During Konoha F3's inspection, Orochimaru was tagging along, acting all casual while asking Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Sensei, I've been buried in lab work lately and haven't kept up with what's going on outside. Did something big happen in the village?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi heard this and felt even more pleased with Orochimaru.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado also started seeing him in a more positive light.
"Looks like Orochimaru really is a good kid," Hiruzen thought to himself. "He's basically cut himself off from everything just to focus on developing this 'Eternal Chakra Elixir.' You don't see that kind of dedication every day."
Hiruzen let out a sigh, then filled Orochimaru in on what was going on: "Not long ago, Konohamaru got kidnapped. The culprits had a plan—first they lured Ebisu away, then grabbed Konohamaru near the Sarutobi clan's training area. Right now, the whole village is on high alert, searching everywhere to make sure he's safe."
The moment Orochimaru heard that, he put on a furious expression and practically growled, "Who the hell did this?! (They almost outed my whole operation!)"
He was genuinely ticked off.
A moment ago, he'd seriously thought his big elixir con had been exposed and was about to bolt from Konoha with Kabuto in tow.
Luckily, he'd stayed calm. Otherwise, things would've gone in a completely different direction.
"If I figure out who's behind this, they're gonna regret it!"
"And seriously, who's still so obsessed with Wood Release users at this point? Sure, kidnapping Konohamaru is bad enough, but almost dragging me down with them? Unbelievable!"
Seeing how mad Orochimaru was, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane all felt relieved.
They thought, "Yes, Orochimaru really does care about Konoha and takes this stuff seriously."
Meanwhile, Kabuto—who knew what Orochimaru was really thinking—just sighed inwardly: "As expected of Lord Orochimaru! He's juggling all sorts of side projects yet still getting the full trust and gratitude of the top brass. I'd better pay close attention and learn how he does it!"
He was also seriously ticked off at whoever kidnapped Konohamaru.
Just a moment ago, with time so tight, he'd had to rush around and deal with that Blacklight Virus lab, which felt super risky even for someone like him (a Sukuna Jinchūriki).
When Konoha F3's inspection team got to the Blacklight Virus lab, they saw a bunch of test subjects isolated behind a barrier, each in a special glass enclosure.
One particular white mouse was running around like crazy, almost looking violent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help stopping to point at that mouse. "Orochimaru, why is that one so… intense? Some kind of summoned beast?"
Orochimaru just smiled calmly and started spewing a very straight-faced explanation, "Sensei, these are just regular white mice. They're this hyper because we tested our Eternal Chakra Elixir on them. It makes them abnormally active."
Konoha F3 looked absolutely stunned.
So an ordinary white mouse turns into something that wild just by taking the elixir?!
If that formula really works out, then any ninja in Konoha could keep their peak combat skills well into old age. That's a mind-blowing possibility!
In the past, all three had their doubts about whether this "Eternal Chakra Elixir" could actually do what Orochimaru claimed.
They hoped for the best, but they knew how insanely hard it would be to create something that really stops aging.
Probably the best anyone could manage was a weaker, partial substitute.
Still, even a weaker version would give Konoha a massive strategic advantage.
But actually seeing all these test animals in Orochimaru's lab changed their views completely.
One enclosure after another showed white mice with crazy enhancements—some had massively boosted physical abilities, and some even had ridiculous strength.
According to Orochimaru, all of this was due to the prototype "Eternal Chakra Elixir."
"Even normal mice can get such a huge power-up…" Hiruzen Sarutobi thought, shaken. "If he finalizes this elixir, older ninjas could get a second lease on life—maybe an even stronger one!"
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances, both looking excited and thrilled.
If this stuff really does what it promises, Konoha's strength is going to skyrocket to a level never seen before!
Feeling genuinely gratified, Hiruzen Sarutobi patted Orochimaru on the shoulder, his tone filled with praise and anticipation, "Orochimaru, this is amazing work. What you and Kabuto are doing for Konoha will never be forgotten!"
Inside, Orochimaru was thinking, "Please, can we not immortalize this? I'm just doing some business to fund my research, not changing the world here…"
But on the outside, he flashed a humble smile and said earnestly, "Sensei, helping Konoha grow is something Kabuto and I should be doing anyway. We're Konoha ninjas, so we have to use our skills for the village. It's a no-brainer."
His words made Konoha F3 even more pleased.
Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura all nodded in approval.
They even started thinking that Orochimaru had what it takes to be the next Hokage.
"Orochimaru's strong, super smart, and unbelievably talented, plus he's loyal to Konoha," the three thought in unison. "As long as the villagers trust him, there's no better option for the Fifth Hokage!"
