Konoha?
At that moment, Orochimaru revealed an eerie smile. It was so unsettling that even Uchiha Yoru felt a chill run down his spine, and only then did Orochimaru withdraw that strange gaze.
"They are nothing more than a bunch of decaying relics. Authority requires the corresponding strength to wield it, as well as a long enough lifespan. If Teacher Sarutobi were ten years younger, would you still have this concern?"
Uchiha Yoru understood the first half of Orochimaru's words, but the latter half immediately made him frown in confusion. Yet inwardly, he was secretly shocked. It seemed Orochimaru had already come to understand the fragility of life at this point.
The fragility of life on the battlefield, coupled with the Third gradually shifting his focus toward political maneuvering as he aged, had made Orochimaru feel even more deeply how fragile life was.
No wonder Orochimaru later became practically impossible to kill. All those ninjutsu of his were research directed at the frailty of life.
Although he understood all this, Uchiha Yoru could only pretend not to. He said solemnly, "Teacher Orochimaru, the clan elders said that the Sarutobi Clan seems to be preparing to nominate Shin'nosuke Sarutobi as the Fifth Hokage."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's pupils visibly contracted. He was not as calm as his expression suggested, but he still controlled his emotions well and revealed a disdainful smile.
"Shin'nosuke Sarutobi is nothing to worry about."
Orochimaru was clearly radiating an unprecedented confidence at this moment. This confidence was not blind. As one of the Sannin, he had repeatedly distinguished himself during both the Second and Third Shinobi Wars. He was not someone just anyone could surpass.
What was more, Orochimaru had already formed a new faction within Konoha. Especially after the Fourth Hokage's death, those who had once wavered between sides had nearly all turned to Orochimaru. The Hokage Faction was merely surrounded by clans afraid of having their interests harmed.
"After word spread that Teacher Orochimaru had returned to the village from the border, the situation there, which had only just stabilized, seems to have grown restless again."
Whether intentionally or not, Uchiha Yoru brought up the border's current situation. Orochimaru merely licked his lips and smiled. "The Shinobi World has never lacked slaughter."
"But everything will stabilize eventually. It is only a matter of time."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes with even greater confidence. They were merely a group of decaying relics. According to his plan, he could let them jump around for now while taking this opportunity to properly research ninjutsu in pursuit of longevity.
Orochimaru was actually quite easy to get along with. He only wanted to conduct his research in peace. Perhaps becoming Hokage would allow him to research even better.
Watching Orochimaru's confident, wicked smile, Uchiha Yoru's eyes held a strange look. He muttered inwardly, Perhaps your confidence is justified, but it is precisely because you are so sure of yourself that you do not realize they can abandon you in the end.
Orochimaru probably had never imagined that Konoha's upper ranks could be so ruthless. They had truly cut off an arm to save the body. For Konoha's stability, to prevent political turmoil, they had directly driven one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, into defection.
Perhaps the Third had never expected things to spiral so completely out of control from the start. At most, he had merely wanted to undermine Orochimaru's prestige. Yet once certain things began, they were no longer under anyone's control.
Orochimaru had decided to use an unchanging approach to deal with every possible political development. No one knew the final outcome, but Uchiha Yoru knew one thing very clearly: Orochimaru would defect in the end.
The reason Konoha's upper ranks could make such a decision was likely because Orochimaru's faction had become too vast and deeply entrenched. Only a swift, decisive cut could resolve everything.
"Teacher Orochimaru, the Prison under the Konoha Military Police Force's supervision can secretly provide you with Test Subjects. When the time comes, Teacher need only give the word."
After learning Orochimaru's political direction, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded. Since Orochimaru had said nothing, he was acknowledging Uchiha Yoru's approach of using the Seventh Division of the Konoha Military Police Force to build ties with the various clans. At the same time, Uchiha Yoru brought up the issue Orochimaru truly cared about.
Sure enough, at the mention of research, a wicked smile immediately appeared on Orochimaru's face. "Heh heh, then I'll be relying on you, Lord Yoru."
Human experimentation required ninja Test Subjects. It had been easier at the border, after all. There were so many small villages, along with Rogue Ninja and shinobi from other countries, whom they could secretly capture. But now that he had returned to the village, it was somewhat troublesome.
But now, the problem seemed to be solved. After all, the Konoha Military Police Force was responsible for nearly all of Konoha's Prisons. Was it not perfectly normal for prisoners to die in Prison?
"Lord Orochimaru!"
Just then, a figure slowly entered the laboratory and respectfully bowed to Orochimaru. Yet when Uchiha Yoru saw the newcomer, he was secretly startled. So this was Root.
He wore a cat-like mask, with interwoven green and red patterns around it. While Uchiha Yoru was secretly observing him, Orochimaru revealed a sickly gaze and stared greedily at him.
"Heh heh, it's Kou. You came at just the right time. Lie down on the bed."
Though those words seemed somewhat inappropriate, the Root Ninja who had arrived lay down on the bed numbly. Uchiha Yoru's eyes widened as he watched Orochimaru inspect the Root boy before him with a pathologically greedy gaze, as though he were examining a priceless treasure.
If Uchiha Yoru had not known Orochimaru's personality so well, this scene could easily have caused misunderstandings.
Seemingly noticing Uchiha Yoru's shock, Orochimaru let out a hoarse laugh filled with excitement. "Lord Yoru, this is Kou, the Wood Release Experiment Subject whose creation was an accidental success. Assist me with the records."
"Yes!" Uchiha Yoru nodded respectfully. He was not like Uchiha Sasuke, whose personality was to agree to let someone do whatever they wanted with his body, only to act arrogantly every day and regret it in the end.
Actually, regretting it was not the issue. It was perfectly normal to change one's mind between life and death. But he had voluntarily gone to ask someone for help, saying they could do whatever they wanted with his body as long as they gave him strength. At the very least, he should have had a better attitude.
As long as there was no conflict of interest, he still greatly respected Orochimaru as a person.
At the side, Orochimaru was already placing various instruments on Kou's body with practiced ease and beginning some kind of perverse examination. Drawing blood was merely routine.
"The blood contains..."
After a stream of technical terms, Uchiha Yoru's knowledge was simply insufficient. Fortunately, he only needed to keep records. Only Orochimaru stared at the various examination data and the precious blood samples with a pathologically obsessive infatuation.
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