"That's right."
Orochimaru nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Namikaze Minato is simply too outstanding—so outstanding that he may become our greatest obstacle. But the strongest fortress is often broken from within.
"If Mikami Yuu can become our 'eyes' inside Minato's team—even if it's only to provide a few pieces of intelligence at critical moments—then the situation will become far more favorable for us.
"As for the kind of seedlings Root requires, I can help you keep an eye out, Danzō-sama. After all, with the whole ninja world in turmoil lately, there are bound to be plenty of orphans who've lost their parents and homes in the chaos of war. Surely they would welcome a place willing to shelter them."
Shimura Danzo said nothing more. He simply fell silent for a moment, then struck the metal floor hard with his cane and turned to leave.
That silence alone was enough to make his stance clear.
At this point in time, Danzo was obsessed with the Hokage's seat, but not yet to the point of feeling he absolutely had to take it for himself.
To him, the best path for realizing his political ambitions was still to push Orochimaru—another disciple of Hiruzen—into the position of Hokage, while he himself remained behind the scenes as Hokage advisor, manipulating events from the shadows, controlling most of Konoha's power, and steadily expanding Root's influence.
For the sake of that goal, Danzo could tolerate Orochimaru's disrespectful behavior. Besides, Orochimaru had already given him a way to step down with dignity.
Just as he stepped out of the research institute,
Danzo suddenly paused, turning his clouded eye toward a white-haired boy standing not far away.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Then Danzo let out a cold snort and walked off.
Watching Danzo's back disappear,
Mikami Yuu let out a quiet breath and eased the tension in his body.
For him, the weight of the title "Darkness of the Ninja World" still carried plenty of meaning. Even though Danzo didn't yet have an arm full of resurrection coins, the sheer pressure of him being Konoha's current number two and a quasi-Kage-level powerhouse still weighed heavily on Yuu. In fact, he had felt even more nervous facing Danzo than he had facing Orochimaru.
At that moment, Orochimaru appeared from inside the research institute at just the right time.
"Oh my, Mikami-kun, perfect timing.
"Come in. I've been waiting for you for a while."
Mikami Yuu took a deep breath, suppressed the wariness in his heart, and followed Orochimaru deeper into the institute, arriving in an underground laboratory filled with the smell of formalin.
When he noticed Yuu still wasn't speaking, Orochimaru finally broke the silence first.
"You saw that old man just now, didn't you? His name is Shimura Danzo, leader of 'Root.' Ah, right—you might not even know what Root is. It's an organization devoted to 'protecting' Konoha from the darkness. As for its methods…"
"They are, naturally, not fit for the light of day.
"They take a keen interest in every promising young seedling in Konoha, trying to prune and shape them into the ideal 'weapons' they envision. And you, Mikami-kun, very fortunately caught Root's attention—and very nearly ended up in their hands.
"Luckily for you, I sent him away."
Good grief.
If Yuu hadn't known from his past-life anime knowledge that Orochimaru and Danzo were cut from the same cloth and had long maintained a deep web of mutual interests, he might actually have believed Orochimaru was a good person. Going by this story, did that mean he was supposed to thank Orochimaru?
"There's no need to thank me."
Orochimaru seemed to read straight through his thoughts, a hint of amusement rising in his golden snake-like eyes.
"You're a clever child, so I'll speak to you the way one speaks to clever people. To be blunt—I have my reasons for helping you.
"I admire your talent for medical ninjutsu, and that sharp instinct you show when facing the unknown. To let a gift like that be dulled away in a place like Root and turned into nothing more than an obedient blade would be a waste. Better that you come to me and explore the mysteries of life itself alongside me.
"Like Tsunade, I am one of the Third Hokage's disciples. By that measure, I am also one of your 'uncles' in name, as well as one of Konoha's foremost researchers. I can provide you with every resource you need—ninjutsu scrolls, high-grade ninja tools, the latest research materials… even special treatment plans your father may need for recovery.
"And the price for all of that is only that you help me with a few tasks within your ability—just as you've been helping Tsunade at Konoha Hospital.
"Well? What do you think?"
"…"
Mikami Yuu fell silent.
It sounded like Orochimaru genuinely wanted to recruit him.
But still—were Konoha's research personnel really that scarce? Yuu had only met Orochimaru once and answered a few questions. Was that already enough to make his intelligence stand out so much that even Orochimaru couldn't help but take an interest?
After weighing his words carefully, Yuu lowered his voice and answered:
"Orochimaru-sama, you know I'm Minato-sensei's student, and lately I've been outside the village on missions quite often. And I'm also studying in Tsunade-sama's medical class, so I may…"
"Don't worry. My terms are very simple. Just come to the research institute two or three times a week. The exact timing can vary depending on the situation, but on average it won't take more than half a day each time. It won't interfere too much with your training or missions."
"And what would the work be?"
"That's simple too. In the short term, all you'd need to do is help me organize experimental data, record sample reactions, and operate some basic instruments. With your learning ability, those things should be easy for you to pick up."
"And in the long term?"
Mikami Yuu looked at Orochimaru with clear caution.
Orochimaru smiled.
"That depends on your performance. I'm a very fair person. I assign compensation according to value. As long as you can demonstrate enough value, I'll pay you a reward that satisfies you."
"Then there's one thing I want."
Orochimaru raised a brow.
"A written contract."
"A contract?"
"That's right. I want a clearly defined contractual relationship—including my working hours, the nature of my duties, salary and benefits, and clauses guaranteeing my personal safety. It must clearly state under what circumstances I may be involved in experimental projects that endanger my life or body, and those cases must be based on my own willing consent.
"The contract will be made in duplicate, signed and sealed. If you violate any core clause—such as forcing me into dangerous experimentation without my agreement—I have the right to hand the contract over to Tsunade-sama and ask her to uphold justice.
"And on the other hand, if I violate the agreement, I'll pay you an appropriate penalty. What do you think?"
Silence.
A long, lingering silence.
The false smile vanished from Orochimaru's face, replaced by a wholly new look of scrutiny, as though he were only now truly seeing Mikami Yuu for the first time.
"Interesting… truly interesting. I'm beginning to take a real interest in you, Mikami-kun.
"Very well. We'll do exactly as you said. We'll sign a contract."
Half an hour later,
Mikami Yuu sat in a single armchair in one corner of the laboratory, carefully reading through the written terms he had personally recorded from Orochimaru's dictated words, making sure there were no vaguely phrased traps hidden in the language. Then he circulated chakra through his body to check his condition, confirming there were no signs he had been caught in a genjutsu, and only then did he sign his name.