That made Hiruzen recall something: "Danzo once pitched Orochimaru for the Fourth Hokage job. Maybe he wasn't so wrong. Danzo's methods are shady, but he was on point there."
After confirming that Konohamaru wasn't in Orochimaru's lab, Konoha F3 decided to do a thorough check of Danzo's Root.
They knew Danzo was crazy loyal to Konoha, and kidnapping Konohamaru was probably beneath him, but since Konohamaru was Hiruzen's own grandson, they couldn't leave any stone unturned.
"Let's head to Root next," Hiruzen said, dead serious.
He and the rest of Konoha F3, along with some Anbu, quickly left Orochimaru's lab. As they went, Hiruzen told Orochimaru and Kabuto, "If you can speed up the perfected 'Eternal Chakra Elixir,' that'd be fantastic. But don't wear yourselves out—take breaks when you need them."
He added more gently, "Also, if you hit any obstacles in your research, come see me at the Hokage's office anytime. The village will back you up fully."
Upon hearing that, Orochimaru put on a solemn expression and spoke firmly, "Sensei, Kabuto and I feel it's our duty to develop a better elixir for Konoha as soon as possible. We don't mind the hard work!"
Of course, the reason they "didn't mind" was because they both knew how high-risk this whole "business" was.
They needed to hustle and rake in whatever they could while the ninja world was relatively stable.
Konoha F3 had no idea what Orochimaru was really thinking; they just believed they'd misunderstood him in the past, thanks to Danzo's influence.
They saw Orochimaru not as a potential traitor but as a devoted Konoha-born ninja, wholeheartedly serving the village.
As Orochimaru chatted with Konoha F3, Kabuto stood by, diligently jotting down every word.
He knew he had to learn and observe, because one day Orochimaru might need him to run things solo, and he'd need to do it flawlessly.
Standing at the lab's entrance, Orochimaru smiled as he watched the three leave.
Only after they'd disappeared did he and Kabuto head back inside.
The moment the door shut, his face turned dark, and he couldn't help bursting out, "Who's the jerk that messed things up? If we hadn't handled it smoothly, our entire 'business' here would've been trashed!"
"If we didn't have to juggle both the Eternal Chakra Elixir and the Blacklight Virus right now, I'd love to track that mastermind down and teach them a lesson!"
Kabuto nodded in agreement. "Lord Orochimaru, given how much the Konoha leaders value Konohamaru, if we found out who did it, we'd definitely earn even more trust from them and everyone in the village."
Orochimaru gave a slight nod—he was totally on the same page.
Of course, getting the higher-ups' approval wasn't about becoming Hokage; he just needed smoother operations for his 'business.'
Come on, who even wants to be Hokage these days?
That was a dream he had over a decade ago.
Right now, he was way more intrigued by the Eternal Chakra Elixir and the Blacklight Virus.
Why bother with some clunky, old-fashioned "ninja tool" when you've got those?
Meanwhile, Konoha F3 arrived at the Root base, grim-faced.
Danzo was sitting comfortably in his office sipping tea. Even when he saw Konoha F3 arrive with a team of elite Anbu, he didn't so much as blink.
He took a calm sip of tea, looked over at Hiruzen and the others, and said, "I'm aware of what's going on. I'll have Root fully cooperate to find Konohamaru. If you think he's here, feel free to search all you want."
Then, with a hint of reproach, he added, "But I have to say, you three were way too careless. Hiruzen, especially you—soft and inattentive. If you'd been following my approach to running the village, this never would've happened."
Before Danzo could finish, Hiruzen cut him off, full of barely contained anger. "That's enough, Danzo! I'm the Hokage! I don't need you telling me how to do my job!"
And with that, he stormed out.
Danzo watched Hiruzen leave, his eyes flashing coldly. "You'll regret this, Hiruzen."
After Hiruzen left, Koharu and Homura exchanged looks, both surprised.
Usually, Danzo's the one who stomps off in a huff. This time, Hiruzen beat him to it.
They didn't dwell on it. The main reason they came was to make Danzo cooperate with a thorough sweep of the Root base.
Since Danzo had already said yes, they ordered the Anbu to begin searching.
From Danzo's calm demeanor, Koharu and Homura suspected he probably wasn't involved in Konohamaru's kidnapping.
Root might be secretive, but it wasn't huge, so hiding someone there would be tough without Anbu noticing.
And that turned out to be true.
The Anbu ransacked Root, finding some shady side projects Danzo was running, but no sign of Konohamaru.
Finally, Konoha F3 had to leave empty-handed.
Even with no proof, Danzo couldn't totally clear himself of suspicion.
After all, he and the major clans of Konoha had the resources to plan and carry out a kidnapping if they really wanted to.
But without hard evidence, the Anbu couldn't push the investigation further.
Otherwise, Danzo would raise a fuss and cause an even bigger blow up.
Watching Konoha F3 leave, Danzo smirked to himself.
He'd planned everything meticulously, and the plan was airtight: even if they turned all of Konoha inside out, they'd never find Konohamaru.
Still, it was a headache for him too, because the situation had blown up so big that cleaning it up wouldn't be easy.
But there was one upside: Hiruzen's attachment to Konohamaru was even stronger than Danzo had predicted.
If he used Konohamaru as leverage to force Hiruzen to step down and back him for Hokage, maybe he could actually seize his ambition.
Of course, that came with a massive risk: Hiruzen might cave, or he might snap completely.
Thinking about it made Danzo frown hard.
But there was no going back now.
He'd have to watch for an opening, feel out Hiruzen's stance, then decide the next move.
Danzo thought back to his meeting with Senshi, who'd once said that if Danzo became Hokage, they could be friends and collaborate on a deeper level.
Danzo thought they'd make a perfect power duo: he was a tough, no-nonsense schemer, while Senshi was basically an unstoppable mercenary.
If the two of them joined forces, they'd both profit enormously.
All Danzo really had to do was focus on pulling his plan off. It was Hiruzen who had all the extra factors to consider.
After combing through the village and still coming up empty, Hiruzen Sarutobi's headache was at its peak.
Truth be told, there was an easy way out: he could send someone straight to Amegakure and ask Lord Senshi for help.
But that was a last resort.
After all, some enemy had managed to sneak into the Sarutobi Clan's territory—right where the Hokage lived—and kidnapped Konohamaru, the very future of the village, without raising an alarm.
If Konoha ended up needing outside help to rescue him, the hit to Konoha's pride would be huge.
Late at night, in the Hokage's office:
A dim light lit up Hiruzen Sarutobi's deeply furrowed brow.
His pipe had gone out a while ago, but he was still fiddling with it out of habit, knuckles white with tension.
Homura Mitokado pushed his round glasses up his nose. "The kidnappers took Konohamaru alive. They obviously want something out of this. As long as they still have demands, he's probably safe."
Koharu Utatane tapped her bony finger on a porcelain teacup; the soft tapping against the wooden desk sounded extra loud in the silence. "We locked the village down the minute Konohamaru was taken. Odds are good they haven't slipped him out of town."
"I think if we keep tightening our search over the next few days, we'll get Konohamaru back and nail whoever snatched him."
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew they were telling him to calm down.
But it was hard—his head was a mess.
For now, there was no clue Konohamaru had been taken out of Konoha.
Sure, maybe someone with space–time jutsu could've done it, but ninjas like that (for instance, Senshi) had zero reason to do such a thing.
So the most likely situation was that Konohamaru was still hidden somewhere in the village.
Koharu was clearly trying to reassure Hiruzen, but he couldn't relax.
He'd pinned huge hopes on Konohamaru.
Given how insanely strong the First Hokage was, Hiruzen had equally big dreams for Konohamaru's Wood Release future.
Seeing Konohamaru steadily getting better at Wood Release, Hiruzen had even floated the idea of picking another Hokage to hold the seat temporarily, waiting for Konohamaru to grow up and become a top-tier Hokage, like how Minato had been so young and brilliant.
But now, Konohamaru was kidnapped. In the worst case, something terrible could happen to him. How could Hiruzen keep his cool?
After a brief silence, Hiruzen made up his mind and said to the other two, "Let the Anbu and our other ninjas search every inch of Konoha for three days. If that time passes and the kidnappers don't show up or leave us any leads—and we still haven't found anything—then we'll hire Senshi to help us track him down."
Homura and Koharu both frowned slightly when they heard that.
If it came to that, it'd be the worst possible outcome.
It'd mean the outside world would find out Konoha wasn't as invincible as it seemed during the Chūnin Exams.
Konoha was strong, but it had vulnerabilities, and enemy nations might try to exploit them.
It would also be humiliating. Once the Fire Daimyō and other top figures got wind of it, the village leadership would take a major hit.
But after weighing it, neither Homura nor Koharu argued against Hiruzen's plan.
Night fell again, and the hunt for Konohamaru was still on.
After carefully going over everything, one thing was clear: short of a space–time jutsu, Konohamaru hadn't been smuggled out of the village.
