In Naruto as Zhongli

---

And Shinji had no intention of hiding Deidara; the fact that he still let him use the name Deidara showed this.

"Bringing a ninja from another country into Konoha clearly violates the practices of a Konoha villager," Shisui remarked, glancing towards the direction Deidara had gone upstairs, a thoughtful flicker in his eyes.

"Naturally. But Shisui, you must keep this a secret for me," Shinji smiled, seemingly completely unworried about Deidara's situation.

"..." Shisui looked helplessly at Shinji. This? Asking him to keep a secret?

"Boss Shinji, is something big... about to happen in Konoha soon?" Itachi, who had been silent nearby, suddenly asked.

"Itachi, what big event are you referring to?" Shinji asked calmly.

"Lately... I seem to have heard many rumors," Itachi glanced at Shisui, saw no reaction, and continued.

"Rumors about what? About the Uchiha clan? About the Nine-Tailed Fox? About Kumogakure? Or perhaps about... Lord Orochimaru?" Shinji chuckled lightly. These four topics were undoubtedly the most frequently discussed during this period. Especially... with the New Year approaching, less than a week away, Shinji remembered. Orochimaru's affairs seemed to have been exposed shortly after the New Year.

"As expected of Boss Shinji, your sources of information are truly extraordinary," Shisui said with some admiration. He only learned certain things through the ANBU. But whenever he was here with Shinji, he always felt Shinji's news was faster.

"So... regarding Lord Orochimaru... is it true?" Itachi asked curiously. After all, the news he heard from Shisui was that Orochimaru might be involved in some forbidden research. Moreover, this rumor seemed to spread quickly, even reaching the common folk in the market. And during this time, Orochimaru was basically nowhere to be seen.