area51novel Chapter 98 Danzo, I Want Command of the Root Organization
Chapter 98 Danzo, I Want Command of the Root Organization
Chapter 98 Danzo, I Want Command of the Root Organization
Night fell, and the Death Forest was filled with a chilling atmosphere.
The shadows of the trees swayed gently.
A dark figure darted through the jungle at breakneck speed, almost blending into the surrounding darkness.
The person was dressed in the uniform of the Hidden Leaf Village's Anbu, wearing a mask shaped like a bird's beak, and was speeding along the hidden markings carved on the tree trunk.
A moment later, he paused, landed in a dense forest, and whispered a series of distinctive bird calls.
There was a commotion immediately behind the bushes not far away.
Immediately afterward, a member of the ANBU wearing a cat-face mask appeared, cautiously surveying his surroundings: "What is it?"
"Urgent Notice! All members of the Dark Guard must immediately abandon their current missions and return to the assembly point!"
The bird-beak masked figure immediately relayed orders upon landing, his voice solemn and powerful.
The cat-masked operative in the shadows trembled upon hearing this, then silently nodded: "Alright, I'll be there soon."
Seeing that the other side did not act immediately, the Birdbeak operative's tone became even more stern: "The order is immediate!"
The spies from the Bird Beak faction suddenly sharpened their gazes and shouted, "Halt!"
As he spoke, he drew a cold, menacing kunai from behind, aiming it at the shadowy part of the cat's face. His left hand also swiftly produced a signal flare, which he warily held above his head, his voice chilling, "What's with the bloodstains?!"
The cat-faced operative raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, and chuckled lightly, "Hehe, don't be nervous. I had a little conflict with the target during the mission, and I got a minor injury! I'll bandage my wound first and then head back to the assembly point soon."
Birdbeak's sharp eyes scanned him for a moment, and seeing Catface slowly take out first aid medicine and indeed treat a wound on his arm, he lowered his guard slightly.
"Hurry up!"
He gave a stern warning and slowly put down the kunai in his hand.
Without further hesitation, he vanished into the depths of the forest and swiftly retreated towards Konoha.
After the bird-beak masked member of the spies had gone, the cat-faced member remained in his half-squatting position, motionless, as if listening to the sounds around him.
After a long while, once he was sure he was far away, he slowly straightened up and chuckled, "That was close." As he spoke, he reached out and removed his cat-face mask.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the pale, handsome face beneath the mask.
It was Yakushi Kabuto.
Kabuto casually tossed aside his blood-stained mask, pushed up his round-framed glasses, and glanced at the large tree beside him.
There lay a corpse, stripped down to its underwear.
"First, Konoha sent people to monitor me, and now they've urgently summoned all the Anbu members on missions outside—what are they trying to do?"
Yakushi Kabuto frowned, glanced at the cold corpse at his feet, and muttered to himself.
It turned out that shortly after the start of the second round of the Chunin Exams, Kabuto noticed that someone was following him and monitoring him. The person was well-hidden and highly skilled, and was most likely an Anbu sent by the higher-ups of Konoha.
In order to shake off his tail, Dou deliberately took a big detour and even pretended to retreat towards the 12th entrance of the Death Forest.
However, his opponent relentlessly pursued him, and in the end, he had no choice but to kill him secretly.
"but"
He looked up at the boundless forest under the vast night sky, his expression gradually turning calm.
"We still haven't found any trace of Naruto and the others—it seems I won't be able to complete the intelligence-gathering mission Lord Orochimaru assigned me. In that case, instead of wasting time here, I should hurry back and report the Konoha Anbu's movements to Lord Orochimaru!"
at the same time.
Root tissue base.
At this moment, in a dimly lit office deep inside the base, several ninja swords and maps hanging on the wall reflected a chilling light.
In the center of the office, the one-eyed old man sat with his back to the door. The wide back of the chair concealed his figure, revealing only a section of his right arm, wrapped in bandages, resting on the side of the chair.
He lowered his head slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking on the door.
"Come in."
The old man's voice was hoarse and low.
A masked Root ninja pushed open the door and knelt on one knee: "Lord Danzo! The Third Hokage has come to visit!"
Before he could finish speaking and Danzo could respond, the door behind him was pushed open forcefully from the outside again!
"Hiruzen?!"
Danzo turned his head abruptly, a hint of surprise and displeasure flashing in his single eye.
This guy is usually very concerned about his image and follows the rules.
To my utter surprise, they barged in without waiting for notification.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked into the room with a solemn expression.
His eyes were sharp as he scanned the room and noticed several Root members standing on either side. He immediately frowned, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice, "You may all leave."
Unexpectedly, several Root ninjas ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders.
Upon seeing this, Sarutobi's face darkened, and he slammed his pipe heavily on the table, making a dull thud.
He gave the crowd a cold glance, his imposing aura forcing them to involuntarily lower their heads.
Danzo snorted and waved his hand: "You all go out first."
"Yes."
