Malphegor
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Ch. 117: The Sannins: Information is Power
🕑 Added 2024-10-01 17:08:37 +0000 UTCIn the center of Konoha Village's streets, a carriage was slowly pulling a massive rectangular object towards the Hokage Mansion. The entire object was tightly wrapped in a black cloth, so opaque that no one could see inside. From the shape, onlookers could only guess that it might be a cage.
Beside the carriage were several powerful ninja guards. Among them were Jiraiya and Tsunade, walking alongside the carriage, as well as an ANBU ninja wearing a mask. The white-haired ANBU scanned the crowd constantly.
"What's that?"
Among the onlookers, a pink-haired little girl was holding her father's hand.
"Maybe the village caught some large animal or something," the father replied.
"What kind of animal is it?"
"I don't know," the father said.
"Tell me, tell me!" The child's insistence was relentless, her voice rising with each plea.
The father understood that if the object was covered so tightly, it was because the village didn't want people to see what was inside. Furthermore, the heavy security around the carriage indicated that whatever was inside was dangerous. Best not to speculate too much, he eyed the ANBU ninja warily.
With this in mind, as an ordinary citizen, he decided not to overthink it. However, his eyes changed when he saw Tsunade walking beside the carriage.
"Tsunade-sama, still so beautiful after all these years," he mused aloud. "Back when got injured, I was once treated by her."
"The warmth of Tsunade-sama's chakra... it was so comforting," he recalled with a blissful smile. However, he failed to notice the shift in the atmosphere next to him.
"Oh? How comforting exactly?" his wife asked as she began to scold him.
Watching her mother scold her father, the little girl wasn't concerned. In fact, she clapped her hands joyfully and laughed, "Daddy's getting scolded by Mommy again, haha!"
The father smiled bitterly at the girl. When Sakura grows up, she'll probably have a temper just like her mother. Will any man be able to handle her in the future?
"Hurry up and rent a carriage. Today's our long-awaited family trip!" the mother said while the father was worrying about his daughter's future.
"Yes, dear."
As they left, little Sakura cast one last curious glance at the covered carriage, her young mind full of questions about what secrets it might hold.
---
In the underground lab of the Hokage Mansion, under the soft green glow of lights, a massive pink-shelled creature was the center of attention. Surrounding it were several of Konoha's high-ranking officials. The creature's alien form was unlike anything they had ever seen, its body a grotesque fusion of crustacean and insect-like features.
They observed the creature for a long time, but no one spoke first. They were too shocked by what they saw, their minds unable to articulate the typical formalities that came so easily to them. The silence was only broken by the occasional soft buzzing from the creature.
Before this creature, they realized that all the knowledge and experience they had accumulated over the years was now worthless. Yet, they were reluctant to abandon that knowledge, even though they were tempted to deny the creature's existence altogether.
But now that it was right in front of them, they had to face the truth: ancient, unknown beings were real.
The world as they knew it, shaped by the Ninja Era for a thousand years since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, seemed far less enduring compared to the ancient eons that preceded it.
"What is this thing called? Mi-Go?" someone asked.
"You mean such highly intelligent beings exist in this world?" another official stammered.
"What about their combat abilities? If they possess significant power, we must eradicate them quickly!" demanded Danzo as he studied the Mi-Go, calculating potential threats.
Tsunade spoke up, "Strictly speaking, they don't originate from our world. According to ancient murals discovered by Kakashi in the Land of Snow, the Mi-Go arrived here from another dimension."
Danzo raised his cane and poked the Mi-Go's oval head harshly. "It doesn't matter where they came from. We can't allow these disgusting creatures to threaten the safety of Konoha." His voice was cold, devoid of any empathy for the alien being before them.
The Mi-Go emitted a strange buzzing sound in response, but it didn't speak in human language. This irritated him even more, causing him to jab it harder. The cane's tip even penetrated the gaps in the creature's armored skin, stabbing into its pinkish flesh.
"Stop! You'll kill it like that," Tsunade intervened, halting his cruel actions.
"Oh?" Danzo sneered. "You're not sympathizing with this thing, are you? Have you forgotten that it ripped your apprentice's brain out? And now a minister of the Land of Fire has died because of it. It will be executed to give the Daimyō an explanation."
Tsunade fell silent, at a loss for words. Though she still harbored a deep hatred for the creature, seeing Danzo so callously torturing a living being disturbed her. It wasn't just about this alien being — Danzo showed the same cold disregard for the lives of his comrades. Is this really what Konoha stands for?
At this tense moment, Jiraiya stepped in beside Tsunade. "There's still a lot we don't know about the Mi-Go. We need to extract as much information from it as possible before making any decisions."
"If you kill it now, we'll lose a vital source of intelligence." His voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp as he met Danzo's gaze.
At last, the Third Hokage who had remained silent until now, spoke. "Jiraiya's right. This Mi-Go holds crucial secrets, not just for Konoha, but for all humanity. We must take advantage of this opportunity to gather as much information as we can to prepare for future threats."
His eyes swept across the room, taking in the reactions of each official. "As for the Daimyō, I will handle that. We'll have enough time to study it before its execution."
Hiruzen wasn't just thinking about the Mi-Go's mysteries; his thoughts were also on the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage.
"Hmph. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the ones responsible."
With a displeased expression, Danzo flicked his sleeve and walked out of the underground laboratory with the support of his cane.
This meeting had left him feeling somewhat displeased.
In truth, he hadn't intended to kill the Mi-Go outright; his real aim was to take control of it himself. Another opportunity slips through my fingers, his grip tightened on his cane.
