"Masahiko-kun. I assume you received the package I sent earlier. Do you have an answer for me?"
"What specific intelligence are you looking for?" Masahiko didn't answer directly.
Orochimaru asked, "Danzō has been investigating me recently. What exactly is happening inside Konoha?"
"Nothing too out of the ordinary. The village suspects Uchiha Shisui has gone rogue, and they believe you were the one fanning the flames behind the scenes."
As he spoke, Masahiko subtly engaged the power of his Shikotsumyaku. He quietly altered the bone and muscle structure of his throat and the root of his tongue, effectively severing the chakra circulation required for the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal to function.
Orochimaru's gaze was razor-sharp; he instantly spotted the intricate sealing formula etched onto the base of Masahiko's tongue.
'He really was branded with that seal,' Orochimaru mused.
But then…
Orochimaru realized that Masahiko had effectively bypassed the seal's suppression in an impossibly short timeframe. In fact, he got the distinct impression that if Masahiko weren't trying to maintain a façade for Danzō, he could have easily shattered the seal entirely.
The more Orochimaru looked at the man before him, the more he felt like he was looking into a mirror.
'No…' he corrected himself. 'Theoretically, he is even more mature than I am.'
Suppressing his rising excitement to maintain a cool, analytical mindset, Orochimaru licked the corner of his lips. "So, Uchiha Shisui is truly still alive?"
"Yes. However, complications arose, leading to his defection. As for the specifics… I'm afraid you'll have to investigate that yourself," Masahiko replied smoothly.
Orochimaru nodded, unsurprised. He knew the structure of Konoha and the paranoia of Danzō all too well. He understood that even if Masahiko had joined Root, he wouldn't be privy to core secrets immediately. At least, not this quickly.
"How much do you know about Shisui?"
"Not much. Neither the village nor the organization gave me detailed intelligence. However, we were classmates once upon a time." Masahiko offered a faint smile. "Though only for a brief year or two."
"You are about the same age, correct?" The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled upward. "Watching someone from a prestigious clan soar into the sky while you struggled to learn even the most basic Ninjutsu… was it infuriating?"
"Not really. He is, after all, a genius." Masahiko's tone remained tranquil, completely impervious to Orochimaru's goading.
Seeing the provocation fail, Orochimaru smiled and shifted the topic. "I heard you are Uchiha Sasuke's teacher, and that you've taken the initiative to get close to Shisui and Itachi?"
"That is correct. The latter was a mission from Danzō. Unfortunately, a series of unforeseen events occurred before I could make significant progress," Masahiko answered with practiced "honesty."
Orochimaru chuckled, offering no judgment on the statement. Instead, he asked, "In that case… are you interested in the Sharingan and the Uchiha clan?"
"Hm?" Masahiko looked up, feigning confusion.
"There is an opportunity for collaboration right before us. It all depends on whether you have the nerve for it." Orochimaru smiled darkly. "Masahiko-kun, I came here specifically for this. I didn't want you to think I'd leave you out of a good thing and damage our cooperative relationship in the future."
"Is something going to happen to the Uchiha clan?" Masahiko adopted a contemplative posture.
"Perhaps," Orochimaru smiled, his golden eyes drifting toward the Uchiha district. "When a great tree falls, it nourishes ten thousand living things. The Uchiha may have been suppressed for years, but their foundation remains potent… Are you interested in this venture?"
Orochimaru licked his lips again, waiting.
Masahiko lowered his head respectfully. "I am willing to follow your lead and handle the menial tasks, Lord Orochimaru. But beyond that, I fear I would be of little help."
"What a pity. Opportunities like this do not come around often," Orochimaru sighed theatrically. "Think it over carefully. If you change your mind… you can contact Kabuto. You know his identity now, after all."
"Understood." Masahiko nodded.
As Orochimaru turned to leave, Masahiko maintained his calm expression and began walking toward the Academy.
Cooperating with Orochimaru sounded appealing on paper, but unfortunately… regarding the Uchiha Incident, Masahiko already had allies. He couldn't divide his attention any further.
