"That is precisely what I mean."
Orochimaru nodded slowly, his golden eyes reflecting the laboratory's cold light. A faint smile curved across his pale face, but the expression carried none of the warmth one would expect from a genuine smile.
"Minato Namikaze is simply too exceptional," he continued. "His talent, reputation, and judgment have already surpassed most shinobi of his generation. If he distinguishes himself in the coming war, he may become our greatest rival."
Danzo's expression remained unmoved, but the hand resting on his cane tightened. Orochimaru noticed the slight movement and allowed his smile to deepen.
"Fortunately, even the strongest fortress can be breached from within. Ren is Minato's disciple and a member of his team. If we can turn the boy into our eyes and ears, we won't need him to provide constant information. A few valuable reports at critical moments would be more than enough to shift the balance in our favor."
The laboratory fell silent.
Machines hummed softly around them, and bubbles rose through several glass containers filled with pale liquid. Beneath the clinical scent of medicine lingered something faintly metallic, like blood that had been scrubbed from a surgical table.
Danzo stared at Orochimaru without speaking.
Orochimaru calmly turned back toward the microscope as though the discussion no longer concerned him.
"As for the promising recruits Root requires, I can certainly help you locate replacements. The shinobi world has become increasingly unstable, after all." His voice was smooth and indifferent. "War always produces orphans—children without families, homes, or anyone willing to protect them. I am sure many of them would be grateful to receive food, shelter, and a purpose."
The words sounded almost compassionate.
Coming from Orochimaru, they were anything but.
Those children would be taken into Root, stripped of their names and emotions, and reshaped into weapons that obeyed Danzo without hesitation. They would be taught that sacrifice was loyalty and that death in the darkness was the highest honor they could attain.
Orochimaru knew that.
Danzo knew it as well.
Neither man felt the need to say it aloud.
After several tense seconds, Danzo struck the tip of his cane against the metal floor. The sharp sound echoed throughout the laboratory, but he offered no further objection. He simply turned and walked toward the exit, his footsteps slow and measured.
Danzo's silence was his answer—Root would abandon its immediate attempt to seize Ren.
For now, at least.
Although Danzo desired the Hokage's seat, that ambition had not yet consumed him completely. He still believed another path remained open to him.
If Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's gifted disciple, became the Fourth Hokage, Danzo could continue controlling Konoha from the shadows. As the Hokage's advisor, he could seize greater authority, expand Root's influence, and gradually place every critical part of the village beneath his control.
It was, in his mind, the ideal arrangement.
Because of that, Danzo could tolerate Orochimaru's occasional disobedience. More importantly, Orochimaru had offered him an acceptable compromise: replacements for Root and the possibility of placing an informant inside Team Minato.
Danzo had lost one promising recruit, but he had not necessarily lost the game.
The entrance to the Research Institute opened with a dull mechanical sound. Danzo stepped outside—and immediately stopped.
A white-haired boy stood several meters away.
Ren had arrived just in time to see the old man emerging from the building.
Their eyes met.
Danzo's single visible eye was cloudy with age, yet the force behind his stare made Ren's body tense instinctively. It did not feel like the gaze of an ordinary elder. It felt like an invisible blade passing over his skin, measuring where to cut.
Neither of them spoke.
Ren maintained a respectful posture, but beneath his calm exterior, his chakra was already circulating through his body. He knew fighting would be meaningless. If Danzo intended to take him here, resistance would only determine whether he was dragged away conscious or unconscious.
Fortunately, Danzo merely studied him for several seconds.
The boy standing before him was composed, alert, and intelligent enough not to speak carelessly. There was no panic on his face, but the tension in his shoulders showed that he understood danger.
Danzo's gaze grew colder.
Then he snorted and walked past without another word.
The steady tapping of his cane gradually faded into the distance.
Only after Danzo disappeared around the corner did Ren release the breath he had been holding. His shoulders relaxed slightly, although the feeling of that single eye remained fixed between them.
The title Darkness of the Shinobi was well deserved.
Danzo did not yet possess the arm filled with Sharingan that would later make him nearly impossible to kill, but he was still one of Konoha's most powerful and influential figures. He commanded Root, participated in the village's highest political decisions, and possessed strength approaching the Kage level.
More importantly, he had no moral boundaries.
Ren would rather face Orochimaru's open curiosity than Danzo's silent attention. Orochimaru wanted useful research materials, while Danzo wanted obedient tools. Neither option was pleasant, but only one of them might allow Ren to retain his identity.
The door opened again before Ren could organize his thoughts.
Orochimaru appeared in the entrance, looking entirely untroubled.
"Oh, Ren-kun." His gaze flickered briefly in the direction Danzo had departed. "Your timing is excellent. Please come inside. I have been waiting for you."
Ren studied him for a moment.
