious at you. After all that scheming, the moment Tsunade stood up, you decisively stepped aside, rendering all your prior efforts meaningless.
"Well, as long as it makes you happy," Takuya remarked, warming his palms before getting to the point. "Where are the people I asked for?"
"They can be delivered to you anytime," Orochimaru replied with a faint smile, "but…"
He trailed off, clearly implying that while he could provide the people, he expected something in return.
Takuya didn't bother with pleasantries. He pulled out two scrolls from his cloak and placed them on the table.
"These are my research findings and tests on Ice Release. Take your time with them. Yagura exchanged the great sword Samehada for two shinobi from the Yuki clan. Those two reside in the research facility I built. As long as you don't harm them, you can ask them anything you don't understand."
Orochimaru accepted the scrolls but remained silent, staring at Takuya expectantly.
Clearly, just this information wasn't enough to satisfy him.
"Head north," Takuya said flatly. "Find the Mountain Graveyard, and you'll get the answers you're seeking. But be careful—if you're not well-prepared, you might not return."
Given his age, Uchiha Madara should be very old by now, and logically, his power should have waned considerably.
But if Orochimaru truly sought out Madara's hideout, there was a good chance he wouldn't make it back. Even though Madara's Rinnegan had long since been transplanted into Nagato, it was important to remember that Madara, even with an ordinary Sharingan, could still unleash Susanoo.
Don't be fooled by his frail appearance—he's still dangerous.
Takuya figured that if Orochimaru went looking for trouble, Madara might be able to handle him with a mere glance.
If Uchiha Itachi could silently ensnare Orochimaru in a genjutsu, Takuya had no doubt that Madara could do the same, if not worse. After all, Madara was a master of deception and manipulation.
Consider the fate of the ill-fated Third Mizukage—Madara's genjutsu was no joke.
While Orochimaru excelled at escaping, his mental resilience left much to be desired. Compared to Tsunade and Jiraiya, this was a glaring weakness of his.
Fortunately, Orochimaru hadn't yet swapped bodies at this time. If he clashed with an elderly Madara, whether he could survive was still uncertain.
"Is that so? Now I'm even more intrigued," Orochimaru said with a sinister grin. He wasn't one to be easily frightened, even if Takuya's words sounded ominous.
"Suit yourself," Takuya replied.
If you're not afraid of dying, then go ahead and try.
As Takuya left, Orochimaru frowned, watching his retreating figure.
He could tell that Takuya wasn't joking or warning him but genuinely advising caution. That place sounded exceedingly dangerous—a wrong step could cost one's life.
If even Takuya found it perilous, could Orochimaru leave unscathed?
Walking through the streets, Takuya noticed that the village was once again enveloped in the atmosphere of war.
"It seems a new war is brewing."
Konoha had entered a state of war preparation, indicating that conflict was inevitable. Iwagakure's patience had worn thin.
With a massive military force but insufficient financial resources to sustain it, Iwagakure's military strength had become a burden. To alleviate this burden and gain benefits, war was their only option.
It was the perfect timing—Konoha had recently emerged from battles with Kirigakure and Sunagakure and was still weak.
If Iwagakure declared war, Konoha would be at a disadvantage.
The situation was clear: even if Onoki lacked any military acumen, he would seize this rare opportunity.
Not to mention, Onoki was a notoriously difficult adversary.
In the original story, Konoha suffered more from Iwagakure's attacks than from its conflicts with Sunagakure or Kirigakure. If not for being forced to retreat, the final victor of the war would have been uncertain.
One could only lament the strange and sudden death of the Third Raikage.
If not for his demise, which forced Kumogakure to fixate on Iwagakure, Onoki might never have chosen to withdraw his forces.
Compared to the weakened Konoha, Kumogakure was a far greater threat to Iwagakure.
Wars aren't decided by the destruction of a single bridge.
"Hokage-sama!"
Members of the ANBU escorted several handcuffed individuals to the Third Hokage.
"Matsumizu! Why?" The Third Hokage's face darkened, nearly dripping with anger.
"Why would you do this? Where is Danzo?"
After days of effort, not only had they failed to capture Danzo, but an elite team sent to aid the prison had betrayed them and been caught instead.
It was obvious—Danzo had used this squad as bait to distract the village's attention.
"I will never betray Lord Danzo!" Matsumizu's declaration nearly caused the Third Hokage to spit blood in frustration.
"Take him away and interrogate him immediately! We must find Danzo's whereabouts!"
Time was running out. Iwagakure was no longer merely stirring—it was far beyond that.
Large numbers of Iwagakure shinobi had already infiltrated the Land of Grass and could invade the Land of Fire at any moment.
The village was in chaos. Tsunade ignored everything unrelated to war preparation, focusing solely on mobilizing for the inevitable conflict to avoid being caught off guard.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had sent repeated messages urging the Third Hokage to abandon his pursuit of Danzo and return to stabilize the village.
Even the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had been persistently pushing him to come back.
The Third Hokage understood the urgency in the village, and he too felt the pressure.
But he also knew that if he gave up this chance, capturing Danzo in the future would become nearly impossible.
The interrogation proceeded swiftly. A member of the Yamanaka clan used their secret techniques to probe Matsumizu's mind, extracting all the information the Third Hokage wanted.
"Hokage-sama," an ANBU operative reported.
"Matsumizu accepted favors from Danzo years ago. Under his influence, he decided to help Danzo. After Danzo fled Konoha, Matsumizu followed his orders, creating distractions and leaving behind false trails. As for Danzo…"
"..."
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DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING