Chapter 162: Orochimaru’s Suspicions

After Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado both recommended Hiruzen Sarutobi as the acting Hokage, Danzo Shimura's expression turned extremely grim.

In Danzo's mind, even if he couldn't become the acting Hokage, he had planned to push Orochimaru into the position. That way, even if he lost the race for the Fifth Hokage, he could still act as the shadow behind Orochimaru.

But to his surprise, Koharu and Homura had instead nominated Hiruzen Sarutobi as acting Hokage. With the majority in favor, Danzo once again lost his chance to become Hokage.

Although the title was "acting Hokage," in practice, it carried all the powers of the Hokage.

No one knew how long Hiruzen would hold this acting position. Would he step down soon, or stay in power until he groomed a suitable puppet?

Having been suppressed by Hiruzen for decades, Danzo had no hesitation in viewing his old friend with the utmost cynicism.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Danzo stormed toward the office door, slamming it behind him as he left. "Hiruzen, I don't believe you can handle being the acting Hokage. You'll regret this eventually!"

After Danzo's outburst, Koharu and Homura both turned toward the Third Hokage.

Looking somewhat embarrassed, Hiruzen explained, "I know Danzo opposes me becoming the acting Hokage, but given the current situation in the village, it's simply not suitable to elect a new Hokage right now."

The two advisors quickly nodded in agreement and said, "Hiruzen, we understand, and that's exactly why we suggested you as the temporary Hokage. It's just a shame that Danzo doesn't see the reasoning behind it."

Hearing this, the Third Hokage sighed softly.

He knew that Danzo had always wanted to become the Hokage, but having lived in the shadows for so long, Danzo was no longer suited to step into the light, let alone become the Hokage.

The Hokage needed to be a figure of positivity and light, someone who could serve as a role model for the village.

Danzo might not understand now, but after reflecting, he would surely come to terms with it, just as he had done for many years. This time would be no different.

Pulling his scattered thoughts back together, the Third Hokage continued discussing work with the two advisors.

Whether it was the reconstruction after the Nine-Tails' rampage or external policies and strategic planning, all of it required careful consideration.

The rebuilding efforts would be straightforward—given the efficiency of ninjas, the destroyed buildings could be rebuilt within a few weeks.

As for external policies and strategic planning, they would need to wait for the return of the Sannin before further discussion, though overall, there shouldn't be any major issues.

This was the strength and foundation of Konoha as the top ninja village.

Even with the loss of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, as long as the Sannin remained, Konoha still had the power to stand its ground and wouldn't be an easy target for other villages to divide.

At this point, Homura seemed to remember something and asked the Third Hokage, "Hiruzen, with the Fourth Hokage now missing, do we still need to carry out the policies he set in place?"

Hearing this, Koharu also turned her gaze toward the Third Hokage.

While they were united in the village's reconstruction and external strategies, the policies Minato had implemented during his time as Hokage were a different matter entirely. Each of them had their own views on those reforms.

It was clear that Minato's policies were beneficial to the village's development, breaking down the invisible barriers set by the clans within the various departments and, in doing so, strengthening the overall power of Konoha's ninja forces.

However, this also meant that the interests of the major clans would be significantly harmed.

During times of peace, the Hokage's office naturally had the power to suppress these clans, but now, with the Hokage's authority weakened, it no longer had an absolute advantage over them.

If the clans seized the opportunity to vie for power or even initiated a coup, the village might be able to suppress such a rebellion, but it would undoubtedly fall into chaos and division.

So the question was whether to fully stop the reforms or to continue pushing forward aggressively. This required careful thought.

After a moment of contemplation, the Third Hokage slowly said, "Let's temporarily shelve the policies Minato set up. When the time is right, I will implement them again."

Homura and Koharu exchanged glances. They understood Hiruzen's intentions.

By saying the policies were "temporarily shelved," what Hiruzen really meant was stopping the Fourth Hokage's reforms altogether. As for the "right time," it was uncertain when that might be—perhaps years down the line.

However, they did not oppose the Third Hokage's decision.

They themselves had doubts about the Fourth Hokage's reforms. While the intention behind the reforms was good, the risks and rewards often go hand in hand.

Moreover, currently, more than two-thirds of the Jonin in the village are from ninja clans.