Several subordinates respectfully accepted the order and filed out of the room, considerately closing the door behind their leader.
As the door closed, only the current Hokage of Konoha and the leader of the Root organization remained in the spacious office.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and an invisible sense of oppression spread out.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at his old friend and said bluntly, "Danzo, I want command of the Root organization!"
Upon hearing this, Danzo's pupils constricted sharply, and his previously unwavering posture abruptly rose from his chair: "Impossible!"
He shouted sharply, interrupting Sarutobi.
Is this guy crazy?
Danzo stared intently at the Third Hokage, his heart filled with both surprise and doubt.
"What exactly do you want?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly took a puff of his pipe, remaining silent, only wisps of smoke slowly exhaled from his mouth, blurring the inscrutable expression on his face.
Time flies.
It was already noon on the third day of the second Chunin Exams.
In the rest area inside the central tower of the Death Forest, small groups of ninja squads who had managed to pass the forest's trials gathered. After two days of fierce fighting, these examinees who had successfully reached the tower could finally relax their vigilance for a while. Guided by the staff, they entered the tower to rest and patiently wait for the second exam to end.
In a dormitory room on the second floor of the tower, a tall, thin young man stood quietly by the window.
His eyes were lowered, and a few strands of black hair fell across his forehead, covering most of his face, revealing only a pale chin.
The young man wore a headband from the Hidden Sound Village with musical note markings on his head, and his long ponytail tied up at the back of his head hung down from his shoulders. He looked ordinary and unremarkable.
However, at this moment, his slightly narrowed eyes were fixed on a corner outside the window.
Following his gaze, one could see a six-person team running around the central tower on the open ground outside the tower. The figures of the first two boys were particularly eye-catching.
It was Naruto and Sasuke.
Not far behind them were two figures wearing green tight-fitting training suits.
Against the backdrop of their standard green jumpsuits, two figures, one tall and one short, both with thick black hair and eyebrows, exuded an imposing aura, clearly resembling a master and apprentice.
Last to fall at the back of the group were two girls.
Seeing this, the ponytail-wearing youth by the dormitory window curled up slightly, revealing a smile that was hard to decipher.
"interesting"
Just as he was staring out the window in a daze, he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps behind him.
"Lord Orochimaru! The mission has failed!"
A respectful voice reported in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, the young man with the ponytail slowly turned around, the wicked smile on his face still lingering.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the dormitory entrance, kneeling in the shadows and bowing to him.
The newcomer appeared to be in his early forties, wearing an inconspicuous dark gray kimono jacket. His appearance was unremarkable, and at first glance, he looked like someone who had gone missing.
"So it's you, Kabuto." The deep, husky voice of the ponytailed youth rang out; it was undoubtedly Orochimaru.
He squinted and sized the other man up from head to toe, then smiled meaningfully, "It's not your fault that the mission failed. You know, Sasuke and the others arrived at the tower on the very first day. Truly a little guy that everyone drools over."
The middle-aged man, referred to as Dou, remained kneeling on one knee, his head slightly bowed, and remained silent.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips, and asked, "By the way, how did you end up like this?"
Upon hearing this, Kabuto Yakushi raised his head and replied with a wry smile, "While on a mission in the forest, I was targeted by Konoha's ANBU. To escape their surveillance, I had no choice but to disguise myself."
He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, Konoha is currently recalling all its Anbu members who are operating outside the village. I'm worried that something might happen in the village, or that an accident might occur."
Orochimaru smiled slightly upon hearing this, then raised his chin, revealing the unremarkable face of the ponytail-wearing youth.
"Hmph, after all these years, it's not surprising that Konoha has made some progress."
"But it's alright. This plan is flawless! That old geezer, the Third Generation, isn't capable of seeing through it!"
Upon hearing this arrogant and confident declaration, a hint of fanaticism and admiration flashed in Kabuto Yakushi's eyes.
He bowed slightly: "Yes! Your subordinate understands."
Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction.
He walked back to the window, his golden snake eyes peering coldly through his disguised body as he gazed toward the distant direction of Konoha Village.
"Teacher, let your disciple present you with this great gift."
As the last rays of the setting sun gradually faded, the sky above the Death Forest darkened.
At the foot of the tower, the six people who had been running in circles all afternoon finally stopped.
"Ha ha-"
Naruto was bent over, panting heavily, with large beads of sweat constantly streaming down his face and dripping onto the ground.
His legs were trembling, and he could barely stand.
Sasuke stood to the side, not much better off.
Several hours earlier, Xiang and Xiaoying had already run out of energy and had to withdraw from the training to rest on the sidelines.
They originally thought that Naruto and Sasuke could only hold on for another ten minutes or so before collapsing from exhaustion.
To everyone's surprise, these two stubborn guys gritted their teeth and persevered until nightfall.
"Great, it's finally over—" Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and quickly ran forward to take out the water bottle she had prepared in advance from the backpack placed to the side.
Xiang also picked up a kettle and quickly followed.