"Ten squads of ten ninjas from the Sealing Division who are not currently busy have been assigned, along with the ANBU, to carry out a top-secret mission under the command of Third Generation-sama."
"Upper Ninja Sarutobi, this is an order directly from the Hokage. Please cooperate with the ANBU's work!"
Hatake Sakumo showed the order to the captain of the Sealing Division, his expression grave.
The captain of the Sealing Division was an upper ninja from the Sarutobi clan and naturally recognized the handwriting of his clan elder. Coupled with Sakumo's identity as the ANBU captain, this transfer order clearly could not be a forgery.
"Lord Sakumo, what kind of sealing jutsu specialized ninjas do you need?"
"Is it sealing jutsu, or barrier jutsu?"
Hatake Sakumo pondered for a moment and said decisively,
"Only two squads for sealing jutsu ninjas. All the rest should be barrier-type ninjas!"
"The enemy is numerous and their strength is not weak. We must ensure that not a single enemy can escape the barrier!"
Upper Ninja Sarutobi nodded solemnly.
"Yes!"
"I will arrange it immediately. Lord Sakumo, please wait!"
Their serious conversation immediately drew the attention of a large number of Sealing Division ninjas.
These Sealing Division ninjas were different from ordinary ninjas. They were not only responsible for the protective seals at various secret locations within the village, but also for maintaining and repairing the detection barriers at the main entrances and exits of Konoha Village.
In the event of sudden danger, such as a rampaging Tailed Beast, these ninjas would have to rush to the front lines of the battlefield to seal the source of the threat.
In simple terms, these individuals were the rarest highly specialized talents in the ninja world, holding important positions and bearing great responsibility.
As such, every ninja qualified to join the Sealing Division underwent strict vetting, even more so than the selection and assessment for the ANBU.
However, even the most rigorous defenses could be infiltrated from within.
As all the Sealing Division ninjas were speculating whether something major was about to happen in the village and were actively preparing, a Sealing Division ninja, who seemed to be in a clerical position, quietly released a rat-like summoning beast from his sleeve while Hatake Sakumo was selecting accompanying members. Without being discovered by anyone, this ninja, carrying this fresh intelligence, ran towards the direction of Hokage Rock.
...
Hokage Rock, as one of Konoha Village's important landmarks, not only bore the responsibility of recording the achievements of past Hokages, but also housed a massive shelter within it, to provide refuge for the villagers of Konoha in times of disaster.
Combining these two points, the status of Hokage Rock in the hearts of Konoha's villagers was beyond ordinary imagination.
This was why Naruto, in the manga, had scribbled graffiti on Hokage Rock to attract attention, and why it was even more hateful.
But the ordinary people of Konoha did not know that beneath this Hokage Rock, which constantly emanated the glorious spirit of greatness, lay the darkest root of all of Konoha.
"Hiruzen, what big move is he planning by sending Hatake Sakumo to the Sealing Division to mobilize ninjas?"
Danzō Shimura unfolded the note in his hand, deciphered the coded message, and muttered in confusion.
"Ten squads, eight of which are ninjas skilled in setting up sealing barriers..."
"Hiruzen, what are you trying to do?"
Frowning and pondering for a while, Danzō could not come up with any clear answer.
He hated the feeling of not being in control of things, the same feeling he got when he argued with Hiruzen Sarutobi and was always suppressed by Hiruzen's Hokage authority in the end.
Frustration, anger, helplessness...
Annoyed, he crumpled the note in his hand and snorted at no one in particular, then rose and walked towards Root's secret laboratory.
Pushing open the door, the dazzling light made Danzō squint slightly. After his eyes adjusted, he looked at the empty laboratory bench and the equally empty culture dishes around it, and a bad premonition suddenly surged in his heart.
"Orochimaru, where are those experimental subjects?"
Danzō's face darkened as he roared at Orochimaru, who was recording something nearby.
Those were experimental subjects he had painstakingly plundered at great risk, under the possibility of Hiruzen Sarutobi catching him red-handed. Now they were all gone.
Orochimaru put down his brush and turned to Danzō with a confident smile.
"Those experimental subjects are no longer valuable!"
"With my research, the transplantation of Wood Style cells has been pushed to a completely new stage."
"In other words, those ordinary experimental subjects are useless now!"
"So, I've disposed of them all!"
Danzō's anger subsided slightly, and he asked curiously,
"Disposed of them?"
"How did you dispose of them?"
Orochimaru looked at Danzō with surprise and said matter-of-factly,
"Of course, I threw them away!"
"Useless things can only be discarded like trash!"
Danzō's breathing quickened. He tapped his cane firmly on the ground and asked with a grim expression,
"Where did you throw them, you fool!"
"You good-for-nothing!"
Orochimaru was no saint. Being called names like that by Danzō, his face immediately turned cold. A sinister curve appeared on his mouth, filled with terrifying fangs, and he sneered at Danzō.
"Lord Danzō doesn't seem to trust my disposal methods!"
"Just throw them into the river, and the animals living in the forest will automatically clean up all traces for me. This is much more convenient than other methods!"
Danzō's pupils contracted sharply. Without looking back, he left Orochimaru's laboratory.
"That idiot, Hiruzen must have discovered the bodies of those experimental subjects!"