So if he was in the village, they could find him.
Under the cold moonlight, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the Hokage building's roof alone, his Hokage hat on, gazing down at the village lights with a heavy heart.
His thoughts were scattered, as dark and tense as the night sky overhead.
Tap… tap… tap…
He heard the sound of a cane behind him.
He didn't even have to turn around to know it was Danzo.
Hiruzen was already in a foul mood and didn't feel like dealing with Danzo's usual nonsense, but if Danzo had something to discuss, he had no choice but to hear him out.
Danzo came up not too far away, also looking out at Konoha's lights. He spoke calmly, "Any new developments?"
Hiruzen snorted, sounding annoyed. "Root's intelligence network is second to none. Why are you asking me?"
Danzo could tell Hiruzen was basically a volcano ready to blow.
He paused, then tried again, "I think whoever took Konohamaru must be trying to leverage him for something. So you probably don't have to worry too much about his safety."
But that just made Hiruzen angrier. He assumed Danzo was criticizing him for being emotional, just like Koharu and Homura had done earlier.
Before Danzo could continue, Hiruzen cut in, furious, "That's enough! Don't bother! I'm not backing down at all on this—Konohamaru might be my grandson, but I will not negotiate with anyone who kidnapped him!"
He turned around and glared at Danzo, voice firm. "That's how I'm handling this as Hokage. You, as my advisor, can stop worrying now, right?"
Danzo: (O_O)???
Hiruzen's words left him momentarily speechless.
He had never expected Hiruzen to get so hardcore about it.
Usually, he'd call Hiruzen soft, and Hiruzen would just say, "I'm Hokage" to shut him up.
But now, when you'd think compromise might be on the table, Hiruzen wasn't budging at all.
Danzo cleared his throat, trying to dial down the tension. "Hiruzen, Konohamaru isn't just your grandson—he's a kid with incredible potential. I honestly think Konoha should give a little to keep him safe."
Hiruzen snorted. His tone was absolute. "Enough. Stop probing. I've already decided I won't give an inch. The only option for whoever took Konohamaru is to hand him over and face justice."
Danzo had no comeback.
He knew how Hiruzen was—once his mind was made up, there was no changing it.
That left Danzo in a tough spot.
All that work he'd put into this plan was now stalling out right here at Hiruzen.
Worse yet, Hiruzen's hardline stance put Danzo in an even more awkward position.
Just letting Konohamaru go wasn't an option.
Konohamaru was too valuable.
He could be studied for Wood Release, and Danzo could also use him as a trump card when push came to shove.
So Danzo made one last attempt: "Hiruzen, you really need to reconsider, for the sake of both your family and Konoha's future."
But Hiruzen didn't respond. He just turned back to the village view, standing there like an unshakeable mountain.
Danzo had no choice but to leave quietly, already planning his next move.
He knew if he tried to force Hiruzen now, there'd be a total showdown.
He'd thought his plan was ironclad, but running into Hiruzen's resolve had put him in a bind.
He left, frustrated, with only one real avenue left: figuring out how to use Konohamaru to unlock the secrets of Wood Release.
Hefting the sack with Konohamaru inside, Danzo snuck out of Root, heading for Orochimaru's lab.
If he wanted to study Wood Release, he'd obviously need top-tier experts.
And in Konoha—actually, in the entire shinobi world—there was nobody better than Orochimaru and his assistant Kabuto for that kind of research.
Though Orochimaru had scammed him before, Danzo decided he could settle that score later.
Right now, he needed Orochimaru's help to examine Konohamaru and figure out Wood Release so he could harness that power for himself.
From what Danzo knew, Orochimaru had been raking in piles of money recently, probably funding another secret experiment.
But Danzo didn't really care what shady stuff Orochimaru was doing.
He'd pay whatever it took to get Orochimaru on board.
After all, from Danzo's perspective, that money was just "parked" with Orochimaru anyway—once Danzo got the upper hand, he'd make sure Orochimaru gave it all back, plus interest.
Late at night, Orochimaru's lab was still lit up.
He and Kabuto were fully focused on a new round of experimental elixirs.
When Danzo showed up outside, both of them were surprised and went on high alert.
They weren't especially scared of Danzo, but if he brought his Root agents to trash the place, it'd be a huge problem.
After all, the lab had Senshi's chakra samples, various elixirs, and the Blacklight Virus—each of them ridiculously valuable.
Any damage would be catastrophic.
But Orochimaru quickly noticed Danzo wasn't moving in any closer. He'd stopped a short distance away, still carrying that big old sack over his shoulder.
~~~
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