"You really didn't hold back," Fujimoto Tōma said as he looked over the listed supplies. His tone was flat, but his eyes lingered.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Resources are the foundation of everything. And honestly? This isn't bad news for you."
Tōma didn't deny it. The more resources involved, the more hands had touched them. And the more hands, the more cracks to investigate.
Still… when he thought about how these stockpiles would technically become Konoha's once Danzo fell, he felt a faint, irrational sting of regret.
"Besides that," Orochimaru added casually, "there are some of Danzo's older deeds. Would you like those as well?"
Tōma paused, then nodded.
Another scroll flew toward him.
He opened it after a quick check, and his expression turned strange. This wasn't recent. It dated back to the period when Orochimaru and Danzo had been working closely together.
"So this is you trying to drag him down with you," Tōma said, amused. "Revenge for when he stabbed you in the back and pushed you out of the Hokage succession?"
He couldn't help smiling. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to hold a grudge this long.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "You know quite a lot, Tōma-kun."
The scroll didn't include dates. Yet Tōma had immediately understood when it came from.
"I'll help," Tōma said with a shrug. "If someone's going down, they might as well take their old partners with them."
Orochimaru laughed softly. "Much appreciated."
After a brief pause, Tōma asked something that had been on his mind.
"Tell me this. If I had died in that ambush… what would you have done? Hand this information to the Fifth Hokage?"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "You give Tsunade too much credit. She can't outplay Danzo."
He sneered faintly. "If you had died, I would have waited until Danzo was about to take power. Then I'd spread everything to every corner of Konoha."
He seemed to savor the image, his smile turning darker.
Tōma went quiet.
With his current reputation in the village, that kind of revelation would have ruined Danzo completely. Publicly. Irreversibly.
And Orochimaru definitely had the means to make it happen.
Part of Tōma was almost curious to see that future. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly something he could test. He was still alive.
Which meant Danzo choosing to work with Orochimaru had been a catastrophic misjudgment. Especially after crossing him in the past.
Did Danzo really believe Orochimaru was the kind of man who only cared about利益 and never grudges?
Then again… Tōma frowned slightly. He himself had nearly torn Orochimaru apart not long ago.
Best not give that man any leverage.
"So," Orochimaru said, watching him closely, "will you finally tell me how you found me?"
It clearly mattered to him. Being tracked meant nowhere was truly safe. For someone as obsessed with survival as Orochimaru, that was unacceptable.
"The Spirit Projection Technique," Tōma replied, "and your Heaven Curse Mark."
Orochimaru froze, then laughed. "Dan Katō's technique… I should have known. Even forbidden jutsu come easily to you."
Everything clicked for him. The Spirit Projection Technique granted exceptional sensory reach, especially toward spiritual traces. And the Heaven Curse Mark contained fragments of Orochimaru's own will.
Tōma had followed that residue.
Relief crossed Orochimaru's face. Only briefly, but it was there.
Few could use that technique. Fewer still had access to his curse marks. In reality, only Tōma could track him this way. And even then, it was a one-time opportunity.
"That settles everything," Orochimaru said lightly. "Farewell, Tōma-kun."
He watched Tōma carefully, wary of a sudden attack.
None came.
Orochimaru's body broke apart into countless small snakes, slipping away into the shadows and cracks of the hall.
Tōma didn't stop him.
His goal was already accomplished. And killing Orochimaru without absolute certainty was meaningless. If that man resurfaced somewhere else, all of this would have been for nothing.
Letting him go was the lesser risk.
Tōma glanced at the scrolls in his hand. Failing to kill Orochimaru hadn't been part of the plan anyway. If anything, this had gone smoother than expected. Mostly because Orochimaru had wanted Danzo gone just as much as he did.
He disappeared in a blur of movement.
After Tōma left, Orochimaru returned briefly, collecting a few remaining items.
Only then did Yakushi Kabuto speak. "Lord Orochimaru. You've met the one you were waiting for. What's next?"
Orochimaru smiled. "The winds of the shinobi world are moving again. If the Akatsuki want to fan the flames, let them."
Kabuto nodded. "With Naruto in Konoha, the Akatsuki won't avoid it. Eventually, they'll clash with the village. With Tōma."
"Exactly," Orochimaru said softly. "So… who will come knocking next, I wonder? One of them? Or several?"
His smile widened.
"And what kind of surprise will Tōma-kun bring me next time? I can't wait."
Konoha. Hokage's Office.
Tōma sat calmly to the side, sipping tea, while Tsunade read through the scrolls.
The vein pulsing on her forehead grew more pronounced by the second.
"That bastard!" she slammed her hand on the desk. "All these resources… wasted!"
To her, every item on that list belonged to Konoha.
Tōma remained unfazed, continuing his tea as Tsunade ranted. ANBU personnel files. Illegal experiments. Danzo's involvement in things that should never have existed.
When she finally stopped, Tōma set his cup down.
"Finished?"
"Yes," Tsunade said, rubbing her temples. She wanted nothing more than to shove the evidence in Danzo's face. But she knew better. The source was sensitive. Much of it still needed verification.
Rushing in would only alert him.
"I'm impressed you even found Orochimaru," she admitted. "Jiraiya searched for years."
Tōma explained how he'd tracked him.
Tsunade frowned. "So there's only one more chance to locate him. And even then, killing him isn't guaranteed."
"That's right."
She clenched her fist, then slowly exhaled.
"…Let's focus on Danzo," she said at last. "What do you suggest we do next?"