In broad daylight, delivering intelligence to the Hyūga Clan was something only Orochimaru would dare to do.
Still, he was confident that the Hyūga would not detect him.
Although the Hyūga estate was filled with Byakugan users, infiltrating the clan was not as difficult as one might think. Within the village, unless they were engaged in combat, Hyūga members did not activate the Byakugan casually.
Otherwise, it would be far too easy to glimpse secrets unintentionally, earning the clan the disgraceful reputation of being a "family of voyeurs."
For the sake of their honor—and to avoid being exiled to the outskirts of the village—the clan had long established a rule of self-restraint:
Unless absolutely necessary, do not activate the Byakugan.
Picking up the scroll from the ground, Yuzuru calmly returned to his residence.
"Danzō reimbursed all the experimental materials? What a generous superior. It seems the research on Edo Tensei will progress smoothly—though I must be careful not to be discarded once the work is done."
As he unrolled the scroll, a thoughtful expression crossed Yuzuru's face.
Whether it was Danzō or Orochimaru, neither was easy to deal with. Cooperating with them was akin to negotiating with a tiger—something Yuzuru had always understood.
"It looks like I'll need to visit the Root more frequently for human experimentation. I wonder how the clan will react to that."
"Root is essentially the stronghold of the new Hokage's opposition. Allowing clan members to participate in Root activities doesn't exactly help the Hyūga draw closer to the Fourth Hokage."
"I must finish the research before the clan takes action. The situation among the higher-ups is still unclear, so the clan likely won't act rashly just yet. There's still a window of time." Yuzuru tapped the table lightly, deep in thought.
Day by day, time passed, drawing ever closer to that fated night.
At some point, the internal atmosphere of Konoha quietly grew tense.
All ANBU operatives stationed outside the village were recalled, and hidden sentries appeared throughout the village.
Ordinary civilians noticed nothing unusual. Only shinobi of sufficient strength or status sensed that something was amiss.
Something was about to happen in the village.
Such thoughts gradually took root in the minds of the jōnin.
In hidden corners and public spaces alike, they whispered among themselves:
"Have you heard? The Third and Fourth Hokage are about to split."
"That… that can't be true, can it?"
"Hmph, you're slow. The village atmosphere keeps tightening, all ANBU have been recalled, security is on high alert. If it's not conflict between two generations of Hokage, what else could it be?"
"And Lord Jiraiya seems to have left the village to avoid all this."
"How did it come to this? Weren't they getting along just fine before?"
"Getting along? That was only on the surface. A young, ambitious Hokage versus an old man unwilling to relinquish power—conflict is inevitable. The struggle is nearing its climax. I heard the Fourth is investigating Root…"
Jōnin inevitably had access to more information than ordinary people.
Catching fragments of rumors, they attributed the village's outward calm and inner tension to a power struggle between the two Hokage.
In response, the higher-ups made token efforts to dispel the rumors—for instance, arranging public appearances where Minato and Hiruzen attended events together, speaking amicably.
But such gestures only reinforced the belief that their relationship had already fractured.
As a result, both villagers and spies alike focused all their attention on the two Hokage.
The jinchūriki hidden beside the Fourth Hokage was quietly overlooked.
"Those rumors are a smokescreen meant to cover something else, but the talk of a power struggle isn't entirely unfounded," Yuzuru learned from Orochimaru.
Half-truths were the most convincing. Over the past six months, genuine conflicts over authority had indeed arisen between the two Hokage.
Though not severe enough to constitute a complete rupture, their relationship was far from harmonious.
"The Fourth Hokage's investigation has made progress. Human experimentation may be exposed," Yuzuru later heard from Orochimaru again.
Research into Hashirama's cells and Edo Tensei both required living shinobi as test subjects. Root had been acting on this continuously for half a year.
Perhaps too many people had gone missing, prompting Minato to sense something amiss and order a targeted investigation.
"So Danzō's support is about to be cut off," Yuzuru sighed.
In September, Root ceased all operations.
"How dull. This village grows more unbearable by the day," Orochimaru said to Yuzuru in the underground Root base.
It seemed he truly intended to defect.
For a researcher like him, living under constant restrictions felt suffocating.
"Will this base be shut down next?" Yuzuru asked regretfully.
He actually liked the atmosphere of Root. As Orochimaru's subordinate, no one interfered with his work. He simply conducted experiments; all materials were provided.
"Yes. It can't be helped. I'll be taking a mission and leaving the village as well. As for that old man Danzō… who knows how he'll respond," Orochimaru said hoarsely.
"Then it seems we can only meet again if fate allows, Orochimaru-senpai. I can't leave the village as freely as you can. I wonder if I'll survive this coming storm," Yuzuru sighed.
