"You really didn’t hold back," Fujimoto Tōma said as he looked over the listed supplies. His tone was flat, but his eyes lingered.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Resources are the foundation of everything. And honestly? This isn’t bad news for you."
Tōma didn’t deny it. The more resources involved, the more hands had touched them. And the more hands, the more cracks to investigate.
Still... when he thought about how these stockpiles would technically beco Konoha’s once Danzo fell, he felt a faint, irrational sting of regret.
"Besides that," Orochimaru added casually, "there are so of Danzo’s older deeds. Would you like those as well?"
Tōma paused, then nodded.
Another scroll flew toward him.
He opened it after a quick check, and his expression turned strange. This wasn’t recent. It dated back to the period when Orochimaru and Danzo had been working closely together.
"So this is you trying to drag him down with you," Tōma said, amused. "Revenge for when he stabbed you in the back and pushed you out of the Hokage succession?"
He couldn’t help smiling. He hadn’t expected Orochimaru to hold a grudge this long.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "You know quite a lot, Tōma-kun."
The scroll didn’t include dates. Yet Tōma had imdiately understood when it ca from.
"I’ll help," Tōma said with a shrug. "If soone’s going down, they might as well take their old partners with them."
Orochimaru laughed softly. "Much appreciated."
After a brief pause, Tōma asked sothing that had been on his mind.
"Tell this. If I had died in that ambush... what would you have done? Hand this information to the Fifth Hokage?"
Orochimaru’s eyes glead. "You give Tsunade too much credit. She can’t outplay Danzo."
He sneered faintly. "If you had died, I would have waited until Danzo was about to take power. Then I’d spread everything to every corner of Konoha."
He seed to savor the image, his smile turning darker.
Tōma went quiet.
With his current reputation in the village, that kind of revelation would have ruined Danzo completely. Publicly. Irreversibly.
And Orochimaru definitely had the ans to make it happen.
Part of Tōma was almost curious to see that future. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly sothing he could test. He was still alive.
Which ant Danzo choosing to work with Orochimaru had been a catastrophic misjudgnt. Especially after crossing him in the past.
Did Danzo really believe Orochimaru was the kind of man who only cared about利益 and never grudges?
Then again... Tōma frowned slightly. He himself had nearly torn Orochimaru apart not long ago.
Best not give that man any leverage.
"So," Orochimaru said, watching him closely, "will you finally tell how you found ?"
It clearly mattered to him. Being tracked ant nowhere was truly safe. For soone as obsessed with survival as Orochimaru, that was unacceptable.
"The Spirit Projection Technique," Tōma replied, "and your Heaven Curse Mark."
Orochimaru froze, then laughed. "Dan Katō’s technique... I should have known. Even forbidden jutsu co easily to you."
Everything clicked for him. The Spirit Projection Technique granted exceptional sensory reach, especially toward spiritual traces. And the Heaven Curse Mark contained fragnts of Orochimaru’s own will.
Tōma had followed that residue.
Relief crossed Orochimaru’s face. Only briefly, but it was there.
Few could use that technique. Fewer still had access to his curse marks. In reality, only Tōma could track him this way. And even then, it was a one-ti opportunity.
"That settles everything," Orochimaru said lightly. "Farewell, Tōma-kun."
He watched Tōma carefully, wary of a sudden attack.
None ca.
Orochimaru’s body broke apart into countless small snakes, slipping away into the shadows and cracks of the hall.
Tōma didn’t stop him.
His goal was already accomplished. And killing Orochimaru without absolute certainty was aningless. If that man resurfaced sowhere else, all of this would have been for nothing.
Letting him go was the lesser risk.
Tōma glanced at the scrolls in his hand. Failing to kill Orochimaru hadn’t been part of the plan anyway. If anything, this had gone smoother than expected. Mostly because Orochimaru had wanted Danzo gone just as much as he did.
He disappeared in a blur of movent.
After Tōma left, Orochimaru returned briefly, collecting a few remaining items.
Only then did Yakushi Kabuto speak. "Lord Orochimaru. You’ve t the one you were waiting for. What’s next?"
Orochimaru smiled. "The winds of the shinobi world are moving again. If the Akatsuki want to fan the flas, let them."
Kabuto nodded. "With Naruto in Konoha, the Akatsuki won’t avoid it. Eventually, they’ll clash with the village. With Tōma."
"Exactly," Orochimaru said softly. "So... who will co knocking next, I wonder? One of them? Or several?"
His smile widened.
"And what kind of surprise will Tōma-kun bring next ti? I can’t wait."
Konoha. Hokage’s Office.
Tōma sat calmly to the side, sipping tea, while Tsunade read through the scrolls.
The vein pulsing on her forehead grew more pronounced by the second.
"That bastard!" she slamd her hand on the desk. "All these resources... wasted!"
To her, every item on that list belonged to Konoha.
Tōma remained unfazed, continuing his tea as Tsunade ranted. ANBU personnel files. Illegal experints. Danzo’s involvent in things that should never have existed.
When she finally stopped, Tōma set his cup down.
"Finished?"
"Yes," Tsunade said, rubbing her temples. She wanted nothing more than to shove the evidence in Danzo’s face. But she knew better. The source was sensitive. Much of it still needed verification.
Rushing in would only alert him.
"I’m impressed you even found Orochimaru," she admitted. "Jiraiya searched for years."
Tōma explained how he’d tracked him.
Tsunade frowned. "So there’s only one more chance to locate him. And even then, killing him isn’t guaranteed."
"That’s right."
She clenched her fist, then slowly exhaled.
"...Let’s focus on Danzo," she said at last. "What do you suggest we do next?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)