Chapter 57: Danzo Moves
Danzo gave a quiet hum of approval, but he wasn't done.
"Hiruzen is beginning to watch my every move. He's starting to sense… something. But he still trusts you, Orochimaru. More than most. He will definitely contact you as his other two disciples are not in the village right now. So from now on, you will operate for me from the shadows—unseen, unaffiliated. You report to no one but me."
Orochimaru furrowed his brow, lips tightening into something that wasn't quite a frown but certainly wasn't a smile. "I have no interest in your political games, Danzo. I care little for village bureaucracy or leadership squabbles—"
He paused.
His eyes drifted to the array of sealed carts Danzo had provided. Rare chakra instruments, forbidden scrolls, tools he hadn't laid eyes on even during his time in the archives. Power. Possibility. Knowledge.
The corner of his mouth curled ever so slightly.
"—But I do appreciate gifts. Very well. I'll move through the shadows, if that's what's required."
Danzo nodded once, and without another word, turned and disappeared into the dark corridors of the ROOT compound.
Orochimaru watched him go, then turned back to his machines, hands already reaching for tools as ideas began to spark. "Such interesting times..." he murmured.
And far above, the village of Konoha continued to breathe in blissful ignorance—its peace balanced precariously on secrets buried deep beneath its foundations.
In the depths beneath Konoha, ambition festered.
And above, a leaf gently fell outside the Hokage's window—unnoticed, insignificant.
But it was only the beginning of a storm.
After Danzo's departure, Orochimaru made his way through a separate tunnel—one that twisted downward into a more secluded part of Konoha's underbelly. He moved with deliberate grace, the torches lining the narrow path flickering as if bowing to his presence. Eventually, he reached a heavy metal door marked with seals and quietly slipped inside.
The underground lab greeted him with a cold, sterile stillness—the hum of chakra-stabilizing machines, shelves stacked with preserved organs, glowing vials, and experimental scrolls neatly arranged on a steel desk.
Orochimaru stopped just inside the threshold and extended his hand. A small white snake slithered out from his sleeve and coiled around his fingers.
He lowered his head and whispered a command in a tongue only his summons understood. The snake raised its head, hissed softly—almost affectionately—then darted off through a crack in the wall, vanishing into a tunnel no larger than a rat hole.
Orochimaru turned away, already forgetting the world above.
He sat by the stone table, unrolling one of the tightly-sealed scrolls Danzo had provided. His golden eyes scanned the densely written notes—chakra resonance theory, forbidden transplant rituals, diagrams of ocular nerves and chakra networks. So much potential. So many doors about to open.
Some time passed.
Then, a soft thud.
A man in a dark cloak appeared silently from the shadows behind him and dropped to one knee. His face was obscured, but his demeanor was reverent.
"Lord Orochimaru," the man said, head bowed.
Orochimaru didn't look up immediately. He finished a line on the scroll, then turned slightly in his seat.
"Renji," he drawled, recognizing the voice. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd returned from the border assignments I sent you on."
"I returned two nights ago, my lord. I awaited your summons."
A faint smile played on Orochimaru's lips. "How loyal. Good. I have something for you."
Renji straightened slightly, eyes still downcast.
"There is a boy—of Senju blood. Talented. He's recently caught the eye of Tsunade herself."
Orochimaru's tone remained casual, but deliberate.
"Currently, he's on border patrol. Assigned under his jōnin sensei—Kenshiro Inazuma."
At that name, something shifted. Renji's eyes flickered. A subtle tension passed through him—barely perceptible to most, but not to Orochimaru.
The Sannin noted it with quiet interest but didn't let it show. His expression remained unreadable.
"You know the name, I see," Orochimaru murmured, as if to himself. Then, louder, "Your task is to keep the boy and Tsunade… apart. Subtly. The Hokage's office is not to be alarmed. Use the channels we've infiltrated in the mission assignment department. Arrange separate deployments. Delays. Diversions."
Renji gave a shallow bow, masking the flicker in his eyes. "Understood."
"And Renji," Orochimaru continued, leaning back, "observe the boy from a distance. Quietly. I want to know what makes him so interesting to her. Chakra patterns, jutsu usage, behavioral cues. Leave nothing undocumented."
"As you command."
With a faint shimmer, Renji vanished into the shadows once more.
Left alone in the lab, Orochimaru returned to his scroll.
His eyes gleamed.
"How… amusing."
---
In the silence of the winding tunnel above Orochimaru's lair, Renji emerged from a concealed passage and made his way toward the surface. The dim torchlight danced along the walls as his cloak fluttered behind him. His face was still calm, unreadable—until he paused near the exit.
There, out of sight from any prying eyes, his lips curled into a faint smile.
"So… Kenshiro," he whispered.
A glint passed through his eyes—less cold than before, but tinged with something sharper.
A friend. But not anymore.
He stood still for a moment, the faint wind from the surface brushing against his cloak.
"Seems like fate just handed me another chance… to make your life a little rougher."
The smile widened, laced with quiet malice.
"Even fate wants us on opposite sides now, old friend."
Renji stepped into the night air, his smile fading into shadow as he melted into the forest beyond.