In his view, the appearance of the Mi-Go was a new challenge; it was also an opportunity for him to become Hokage. The creature represented a potential shift in the balance of power, one he had hoped to exploit.
If he could obtain unique information from the Mi-Go, he might be able to leverage it to challenge Hiruzen's position.
Since the death of the Fourth Hokage, Hiruzen had resumed his position as Hokage, even though he had already retired. His return to power had been a thorn in Danzo's side ever since.
But no matter what, Hiruzen was not the rightful Fifth Hokage. The village needs new vision.
As long as he could prove that Hiruzen was incompetent, he could overthrow him and take the Hokage seat. It was a goal he had nursed for years, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Currently, there was no war, and the nations were relatively peaceful. Without new challenges, Hiruzen wouldn't make any major mistakes. This period of peace had been frustrating for Danzo, offering no cracks in Hiruzen's leadership to exploit.
However, the appearance of the Mi-Go presented an opportunity. If he could gather intelligence on the creature, he might persuade the indecisive daimyō to question Hiruzen's leadership. The old fool's complacency will be his downfall.
For instance, the appearance of such strange creatures within the Land of Fire could be attributed to Hiruzen's long-standing conservative strategies. But now, Hiruzen had control of the Mi-Go, and he had no authority over it, let alone the chance to gather any information that might undermine Hiruzen.
The realization made his blood boil with frustration.
Among the five people present earlier, two were Hiruzen's disciples. Those three were extremely close allies, and Danzo couldn't outmaneuver them.
The other two Konoha advisors were indecisive, easily changing their positions based on the current situation. Useless cowards. No backbone between them.
Damn it! If only I could capture those creatures myself.
---
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hiruzen had returned to the Hokage's office to resume their conversation.
"About Orochimaru, Tsunade and I not only encountered him, but we also fought against him and his companion," Jiraiya said.
"His companion?"
Hiruzen paused just as he was about to put his lit pipe to his mouth. The revelation of Orochimaru working with someone else was unexpected and concerning.
"Yes, a highly skilled puppeteer. I don't think he's someone insignificant." Jiraiya recalled the battle.
He had fought the old man personally. Though the battle was inconclusive, and Jiraiya hadn't fought at full strength, he could tell the old man had held back as well.
His judgment made Hiruzen think. He considered all the possibilities as he stood beside the window. A skilled puppeteer... Could someone from Suna be assisting Orochimaru?
He had long suspected that Danzo might be secretly helping Orochimaru evade the ANBU's search and aiding in his experiments. But if someone from Suna was involved, the situation would be even more complicated.
At that moment, Tsunade suddenly recalled something. "I remember when I was talking to Orochimaru in the cave, he mentioned something."
"He said he went to great lengths to acquire those Shoggoths. So, someone must have helped him obtain the Shoggoths for his experiments."
Prompted by her words, Hiruzen seemed to remember something. He immediately went to a nearby file tray and began searching through it, finally pulling out a newspaper.
He laid the newspaper on the desk, and Jiraiya and Tsunade leaned in to read the text.
"Mysterious Theft of Ancient Samples at the Museum of the Land of Snow!"
"The Northern Mountains Roar! Is it the Twisting of Humanity or Nature's Wrath?"
"This is..."
"If, as Tsunade says, someone helped Orochimaru acquire these experimental materials, then the person responsible for these disturbances is likely another one assisting him," Hiruzen deduced, smoking his pipe.
"So, Jiraiya, I have a mission for you. You'll head to the Land of Snow to investigate this incident and find out who is helping Orochimaru."
"Understood."
Although Jiraiya had been away from the village for a long time, living a free-spirited life, he never refused a task from his former teacher. After agreeing to the mission, he turned to leave but then suddenly stopped.
"By the way, Tsunade, what are your plans?"
Caught off guard, Tsunade hesitated before answering, "I've decided to take Shizune as my disciple, so I'll be leaving the village with her."
"Oh," Jiraiya said, his eyes showing a hint of disappointment.
"But before I go, I'll help Anko recover. Her new body still has a lot of issues."
"When I get back, we should have a good drink, no tricks."
"You'd better come back quickly. I won't wait for you."
"Oh!"
The promise of spending time together, without the weight of missions and responsibilities, was something to look forward to.
---
In the darkness, several ghostly, astral-like figures stood in a circle, surrounding Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, you've been in contact with outsiders from Konoha. Are you aware of your crime?"
The voice of the figure in the center was sharp and accusatory. Though only its silhouette was visible, the authority in its voice could belong to none other than Pain.
Orochimaru smiled faintly. "I didn't reveal the organization's existence, so I haven't violated any of its rules."
"While we all have missions to complete for Akatsuki, the organization doesn't strip us of our personal hobbies, does it?"
"My little hobby is collecting things. I made a deal with someone from Konoha, that's all. As long as it doesn't reveal the organization or interfere with its goals, such actions are allowed, right? Leader?"
"And if anyone almost revealed the organization's existence, it was definitely Sasori. He appeared before the two Sannins wearing our uniform. If he had been the only one in uniform, it might have raised less suspicion."
Orochimaru shifted the blame onto Sasori.
"What did you say?"
Sasori gritted his teeth in anger, enraged that this snake was not only crafty with words but also trying to pin the blame on him. If the leader weren't present, he would have killed Orochimaru on the spot.
Pain made no comment on the matter, but instead, he issued a warning.
"If you dare betray the organization, I will make you suffer a fate worse than death."
"Understood."
Orochimaru smiled slightly, knowing the crisis had passed.
"That's all. Dismissed!"
