Chapter 276: Orochimaru: Danzo, You Have No Idea How Dangerous Yagami Takuya Is

"Why didn't Teacher Orochimaru choose us?" Nawaki asked.

Their squad hadn't been selected, and Nawaki went out of his way to confront Orochimaru about it.

"Teacher, you've selected a lot of people from various clans. Why wasn't Takuya's squad included?" Nawaki spoke confidently. In Konoha, he was sure that Takuya's team was one of the strongest.

Yet despite that, Orochimaru still hadn't chosen them.

Facing Nawaki's questioning, Orochimaru simply smiled, patting his head before explaining:

"Nawaki, you need to understand that right now we're just preparing. The war hasn't actually broken out yet. For this round of selection, only a few hundred shinobi were chosen. Once war officially begins, Takuya's squad will definitely be sent to the frontlines."

"But if the war hasn't started and it's just precaution, why are both you and Jiraiya being sent to the border?" Nawaki pressed further.

"That's the decision of the old man," Orochimaru said, tossing the blame onto Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.

Currently, Danzo was keeping a low profile, so pinning it on him didn't make sense. If Danzo couldn't take the heat, then it was better to lay it on the Third Hokage.

After all, Nawaki was not about to march into the Hokage's office and confront Sarutobi directly.

"..."

Nawaki was left speechless and had no choice but to leave feeling frustrated.

March into the Hokage's office to question the Third Hokage?

Nawaki thought that if he dared to do that, Tsunade would most definitely punish him.

Just the thought of his sister's iron fists made Nawaki abandon any such notion.

Better to just wait and see how the situation developed.

After Nawaki left, the smile on Orochimaru's face slowly faded.

"I don't recall you having a habit of eavesdropping," Orochimaru said, his voice growing cold.

Danzo slowly stepped out from the shadows, his expression impassive.

"I wasn't eavesdropping, Orochimaru. I merely happened to pass by," Danzo replied.

Danzo, eavesdropping? Impossible.

He didn't need to eavesdrop; he could simply send subordinates to do it for him.

You wouldn't do it yourself, but you would send others to spy.

Orochimaru sneered coldly, his slit-like pupils filled with disdain, clearly unimpressed by Danzo's blatant lie.

"Sometimes lies are for their own good. It's not yet the right time for Takuya's squad to be sent to the border."

"Are you afraid Yagami Takuya will steal your glory?" Danzo asked, narrowing his eyes.

"That's because you have no idea how terrifying Takuya really is," Orochimaru replied. "In a way, you're lucky. Lucky that Takuya's mother holds a deep sense of loyalty to Konoha. Otherwise, with what you've done, dying ten times over wouldn't be enough."

"Hmph!" Danzo snorted, clearly not in the mood for a philosophical debate. He refused to believe that Takuya would dare to kill him, even though he knew that Takuya had covertly dealt with members of both Root and the Anbu.

Danzo was a village elder, an advisor to the Hokage.

With such status, no ordinary person would dare touch him.

You can go ahead and rely on your status. One day you'll run into Takuya, and that's when you'll realize he's not afraid of you.

Orochimaru knew better. He didn't believe for a second that Takuya would hesitate because of Danzo's position.

If given the right opportunity, Takuya would definitely make his move.

"Since you're determined to become the Fourth Hokage, some plans will have to be advanced sooner than anticipated. Sakumo Hatake is an obstacle in your path," Danzo said.

"That's your business, not mine," Orochimaru replied indifferently. "Don't think I don't know about your ambition to become Hokage, Danzo. I'll take what I want by defeating my competition fair and square. I don't need to smear my opponents."

"Stubborn fool!" Danzo huffed, storming off, clearly displeased by Orochimaru's unwillingness to participate in his schemes.

After Danzo left, Orochimaru chuckled coldly before returning to his work.

Takuya wasn't wrong, nor were his suspicions misplaced—Orochimaru indeed had a growing interest in becoming the Fourth Hokage.

The root of this sudden ambition lay in being pushed too far by Tsunade.

In the original timeline, Danzo had used the cells of Hashirama Senju as bait to lure Orochimaru into collaboration. Together, they shared resources—money, equipment, and most importantly, human subjects.

Under these conditions, Orochimaru had no desire for the Hokage position. He would have been happy to be the Hokage, but not getting it wasn't a big deal.

But now things were different. With Tsunade serving as the head of logistics, she had severely restricted the supply chain that Danzo and his fellow elders relied on.

Even the Third Hokage would occasionally audit the treasury, leaving Danzo with neither funds nor equipment.

The losses sustained by Root had yet to be fully recovered, leaving them even more vulnerable.

This meant Danzo's underground research facility was lacking everything—funds, equipment, supplies, and even human test subjects.

This infuriated Orochimaru.

He had projects he was obsessed with, things that fascinated him—possibly the secret to immortality itself—but all of it was hindered by a lack of resources.

Whenever he sought Danzo's help, Danzo would simply brush him off.

Over time, Orochimaru decided that the only way to get what he wanted was to aim for the position of Hokage.

As the Hokage, he would have free rein over his research—funds, supplies, and human subjects would be limitless.

Relying on Danzo?

Impossible. Tsunade had the elders cornered.

Just as Takuya had predicted, with someone like Tsunade at the helm of either logistics or finance, Danzo and the elders were effectively neutered.

They were stuck, unable to advance or retreat comfortably.

Danzo should consider himself fortunate that the Third Hokage insisted on retaining control over the finance department.

Had Tsunade taken over finances, Danzo's life would have been far worse.

Compared to finances, the logistics department was almost insignificant.

If Tsunade controlled the finances, Root would have no future, and the elders wouldn't be able to do anything.

Logistics might inconvenience them, but controlling the finances would be their death sentence.

"Danzo, you're going to regret underestimating him," Orochimaru muttered to himself.

Danzo still underestimated Takuya. Orochimaru believed this was foolish and that Danzo would pay the price eventually.

He needed to make preparations.

Currently, he was in competition not just with Sakumo Hatake but with Danzo as well.

Orochimaru wouldn't stoop to slandering Sakumo Hatake, but Danzo definitely would.

Which meant his true competition was Danzo—a man who operated from the shadows.

And for the time being, Danzo wouldn't pose much of a threat.

Orochimaru felt that his goal of becoming the Fourth Hokage wasn't as difficult as it seemed.

As long as the Third Hokage was willing to step down, he had a significant chance.

Sakumo Hatake's reputation was tarnished. Danzo lacked the standing and had too many weaknesses.

Jiraiya had no interest in becoming Hokage.

And Tsunade? She showed no desire for the position either. That made Orochimaru the best candidate for the Fourth Hokage.

The thought of becoming Hokage and finally being able to conduct his experiments freely filled Orochimaru's cold heart with anticipation.

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Next Bonus: 1800 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯

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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ

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