"Due to certain circumstances, a clan within the village has a strained relationship with the leadership. After Iwagakure caught wind of this, they attempted to launch a large-scale assault."
"The authenticity of the intelligence is uncertain, which is why we need you to verify it."
After the man behind Danzō, Aburame Torune, finished speaking, the woman across from him, Nonō, clenched her fists tightly.
Then she replied, "You've come to the wrong person. I'm nothing more than the director of this orphanage now."
Danzō frowned slightly. "You should understand why the orphanage's funding hasn't been approved yet."
Torune's voice came from behind again, calm but pointed: "Maybe the funding will come eventually, after all, the Fourth Hokage did promise it. But this place is remote. Are you planning to hire a shinobi to protect it? What if the money is stolen… or the children…"
Orochimaru added with a chilling tone, "Children with unknown origins can be quite useful. I, for one, am in great need of…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Nonō already understood exactly what he meant.
She had no choice but to agree…
Maybe she could figure out other ways to raise the money, but the children…
As a former elite of Root, Nonō knew all too well how the organization used orphans.
Yes, used. Brainwashed into becoming weapons of war. Subjected to human experimentation. No matter which, to those kids, it would be a living hell.
"Haa… I understand."
When someone holds your weakness in their hand, surrender comes far too easily.
Danzō's eyes gleamed slightly. Behind him, Orochimaru smiled.
"This intelligence cost me one of my subordinates. In exchange, I'll be taking a child from here."
"No!"
Before he could finish, Nonō shot up and firmly refused. The children weren't just her weakness; they were the light that brought her out of the darkness.
Outside, Kabuto stood with his fists clenched, wrestling with some kind of inner decision.
Smack!
A sudden hand on his shoulder nearly made him jump out of his skin. He turned to see the red-haired man who had treated him to grilled meat a few days ago.
"You…"
With a faint smile, Ku said, "Thinking of going in there to accept for her? Then let me ask you, do you even know what Root really is?"
Kabuto shook his head. "I just… don't want the director to suffer. As for me… I don't matter."
Ku's gaze turned toward the building. A dark shadow rapidly grew in his eyes.
"Step aside and wait for me."
With a wave, he shoved Kabuto away, then slashed with his longsword.
Boom!!
Whoosh!
The wooden door shattered into splinters, and the oncoming Hidden Shadow Snake Hands was severed mid-strike.
He was having trouble controlling his power.
Retracting his sword, Ku frowned slightly. The explosive growth in vitality, physical ability, speed, strength, and chakra had created a vast gap between his current and former capabilities.
But with it came a sharp drop in control, which was something he had already grown accustomed to before.
'Uh… did I just accidentally break Kabuto's shoulder earlier?'
"Red hair… The Uzumaki Clan? You're not a Konoha shinobi. Looks like I'll have a fine new specimen in my lab soon."
Orochimaru licked his lips with his long, crimson tongue, like he was staring at a delicacy.
"Honestly… You're just f***ing disgusting."
With that, Ku moved both hands, throwing eight Flying Thunder God kunai from his ninja pouch.
His aim wasn't the best, but at least two were headed toward the enemy. The other six are scattered across different positions.
"Such poor aim reminds me of that white-haired guy's ninjutsu."
Just as Orochimaru was about to casually block them, the three-character formula on the approaching kunai made the snake-like pupils in his eyes shrink rapidly.
"Flying Thunder God!"
As he shouted, one of the kunai stabbed into his heart from behind.
Splurt!
"You guessed right, Orochimaru."
Ku's voice whispered into his ear. But the next moment.
Orochimaru showed no pain. Instead, his head twisted unnaturally as his neck stretched like a snake, and his face appeared behind Ku.
Slice!
The Kusanagi blade, emerging from Orochimaru's mouth, stabbed into Ku's neck and slashed horizontally.
Poof.
A puff of smoke rose; it had been a shadow clone.
"As one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, you were never my target."
Ku teleported behind Danzō, striking with his kunai.
Clang!
His strike was blocked by a longsword. Ku looked up to see Aburame Torune now standing in front of Danzō.
"From the very beginning, your attention wasn't on me; it was entirely focused on guarding Danzō's surroundings. How loyal."
Torune showed no emotion and replied calmly, "Root's mission is to protect Lord Danzō. The Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God may be fast, but speed alone isn't enough.
Bzzzz
A cloud of black insects surged from his body, enveloping Ku like a black mist.
Whoosh!
Ku teleported to evade the insects and smiled. "No, it's you who has no idea how terrifying the Flying Thunder God truly is."
Boom!
A flame erupted from a marked kunai. Ku hurled it toward Danzō with all his might.
Clang!
The first fiery kunai was deflected, but the second was already closing in. Then the third immediately after.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Ku appeared behind Torune and slashed him in half.
Splurt!
Bzzzz
More black insects flew into the air—it was just an insect clone.
"Uzumaki boy, what gave you the illusion that the Flying Thunder God alone could defeat me?"
Orochimaru's voice turned cold as he summoned multiple giant snakes toward Ku.
Whoosh!
Ku vanished again and reappeared behind the real Torune. This time, he struck true.
Thud!
One arm was severed at the shoulder, blood spraying everywhere. But Ku frowned.
As a member of Root, Torune had solid combat experience. That last blow had felt like Torune deliberately made contact with his real body.
"Hah…"
The pain of losing an arm made sweat beads on Torune's forehead, but compared to Tobi, this guy's pain receptors might as well not exist.
"Exchanging one arm to catch you? I think it's a fair trade."
Still expressionless, Torune continued, "Everyone knows how strong space-time ninjutsu is. The real reason you dared act against us is because you can flee at any time, right?"
"You placed your markers elsewhere. If things go south, you'll just leave, that's your biggest trump card."
Ku paused slightly, sensing a strange wriggling in his body.
'This is…
Torune stared at him and said, The insects have already begun devouring your chakra. Soon, they'll rapidly expand and multiply until…"
He didn't need to finish. As a member of Konoha's Aburame clan, with their secret techniques, there was no denying their ability to turn the tide of battle.