Chapter 128 - Interlude 08 - The Power of Senju and Uchiha

Location - Dozen miles away from the Leaf Village.

It was a snowy December night. A team of ninjas covered entirely in black battle gear was moving through the woods near the leaf village. They were speeding through the trees in a diamond formation. In the center of the team was an old man with his entire body shrouded in darkness.

Several meters behind them were 4 other teams composed of ninjas wearing the same gear. Each of them, a formidable group of shinobi capable of battling against even the strongest Jonins and together the teams of ninjas would be capable of taking on and even killing S Rank nins.

As the teams all sped through the forest silently, a figure with half black and half white face appeared from the earth without being detected.

Only half the body of the strange creature was present atop the earth.

He was Zetsu. The spy of the Akatsuki. Zetsu looked at ninjas who vanished from his sights after a few seconds. He already analyzed and found the organization they belonged to.

'They're from the Root. But this many teams…? This is unusual. And If I'm not mistaken, that was Danzo's chakra coming from the lead team. He's usually not the type to leave the village and expose himself like this. And the number of ninjas protecting him. Something significant is going down. I need to find out what…'

"I wonder what they're up to…"

"Let's follow them." The gruff voice of Black Zetsu replied to the question of his white counterpart.

—-

After some time the team of Root ninjas reached their destination. They came to a stop in front of a small cave.

"Fu!"

The man in the lead team only said a single word. But it conveyed his intentions.

A ninja from the lead team raised his right hand, made a half ram seal and closed his eyes. After a few seconds he looked at the man in the center.

"All clear, Lord Danzo. I can only sense one chakra at the base."

The man Danzo Shimura removed his hood and walked forward.

At that moment another man from the other team also joined Danzo's group.

"Let's move." With Danzo's orders several of his Root walked into the cave and then Danzo and the rest followed.

The cave looked small and ordinary from the outside but the interior was much deeper. As they reached the end of the cave, Danzo made a hand-seal and an entrance opened up.

"Fu, Torune, Shigaraki! You're with me. The rest of you, secure the perimeter." Danzo gave the order and went inside the cave followed by his two most capable ninjas and the scientist of his organization.

The wall closed behind them and a barrier came into existence. As the Root ninjas began securing the area one of them was concerned about what was happening.

'When Lord Hokage tasked me with infiltrating the root, I never could have imagined that things would be this bad. I know he's meeting with Orochimaru right now but that's it. I don't know what's going on or what this is about but whatever it is, it must be huge. Danzo doesn't even trust his own people with what's happening in there... Fu and Torune are the most loyal and some of the strongest of the Root ninjas and I know that Shigaraki is the Researcher… What exactly is happening in there? Damn it! I can't get any closer without exposing my intention…'

At that moment several meters away in the shadows, two yellow eyes popped up from a tree. Zetsu looked at the guards and then sensed the barrier surrounding the interior.

'This was once an old base of the Shimura clan during the warring era… I'm pretty sure they didn't have a barrier here at that time. It seems Danzo added a few modifications. It will be difficult to get inside but not impossible. But if I force myself in there like that I'll be detected…'

After thinking about the next move, Zetsu abandoned that plan. 'The less they know about me the better. It's not the time to make rash decisions. I'll find out what he's up to sooner or later.'

With that thought Zetsu disappeared back into the ground without anyone sensing his presence.

—-

Danzo walked forward through a small tunnel and soon entered a large room. There were several medical equipment set up all around the place. He saw Orochimaru waiting for him with a devilish grin.

"Is it ready?" Danzo asked the man.

"Hm!" Orochimaru led Danzo to a special glass container with several seals all over it.

Inside it, a pale white arm with numerous Sharingan could be seen. "So you were able to replicate the Sharingan and implant it into the arm huh!"

"Yes. I took Itachi's blood and bonded it with Shin's DNA. But these are still eyes made from clones. So the effects are not as powerful as the original."

Danzo didn't say anything and just inspected the arm. Orochimaru had already sent him a sample Sharingan a few months ago and Danzo made sure to confirm that it was able to use the Izanagi technique.

Danzo inspected each of the Sharingan in the container. 'For my plans, for what I need to do, this will be enough. They will be my trump card.'

"I wonder what Sarutobi sensei would say if he found out what you were doing?" At that moment Orochimaru asked, chuckling.

Danzo narrowed his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to chitchat. "What Hiruzen thinks or says is not your concern! Now stop wasting time and let's proceed."

"Very well… Did you bring the item?"

At that, Danzo motioned to Shigaraki. The scientist stepped forward with a scroll and unlocked its contents. There was a vial of blood and some brown synthetic flesh.

"This is Lord Hashirama's blood. The other is a cultivated flesh of his blood and the specimen sample you've provided."

"You've come far in your research on the first Hokage's power." Orochimaru was not one to give out any praise but he was mildly impressed with the progress Shigaraki made.

Danzo began disrobing and got on the operation table. He knew Fu and Torune would keep vigilance and Shigaraki could spot if Orochimaru did something harmful to his body.

