After thinking for a moment, Orochimaru spoke. "This matter is of great significance. I cannot make a decision on behalf of Diarmuid. How about this: I'll let him talk to you personally."
Danzo's brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this. "Time is of the essence. I have no way of knowing when Hiruzen will depart for the Daimyo Castle. If we wait for Diarmuid to arrive, it might be too late."
"Rest assured, it will be quick," Orochimaru said, his lips curling into a smirk.
The moment he finished speaking, his hands blurred into the signs for the Summoning Jutsu, and he slammed his palm onto the ground.
Danzo was startled. From behind his desk, his hand had already instinctively gripped a kunai. Although he didn't believe Orochimaru would do anything irrational, he had just finished talking about killing Hiruzen. If the man had a sudden lapse in judgment, recalled his bond with his sensei, and decided to assassinate Danzo right here, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility.
Consequently, Danzo remained hyper-vigilant, fully prepared for combat.
However, Orochimaru simply chuckled. "There's no need to be so tense..."
The smoke from the Summoning Jutsu cleared to reveal a snake roughly as thick as Orochimaru's waist coiled on the floor. At a glance, the snake appeared to be dead. No, not dead, but devoid of consciousness, like a living sacrifice.
"This is...?" Danzo murmured in surprise.
What is the meaning of summoning a thing like this?
Orochimaru offered no explanation. Instead, his hands rapidly moved through another series of signs. This time, Danzo couldn't recognize a single one, leading him to conclude that this was a technique he had never seen before.
"Ninjutsu: Shadow Transmission!" Orochimaru barked.
As soon as Orochimaru spoke, the unconscious serpent's body began to writhe. A grayish-white substance, resembling the "dust and ash" used in the Reanimation Jutsu, rapidly enveloped the snake's body and began to reshape it.
In mere moments, a figure identical to Diarmuid stood before Orochimaru.
Diarmuid's eyes slowly opened. He caught sight of the bewildered Danzo, then turned his head to look at Orochimaru behind him. "Why contact me so suddenly?"
For a long time, Diarmuid had been utterly dissatisfied with the communication technology in the shinobi world. It was archaic beyond belief; sending a message usually involved someone physically running to a destination. The more advanced methods involved the Summoning Jutsu, but everything was inconvenient.
Leaving aside the smartphones of his past life, even in the world of One Piece, they had the incredibly convenient Den Den Mushi.
Here, there was nothing. Despite the fact that scientific research was advanced in some areas and electricity was generally widespread, even some wealthy families had landline telephones, it was still significantly backwards. Diarmuid had considered landlines, but the technology was currently limited to internal village use because it required physical wiring. Konoha wasn't about to run a telephone line all the way to the Land of Rain just to connect with Diarmuid.
Thus, Diarmuid had been frustrated by the lack of long-distance communication. He refused to just sit around, so he had spent time researching ways to communicate, hoping to develop something similar to the Astral Projection Jutsu.
Unfortunately, progress had been slow. It made sense; if such a communication technique were easy to create, the various "inventors" of the shinobi world would have produced something decent by now.
That changed when they overran Amegakure and Diarmuid obtained the Shapeshifting Jutsu.
As an S-Rank Kinjutsu, the Shapeshifting Jutsu was powerful and cruel, allowing for the remote control of a double for combat. It was a fascinating technique, and Diarmuid saw within it the technology he had been looking for. He and Orochimaru spent a period of time researching and modifying the jutsu, eventually creating this "Shadow Transmission."
It shared many principles with the Shapeshifting Jutsu but greatly reduced the requirements. It no longer required a living human as a medium for sacrifice; a piece of fresh meat would suffice. Any meat would do, and Orochimaru typically used these half-dead snakes.
Using this substance as a medium and connecting via Chakra, Diarmuid's "Shadow" was summoned, allowing for synchronized communication and dialogue. Of course, because the requirements and difficulty were lowered, this shadow of Diarmuid possessed no combat capability. It was essentially a "long-distance video call."
Upon hearing Diarmuid's voice, Orochimaru smirked. "Danzo-sama has a new commission. He wanted to consult with the Yorozuya."
"Is that so?" Diarmuid nodded and turned to face Danzo. "Danzo-sama, it's been a long time. You look a bit worse for wear. I suggest you get some rest; don't overexert yourself. If something were to happen to your health, I would be heartbroken to lose such a partner..."
Danzo's expression was subtle. If you weren't blackmailing me, you bastard, I wouldn't be this exhausted.
Calling him "sama," using the most polite honorifics, and saying the most courteous things while doing the most infuriating deeds... Son of a...
Though he desperately wanted to pummel Diarmuid, Danzo quickly forced a smile onto his face. "Thank you for your concern, Diarmuid-sama. But this old man's body can still hold up."
