Everything Was Under the Third Hokage's Watch

At the Root, in a dark, secluded chamber.

The Anbu Captain, having obtained a satisfactory political deal, left with a smile, leaving only three people in the secret room.

After watching the Anbu Captain leave, Utatane Koharu frowned and said in a deep voice, "This woman is too obsessed with power."

Perhaps after the outsiders left, the three of them also dropped their pretenses, after all, they had been companions since childhood.

Mitokado Homura shook his head and sighed, "Being obsessed with power isn't wrong, but I'm afraid Shin'nosuke Sarutobi's strength and achievements won't be enough to convince the public in the end."

They have already decided to abandon Orochimaru. After all, they cannot control Orochimaru, and once he comes to power, he will rearrange the interest groups representing Konoha, plunging Konoha into turmoil again. On the other hand, if Shin'nosuke Sarutobi, things will remain the same. People their age prefer stability to challenges.

More importantly, Konoha had just suffered Third Shinobi War and was now facing the Nine-Tails Disaster. At this time, Konoha desperately needed to recuperate.

"Hmph, with the Third Hokage Shin'nosuke Sarutobi almost dies."

At this moment, Danzo hoping for a weakness in the new Hokage, so he could then fan the flames and directly damage the new Hokage's Prestige. If he planned it properly, he might have a chance.

Shin'nosuke Sarutobi is much easier to deal with than Orochimaru; in fact, he already has several plans in mind.

On the contrary, if he continued to support Orochimaru, he would not only face the exclusion of his old friends, but also the hostility of various forces in the old Konoha, since his Root was considered an old power.

Who would willingly step forward to help outsiders fight against their own power?

The other two were unaware of Shimura Danzō's scheme, but Utatane Koharu, seemingly lost in thought, frowned and said, "Danzo, the Forbidden Technique left behind by our master is incomplete, but it's far too dangerous."

While the comment was that this Forbidden Technique was too dangerous, it would be more accurate to say it was too cruel. Shimura Danzō sneered upon hearing this, "Orochimaru isn't as concerned with his reputation as White Fang. The White Fang Incident can't be repeated, but if you still want to damage Orochimaru's Prestige, what do you suggest we do without drastic measures?"

The position of Hokage requires someone recognized by most Jōnin. Back then, they used this opportunity to undermine White Fang's prestige, which was essentially the same situation as now. At that time, the Shinobi World was in turmoil, and if there was a change of power in Konoha, it could easily cause unrest and be exploited by others.

This led to the attack on White Fang's Prestige, which escalated rapidly. Of course, they never expected White Fang to commit suicide, as this was a taboo subject for them.

White Fang's personality is too rigid, unlike someone like Orochimaru, whose ruthless and decisive nature only draws criticism from some people. Therefore, they are relieved this time.

Mitokado Homura shook his head slightly and sighed, "The two Forbidden Techniques that Master hasn't finished will probably require a lot of live experiments. We need to be careful with the dosage; the White Fang Incident must not be repeated."

It's possible to damage Orochimaru's Prestige and deprive him of his chance to become Hokage, but the White Fang bloodshed incident absolutely cannot occur, otherwise the loss to the village would be too great.

White Fang has always been a lesson for their superiors. In their political struggles, they never considered the possibility of White Fang's sacrifice. After all, they are politicians who act out of self-interest, not ninjas ready to fight.

A Kage Level powerhouse who has completely lost the right to inherit the Hokage position can maximize his benefits by staying in Konoha.

Seeing his two friends bring up the White Fang Incident again, Shimura Danzō couldn't help but frown and say in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Orochimaru's personality isn't like White Fang's."

What kind of person is Orochimaru? Thinking this, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance and then smiled easily.

Orochimaru is ruthless and his reputation as the Cold Lord is well-deserved. He doesn't care about other people's opinions, which makes him better than White Fang in this respect.

However, although they all thought Orochimaru was cold-blooded and profit-driven, they never considered the possibility that he was insane.