Orochimaru injected Danzo with a special serum and within moments Danzo was knocked out.

"Beginning surgery."

Orochimaru and Shigaraki began the operation. Danzo's crippled right arm was severed and Orochimaru placed several seals on his body. Each one meant to keep Danzo alive until the end of the procedures.

The Snake Sannin took the Sharingan arm and brought it to the table. 'The first Hokage's strength and the Sharingans. I wonder what you'll do with this power Danzo?'

The thought somewhat excited Orochimaru. He knew Danzo had his own plans and was extremely dangerous but he couldn't help but take the risks. He still had use for the man's connections.

Several hours went by as Orochimaru and Shigaraki operated in Danzo. For the Sharingan arm to be of proper use, the First Hokage's power was needed. They added his blood and grafted the synthetic flesh onto Danzo's right shoulder and then attached Shin's arm.

The surgery lasted for over 7 hours. It took two more hours for Danzo to regain consciousness. He could already sense the change happening throughout his body.

As he tried to get up Shigaraki quickly stopped him. "Lord Danzo. Please. Not so quickly. It's still healing."

Danzo just ignored that advice. "You're underestimating Lord Hashirama's power. He was able to heal his wounds in seconds without even using medical ninjutsu. I can already feel that power flowing through me."

With those words Danzo got up from the bed and stood without a problem. He inspected his right arm. The numerous 3 tomoe Sharingan sent a thrill up his spine.

'A total of 10 Sharingan and the power of wood style jutsu. Finally! Now I have the power of both the Senju and Uchiha!'

At that moment Orochimaru came near him. "I'm sure you can already tell, but your chakra is undergoing a massive change. You will need a few months of rest for your body to fully adapt and for your chakra to stabilize."

"Hmm." Danzo nodded as put on a cloak. At that moment Torune stepped forward with several steel couplings.

"So that's your plan?! I assume they have the seals that can block the Byakugan and chakra sensors." Orochimaru looked over the contraptions and deduced their purpose.

Torune stood silently without giving the Sannin an answer. His master was Danzo and no one else.

Shigaraki covered Danzo's right arm in bandages and then Fu took the couplings from Torune and secured them around the arm. With everything complete Danzo and his Root members exited the room.

It was dawn. Once outside Danzo ordered the other teams to head back to the village. He then took out a map and threw it to the Sannin. "The materials and equipment you wanted are marked on that location. Let's not meet for a while."

With a dark chuckle Orochimaru burst into snakes and disappeared into the forest.

—-

Hokage Residency - Private Chamber.

Hiruzen had a grim visage as he heard Bear's report. It was only after a week that the Anbu spy was able to make contact with the Hokage without arousing any suspicions.

"This is truly troubling… You have no idea what Danzo wanted with Orochimaru?"

"Forgive me Lord Hokage but I couldn't find out what happened. I didn't want to do anything that jeopardized my position."

"No. It's alright. I need you where you are…"

Hiruzen thought about everything Bear said. He had several theories as to why his former teammate would meet his former student like this. But he needed to confirm a few things before coming to an answer.

"You said he had the head scientist of the Root with him!? So Shigaraki was present and he attended the meeting?"

"Yes Lord Hokage. It's strange. Taking Shigaraki to such a place with a possibly dangerous enemy. And Danzo himself went. The whole thing is bizarre. And after Danzo came out of the cave his whole chakra felt strange…"

"Hmm! I might have an idea as to what might have happened. But I need to confirm a few things first… In the meantime gather as much intelligence on his organization as you can. Make sure your position isn't compromised."

"Yes sir." With those words the Anbu disappeared.

Hiruzen then made his way to the vault hidden beneath the Hokage tower. It contained some of the most dangerous information, jutsu and materials of the village.

He opened the vault and went to a special spot that held a preserver. Hiruzen opened the container and looked at the content.

'They're gone!'

3 vials were missing from the row.

'3 vials of Lord Hashirama's blood are gone. Danzo would be the only one capable of taking it without alerting anyone… You bastard. I knew it. The second I learned that Shigaraki was with you, I knew you were performing some kind of experiment with Lord First' blood.'

Hiruzen took the remaining vials with him. 'I can't let anyone else get these.'

Hiruzen got what he needed and closed the vault. He made his way back to his office in deep thought.

'Danzo must have performed some sort of experiment on himself. Orochimaru and Shigaraki are the two people who know the secrets of the first Hokage's blood… So that must be why he met them… But Lord Hashirama's blood is too strong. The chakra is potent and will react violently with anyone it is injected with. Danzo knows this... So for him to still perform some kind of experiment on himself… He must be absolutely certain that he will survive and get some benefits from the experiment…'

Hiruzen sighed as he reached his office. 'It seems there is no choice. I need to move forward with my plans. Even if it goes against my morals.'

Hiruzen took the forbidden scroll from its secured location. He went through each and every jutsu in there until he found the few he needed.

Among the jutsus Hiruzen had his eyes one, was the one with the most potential and danger.

Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation!