After adjusting his physical condition, Uchiha Kiyo walked out of the tent and went straight to the personnel department.
Orochimaru was still in charge of the personnel department. Compared to before, he now carried a deeper sense of melancholy, his presence exuding an eerie gloom.
Of course, these musings on the fragility of life were only shared in private with Uchiha Kiyo. Tsunade remained unaware, as did others, but anyone who observed closely could tell that Orochimaru had changed. He had grown more terrifying, colder, and more ruthless.
Uchiha Kiyo speculated that this shift was likely triggered by the death of Nawaki and the others. When Orochimaru was a child, the death of his parents had sparked his initial thoughts on the nature of life. Now, with Nawaki's demise, something deeper seemed to have been awakened in him. His obsession with the pursuit of life had grown more intense, almost paranoid.
Perhaps, the seed of his desire for immortality had already been planted. If so, Kiyo's longevity technique would become an invaluable bargaining tool. Though it was still theoretical, it was definitely enough to catch Orochimaru's interest.
After all, Kiyo knew that he and Orochimaru would eventually part ways, but he had no intention of wasting such a brilliant scientist.
Even with their master-student relationship, Kiyo never expected to get anything from Orochimaru for free. The man was too unpredictable, and an equivalent exchange was the safest approach.
Besides, Orochimaru had access to all the forbidden techniques recorded in the Scroll of Seals.
If Kiyo could gain access to those techniques through him, then his ties to Konoha would become meaningless.
It was time to proceed with his plan.
---
"Sensei."
Kiyo entered the tent and greeted Orochimaru as usual.
"Kiyo, here again?"
Orochimaru looked up and gave a small, knowing smile.
"What kind of mission do you want this time? I'll see if there's anything available."
Seeing Kiyo walk in, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest.
This student suited his tastes well. After Nawaki's death, he had "tested" Kiyo multiple times, and the young Uchiha's views on life had greatly impressed him. Especially the idea that a lifespan of only a few decades was far too short—this belief in "longevity" aligned with his own developing obsession with immortality.
Satisfaction aside, Orochimaru also felt an underlying unease.
Kiyo had once been the most reliable member of his team, but now everything had changed.
The boy had hunted down multiple Root operatives—how could Orochimaru, his own teacher, not notice? He was the one assigning missions to Kiyo, after all. The locations and timing of the Root ninjas' deaths lined up suspiciously with Kiyo's movements.
Still, Orochimaru had chosen to turn a blind eye. Instead, he made sure to erase any traces that could be linked to Kiyo. That was the most he could do.
As for stopping Kiyo?
Impossible.
Danzo had sent his men to kill his student—just because Orochimaru didn't voice his opinion didn't mean he didn't care.
If Kiyo wanted revenge, then so be it. It was well deserved.
Orochimaru had heard that his student had already taken out at least three Jonin.
Heh. That old relic, Danzo, must be furious.
And indeed, Danzo was furious.
After the Third Hokage had temporarily taken over Root for a year, Danzo returned to find his forces significantly reduced. He suspected that the Third had done it on purpose.
**Third Hokage: …What? On purpose? I really didn't know! **
With his heavy workload, Hiruzen hadn't even noticed the missing Root operatives. After all, the missions assigned to Root were highly dangerous, and Kiyo never left any survivors to report back. The Third Hokage had simply assumed that they had died in the field.
Conduct a full investigation?
That was Danzo's problem.
Besides, Hiruzen was aware that Root had changed. If left unchecked, it was uncertain whether they would even obey his authority as Hokage.
---
"Sensei, I need a long-term mission this time," Kiyo said. "The longer, the better. Something in the Land of Rain—investigation, infiltration, or assassination."
Orochimaru frowned and studied his student carefully.
This kid is planning something again, isn't he?
A long-term mission? It was clear he was planning to go after Root again.
**Kiyo: I am not, I am not! **
Still, Orochimaru didn't refuse. After thinking for a moment, he decided to grant the request.
"Here. Complete this mission within a month."
He tossed a scroll, which Kiyo caught with ease.
Kiyo's eyes gleamed. A whole month? That was plenty of time.
Grinning, he gave Orochimaru a thumbs-up before turning and walking out of the tent.
As he studied the mission details, Kiyo frowned slightly.
Isn't this description a little too detailed?
A Konoha ninja with a "special talent" was being dispatched… but this wasn't a Root operative, was it?
A spy?
So, there wouldn't be any outsiders present during the information exchange?
Could it be any more obvious?
But Kiyo didn't mind.
Orochimaru clearly knew more than he let on. It was strange that Root had gone unchecked for so long. Now, it seemed like his teacher had been assisting him in the background.
Well then, he couldn't disappoint.
The Root ninja on this list? Not a single one would escape.
---
After registering his departure, Kiyo left the Konoha camp.
First, complete the mission. Then, gather intelligence.
Heading west, he avoided the Sand Village outposts and reached his target location after three days.
In a rocky desert near the Land of Wind, he spotted his target.
The spy was disguised as a Jonin from Sunagakure. How Danzo had managed to plant him so deep within the ranks was a mystery.
Jonin were typically promoted from within, meaning this spy must have risen through the ranks naturally.
Killing him should be a serious loss for Danzo…
As for the "bigger picture"?
That wasn't Kiyo's concern.
The Third Hokage had tolerated Danzo's actions even during times of war. If Kiyo did the same, it shouldn't be a problem, right?
Right.
After all, the Hokage didn't know.
And Kiyo had no reason to care about the future loss of intelligence. Konoha had countless casualties in every war.
Besides, the Uchiha Clan had been sidelined by the Hokage, forced to remain in the village instead of fighting on the frontlines.
Innocent?
No.
In an avalanche, no snowflake is innocent.
If Danzo had gained so much power, it was only because so many ninjas blindly followed him.
---
After confirming his intelligence, Kiyo activated an improved barrier to mask his chakra signature and used the Earth Movement Technique to follow the spy.
He trailed the spy past the border of the Land of Rain, deep into the Land of Wind, traveling another ten kilometers.
Then, he struck.
"Whoosh!"
A barrage of kunai shot toward the target.
The spy, ever cautious, dodged swiftly. Only five kunai were aimed directly at him, but the rest obscured his vision.
Kiyo didn't give him a chance to react.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he instantly appeared behind the spy.
At the same moment, the pre-prepared Earth Dragon Spear seal activated.
With a sharp thrust of his right arm, a hardened spear of earth extended from Kiyo's forearm—piercing straight through the spy's chest.
The Jonin's eyes widened in disbelief.
Blood dripped from the spear's tip.
Did I… just die?
As his consciousness faded, his body collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
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