"Heh," Orochimaru chuckled ambiguously. "I don't see even a trace of worry in you, Yuzuru-kun. What kind of hidden card are you holding?"
"Do you think that's the sort of secret one can casually reveal?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Then farewell, Yuzuru-kun. I wish you success in obtaining what you desire." With that, he turned and left the underground base.
From then on, Root lay dormant under the pressure of the Fourth Hokage.
Root was Minato's chosen breakthrough point to dismantle the cage of entrenched power. The department had done too much dirty work, leaving countless incriminating traces.
Whether it was Hashirama cell experiments, the abduction of village shinobi, or countless other violations…
Any single revelation would be enough to end Danzō's political life and force the Third Hokage into retirement.
Minato's insight was sharp—he struck straight at the vital point.
Perhaps the Third Hokage had long realized Root was a problem, which was why he sent Orochimaru there in hopes of cleaning things up.
But Orochimaru did the opposite—he amplified Root's darkness instead.
As a result, the Third Hokage was placed in a passive position.
"Tsk… It seems I've boarded the same ship as Orochimaru and Danzō, becoming one of Konoha's 'criminals,'" Yuzuru said with a self-mocking smile as he left the base.
Ever since Minato took office, Yuzuru had gone against the tide by joining Root, inevitably placing himself in opposition to Konoha's light.
"If not for the Night of the Nine-Tails, we'd all be purged eventually, wouldn't we?"
"But to break the Caged Bird Seal, it's all worth it. And the final piece—I've already completed it."
Taking a deep breath, Yuzuru leapt several times and arrived at an uninhabited area. He bit his finger and pressed his hand to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
White smoke billowed forth, revealing an elegant white crane.
The crane stood over five meters tall, its wingspan exceeding fifteen meters. Its broad back could easily support several people.
It was a large summoning beast, overflowing with astonishing chakra.
"Lord Yuzuru," the crane said softly, despite the powerful gust stirred by its wings.
"Itsuru, is the offering prepared?"
"Yes, Lord Yuzuru."
"Good. Use Reverse Summoning to take me there."
The white smoke dissipated as the great crane vanished.
Itsuru was a summon from the Ninja Crane Clan—a mysterious race of summoning beasts that rarely appeared in the shinobi world and almost never formed contracts with humans.
Yuzuru had encountered them by chance during the Great Ninja War, after saving an injured young crane with medical ninjutsu.
With a bang, white smoke flared once more as Yuzuru was reverse-summoned away.
Fresh air rushed toward him. Before his eyes stretched a vast lake, dotted with countless islands of varying sizes.
Each island was lush with greenery, surrounded by wetlands, marshes, and reed fields where cranes of all sizes strolled gracefully.
At the center stood a larger island crowned by a towering peak piercing the clouds.
Atop it, half-hidden among the clouds, stood a massive temple.
"That was once where our Sage resided," Itsuru said with quiet sorrow.
"The Crane Sage?" Yuzuru asked with interest.
"Yes. Our clan, the Ninja Turtles, and the snakes of Ryūchi Cave are mortal enemies. Centuries ago, during a war between our clan and the turtles, the snakes intervened, and the Sage perished."
The Turtle Sage and the Crane Sage…
Yuzuru nearly made a strange expression.
"So the Crane Sage was the villain, huh? Well… I suppose I count as one too."
That aside, the Ninja Turtle Clan truly existed. Kumogakure's Turtle Island was built upon the back of a colossal ninja turtle.
Might Guy himself had signed a summoning contract with one.
"Lord Yuzuru, the offering is over there," Itsuru said, shaping its wing like a finger and pointing to a nearby stone.
A man was bound there—a Grass Village shinobi, still alive, eyes wide with terror.
"Excellent. Thank you, Itsuru. I'll catch a few more snakes for you."
Cranes loved eating snakes—likely the reason the two clans were mortal enemies.
Itsuru's face lit up with anticipation.
"I'll look forward to it. Best of luck, Lord Yuzuru."
With a flap of its wings, it flew away.
Yuzuru approached the living offering.
Moments later—
"Edo Tensei!"
He pressed his palm to the ground, forming the summoning array.
In the next instant, the offering was enveloped in ash, transforming into another form.
An aged face, pure white eyes, and a smooth forehead—Hyūga Keisuke, former head of the main branch.
Yuzuru stepped forward and plunged a talisman-marked kunai into Keisuke's neck.
"Tell me the formula to the Caged Bird Seal."
/------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/
Read more chapters on my Patreon: https://patreon.com/SailorTranslations?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink