Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World.

In early January, the midday sun was not scorching. Minato slowly got up and went to the window to look at the open space in front of the Hokage Building, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

Behind him, Aburame Shiki stood at the table, reporting the details of the trip:

"Shinichi was the first to discover that human trafficking group."

"It's not quite accurate to say he was discovered; it was the human trafficking group that found him traveling alone and abducted him to their base."

"At first, we just thought it was about cracking down on a group of human traffickers."

"That ninja appeared later."

"Shinichi branded the kidnapped children with the Flying Thunder God mark in the dungeon, while Shisui used illusion magic to soothe the children. If we released them directly, we were afraid of alerting them."

"Kai and I went to the dungeon entrance to ambush everyone who came down into the dungeon."

"The buyers were brought in later by someone else."

"Based on my observation, those people were not first-time traders."

"I was in charge of dealing with the men in black, but my sneak attack was detected by them."

"That person's taijutsu is very strong. Although I didn't see him use ninjutsu, I could sense that he was very powerful."

"My insects couldn't get close to him, so I had no way of confirming his identity."

"Later, as soon as he heard the commotion, he used Flying Thunder God Technique to rush to the battlefield. It seemed that the enemy left because they saw that there were many of us."

A written report is ultimately just a written report. Minato was very concerned about the strange ninjas who had appeared in the Land of Fire, and he specifically asked Shiki to stay behind to hear his detailed report.

While Zhiwei was speaking, Minato stood by the window with a furrowed brow, quickly analyzing the intelligence in his mind.

When he heard Zhiwei say that the enemy immediately chose to retreat after seeing Shinichi arrive, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Zhiwei guessed that the other side felt they had reinforcements and chose to retreat, but Shuimen had a different idea.

Shinichi's age is the best cover-up; why would the other party choose to leave just because a little kid is there?

unless....

"That person probably knows Shinichi..."

"Or rather...the other party knows the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan!"

Although Shinichi's eyes are not the pure white of the Hyuga clan, but a blue that is close to white, those familiar with the Hyuga clan can still recognize Shinichi's eyes as those of the Hyuga clan at a glance.

The person chose to leave, probably because they didn't want their identity to be exposed.

"Could it be a ninja from the village...?"

"Is he a member of the Third Hokage's faction, or Danzo's...?"

Minato's mind was already filled with various guesses, and his eyes, gazing out the window, became increasingly profound.

After becoming Hokage, Minato gained some understanding of the dark side of Konoha. Considering the strength of that ninja, Minato's suspicions at this point were actually limited to just a few people.

Minato plans to investigate this matter further to see if he can uncover anything of value!

It's not easy to fully exercise the rights of the Hokage; strength alone is not enough to give him absolute authority.

To become a true Hokage, one must eventually remove some obstacles!

Minato is a gentle and kind person, but that doesn't mean he's without ambition.

A person without ambition has no way to stand out in the battle for Hokage.

...

The operating light shines on an operating table.

At the operating table, Orochimaru, dressed in protective clothing and wearing a mask, was carefully dissecting the corpse in front of him.

The body lying on the operating table was not old; it was a boy, and judging by his height, he was probably only seven or eight years old.

However, the boy's body seemed to have undergone some kind of strange change, as it was covered with a thick layer of white scales, like a snake's skin.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was carefully cutting various tissues from different parts of the boy's body and placing them into different containers.

"despair--"

Soft footsteps echoed in a dimly lit corner of the laboratory, followed by a deep voice from the shadows:

"Shimi Aburame and the others have returned to the village. Shimi was left alone in the office by Minato Namikaze."

"Orochimaru, are you sure you've cleaned up the mess?"

"Will there be any problems?"

The deep voice made Orochimaru, who was engrossed in the dissection, pause slightly. After a moment, Orochimaru impatiently turned his head slightly and let out a soft chuckle:

"Hmph hmph hmph..."

"If you're really worried, why don't you just send someone to handle the aftermath yourself?"

After saying that, Orochimaru turned around and ignored the person in the shadows.

"snort!"

"Orochimaru, you and I are now on the same side!"

"If Minato Namikaze finds out about what we've done, do you think we'll still have a place in Konoha?"

"This wasn't your mistake!"

"Now that we've already encountered Aburame Shiki, why not just finish him off immediately!"

"Only in this way can we prevent future troubles!"

As they spoke, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows. Shimura Danzo, leaning on his cane, stared at Orochimaru's retreating figure with a grim expression, his tone filled with anger.

"Besides Shimi Aburame, there was another ninja present at the time, Jonin Might Guy."

"And that brat from the Hyuga clan who can use the Flying Thunder God technique has also arrived."

"I'm not confident I can keep that kid here; retreating is the best option."

Orochimaru didn't even turn his head, continuing with what he was doing.

"Flying Thunder God..."

Upon hearing this technique, Danzo fell silent for a moment before anxiously asking:

"Did that brat from the Hyuga clan see what you looked like?"

Danzo pressed on, but Orochimaru, having lost his patience, straightened up, took off his gloves, and said nonchalantly:

"Don't worry, Danzo!"

"Even if I'm discovered, I won't tell anyone that you were the one providing me with the material!"

"I was unable to successfully transport the materials back to the lab that day, and now I don't have enough materials on hand."

"Lord Danzo, please hurry up."

Orochimaru approached Danzo, lightly licking his lips, a gesture that seemed both provocative and threatening.

Let's take a break for a while.

"Finding a new supply chain is not an easy task."

"What's more, doing this right under the Fourth Hokage's nose."

"I'll figure out the materials. In the meantime, I suggest you review everything again to make sure you haven't overlooked anything and clean up any loose ends!"

"You should know that only the dead can keep secrets!"

"Whether it's the Aburame clan or the Hyuga clan, let's prevent any accidents from happening!"

The already chilly atmosphere in the laboratory darkened further after Danzo uttered those words.

Orochimaru glanced at Danzo sideways, then turned and left.

Upon reaching the laboratory entrance, Orochimaru suddenly stopped and turned back to warn:

"What I do is none of Danzo's concern."

"Next time you enter my lab, please let me know first."

"Otherwise, you'll lose your life..."

Orochimaru licked his lips, uttered these words, and disappeared from the laboratory.

Danzo narrowed his eyes as he watched Orochimaru's retreating figure, slamming his cane heavily on the ground and growling:

"Disobedient brat!"

...................