"From now on, I will be your team's supervisor."
A deep, gravelly male voice came from behind them.
Everyone turned at the sound and saw that at some point during their conversation, a young man with an unusually gloomy aura had appeared behind them.
Even the X-shaped scar running across his chin failed to mask his strikingly handsome features.
Yet his dark and oppressive demeanor made people feel uneasy.
At the sight of this man, Kagura kept his expression neutral but felt a sudden jolt of shock deep inside.
Though it was their first meeting, Kagura immediately recognized who this person was.
This was none other than Danzo, the leader of Root who had previously sent someone to monitor him.
Would Danzo really become Team 7's future supervisor?
As soon as Kagura understood Danzo's words, it felt like a heavy darkness had already begun to loom over his future.
Who exactly is Danzo?
If there truly is a villain in Konoha, then Danzo would definitely be the top candidate.
Even compared to Orochimaru, Danzo provokes more anger among Fire Shadow fans.
Perhaps he always clung tightly to his own brand of "justice," but there's no denying that many of the major tragedies in this narrative arc stemmed from him.
Even setting aside his role in pushing forward the Uchiha Clan Downfall Massacre, Orochimaru's descent into villainy also had a lot to do with Danzo.
To study the cells of The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and create bio-engineered humanoids using Hashirama's chakra,
It was precisely Danzo who incited Orochimaru to kidnap people from surrounding villages for experiments.
It can be said that Orochimaru's earliest human experiments only became possible because of his support.
Thinking about this, Kagura couldn't help glancing at the innocent-looking Orochimaru beside him.
"Hmm, this time I will certainly change your fate."
Unlike Kagura, who seemed troubled, when Tsunade and the others saw Danzo, after a brief moment of surprise, they simultaneously broke into smiles.
Tsunade even gave a rare respectful greeting:
"Lord Danzo."
They naturally knew who Danzo was. As one of the six personal bodyguards selected by the Second Hokage, Tobirama, Danzo had not yet retreated into the shadows and still held great prestige within Konoha.
Although having Sarutobi-sensei as a supervisor would have been better, swapping him out for this man didn't seem like a bad idea either.
Without acknowledging the stares of others, Danzo continued to silently stare at Kagura, observing his reaction.
But Kagura remained calm, showing little emotion.
Seeing this, Danzo spoke again:
"By the way, you all did well in that battle a few days ago."
Upon hearing Danzo's praise, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the others guiltily lowered their heads.
In that battle, they hadn't contributed anything at all; they barely even entered the battlefield before the fight was over.
At least Kagura managed to exchange a few blows with Kinkaku, while they were practically crushed completely.
Seeing everyone's expressions—clearly unsuitable for feigning such reactions—Danzo barely managed a faint smile and said:
"There's no need to feel ashamed. It's perfectly normal to lose against powerful enemies.
What matters isn't the present defeat, but your growth going forward."
After saying that, he turned his gaze toward Kagura again, speaking as if hinting at something:
"Come to think of it, we also examined the scene and Kinkaku's body afterward.
From the location, it seems Kinkaku should have been struck by a long-range Lightning Release technique.
But strangely, the wound on his chest was smaller than expected."
At this point, a flicker of light gleamed in his eyes fixed on Kagura as he continued:
"As though… it came from someone with hands as small as a child's."
Facing Danzo's intense stare, Kagura replied calmly without changing expression:
"Yes, that does sound strange.
However, I'm sorry to say all of us had fainted from the start and don't know exactly what kind of ninjutsu was used.
I think you should ask the Hokage directly since it was him who personally killed the enemy.
I believe he wouldn't mind explaining everything to you."
Watching Kagura's flawless response, Danzo gave a slight nod without further words, then looked up again at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the other three exchanged confused glances.
But since they didn't understand the full context, they too eventually chose silence.
The Hokage inauguration ceremony didn't last long. After Hiruzen delivered a speech to everyone, the celebration ended accordingly.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Danzo informed them all of the meeting place and time for tomorrow before leaving himself.
Shortly after, Jiraiya also said his goodbyes.
Actually, he'd seemed quite busy ever since being discharged from the hospital.
Later, Tsunade explained to Kagura that he had been preoccupied with sorting books.