Among those who opposed the Fourth Hokage's departmental reforms the most, apart from the Uchiha in the police force, were the Sarutobi clan and the members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

---

After leaving the Hokage building, Danzo glanced back at the Hokage's office.

He knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi would soon return to the Hokage's office and would delay the election for the Fifth Hokage as long as possible.

Danzo could already picture his future confrontations with Hiruzen, imagining how Sarutobi would counter his arguments with excuses such as, "The Daimyo of the Land of Fire does not agree, and there's nothing I can do. It's all about maintaining the relationship between the village and the Daimyo. We must focus on the bigger picture."

"Sarutobi would also claim that the Fourth Hokage is missing, not dead. If Minato returns, he would gladly step down."

"He'd even say that Jiraiya and Tsunade don't want to be Hokage, and that since there's no suitable candidate, he's reluctantly continuing as the acting Hokage."

"This sneaky old monkey! He never even considered letting me become Hokage—not even for a moment."

And all of this wasn't because Danzo lacked strength or merit. It was simply because, during that fateful time when Tobirama-sensei led them in retreat, Danzo hadn't passed the test.

If back then, he had acted faster than Hiruzen, it would have been him as the Third Hokage.

The more Danzo thought about it, the angrier he became. He felt like smashing his cane to the ground, but he had to maintain the image of the leader of Root, and he also needed the cane to support his aging body.

He was no longer like Hiruzen Sarutobi, who, even at his age, had fought the Nine-Tails last night, still strong and vigorous.

After the failed ambush of the Akatsuki, along with Hanzo of the Salamander, Danzo increasingly felt the effects of age on his diminishing strength.

Although he hated to admit it, he had to.

He no longer had the strength to rival Hiruzen Sarutobi. Even facing elite Jonin like the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was becoming a struggle.

The only way to restore his declining body functions was one thing:

Research the cells of Hashirama Senju and perfect the cell transplantation technique.

As long as he could gain the power of the First Hokage, Danzo was confident he could defeat Hiruzen Sarutobi and become the new Hokage of the village.

With this thought in mind, Danzo quickened his pace and headed toward the outskirts of the village.

Twenty minutes later, Danzo arrived at the Root laboratory hidden in the forest outside the village.

He had built this laboratory in secret, without the knowledge of either the Third or Fourth Hokage. The sole focus of the lab was on perfecting the technology to transplant Hashirama's cells and mass-produce Wood Release users for the village.

Walking through the dark corridor, Danzo soon entered the laboratory's interior.

A Root guard, upon seeing Danzo, lowered his head and said, "Lord Danzo, Lord Orochimaru returned to the village a few hours ago."

Orochimaru's back already? Why didn't he go to see Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Danzo frowned, then found Orochimaru sitting in the lounge. With a sarcastic tone, he said, "Orochimaru, your timing is impeccable. If you had returned just one day earlier, maybe the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki wouldn't have died."

Orochimaru glanced at Danzo, his expression indifferent as he replied, "I've heard about what happened to Minato and Kushina. Their sacrifices are a considerable loss to the village.

However, I also heard that Minato willingly sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails and even defeated the space-time ninja who attacked. Impressive for a ninja who surpassed me, but life is fragile. If I were him, I wouldn't have used such a forbidden jutsu like the Reaper Death Seal."

Danzo's face twitched as he started staring at Orochimaru intensely.

He hadn't even told Orochimaru about these details concerning the Fourth Hokage, yet Orochimaru already knew. Could it be that he had planted spies within his Root organization?

Sensing Danzo's suspicion, Orochimaru calmly said, "The old man sent people to inform my subordinates. But I have no interest in Minato and Kushina's situation. Let's talk about the Wood Release experiment instead."

Pausing for a moment, Orochimaru continued, "While I was away, I found several promising test subjects. As long as the funding is in place, we can proceed with the Wood Release experiments immediately."

"I've already prepared the funds..." Danzo nodded, then stared at Orochimaru and said, "But the Wood Release experiment isn't the most pressing matter right now. There's another important task that needs immediate attention!"

"What is it?" Orochimaru glanced at Danzo, his tone dismissive.

"The election for the Fifth Hokage. Since the Fourth Hokage is now dead, we need to act quickly to participate in the election for the next Hokage. Only if you become Hokage will you be able to conduct your experiments freely in the village."

