Naruto:Shockwave of Change

As Sal walked through the streets of Konoha that night, a thought crossed his mind: "What if I mobilized other clans? Everyone hates Danzo in the shadows. If they knew the truth, they'd surely unite to bring him down."

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

"That could fracture the village even further. My evidence would probably only push Danzo away from power, and no clan would risk making an enemy of him for that alone. And in just a few years, the Third Ninja War will begin. The last thing Konoha needs is a civil war within its walls."

The next morning, tension hung thick in the air. Sal, Tsunade, Kaito Dan, Nawaki, and Orochimaru gathered in the Hokage's office. Hiruzen Sarutobi, usually calm and composed, wore a grim expression as he scanned the reports Sal had delivered.

Sarutobi's wrinkled fingers gripped the scroll tightly. His mind was in turmoil.

"Danzo… what have you done?"

The heavy silence was shattered by an unexpected movement. Orochimaru, whom Sal believed was only there for support, pulled out an additional stack of documents from his pouch and handed them directly to Sarutobi.

The Hokage looked up, surprised.

— "Orochimaru, what is this?"

The Sannin answered with a cold tone:

— "These are the results of my private investigation. A few months ago, Danzo approached me, asking for help with research on Wood Style."

Tsunade and Nawaki frowned. Wood Style? That was an ability exclusive to Hashirama Senju, a relic of a glorious past.

— "I refused," Orochimaru continued, "because working with Danzo… means getting dirtier than necessary. But something piqued my curiosity. How did he expect to conduct this research without sufficient genetic material?"

The silence was cut by Orochimaru's next words:

— "That's when I discovered Danzo was targeting members of the Senju clan during missions outside the village. He used their deaths as a cover to capture them and conduct experiments. That's why the mortality rate among the Senju has risen so sharply in recent months."

— "WHAT?!" Tsunade sprang to her feet, her face flushed with anger. Nawaki, beside her, clenched his fists so tightly that his nails pierced his palms.

Sarutobi paled.

— "This… this can't be true."

Orochimaru shrugged, as if expecting such a reaction.

— "Oh, but it is. And the most curious part? It wasn't just the Senju. Danzo realized that other bloodlines might yield different results. He started targeting ninjas from various clans—Hyūga, Uchiha, Inuzuka… even common ninjas with the slightest interesting genetic trait."

Tsunade stepped forward, chakra already surging into her hands.

— "Sarutobi-sensei… did you know about this?!"

Sarutobi, shaken, slowly shook his head.

— "I… I knew the mission mortality rate had increased, but I didn't suspect this. I thought it was just a reflection of pre-war tensions."

Orochimaru smiled coldly.

— "Of course you didn't suspect, sensei. Danzo is smart. He disguised the deaths as mission failures and even falsified combat reports. But now, there's no denying it."

The Hokage looked at the documents in his hands, each page a blow to his conviction that Danzo, despite his extreme methods, still acted for Konoha's greater good.

Sal, standing beside Nawaki, watched everything in silence. But inside, he was shocked.

"Orochimaru… what's happening?"

In Sal's original plan, the evidence would lead Sarutobi to strip Danzo of his duties—an exile, perhaps. A cut to his power.

But Orochimaru didn't share that vision.

"I thought stopping Orochimaru from falling into darkness would be a blessing. But… I never imagined he'd become a sharp blade to 'improve' Konoha."

And that blade was about to cut deeper than Sal had ever anticipated.

Sarutobi took a deep breath, preparing to speak, but Orochimaru interrupted, tossing another scroll onto the table.

— "You don't have to decide alone, sensei. Because while we were talking, these very documents were delivered to every clan in Konoha. I sent messengers the moment we walked through that door."

Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock.

— "You… you did that without my authorization?!"

Orochimaru crossed his arms, expressionless.

— "Yes. Because I knew that if I left it in your hands, you'd hesitate. And hesitating with Danzo means giving him time to escape and reorganize."

At that moment, a chill ran down Sal's spine.

"He's not just exposing Danzo. He's sentencing him to death."

Tsunade, still seething, crossed her arms and glared at her former teacher.

— "The clan leaders will be here soon, Sarutobi-sensei. So? Will you cut off an arm to save the greater body of Konoha? Or will you let this poison rot everything from within?"

Silence. Everyone awaited Sarutobi's decision.

The Hokage closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them again, his expression had hardened. The old, kind Sarutobi had vanished, replaced by the war commander who had led Konoha through darker times.

— "Danzo… will have to pay for his crimes."

The first step toward the fall of the man in the shadows had been taken.

"Orochimaru… you've become the greatest threat to those who corrupt the village. But how many arms are you willing to cut off to 'save' Konoha's body? And when will you decide that something else needs to be severed?"

For the first time, Sal began to question whether keeping Orochimaru away from the darkness had truly been the best choice. Because now, he wasn't just an ally… he was an unforgiving judge.

But Sal couldn't deny it—he loved this version of Orochimaru.