"I must make some sacrifices!"
A cold glint flashed in Danzō's eyes. Standing in the vast underground base, he turned towards Orochimaru's laboratory and roared,
"Guards!"
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
With a clatter, dozens of loyal Root ninjas knelt on the ground.
Danzō's eyes were filled with killing intent. He stamped his cane on the ground and said sternly,
"The rogue ninja Orochimaru of Konoha has illegally entered Konoha, plundered innocent villagers for human experimentation, and caused the deaths of several Konoha villagers!"
"As an elder of Konoha, I order you to kill this rogue ninja on the spot and leave no trace. Do you understand?"
These Root ninjas did not even consider why two partners who had been so close were now turning against each other. After a thunderous "Yes!" they rose and charged into Orochimaru's laboratory.
"Swish swish!"
A large number of ninja tools tore through the darkness of the Root base, shattering the laboratory door and flying towards the astonished Orochimaru.
"Danzō, you want to die!"
Orochimaru's body flashed with yellow chakra, and the sharp ninja tools, which were aimed precisely at his vital points, made a metallic clanging sound upon impact and bounced off, clattering to the ground.
The Root ninjas who rushed in were not surprised and continued their attack without discouragement.
"Earth Style: Iron Prison!"
A large-scale enemy-trapping jutsu commonly used by ANBU ninjas was instantly activated. The entire laboratory, along with Orochimaru, sank into a suddenly appearing pit with a loud crash.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Burial!"
Subsequent ninjas exerted their strength. A giant stone slab was immediately summoned from another dimension and fell directly into the pit.
"Fire Style: Burning Ash Jutsu!"
Terrifying high-temperature flames suddenly erupted at the bottom of the pit. Everything covered by the stone slab ignited, and rolling heat waves surged from the bottom of the pit. The Root ninjas gathered around the edge of the pit took a step back, cautiously watching the movement below.
Just three jutsu were enough to demonstrate the combat power and coordination of Konoha's ANBU ninjas.
Whether it was the choice of jutsu, the order of execution, or the timing, they were all impeccable. Ordinary enemies facing such an attack, even elite upper ninjas with extensive combat experience, could easily fall in battle if they were not careful.
Orochimaru was originally just an ordinary middle ninja in Konoha. By all accounts, it should have been impossible for him to survive such an attack.
However, the ninja world has always been an unreasonable place.
The raging flames could not harm Orochimaru's body, which was covered in Steel Release Kekkei Genkai chakra.
"Hahahaha, you think mere ninjutsu can harm me?"
"Danzō, after I deal with your dogs, I'll show you what a miserable fate awaits those who betray me!"
Orochimaru roared from within the sea of flames. He tore off the bandages wrapped around him, and his restrained body loosened, instantly contorting into a short, twisted, and ugly humanoid shape.
"Bang!"
With a loud explosion, the bandages wrapped around his palm shattered under a powerful chakra. A rhombic hole was revealed on Orochimaru's palm.
Crossing his hands, Orochimaru roared with a sinister smile,
"Void Style: Void Hole!"
A terrifying suction force emanated from the hole. The flames burning around Orochimaru surged like returning swallows, pouring into his palm.
Opening his mouth, filled with ferocious fangs, Orochimaru leaped forward and punched the stone slab above him.
"Crack!"
"Rumble!"
The stone slab instantly shattered and fell into the pit. At the same time, Orochimaru's maniacal figure abruptly appeared amidst the Root ninjas.
"Here you go!"
Orochimaru grinned and raised his arm, aiming the hole at the Root ninja in front of him.
"Void Style: Evil Self-Destruction Cauldron!"
The terrifying flames that had just been absorbed into his palm were transformed by Orochimaru's Void Style power into a giant azure flame dragon that roared and crashed into the Root ninjas.
"Retreat!"
"Water Style: Water Fang Bullet!"
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
The Root ninjas reacted instantly, each using their own methods to avoid the approaching bizarre fire dragon. Several water barriers rose from the water stream summoned by Water Fang Bullet. After several were shattered, they managed to block the blue fire dragon.
"Hiss hiss!"
Steam rose as water vapor evaporated under the intense heat. The entire underground base of Root was instantly filled with a dense mist.
Orochimaru, standing in the mist, licked his lips, grinned sinisterly, and suddenly formed a series of hand seals.
"Storm Style: Thunder Cloud Calamity!"
The mist dispersed throughout the base was pulled by a strange energy and rapidly converged above Orochimaru's head, instantly forming a dark cloud with crackling black lightning.
"Thank you for your Water Style ninjutsu. I've prepared a special gift for you!"
"Feel this powerful Kekkei Genkai!"
Orochimaru stood beneath the thundercloud, like a god, looking down at the Root ninjas desperately fleeing under the attack of the Storm Style lightning, his eyes filled with cruelty and savagery.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
Danzō, who had been observing from the shadows, suddenly appeared. After taking a deep breath, his chest expanded, and compressed Wind Style chakra was continuously spat out from his mouth, forming several invisible transparent wind bullets that slammed into Orochimaru's chest.
"Steel Release, which can block all blade attacks, may not be able to withstand blunt force!"
"In terms of combat experience, I am far superior to you!"