He was in Konoha, and his domineering aura was overflowing.

Before anyone could react, Orochimaru had already leaped onto the steep branches of a towering ancient tree, looking down at the root base that had put him in danger not far away.

'The sense of crisis has lessened.' Orochimaru's vigilance remained.

He hasn't figured out the current situation yet.

This is the Root base located near Konoha. If anything happens, the Anbu will arrive in a matter of moments. Even the brutes of Kumogakure wouldn't choose to attack here.

Do you really think Danzo is just a freeloader?

So what exactly is it?

There is some kind of dangerous item in the base that I don't know about, and now that dangerous item is about to go berserk?

Or is there really a foreign invasion?

Recently, I heard from Konoha that the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure was captured alive and brought back. Danzo went to the Hokage's office that same day.

It is said that he argued with the Hokage inside, wanting to take control of the Four-Tails, but was sternly rejected by the Hokage.

He slammed the door shut in a fit of rage before leaving.

sizzle.

Orochimaru heard the faint, almost inaudible sound.

And then later.

Boom!

A deafening explosion occurred simultaneously, accompanied by scorching flames and intense heat!

In the wide-open pupils, the root base, which was in darkness and not illuminated by sunlight, seemed to come alive, swallowing countless foods in one gulp, its belly swelling, and then bursting open.

Finally, there was a dazzling white light and a blinding red.

The smell of gunpowder mixed with the aroma of roasted meat filled the air, which he, who was closely associated with snakes, noticed.

His pupils contracted sharply, and even 'Leng Jun' was speechless for a moment, his mind automatically calculating.

The process involves using enough detonating tags to blow up the entire base, then smuggling that number of tags into every corner, and finally activating the detonating tags around the heavily defended base.

Even with Orochimaru's intelligence, he still had no idea what the mastermind behind the scenes was planning.

If you have that ability, why don't you just go and blow up Danzo?

What a waste!

Taking a deep breath, Orochimaru kept his senses sharp, surveying his surroundings.

Detonating such a large-scale explosive tag at such close range would make it impossible for even a Kage-level powerhouse to leave Konoha's search area instantly, especially in front of him.

But finding them won't be easy, since someone who does something like that would definitely try their best to hide themselves...?

Orochimaru blinked, his face full of suspicion.

What does it mean to have someone clapping above my head?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chapter 56 Where Did This Poor Guy Come From?

clap clap.

The rhythmic drumbeats relentlessly challenged Orochimaru's common sense.

He looked at the person in front of him.

With an exquisite, fairy-like face, and a moon-white robe fluttering in the wind, she looked on with a smile at everything she had caused.

After a moment's hesitation, Orochimaru tentatively asked, "Igogen-kun?"

"Hmm?" Isogen tilted his head slightly.

As expected.

Orochimaru rarely went out in the past year, but news about the Fifty Strings Song still reached his ears through various channels.

This includes, but is not limited to, the fact that Fifty Strings of Song were originally in an orphanage under Danzo's control, but he was blind to the other party's potential and allowed him to grow to an uncontrollable level.

Danzo is furious.

In fact, after hearing about Isogen's rapid improvement in strength, he had thought of inviting her to participate in his experiment. The idea was quite nice, but unfortunately, Mito Uzumaki's intimidating power was even worse than Kurama's.

Moreover, he already felt guilty and uneasy for not taking good care of the rope tree.

It can only be said that Orochimaru is still a follower of the Will of Fire, possessing passion and conscience.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Orochimaru asked tentatively.

"Punish evil and promote good."

"Do you know that the base belongs to a very important person and contains a lot of valuable data that is very useful to Konoha?"

"That's who we're going to hit."

Fifty strings without hesitation.

Orochimaru fell silent.

He was not only a ninja but also an expert in psychology.

It was easy to see that Wu Shixian's actions came from the heart; in other words, he knew what he was doing, did it anyway, and wasn't afraid of the consequences.

"..."

Have I been out of touch with the outside world for too long?

Has Danzo's reputation become so untenable?

Do children these days not know about the Will of Fire?

The fact that he answered so quickly shows that Isogen knew whose territory this was, but he did just that, blowing the entire Root base into the sky.

It also contains the research data that I have worked hard to complete these past few days.

Orochimaru's usually calm heart couldn't help but clench when he thought about the precious research data that perished in the fire.

There's a little stove there that he secretly opened for himself by misappropriating Root resources, which Danzo had taken from him!

What are you going to use to compensate me?!

"Tch, what kind of poor wretch is this?"

The tone was as flat as if one were dismissing a beggar on the street.

After a few seconds of silence, Orochimaru's eyes gradually turned hostile.

I'm a born evil little devil!

"Ten million, are you interested in working with me?"

The dangerous atmosphere suddenly subsided, and the stern teaching thought that had arisen in Orochimaru's mind vanished without a trace.

Most importantly, he was an expert in psychology, so from any perspective, the ten million that Fifty Strings mentioned was true.

What happened to the orphans we were promised?

Or is it that Konoha has become so wealthy that the combined wealth of a Chunin and a Genin is enough to reach this level?

“A paltry sum of money.”

"Twenty million, take it or leave it."

"...The Root and Dark Division personnel will arrive soon. If you leave now, you can bypass them."

Orochimaru gave his advice in a natural manner.

What happened to the Three Ninja?

What happened to the Root members?

Even the most famous person still needs to eat.

In particular, the goals he set for himself each required a large amount of money.

Harvesting resources from the root is one channel, but it can't be done forever, since Danzo himself needs a lot of money to maintain his own power.

Right now, it's just a matter of both sides getting what they want. It's only a matter of time before Danzo achieves his goals or when he reaches his limit and breaks off relations.

He has invested most of the money he has earned from completing tasks over the years into projects.

An S-level mission rewards at least one million, and a single expensive piece of equipment would cost more than that.

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household.

Even with Orochimaru's "cold-blooded" nature, he couldn't help but value money.

Twenty million? How long would it take me to complete the mission to earn that much money?

All you have to do is talk and pretend to be blind to get it for free; think of all the experiments you could do with the time you save.

As for the research data that perished in the fire, it wouldn't be a problem for him to spend some time rewriting it.

As for Danzo's losses.

Who is Danzo? Who is Danzo?

Not familiar, really not familiar.

Igarashi was not surprised by Orochimaru's sudden change in attitude.

Even ninjas need to eat, and Orochimaru is a researcher. This thing is a money-devouring beast, often only taking in and never giving out. Even when it does give out, it's a special device for accumulating wealth.

He doesn't have any ill feelings towards the current Orochimaru. Putting aside the evil scientist image of him who defected and caused trouble after the original work, the current Orochimaru is still a good young man infected by the Will of Fire.

Well, it got a little contaminated after spending some time at the base.

But it doesn't matter, Orochimaru is still a malleable young man.

It's such a pity that Orochimaru fell into the abyss because of the Hokage position; his talent should have benefited the whole world!

It was absolutely not his intention to unleash the Will of Conqueror and show Orochimaru that the Will of Fire could not compare to even a fraction of the Will of Conqueror. Yes, absolutely not!

Okay, that's him.

He had already decided to ruthlessly exploit Orochimaru, making him strive for a happy, carefree, and high-quality life without limits.

Rather than Orochimaru, who will be running around the world in the future and might suddenly appear at any time, it's better to have Orochimaru by my side so that I can constantly feel his will of conquest.

"You continue to wait at the root. I will find you when the time is right."

Orochimaru was about to nod when he suddenly realized something.

No, who are you? I am the Hokage's disciple, the nominal deputy of Root, and the future Fourth Hokage. Why should I listen to you?

"I made over 200 million in one afternoon," Wuxian said calmly. "The six people who came with me each received 20 million, and Tsunade, who came later, received 30 million. I even gave that much to my temporary teammates, so those who followed me will only get more."

"Don't let your limited perspective restrict your imagination, you poor wretch."

Orochimaru was moved.

Although being called a "poor ghost" doesn't sound good, it's over 200 million! If I had that much money, would I still care about Danzo?

The teachers had to coax me into investing money in Konoha's development.

And it turns out Tsunade also got a share of the money, thirty million yen, which she wasted as gambling funds.

"Ahem, we'll talk about this later. If you're capable, we'll meet again." Completely unconcerned about the disrespect shown to his senior by Isogen, Orochimaru prepared to investigate the amount of money he mentioned.

Wu Shixian chuckled, "If you take my money, you'll be treated like a beast of burden in the future."

Shortly after Isogen left, the Anbu and Root members who rushed to the scene upon hearing the news all had their pupils shrink in shock at the horrific sight before them.

Such a horrific explosion scene! Just how many detonating tags did the enemy use?

The ANBU ninjas were puzzled as to why there was a base here, and why Lord Orochimaru was also here.

While everyone was wondering, Danzo arrived at the scene under the protection of his subordinates. Seeing the mess, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He immediately locked his gaze on Orochimaru, who was watching the spectacle.

"Orochimaru, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"Shouldn't I be the one demanding an explanation?" Orochimaru remained unfazed, observing coldly.