Chapter 91

On this particular day, Orochimaru found himself lost in thought, considering where the best location would be to establish his experimental base. As he wandered aimlessly, he unknowingly drifted into the Konoha Village cemetery.

This place held significance for him, as it was due to his parents that he had learned summoning techniques. So, he paused in front of their graves to pay his respects. But to his surprise, it was here that Danzo decided to approach him.

He hadn't expected this meeting.

And now, Danzo was asking him to work directly under him?

Orochimaru's gaze shifted from the empty, silent cemetery to Danzo, whose hand and eye were not yet wrapped in the familiar bandages. After a moment of contemplation, he responded, "Work for you, Danzo-sama?"

"Exactly," Danzo replied, his voice calm and low. "You're not just talented. You're a genius. Someone like you shouldn't be wasting your potential."

Danzo was a master at manipulating people, an expert in playing with their minds. He didn't think Orochimaru would be able to resist his offer.

"But... my teacher is the Third Hokage," Orochimaru said steadily.

He knew that in the ninja world, a student remained under their mentor until something drastic happened, like the mentor dying or becoming incapacitated. Hiruzen had been his guiding figure since his days as a genin. Even if Orochimaru had his own ambitions, agreeing to something like this so easily would be impossible.

"The Third Hokage?" Danzo said with a hint of disdain in his voice. "This doesn't have to interfere with that. You can report to me when you're not on a mission for him."

Orochimaru hesitated, but before he could respond, Danzo continued.

"You probably don't know, do you?" Danzo said, cutting through Orochimaru's thoughts.

"Know what?"

"The death of your parents… it's closely tied to the Third Hokage."

"What…?" Orochimaru froze. He wasn't expecting that.

This revelation was not something that existed in his memories, neither from his past life nor his current one. How could the death of his parents be related to Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Seeing Orochimaru's reaction, Danzo smirked, knowing he had struck a chord.

"The Third Hokage is soft. A pacifist at heart. While he didn't personally kill your parents, they died because of his mercy, his softness. His decisions allowed enemy ninjas to kill them."

"What…?" Orochimaru's shock deepened.

"We had already won that battle," Danzo explained, his tone dripping with bitterness. "But the Third Hokage decided to spare the enemy in the name of peace between villages. Your parents were ambushed and killed by those very same enemies shortly after their release. I warned Hiruzen countless times. We are shinobi, we should never show mercy to the enemy. But Hiruzen never listens."

Danzo's words echoed in Orochimaru's mind. He could feel his heartbeat slowing as his thoughts began to calm. Was Danzo telling the truth? Orochimaru couldn't say for certain, but based on what he knew of Sarutobi Hiruzen's character, it wasn't impossible.

The Third Hokage was indeed known for his idealism, for trying to balance peace and war.

Orochimaru wasn't foolish. He knew he could find out the truth of Danzo's words through his own investigations. But there was no reason for Danzo to lie if he truly wanted to recruit him.

Sure, it sounded like Danzo was manipulating the narrative to push the blame onto Hiruzen, but in the end, wasn't there some truth to it? If Hiruzen had acted differently, his parents might still be alive today.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

In his past life, he never understood Orochimaru's motivations during the Chunin Exam arc. Why did he enact the Konoha Crush Plan? Killing Hiruzen just to prove his strength? It never made sense to him. Why would someone kill their mentor for such a shallow reason?

After all, Orochimaru had been a kind-hearted child once. He fought fiercely for Konoha, and despite his ambitions, he wasn't someone who would simply murder his teacher for trivial reasons.

Not to mention, Hiruzen had let Orochimaru go after discovering his human experiments. Why would Orochimaru want to kill the person who spared his life?

Now, everything made sense. It wasn't just about ambition. Danzo had planted the seeds of darkness in Orochimaru's heart long before his defection.

Orochimaru's mind raced.

Danzo watched him closely, knowing his words were sinking in. "Orochimaru, everything I've said is to ease your conscience. Working under me doesn't have to be a burden."

Danzo then turned to leave, his confidence unwavering. He was certain he had swayed Orochimaru. After all, manipulating talented young minds was his specialty.

But in reality, Orochimaru had wanted to cooperate with Danzo for a while now. He had just never had the chance to approach him directly. Now, with Danzo coming to him, the timing couldn't be more perfect.

However, he knew better than to let his enthusiasm show.

While Danzo's story was surprising, it didn't truly affect him. Orochimaru had long detached himself from emotional ties. His parents' death, while tragic, wasn't a driving force for him anymore.

What truly intrigued him was the realization that the power struggles within Konoha's leadership had already begun in full force.

If Orochimaru allied with Danzo, Hiruzen would undoubtedly distance himself. But many of Orochimaru's plans required access to resources that only Danzo could provide.

Hiruzen, with his pacifist tendencies, would never allow Orochimaru to delve into the kinds of experiments he was planning. Hiruzen would never approve of anything related to the First Hokage's cells or access to the Sealed Book.

And there was a big difference between experimenting on corpses and conducting live experiments.

It wasn't long before Orochimaru made up his mind.

That very night, Orochimaru made his way to the headquarters of Root, ready to meet with Danzo once more.