After all, immortality! The very idea of that is utter nonsense, and no one could have imagined that Orochimaru would later become such a mad and perverted being. This is why the Third Hokage's shock at seeing Orochimaru's female face during the Chunin Ninja Exams in the original story was so unbelievable.

Impure World Reincarnation, an imperfect Ninjutsu. All they knew was that it was a Forbidden Technique developed by their teacher Second Hokage. Legend has it that it was a forbidden technique developed by an evil Onmyoji and ninja Warring States Period, but it was never perfected and was subsequently destroyed by the combined forces of the Uchiha and Senju clans.

The information about this Ninjutsu subsequently fell into the hands of the Senju Clan. Given the nature of the Uchiha Clan, how could they possibly be interested in it? (Analysis of why Madara Uchiha knew about this Ninjutsu, providing a plausible explanation.)

Later, after the First Hokage passed away, the Second Hokage rediscovered this forbidden technique and began researching it. However, he had only just begun his research when something happened during his trip to the Land of Lightning, and the forbidden technique was sealed away afterward.

"After handing over the information on the Forbidden Technique, Impure Orochimaru Impure World Reincarnation, keep a close eye on it. You must have solid evidence."

Utatane Koharu Tsurugi frowned and spoke in a deep voice. All three of them naturally understood what this meant. This kind of Forbidden Technique could not avoid human experimentation, and on a large scale at that. Eventually, it would be exposed.

Therefore, they need solid evidence. To strike a snake, one must hit its vital spot and destroy Orochimaru's prestige with a single, decisive Hokage Position, making him ineligible for the Hokage position. Then, under duress, they can simply exile him to the border, just like Jiraiya and Tsunade did.

Hokage Office.

The Third Hokage, with a pipe dangling from his mouth, puffed away. Standing before him was Shikaku Nara of the Nara Clan, his strategist.

"Nara Shikaku, the Anbu Captain has gone to Root, along with Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura."

The Third Hokage lowered his head and spoke in a hoarse voice. As the Hokage of Konoha, and having governed for so many years, how could he possibly keep the village's every move hidden from his eyes, let alone the movements of the higher-ups?

Shikaku Nara bowed, was also deeply troubled upon hearing this. Being caught up in the struggle for the Hokage's succession was a difficult situation.

Seemingly sensing Shikaku Nara's dilemma, the Third Hokage sighed with melancholy, "Orochimaru has gone astray. If we let him continue like this, Konoha will face another upheaval."

Back then, he defied public opinion to support Minato Namikaze because Minato Namikaze had almost no backing. Once Minato became Hokage, he could smoothly hand over his original team and power, ensuring a stable and peaceful transition Konoha power in Konoha.

More importantly, Minato Namikaze's Will of Fire ideology was almost identical to his own, unlike Orochimaru's, and completely contrary to his political beliefs.

Therefore, this was his choice. Now he has encountered this problem again. Konoha had just experienced the Third Shinobi War and could not withstand any more turmoil. Now, things are even worse.

The Third Hokage's true intentions were never Orochimaru's research. Given Orochimaru's massive base and countless resources, how could it possibly escape the Hokage's notice? Besides, wasn't the Second Hokage already engaged in Human experimentation all along?

Even during his reign, he devised a Wood Release Project, which ultimately ended in disastrous failure. But at least it proved one thing: Human experimentation, while taboo, was merely something that couldn't be done openly. Which major ninja village didn't engage in it? And how did these powerful Medical Ninjutsu and various Forbidden Technique come about?

Looking at the original work, it's clear that while the Third Hokage may have had his own selfish motives—after all, the Sarutobi Clan had grown powerful—his feelings for Konoha were absolutely genuine, and above all interests. However, his political ideology was too domineering; he believed that only his Will of Fire could stabilize the village, and everything else was wrong.

The attempt to list on Sanjiang Literature City failed. I've discussed it with the editor, and it will be available next week. The exact day will depend on whether we can get a recommendation. Don't worry! I'll update frequently after it's listed!

I'm not discouraged, and I don't need any consolation. The results of this book are pretty good for me. Keep it up!