"Judging by your confidence, it seems you've successfully mastered the 'Impure World Reincarnation' technique," Danzo remarked, halting his steps with a wary gaze.
"'Impure World Reincarnation'?" Kakashi silently noted the term, intending to report it to the Third Hokage for further investigation.
"Care to guess?" Orochimaru responded, licking his lips with a sly grin.
The two locked eyes, tension thick in the air.
After a brief silence, Danzo sighed, "You've won, Orochimaru. Hand over the Impure World Reincarnation technique. Once the Uchiha clan is eliminated, I'll grant you half of the Sharingan eyes."
"Half? Do you truly believe that's sufficient?" Orochimaru retorted.
"Don't push your luck, Orochimaru!" Danzo snapped.
"And what if I do? At least I hold leverage over you now," Orochimaru sneered. "Don't think that by eliminating Minato, attempting to wipe out the Uchiha, and targeting the old man, you'll automatically become Hokage. Let me tell you, a thief remains a thief. I'll carry this secret to my grave."
Danzo's eyes narrowed, his face contorted with fury. "Fine. After the Uchiha clan is destroyed, you get seventy percent of the Sharingan eyes. But you must provide me with the Impure World Reincarnation technique!"
"Apologies, but I want eighty percent," Orochimaru demanded.
"Eighty percent? Why don't you just take it all!" Danzo roared.
"Isn't that what I'm doing? Besides, this method is far more efficient," Orochimaru said, his voice dripping with malice.
"Fine, you win," Danzo conceded, taking a deep breath. "Eighty percent it is. I hope you keep your word."
"Rest assured, I, Orochimaru, always honor my agreements," he replied with a smile.
"Give me the modified version of the Impure World Reincarnation technique," Danzo ordered.
"Here you go," Orochimaru said, tossing a scroll.
Danzo caught it, verified its contents, and tucked it away. Seizing a moment when Orochimaru seemed distracted, Danzo launched a sudden attack. However, with a puff of smoke, Orochimaru vanished—it was merely a shadow clone.
"Damn it!" Danzo cursed, punching a nearby tree with such force that it split in two and crashed to the ground.
"Is that the Senju clan's monstrous strength?" Kakashi thought, astonished.
"So, Danzo has indeed integrated Hashirama's cells," Kushina observed, her expression darkening. Even with her current abilities, she wasn't confident in defeating Danzo.
After all, Danzo possessed both the Mangekyō Sharingan and Hashirama's cells—he might even wield Wood Release. These were formidable counters to the Nine-Tails.
If she failed and her identity was exposed, Naruto would be in grave danger.
"Danzo, kill one of me, and thousands more will rise! I want ninety percent of the Sharingan eyes!" Orochimaru's sinister voice echoed from afar. "I trust you won't refuse. Otherwise, the truth about your orchestration of the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, leading to Minato and Kushina's deaths, might find its way to the Daimyō's court and the old man's desk.
"Not to mention your manipulation of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, turning the Hidden Mist into the 'Bloody Mist Village'—that news would spread across the ninja world.
"Oh, and the rumors you spread that led to the suicide of Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake—I'm sure Kakashi would be interested to know who was behind that.
"Imagine how Kakashi, who has sealed off his emotions, would react upon learning you were responsible for his father's and teacher's deaths. He might just be eager to take you down with him!
"Don't you agree, Lord Danzo? Hahaha!"
"Orochimaru!" Danzo growled, his face twisted in rage.
"A wise man adapts to circumstances, Danzo. You're intelligent—I know you'll agree. Hahaha!" Orochimaru's voice rang out again. "By the way, the Impure World Reincarnation technique I gave you is just a modified version. Be careful not to play with fire. You wouldn't want to be killed by one of your own reanimations. Hahaha!"
With that, the forest fell silent.
Only Danzo remained, gritting his teeth, his face dark.
Moments later, Danzo departed, leaving a stunned Kakashi behind.
Kakashi's mind replayed Orochimaru's words: Sakumo's suicide was due to Danzo's rumors. Minato and Kushina's deaths were orchestrated by Danzo.
"Danzo, I will kill you! Kill you! Kill you!" Kakashi's face twisted with fury, his complexion reddening, veins bulging on his neck, exuding intense anger.
His eyes, bloodshot and crimson, transformed from the three-tomoe Sharingan into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kushina observed the darkness enveloping Kakashi. Through the residual chakra of the Nine-Tails, she sensed his inner turmoil and the murderous intent radiating from him.
"With Kakashi in this state, he's unreliable. But I must avenge my husband's death. And my poor Naruto still needs care. I'll have to rely on Mikoto. Hopefully, after Danzo's demise, Itachi can secretly look after Naruto. Sigh." Kushina sighed, concealing her presence as she evaded barriers and surveillance, silently heading towards the Uchiha district.
Under the bright moon, atop a utility pole, Danzo's figure transformed with a puff of smoke into Uchiha Itachi.
"Kakashi, thank you for your guidance during my two years in the Anbu. Consider the awakening of your Mangekyō Sharingan my token of gratitude."
Under the moonlight, Uchiha Itachi sat on the pole, his crimson Mangekyō Sharingan eyes exuding a chilling aura.
"From this moment on, let Danzo suffer!"
[System Notification: Congratulations, Host, for successfully deceiving Kakashi and Kushina. You've obtained a Clone Entity Technique.]
[Clone Entity Technique: By using a drop of blood, you can create a tangible clone. These clones can act and fight independently, possessing consciousness and bodies separate from the original. Upon dissolution, the clone's memories and experiences return to the original.]
[Don't be fooled; it's always been just me here. If you don't believe it, I'll tell you the same thing under a different ID.]
"A drop of blood, huh?" Uchiha Itachi sliced his finger, letting the blood drip and form a clone identical to himself.
The two looked at each other: (_)
Handsome as Edison Chen, cool as Daniel Wu, from afar like Nicholas Tse, up close like Aaron Kwok—this was the first time Uchiha Itachi truly saw himself.
Though there were slight lines on his face, his appearance bore a resemblance to his past life—acceptable, he supposed.
They examined each other, the experience akin to looking into a mirror.
Once he focused on controlling the original body, the clone gained independent consciousness, lacking only the system but matching his abilities.
The clone cut himself, blood oozing out. "Wow, real flesh and blood—it's tangible!"
Uchiha Itachi: "..."
It's definitely me.
"A performance should be thorough. In this line of work, credibility matters. If we said we'd frame Danzo, we must shift all the blame onto him. If we don't, can you sleep peacefully tonight?" The clone felt uneasy that the inferior version of the Impure World Reincarnation technique hadn't been given to Danzo, sensing the plan was incomplete. Thus, he used Mystique's transformation ability to become Orochimaru again, heading towards the Root base.
Uchiha Itachi: "..."