We stood at the entrance of the cave. The Hokage and I were working on the seals. While the Uchiha and a few Jonins stood guard. Especially against snake eyes.
With the two of us working together. The seal broke without alert in 15 minutes. Orochimaru didn't have years under his belt like the Hokage. We signaled the rest to stay prepared.
My logic of bringing them had been to confront chunins if things went south. There's not telling how the result will be.
We quietly walked into the lair. Now the Uchiha took the lead. As soon as we neared the gate, They vanished. By the time we reached the inner gate. The guards were in a genjutsu. I had told them to make them think as if Danzo was asking the questions. It worked.
Their presence displeased the hokage. Whether all I claimed was true or not. This was a secret facility inside the village without his knowledge. Someone was gonna pay. And the shinobi's attire told him who might that be.
This was why I brought the Uchiha. The seal will check if the guard was scared or dead. He will not be in a Genjutsu. Thus, no alarms.
The Uchiha got to work.
Asking him questions and probing his mind. The guard slowly spliiled the method. Then they moved his body to perform the tasks while he was still in Genjustu.
The door needed the two guard to do some things simultaneously.
When it was time for Chakra injection. They woke up due to chakra manipulation. But the door was already unlocking. And the damage waas done. Inside, a few root Shinobi's were moving around. What made me blink was the sheer number of them who were present. Had something changed?
As we tried to move in, they blocked our path. This made Hiruzen's face turn ugly. The root was supposed to be part of anbu. Armed conflict aganist the Hokage showed a clear line of loyalty.
Hiruzen was soft. But even soft people have a baseline. He lashed out with a wind Jutsu while the Jonins moved in to clear a path.
These were usual root Shinobi. Not elite guards. And the Hokage didn't stop to deal with them. He knew they were stalling. SO, he rushed into the second room directly. Only to freeze at the entrance.
Making me almost crash into him as I was following too closely behind.
What we found shocked even me.
It was not the experiment containers the bound shinobis or the laboratory. It was the scene of Danzo surrounded by root trying to open the other gate to escape.
"Where the hell did he come form?"
-----
The Jonins joined us in the room one by one. "Danzo what is this?"
He had stopped struggling when he spotted the Hokge.
"I don't know either. I came in when I discovered the existence of a secret lab here."
Good explanation but, "Then why were your shinobi guarding the seal?"
"To make sure nobody came in of course. What are you implying hiruzen? You know everything I do is for the village!"
I had expected to find root shinobi and documents. Not Danzo himself! And where the fuck is Orochimaru?
I located Taku and moved towards him while the two old men hashed it out in words.
"Is that Yoneri?", One of the Jonins asked a question that silenced the whole clearing. Huh, it appears they had even kidnapped an Anbu.
-----
The raid went better than expected because Danzo didn't expect fighting with Orochimaru. And root was still only a few years old.
Orochimaru on the other hand played us all.
I wanted to catch him red handed because he wore a mask. The Yami identified him from characteristics. But we had been seen. So he told Danzo that he was going to the washroom and had escaped. Locking the door behind him. Someone had to take the fall for this. And since he had not shown his face. Memory reading was useless.
Which alo meant there's nothing in this lab that could connect to him. He must have sweeped it. As for the Root, The Hokage had locked them all up in the storage room. Which had another exit. But Uchiha Yashiro's squad actually volunteered to guard it. They were having a field day with all this. At least until we found a few 1 tomoe sharigans. Then it was outrage and wrath.
The Anbu combed through the lab while I and my clan rescued the survivors. The clan was overjoyed to see Taku alive. Even if injured and traumatised.
But this wasbad. We couldn't pin Danzo and Orochimaru with these crimes. It was Danzo's first time in the lab. He only looked at results when he either had a mask on or he only came to residential are.
This would mean I have two vengeful high tiers coming after me.
"Lord Third. You must see this!" Yeah, I had underestimated Orochimaru. He cleaned his own documents. But in a well hidden safe, he kept all of Danzo's. The transactions the orders as many as he could find. In fact, he had also put in materials that can be used to perfectly frame himself. No doubt to make sure that when the safe was found, the Hokage will think that Danzo was framing Orochimaru for his own crimes. Orochimaru's impression on the Hokage for now was good enough for handing him the hat when the time comes.
The bastard had planned for the discovery of the lab. But instead of a fire bomb, he had left a political one behind. And to put icing on the cake. It was the Uzumaki brat.
Uzumaki Iroha. The brat that was rescued alongside Kushina. Yeah the quest one. I was told he was in the village's care. It appears that Hiruzen and Danzo divided one Uzumaki each.
And now I found him in a cage in the back along with the others.
They had kidnapped a lot of people in such a long time. I shuddered to think of the next 15 years when the war starts.
For better or for worse. The others knew the trigger. But not about the connection. Now it will be known all around. I could use that to say i saw and identified Orochimaru. But it will be my word against his. Add in a few of the others rescued. It will be enough to cause a stir. But not enough for action. There was no proof. Although he will lose the absolute trust the Hokage has in him. He'll still be a Sanin of the leaf.
Darn it.