Orochimaru arrived secretly at the Shimura compound.
The two men met in a hidden room.
"Lord Danzo, you called for me so urgently. What's this about?"
Danzo's voice was low and heavy.
"Orochimaru, you've already heard that Hiruzen stripped me of my elder seat and forcibly disbanded Root, haven't you?"
Orochimaru nodded.
"Did you offend Lord Hiruzen, Lord Danzo?"
Danzo shook his head, then nodded.
"Not exactly an offense… but in Hiruzen's eyes right now, my very existence is a crime."
"With the White Fang rumor exploding, Hiruzen's reputation inside the village took a massive hit — let alone outside it. He's scared. Scared someone might threaten his precious Hokage seat."
"I am one of the people he fears most."
"Hiruzen knows I support you, Orochimaru. Removing me was his way of cutting off your strongest ally."
Danzo paused, letting out a tired sigh.
"All these decades I thought I understood Hiruzen. I was wrong. He's hidden his true nature far too well."
"He has no intention of ever handing the Hokage seat to anyone else."
"I used to think he favored Minato, but that was just a front. His real goal is his own eldest son — Sarutobi Shinosuke. He wants to turn the Leaf into the Sarutobi clan's personal kingdom."
"We have to take the seat from him. It's the only way to save the village."
Orochimaru's golden eyes flickered.
"Lord Danzo… what exactly are you planning?"
Danzo's tone turned cold.
"We can't afford to wait anymore. If we want the Hokage seat, we have to use unconventional methods. We force Hiruzen off the throne."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"Lord Danzo… are you saying we kill Lord Hiruzen?"
Danzo thought back over the decades — the childhood rivalry, both of them becoming Tobirama's prized disciples, the only two who truly understood each other. For years, Danzo had believed Hiruzen was the only person he truly respected… and that the feeling was mutual.
But now, faced with his lifelong dream and Hiruzen's betrayal, Danzo nodded heavily.
"That's right. We find the right moment and kill Hiruzen. Then I'll throw my full support behind you becoming the next Hokage. We end the Sarutobi bloodline's conspiracy and return the Leaf to what it should be."
Orochimaru stayed silent for a moment.
"Lord Danzo, killing Lord Hiruzen won't be easy. He's still powerful, and he's surrounded by dozens of ANBU at all times. If we don't finish the job in one strike, we're the ones who die. Plus Jiraiya has returned. That fool's loyalty to Hiruzen is like stone. You saw how he reacted to the Minato rumor — he refused to believe a single word. And who exactly is going to make the attempt?"
Danzo hesitated.
"The two of us. Together. If we move, we go all out. No second chances."
Orochimaru glanced at him, face unreadable, then nodded.
"Then we wait for the right opportunity."
After leaving the Shimura compound, Orochimaru shook his head.
"Hiruzen isn't that easy to kill. And Danzo… you really think I can't see through you? Once Hiruzen is dead, you'll have your chance at the seat. Do you honestly expect to hand it over to me?"
"This isn't the same era as when Minato and I were competing anymore."
A Leaf civilian arrived in Sunagakure, loudly claiming he had seen Kakashi with his own eyes and demanding the 300,000 ryō bounty.
"You saw Kakashi in Konoha?"
Rasa's expression turned strange.
But the man's information was detailed and consistent. It didn't feel fake.
Soon after, Sunagakure's intelligence network confirmed it. There really was a Kakashi walking around the Leaf village.
Rasa's mind clicked.
"So that's how it is."
He already knew exactly where the real Kakashi was. With injuries that severe, there was no way he could have fully recovered yet. Given Obito's attachment to him, Kakashi was almost certainly still recovering in Amegakure.
Plus, Sasori's latest report had confirmed the same thing.
The real Kakashi was in the Hidden Rain. He couldn't possibly be in Konoha at the same time.
Which meant the Kakashi in the Leaf was an impostor.
"Hiruzen found someone, used Transformation Technique to copy Kakashi's appearance?"
"Bold move."
"If Kakashi were actually dead, this would be a perfect play. Let the fake show up, then arrange for him to 'die' later in a believable way. That would kill both the White Fang rumor and any suspicion that the Leaf was involved in Kakashi's death."
"But all of that only works if Kakashi is truly dead."
Rasa smiled.
"Too bad the real Kakashi is still very much alive."
"I wonder how he'll react when he hears about this? How he'll feel about the Leaf? About Hiruzen?"
Rasa didn't need to guess. Kakashi would be devastated. Completely disillusioned.
"Hiruzen actually dared to do this without even confirming whether Kakashi was dead or not? Wasn't he worried the real one might show up and expose everything?"
"Or did Hiruzen get some false intel that made him believe Kakashi was already gone?"
"Things are getting interesting."
This was something Rasa hadn't planned for — but it was definitely working in his favor.
"Lord Kazekage, should we pay the bounty?"
"Pay it. Why not?"
Three hundred thousand ryō was nothing to him. Once the real Kakashi appeared and shattered the Leaf's lie, Rasa could even use the payment itself as more ammunition in the Weekly. Another direct hit on Konoha.
...
Amegakure.
The distance between the Hidden Rain and Konoha wasn't much different from the distance between Sunagakure and Konoha. Obito had his own intelligence network — countless White Zetsu hidden in trees and soil, perfect for gathering information.
At that moment, Obito received the report that Kakashi had returned to Konoha.
"Kakashi. Here."
Konan handed him the intelligence scroll.
Obito passed it straight to Kakashi without a word.