'However, if there are future projects involving the Hyūga or the Ōtsutsuki on the moon, a deep collaboration with Orochimaru would be worth considering,' he thought.
Suddenly, Orochimaru halted his steps.
"Oh, right. One small piece of advice… consider it a parting gift."
"Please, speak," Masahiko said with heightened respect.
Orochimaru grinned. "The Old Man and Danzō are not like me. If you play games with them, you'd best be prepared to be sold out at a moment's notice."
"Good luck, Masahiko-kun. I hope we both get what we desire soon."
With a chilling laugh, Orochimaru vanished without a trace.
Back at the Academy.
The moment Masahiko arrived at the gate, the guard informed him that Watanabe Shōji was waiting.
In the office, the two didn't chat for long; the conversation focused mostly on the logistics of the upcoming joint sparring session. After wrapping up, Masahiko pondered for a moment before rising and heading toward Naruto's classroom.
He wasn't sure how the rest of the "episode" would play out. To maximize his rewards, he had to force his way into as many scenes as possible.
It was a pure theory class.
The bell rang. School was out.
Naruto looked like a prisoner granted amnesty. He joyfully threw open the window, preparing to vault out and escape—only to look up and freeze. Directly in his line of sight was Masahiko's devastatingly handsome, yet terrifying face.
Naruto went numb. The muscles in his cheeks twitched as he slumped in defeat. "I'm going running right now…"
Masahiko didn't say a word. He simply stared until Naruto scurried away to start his laps.
Satisfied, he turned and called out to Sasuke.
"Sensei?" Sasuke jogged over, a look of puzzlement on his face.
Masahiko smiled. "Sasuke, tomorrow we're holding a joint combat practice with the upperclassmen. You have the best Taijutsu in the class, so I want you to go up against their top student."
Sasuke was clearly interested, but he lifted his chin arrogantly. "If it's just some average 'top student,' forget it."
"His last name is Hyūga. You might have heard of him," Masahiko replied.
Sasuke's eyes instantly lit up with a sharp glint. "Hyūga Neji?"
"Correct." Masahiko nodded.
Sasuke couldn't hide his excitement. "Perfect!"
But then, his expression stiffened. "Wait. If I'm fighting upperclassmen, you aren't going to stick me with a bunch of idiots via the matchmaking system again, are you?"
"Why would I do that?" Masahiko chuckled. "You can pick your own teammates. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
"Good!" Sasuke held his head high.
"You'd better give it your all," Masahiko added with a grin. "I've heard he's very strong."
"Strong? How strong can he be? Even if I only use the Academy's standard Taijutsu, I will definitely defeat him!"
The pride of the Uchiha would not allow him to lose to a Hyūga.
Kids. So easy to manipulate with a little provocation.
"Hurry home and prepare," Masahiko said warmly.
"Hn!" Sasuke nodded, looking as if he had just made a grave life decision, and ran toward home without looking back.
After dinner.
[System Notification: "Naruto: The Prequel" - Episode 11 Filming Complete!]
[Editing in progress…]
[Production Successful!]
[Total Appearance Time: 6 minutes 58 seconds]
[Screen Presence Ratio: 33.2%]
[Hint: …]
It had only been two days, yet Episode 11 was already finished.
Masahiko had no way of knowing exactly what events had transpired elsewhere, but judging by the high screentime ratio, the scenes with Shisui and his meeting with Orochimaru were likely the core focus of the episode. Everything else was probably just fragmented B-roll.
The more he thought about it, the heavier the realization weighed on him. The sheer density of these events suggested that the major upheaval within the Uchiha clan was approaching fast. The explosion was imminent.
Masahiko stared at the subtitles, his pace quickening as he abandoned the idea of a night run.
He needed to finalize his contingency plans. He had to be ready for the Night of Tragedy to happen at any moment—and figure out exactly how he would participate, and more importantly, how he would walk away from it.
'I just wonder… will Shisui be able to make it back in time?'