Truthfully, Jiraiya had been rather lucky—the moment before being attacked by Kinkaku, he'd already stored away the books he brought from Whirlpool Country beneath a tree.
And during that earth-shattering battle, the tree where he hid his books somehow escaped unscathed.
When he left the hospital two days ago, he immediately returned to the battlefield and recovered all of his precious books.
So these past few days, he'd been busy cataloging and classifying them.
Looking at Jiraiya's retreating figure, Tsunade wrinkled her nose slightly and grumbled under her breath:
"I feel like Jiraiya has changed so much since graduating..."
Beside her, Orochimaru gently replied:
"Jiraiya has found something he truly loves; we should be happy for him."
With nothing else to do, the remaining three finally decided to walk together down the street.
Walking along, when Tsunade spotted a line forming not far ahead, her eyes lit up.
It was the new fruit drink recently introduced in the village.
Thanks to its unique flavor, it had quickly become popular among young people, often causing long queues in front of the shop.
Excitedly asking her two companions, she got negative responses from both Kagura and Orochimaru. In the end, Tsunade decided to go buy one herself.
As they watched Tsunade queue up in the distance, Kagura and Orochimaru sat down on a nearby bench to wait.
No sooner had they sat down than Orochimaru suddenly spoke up:
"Kagura… in that battle… did you really faint?"
Upon hearing this, Kagura turned to look at Orochimaru beside him and met his serious gaze.
Unlike the other two who were more laid-back, the sharp-minded Orochimaru seemed to have pieced together certain truths from Danzo's words just now.
Kagura paused in thought before deciding to be honest.
"No, not exactly.
But it's not like what you're thinking either. I wasn't the main fighter—the credit belongs mostly to Sarutobi-sensei.
As for me... I suppose I was just lucky enough to ambush them."
Hearing Kagura's candid words, Orochimaru hesitated slightly.
He hadn't expected Kagura to be so straightforward in admitting the truth.
In fact, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision or an attempt by Kagura to impress his peers.
It was a choice made after careful consideration.
After that battle, aside from Orochimaru, both Tsunade and Jiraiya had become somewhat emotionally subdued.
Although they'd been hailed as geniuses and constantly overshadowed by Kagura, they hadn't truly faced major setbacks until now.
This time, their opponent defeated them with a single strike—a heavy blow indeed.
With such emotions already lingering, now that Danzo had approached Orochimaru, Kagura couldn't help but worry about Orochimaru's possible descent into darkness.
Taking all these factors into account, he decided it was better to come clean.
After all, given Orochimaru's intelligence, even if Kagura didn't confess now, he would likely uncover the truth soon enough later.
Would he hold a grudge against Kagura for keeping it a secret then...?
As someone who had seen countless melodramatic plots back on Earth, Kagura felt it was all too possible.
After digesting Kagura's meaning, Orochimaru lowered his head briefly in deep thought. Then, as if reaching some kind of decision, he lifted his head and said to Kagura,
"Kagura, could you teach me how to train?"
???
Kagura himself was also surprised—he hadn't expected Orochimaru, known for his pride, to make such a request.
Shaking his head lightly, he replied to Orochimaru,
"Orochimaru, you really don't need to rush.
I'm not refusing you—it's simply because my path isn't suitable for you.
I think you should look into Jiraiya's experiences; you'll surely find your own opportunity too."
This was not Kagura dismissing Orochimaru casually.
Though the storyline never explicitly mentioned it, Kagura knew for certain that there did exist figures like the Snake Sage and Sacred Lands similar to Mount Myoboku.
In reality, Konoha's 'Sannin' each gained fortune from one of the hidden sacred realms.
Although Kagura didn't know exactly how Orochimaru eventually entered the snake-related sacred realm, following Jiraiya's example, guessing wasn't difficult.
After listening to Kagura's almost consoling words, Orochimaru showed no disappointment, instead tilting his head thoughtfully.
Looking at the pensive Orochimaru, Kagura considered further before speaking again,
"Orochimaru, are you still committed to researching ninjutsu right now?"
At the word 'ninjutsu,' Orochimaru's eyes lit up immediately.
Nodding eagerly, he fixed an expectant gaze onto Kagura, clearly waiting for whatever he might say next.
Kagura hesitated before speaking a sentence that shook Orochimaru.
"Have you ever considered human experimentation?"
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