The sensible choice would have been to turn around and leave. Unfortunately, doing so would not make Orochimaru forget about him, and it certainly would not stop Root from targeting him again.
He took a slow breath and followed Orochimaru into the institute.
They descended through several corridors before reaching an underground laboratory. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. The cheerful noises of Konoha vanished, replaced by the humming of machinery and the occasional clink of glass.
A strong chemical smell greeted Ren when the final door opened.
Formalin.
Several preserved animal organs floated inside glass containers. Sealed drawers lined one wall, while complex instruments occupied long metal tables. Research notes had been stacked in seemingly careless piles, although Ren suspected Orochimaru knew the exact location of every page.
Orochimaru entered first and waited beside a workbench.
Ren remained close to the door.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Orochimaru seemed perfectly content to let the silence stretch, but eventually he tilted his head and smiled.
"You saw the elderly man who just left, didn't you? His name is Danzo Shimura, and he is the leader of an organization known as Root."
Ren allowed uncertainty to enter his expression.
"Root?"
"It is a secret division that claims to protect Konoha from beneath the surface." Orochimaru slowly walked along the workbench, dragging one finger across the polished metal. "Naturally, the methods they use to provide that protection are not suitable for public discussion."
His tone remained almost conversational, yet the implication was unmistakable.
"Root watches every promising child born in Konoha. When they discover a useful young shinobi, they attempt to prune away the parts they consider unnecessary—individuality, attachments, hesitation—and mold what remains into their ideal weapon."
Orochimaru stopped in front of Ren.
"And you, Ren-kun, were fortunate enough to attract their attention."
The word fortunate carried a chilling mockery.
"The original owner of that mask was a member of Root," Orochimaru explained. "He was sent to evaluate you and, if the opportunity arose, establish control over you. Depending on your response, you might eventually have been recruited voluntarily."
His smile widened.
"Or perhaps not so voluntarily."
Ren's eyes darkened.
Even though he had already suspected the truth, hearing it confirmed caused anger to rise in his chest. Root had approached him inside Konoha, near a training ground he regularly used, and had been confident no one would dare interfere.
His home was supposed to be the safest place in the village.
Instead, it had become the hunting ground.
Orochimaru watched his reaction with open interest.
"Fortunately, I intervened before Root could take you. You might say I saved you from becoming one of Danzo's nameless tools."
Ren nearly laughed.
If he did not possess knowledge of the original world—if he did not know about the countless secret dealings between Orochimaru and Danzo—he might have mistaken Orochimaru for a benevolent senior rescuing a talented child from the village's darkness.
By that twisted logic, perhaps Ren should bow deeply and thank him.
"There is no need to thank me."
Orochimaru's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ren's gaze sharpened.
A playful light entered Orochimaru's snake-like pupils.
"You are an intelligent boy, so I will speak to you as I would speak to an intelligent adult. I did not help you out of kindness. I have my own reasons."
At least that was honest.
Orochimaru stepped closer, but Ren resisted the urge to move back.
"I admire your aptitude for medical ninjutsu, but your true value lies elsewhere. You possess an unusual curiosity and an impressive ability to remain rational when confronted by something you do not understand."
His gaze moved across Ren's face as though examining a rare specimen.
"Root would extinguish that curiosity. Danzo would turn you into an obedient blade and discard everything that makes you interesting. I would prefer to see that potential develop."
Orochimaru raised one hand and gestured toward the surrounding laboratory.
"Come here and work under me. Together, we can explore the mysteries of chakra, ninjutsu, and life itself."
Ren's expression remained neutral, but alarm bells rang inside his mind.
Orochimaru was genuinely attempting to recruit him.
"As you already know, Tsunade and I were both trained by the Third Hokage," Orochimaru continued. "I am also Konoha's foremost researcher. If you agree, I can provide resources that most shinobi could never obtain—ninjutsu scrolls, specialized ninja tools, rare medical texts, advanced research data, and access to equipment unavailable anywhere else in the village."
He paused before delivering the most dangerous part of the offer.
"I may even be able to develop a better treatment plan for your father."
Ren's calm expression nearly cracked.
Orochimaru had chosen his words with surgical precision. Training resources and ninjutsu were tempting, but Ren could obtain them elsewhere with enough time and effort.
His father's health was different.
That was a weakness Orochimaru could exploit.
In exchange for those benefits, Orochimaru claimed he only wanted Ren to assist with research, much as Ren already helped Tsunade and the medical teams at Konoha Hospital.
It sounded reasonable.
That alone made it suspicious.
Ren considered the proposal in silence.
Had Konoha truly reached the point where capable researchers were so rare that Orochimaru would recruit a Genin after only a few meetings? Or had Ren's answers during their first encounter revealed more than he realized?
Perhaps Orochimaru did not merely value his intelligence.
Perhaps he had noticed something abnormal about him.
Ren carefully chose his next words.