"Forget it," Orochimaru said, showing little interest, his gaze somewhat amused. "The old man will surely become the acting Hokage. He never intended to let me become Hokage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have recommended Minato in the first place."

Seeing Orochimaru's lack of interest in the Hokage position, Danzo lips twitched.

"Orochimaru, have you really given up on the position of Hokage? This isn't the Orochimaru I know."

"Becoming Hokage was just an attempt in my life. Even if I fail, it doesn't really matter," Orochimaru paused for a moment before continuing, "Besides, we're still conducting the Wood Release experiments without being Hokage, right? The Fourth Hokage couldn't stop us, and neither can the old man."

Faced with Orochimaru's apathetic attitude, Danzo looked disappointed and changed the subject, saying, "I understand how you feel. Once the Wood Release experiment is finished, we should halt our collaboration. After all, if we don't become Hokage, conducting these experiments will be too dangerous for you."

After speaking, Danzo turned and left the lounge, heading deeper into the passage.

Orochimaru losing interest in the position of Hokage meant that Danzo's chances of becoming Hokage through Orochimaru were gone. As a result, Orochimaru had lost his value as an ally.

Once the Wood Release experiment concluded, it would be time to seek out new allies.

Watching Danzo's retreating figure, Orochimaru smirked to himself. He knew that Danzo had always wanted to use him to seize the power of the Hokage, but in truth, he had been using Danzo to fund his experiments.

From the very beginning, their relationship had been based solely on mutual interests, not because they were like-minded companions.

Once the Wood Release experiment was over and he obtained the crucial data, there would be no reason for him to continue cooperating with Danzo. In fact, there wouldn't even be a need to stay in Konoha.

Ever since the thought of defecting and establishing his own village crossed his mind, Orochimaru had increasingly come to see the Hokage position as nothing but a burden.

Becoming Hokage would not only saddle him with the responsibility of managing the village but also expose him to both overt and covert plots and attacks.

The deaths of Minato and Kushina were prime examples.

Minato, who had mastered space-time ninjutsu, should have been the ninja most adept at escaping and the hardest to kill. Yet, he ended up sacrificing himself alongside the Nine-Tails because he was bound by the village, his wife, and his child.

In the ninja world, survival is the most important thing, not lofty ideals or emotions.

Clearing his mind of distractions, Orochimaru began seriously examining the events of the Nine-Tails attack from the previous day. While he didn't care about the village or the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, he was extremely intrigued by the identity of the masked man and the jutsu he used.

First of all, the masked man possessed space-time ninjutsu and could freely enter and exit Konoha's barrier.

Secondly, the masked man had the ability to control the Nine-Tails, which likely involved some powerful sealing technique or genjutsu.

From what Orochimaru could recall, only the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Mito Uzumaki, the first Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, had the ability to control the Nine-Tails through sealing techniques.

As for controlling a tailed beast with genjutsu, only Madara Uchiha, who earned the title of "Shura of the Ninja World" decades ago, had ever been able to do that.

(AN: I haven't heard any such title for Madara but since the OG author is using it, I will be using it too.)

But Uchiha Madara had been killed by the First Hokage many years ago. Even if he had faked his death somehow, he would likely have died of old age by now.

Could it be that someone from the Uchiha clan had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?

After thinking it over, Orochimaru shook his head. If there really were someone in the Uchiha clan with the Mangekyo Sharingan, their arrogant nature would have driven them to use it already.

Besides, the Mangekyo Sharingan was more of a legend than a reality. Whether it even existed was still uncertain.

Suddenly, something crossed Orochimaru's mind, and he gazed in the direction outside the village as if his sight had pierced through mountains and rivers to reach a land perpetually shrouded in rain.

The Uchiha in the village might not have had the ability to control the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, but that didn't mean someone in Amegakure couldn't.

Although Yahiko and Konan, students of Jiraiya, seemed far from reaching Kage-level strength, the Uzumaki descendant, Nagato, was no ordinary figure.

In the past few months, during his investigations into different nations and while selecting a location for his future village, Orochimaru stumbled upon some valuable information.

Danzo had conducted an operation in Amegakure a year ago, which resulted in the loss of most of Root's elite members. Since then, Hanzo of the Salamander has never been seen again.

If the Uchiha in the village weren't capable of attacking the Fourth Hokage and his wife, could it be the work of someone from Amegakure?