"Orochimaru, it's almost time for the Uchiha clan to be annihilated."
Danzo thumped his cane once against the floor and spoke in a deep voice.
"Oh?"
Orochimaru looked at him with surprise. A gleam flashed through his snake-like vertical pupils.
"So the plan's been moved ahead? Interesting. Since when did Lord Hiruzen grow a spine? That's unlike him."
"Because of a new variable: Uchiha Rukawa! That brat..."
Danzo proceeded to tell Orochimaru everything Rukawa had done earlier that day.
After listening, Orochimaru gave an excited slurp with his tongue as it licked across his own face. His eyes lit up with intrigue.
"Fascinating, truly fascinating! A seven-year-old who can casually one-shot a Jonin… and doesn't even put the Hokage in his eyes. Hehehe…"
"Orochimaru, I came not just to notify you, but also to discuss our plan regarding those two brats—Itachi and Rukawa."
Danzo looked at Orochimaru calmly as he spoke.
"Oh? Danzo, are you also interested in those two?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"Hmph! Of course. One has the Mangekyō Sharingan, the other's strength skyrocketed overnight. I'm not the only one interested—Hiruzen wants them too!" Danzo snorted.
"I see. You're worried that Lord Hiruzen might steal them from under your nose, so you want me to secretly smuggle them out?"
Orochimaru was sharp. He instantly saw through Danzo's intentions.
"Exactly. I'll be in charge of subduing the brats—you get them out. We absolutely can't let Hiruzen take this prize for himself!"
"No problem, I'm in. We'll share the research results," Orochimaru agreed readily, and added as assurance:
"Danzo, don't worry—I won't run off with them. You and I still have many future collaborations ahead. Ruining our partnership over this would benefit no one."
"Good. You're a smart man, Orochimaru. Disrupting our alliance helps neither of us."
Danzo nodded coolly.
"Hehehe, indeed. Then—pleasure doing business."
Orochimaru smiled and extended a hand.
"Pleasure doing business," Danzo echoed, reaching out to shake hands. A twisted grin formed on his face.
Hiruzen, Hiruzen… you think I'm playing on the first level? I'm already three levels ahead of you.
Bet you never imagined I had Orochimaru as a secret weapon! Danzo thought smugly.
With the deal struck, Danzo turned to leave—but suddenly remembered something and turned back to Orochimaru.
"Oh right, Orochimaru. The replacement arm I asked for—how's the progress?"
"Coming along. No need to rush…"
"Just a few days ago, one of my men discovered a person with an extraordinary body—no rejection to any transplanted cells."
Danzo's lone eye lit up instantly.
"Good. If that's true, I'll use that arm to replace my current one!"
Danzo touched his right arm, unable to hide his excitement.
That arm had been injured long ago and had never fully recovered. It was cumbersome to use.
He'd wanted to replace it for a long time but couldn't find a suitable donor—until now.
And this one wouldn't even trigger cell rejection—it was perfect.
Now, with tonight being the Uchiha Massacre, a twisted idea suddenly popped into Danzo's head.
What if I implanted multiple Sharingan eyes on the new arm?
Once the thought entered his mind, he couldn't stop it.
"Then I'll go make arrangements."
With that, Danzo hurriedly left the secret room.
He had to go tell his subordinates to collect as many Sharingan as possible.
What a lucky day this is… Danzo smirked to himself.
Elsewhere…
"Tch! That fool Fugaku doesn't believe my prediction—didn't even evacuate the civilians!"
Rukawa stood on a rooftop, looking over the Uchiha district still lit up with lamps and lanterns. He scowled.
"Well, I gave the warning. When the fight breaks out and the common folks die in droves—don't blame me."
Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, Rukawa finally decided to use the two sign-in chances he earned by pissing off Hiruzen.
He had originally planned to wait until he had 10 sign-ins for a "ten-pull," but his sign-in addiction won out.
"Hey System, sign in! Use both chances now!"
[Ding… Sign-in successful! Obtained: Supreme Sunglasses ×1]
[Ding… Sign-in successful! Obtained: 24K Gold Chain ×1]
"…Sunglasses and a gold chain? System, you trying to turn me into a mafia boss?"
Rukawa muttered and questioned the system.
"System, these can't just be normal sunglasses, right? Can I get a description or something?"
[Supreme Sunglasses: Completely blocks all vision-based detection. Even Byakugan cannot see your eyes while worn.]
Rukawa raised an eyebrow. Hey, that actually sounded useful.
"Perfect way to hide my Six-Tomoe Rinnegan!"
Sure, even if his Rinnegan got exposed, it wouldn't matter much—but if he could avoid unnecessary trouble, he would.
Besides…
Sunglasses look cool.
Then he asked the system about the gold chain:
[24K Gold Chain: A must-have accessory for boss vibes. Wearing it makes you even more intimidating. In short—drip secured!]
"…Right. So, it's garbage."
Rukawa sighed and tossed that one mentally into the "trash cosmetics" pile.
Still, one out of two wasn't bad. The sunglasses were useful.
After signing in, with nothing else to do, Rukawa lay flat on the rooftop, staring at the full moon above.
Shh—
With a thought, the sunglasses appeared on his face.
Clear vision. Not blurry at all. Perfect.
Nice. Rukawa approved.
The moon sure looks big, white, and round tonight.
Inside it is sealed that gullible Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and probably a bunch of Byakugan users.
Hmm… could I punch through it and steal that giant Tenseigan?
What happens if I blow up the moon—would that unseal Kaguya?
Can brute force break seals?
As his thoughts spiraled further, Rukawa's stomach started growling.
He looked up at the round moon again—it looked just like a soft, delicious dumpling.
Dumpling… wait, dumpling?!
Suddenly remembering something, Rukawa snapped upright.