"Good, good," Diarmuid replied dismissively. "Then I assume our previous agreement, cooperation, and the matter of the payment have been settled?"
Danzo felt even more irritated. Why do you keep bringing that up?
Orochimaru chimed in, "Yes, it's settled. Danzo-sama is willing to pay our fee."
"Hahahaha! I knew Danzo-sama was a trustworthy partner," Diarmuid laughed loudly.
Danzo suffered in silence. At this point, moping would only make him look more pathetic. He maintained a calm facade and waved a hand. "It's nothing."
"I admire your spirit, Danzo-sama," Diarmuid praised him again before asking, "So, what is this important commission that required a face-to-face meeting?"
Finally reaching the main topic, Danzo's awkwardness faded. His expression turned solemn. "It's like this, Konoha's situation has stabilized, and Hiruzen has temporarily received the approval of the village elders to resume the role of Hokage. However, he is missing one final step, which is traveling to the Daimyo Castle..."
Danzo quickly briefed Diarmuid on the procedural details. Finally, he said in a heavy tone, "This is a perfect opportunity. If you, Diarmuid-sama, were to take action and kill Hiruzen during his journey, no one in Konoha would be qualified to compete with me for the title of Fifth Hokage. Thus, my great ambition would be realized. When that time comes, I will present you with a payment that will surely satisfy you. Moving forward, the Land of Rain and Konoha could even form an alliance. I believe this would be highly beneficial for both parties, so please..."
Diarmuid had understood Danzo's intent halfway through the pitch. He recalled that something like this had indeed happened in the original history: after Minato's death, Hiruzen acted as Hokage and had to go to the Daimyo Castle to finalize it. Danzo had sent Root to assassinate him on the way, a plot that involved Kakashi and others.
He had a vague memory of it, but the specifics were fuzzy. Now, Danzo clearly still harbored murderous intent toward Hiruzen, but he had found a better option. Instead of using Root, he wanted to commission the Yorozuya.
That way, no matter what went wrong, it had nothing to do with him. Given Danzo's thick skin, as long as he refused to admit it, even if Diarmuid exposed him, it wouldn't mean much. Meanwhile, Diarmuid's public image was already that of a reckless, arrogant outlaw. He had killed a Raikage and beaten a Mizukage; killing a Hokage might sound wild, but it wasn't exactly out of character for him.
To Danzo, this was a perfect chance, and Diarmuid was the perfect man for the job.
However... Diarmuid had no intention of accepting.
To be honest, despite telling Danzo he "fully supported his bid for Hokage" every chance he got, making it seem like they were perfectly aligned, Diarmuid had never taken that promise seriously.
Because it didn't fit his interests at all. What kind of Danzo was a "standard, ideal partner" for Diarmuid? It was the Danzo who was constantly plotting to become Hokage but never actually succeeding.
In that state, Danzo would do anything as long as it benefited his goal. He wouldn't even blink at selling out the village's interests. He had a desperate need, and need was the foundation of cooperation. Diarmuid could continue to squeeze profit out of him. Most importantly, he could dump any "blame" he didn't want to carry onto Konoha's "King of Scapegoats."
But once Danzo fulfilled his life's ambition and became the Fifth Hokage, he would no longer serve Diarmuid's interests.
As per Diarmuid's prior analysis of the man, Danzo was undoubtedly selfish, but he led a frugal, almost ascetic life. This was evident in his plain attire, his dim office devoid of decoration, and his willingness to sacrifice his reputation to hide in the darkness of Root. He wasn't corrupt; his selfishness wasn't for personal luxury. It was for the seat of Hokage.
Therefore, one could infer that once Danzo became Hokage, his personal interests would align perfectly with Konoha's interests. The better and stronger Konoha became, the more authority he would wield. A Danzo who was not corrupt and whose interests were tied to the village would be impossible to exploit. Diarmuid wouldn't be able to fleece Konoha or use him as a scapegoat anymore.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
Before Danzo could even finish his sentence, Diarmuid interrupted. "Sorry, I can't accept this. I've been quite busy lately, I haven't even finished reading the Scroll of Seals. You should find someone more capable, Danzo-sama. That's all. Goodbye."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Diarmuid's figure collapsed. The half-dead snake reappeared, but this time, it had truly breathed its last.
Danzo was stunned. I wasn't even done talking, and you're gone? What happened to 'fully supporting my bid for Hokage'?
As expected, all you bastards are just liars playing with people's emotions!
Seeing Diarmuid end the Shadow Transmission so decisively, Orochimaru chuckled inwardly. He nodded to the dazed, shell-shocked Danzo Shimura. "Since my boss has no interest, then it's a pity. Danzo-sama, the Yorozuya will not be participating in this matter. I hope we have the chance to cooperate next time. Farewell."