"Lord Orochimaru, I am Minato-sensei's disciple. I frequently leave the village for missions, and I am also studying medical ninjutsu under Lady Tsunade. I may not have enough time to meet your expectations."
Orochimaru responded immediately, as though he had anticipated the objection.
"That will not be an issue. You only need to visit the institute two or three times each week, depending on your mission schedule. On average, each session should take no longer than half a day."
Ren did not relax.
"What work would I be doing?"
"Nothing particularly difficult at first. You will organize research data, record the reactions of samples, maintain equipment, and operate several basic instruments. With your learning ability, you should master those tasks quickly."
"And later?"
Ren's eyes remained fixed on Orochimaru.
A thin smile appeared on the Sannin's face.
"That will depend on your performance. I am a fair man, Ren-kun. The more value you demonstrate, the more valuable your work will become—and the more generously I will compensate you."
That answer meant absolutely nothing.
The phrase depending on your performance could include anything from cataloguing medicinal herbs to becoming part of an experimental procedure.
Ren had no intention of relying on Orochimaru's definition of fairness.
"Then I have one condition."
Orochimaru lifted an eyebrow.
Ren met his gaze directly.
"Verbal promises are not enough. I want everything put in writing."
For the first time since the conversation began, Orochimaru appeared genuinely surprised.
"In writing?"
"Yes. I want a formal contract defining my working hours, responsibilities, salary, benefits, and access to research resources. It must also contain clear protections for my personal safety."
Ren's voice became firmer as he continued.
"The contract must specify whether my work involves hazardous materials, forbidden techniques, human remains, live experimental subjects, or any project that could harm my body or chakra network. I will not participate in a dangerous experiment unless its purpose, risks, and procedures are disclosed to me beforehand."
Orochimaru's smile slowly faded.
"Most importantly, my participation must be voluntary. You may not use genjutsu, threats, drugs, seals, or any other method to force my consent."
The laboratory became deathly quiet.
Ren continued before Orochimaru could interrupt.
"The agreement will be prepared in two identical copies. We will both sign them, and you will place your official seal on each. I will retain one copy."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If you violate any fundamental clause—such as forcing me into an experiment without consent—I will immediately take my copy to Lady Tsunade and ask her to enforce the agreement."
The corner of Orochimaru's eye twitched.
Ren was not finished.
"To keep the agreement fair, the contract may also define my obligations. If I disclose protected research, deliberately damage institute property, steal materials, or abandon assigned work without justification, I will pay appropriate compensation."
Silence followed.
Not an ordinary silence, but the heavy stillness that descended before a predator decided whether the creature before it was prey—or something worth studying.
Orochimaru's false smile had vanished completely. His golden pupils narrowed as he examined Ren with a new intensity, as though he were seeing the boy for the first time.
Ren's heartbeat accelerated, but he refused to lower his gaze.
Then Orochimaru began to laugh.
It was quiet at first, almost a breath, before growing into a low and deeply unsettling sound.
"Interesting," he murmured. "You truly are fascinating, Ren-kun."
His smile returned, but this time it was genuine.
That was far more frightening.
"Very well. We will do as you requested and sign a contract."
For the next half hour, Orochimaru dictated the proposed terms while Ren recorded them. Every sentence became a small battlefield.
Whenever Orochimaru used vague phrases such as reasonable assistance or necessary procedures, Ren demanded precise definitions. When a clause allowed Orochimaru to alter Ren's duties according to research requirements, Ren added that such changes required written consent.
He even included a provision stating that losing consciousness could not be interpreted as agreement.
Orochimaru accepted each revision with increasing amusement.
When the final draft was completed, Ren sat on a small sofa in the corner of the laboratory and read it three times. He inspected every word, checked every punctuation mark, and searched for contradictions between the clauses.
Then he circulated chakra through his body, examined his senses, and confirmed that he was not trapped in a genjutsu.
Only then did he pick up the pen.
Ren signed his name at the bottom of both copies.
Orochimaru added his signature beside it and pressed the official seal of the Research Institute onto the pages. Once the ink dried, he handed one copy to Ren.
From that moment onward, Ren officially became Orochimaru's youngest research assistant.
Ren carefully folded the contract and placed it inside his clothes.
On paper, he had secured his safety.
Whether a piece of paper could truly restrain one of the most dangerous shinobi in Konoha was another question entirely.
Orochimaru returned to the workbench and picked up the mask worn by the Root operative. He turned it between his fingers before glancing toward a reinforced door at the rear of the laboratory.
A dull impact suddenly came from the other side.
Ren's eyes snapped toward it.
Something struck the door again.
This time, he heard the unmistakable scrape of fingernails against metal.
Orochimaru's smile widened.
"Now that the formalities are complete, Ren-kun, perhaps we should discuss your first assignment."
He placed one hand on the door's locking mechanism.
"After all, you wanted to know what Root intended to turn you into."