NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: A Village in Transition
"I have a mission for you," Danzo said, his tone making it clear there was no room for negotiation.
Orochimaru remained silent, waiting.
"A spy of mine has been captured by Kumogakure. I want you to retrieve him."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. A retrieval mission? That wasn't exactly Root's style. Usually, captured spies were considered dead men walking. Rescuing one was a rare move.
Danzo, noticing the reaction, continued, "He was caught in the Land of Water."
That explained it. If the spy had been taken within Kumo's borders, he would've already been behind heavily guarded walls. But if they were transporting him back, that meant there was still a window of opportunity.
After all, training a shinobi and embedding them as a spy required significant resources. Naturally, there was no reason to waste that investment.
At the very least, retrieving him would allow for debriefing. Even if his cover was blown, he might still have valuable intelligence.
Orochimaru glanced at the old war hawk. "You want me to intercept their forces and take the spy back?"
"Exactly," Danzo confirmed. "They're moving him soon. Stop them before it's too late."
Orochimaru took the mission scroll Danzo handed him, flipping it open for a quick scan.
It contained the spy's image, his specializations, different secret codes, and other mission details.
"Anything else?" he asked, already calculating the best approach.
Danzo shook his head. "No. Just ensure the mission's success."
Orochimaru turned to leave, but before he could take a step, Danzo spoke again.
"Orochimaru."
He paused, waiting.
"Who do you believe is the strongest in the shinobi world?"
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly. So, that's where this was going.
He answered smoothly, since it was common knowledge. "The God of Shinobi Senju Hashirama."
"And why do you think he was the strongest?"
Orochimaru smirked slightly. "Because of his unique Kekkei Genkai Wood Release."
Of course, he also knew about Hashirama's instant regeneration and his use of Senjutsu, but there was no need to say that.
Danzo's single visible eye studied him for a long moment before he finally spoke again.
"That's only one reason."
He let the words linger before dismissing Orochimaru.
"You should go. When you return, we'll continue this conversation."
Out on the street, Orochimaru muttered to himself, "Looks like he can't wait anymore."
This conversation was bait.
Danzo wanted to involve him in his experiments.
But Orochimaru knew how to play the game.
Orochimaru moved through Konoha's streets, his steps unhurried yet deliberate.
The village had started to recover from the war, but the scars were still there shinobi with missing limbs could be seen. Civilians whispered about the changing times, about Minato, about the future.
They were still buzzing about Minato becoming the next Hokage.
"Becoming" because the ceremony had yet to be held.
The Daimyō's signature was still required on the official documents, but the process had been delayed due to the village's post-war workload.
For now, Minato was the Hokage-in-waiting.
Orochimaru decided to leave immediately. There was no need for preparation.
As he passed through Konoha's gates, one of the guards muttered under his breath, "He's really scary..."
It wasn't just his thought it was a sentiment shared by many.
Orochimaru's neutral expression, his quiet demeanour, and the way he carried himself made it impossible to read his intentions.
And that made him all the more terrifying.
Orochimaru's departure had already been reported to Hiruzen.
Releasing a puff of smoke from his pipe, Hiruzen muttered, "Alright, you can leave."
The masked ANBU before him dispersed into smoke, revealing it had only been a shadow clone.
It wasn't Orochimaru that concerned him.
He knew Nawaki's death had affected Orochimaru more than most realized.
If the situation ever got out of control, Jiraiya was still around.
No, it was Danzo that worried him.
Hiruzen didn't believe that, with him still in power, Danzo could cause any problems for Minato. But he also knew better than to underestimate his old friend.
"Just don't do anything foolish, Danzo… otherwise, I will have to take action," Hiruzen muttered. He didn't want anyone to destroy the order he had worked so hard to maintain.
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Author's pov
Should there be oyakodon ?
If yes ? Write world and characters name here.
Should from Naruto only known characters be in harem or add many OG characters?
Any idea you can share.
Minimum age for r18 chapter ? I have seen fanfictions chapters with himawari in boruto too. So any suggestions.
Also name the websites for getting ai image be it realistic or anime , ofcourse for free.