Hokage Armband

Land of Fire, Konoha.

Two days earlier, word had reached the village: the Third Hokage had led Konoha's ninja to a resounding victory!

This battle marked Konoha's entry as the victor into the end of the Second Ninja War.

In just two days, the village had been transformed. Every corner was swept clean by the villagers, and the main road welcoming the returning ninja was festooned with lanterns and bunting.

After hearing that the ninja would return to the village today, the villagers braved the biting winter wind. As early as dawn, many had gathered at the main gate, ready to welcome the Third Hokage and his company.

After the advisors had arranged the on-site order and other matters, they joined Tsunade and Biwako Sarutobi at the gate to prepare for the welcome.

"They're here!" said a Hyuga ninja, his Byakugan active.

The Byakugan's range could see a kilometer away—a short distance for a ninja's pace.

Before long, Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure appeared in the crowd's line of sight.

At his side were the two generals, Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo, and behind them, the returning Konoha ninja.

"Ohhh—"

The crowd cheered and erupted.

"Look! That's Lord White Fang! They say Sunagakure ninja abandon their missions on sight of him!"

"Lord Orochimaru is the real deal! I heard he earned tremendous merit in this war. Word is the Third Hokage is choosing him as the Fourth!"

"Where'd you hear that? I heard it was Lord Sakumo!"

"And I heard it was Lady Tsunade?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who rarely went without his pipe today, smiled and nodded at Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, then pointed at Orochimaru, signaling him to handle the handover, and walked toward Biwako.

From Biwako's arms, Hiruzen lifted Asuma. Beside Biwako stood her eldest son and daughter-in-law, both serving in the Anbu.

Ignoring Asuma's look of disgust, Hiruzen planted a kiss on his cheek with his bearded face.

Asuma was three this year, a year older than White Fang's son, Kakashi.

Sakumo couldn't wait either. He took his son from his wife's arms and let Kakashi ride on his shoulders.

Tsunade, leading a little girl, walked toward Orochimaru, who had just finished his handover with Mitokado Homura. She glanced around and asked:

"What about Jiraiya? Did he run off early to peep at the bathhouse?"

That was exactly the kind of thing Jiraiya would do.

"Remember that prophecy? He seems bound by it, trapped in his own future," Orochimaru replied.

Tsunade rested her chin in her hand, thought for a moment, and then recalled.

"That so-called savior? Even Grandpa, with all his immense power, couldn't achieve true peace. Is that savior supposed to be stronger than Grandpa?"

Tsunade shook her head.

Orochimaru nodded in agreement and added:

"Pure power alone can't bring lasting peace. That's why the First Hokage ended the Warring States Period and tried to build a system—the one-country-one-village model. But it didn't work; it only escalated the scale of war. As long as conflicts of interest reach a point where they can't be mediated, war is inevitable."

"Still, at least the war is over. We should have a decent stretch of peace now," Tsunade said, watching the smiles on the faces of ninja reunited with their families. Those smiles had been bought with the sacrifice of countless ninja, including Dan.

Orochimaru didn't answer. Though the Second Ninja War had ended with the same outcome as in the original timeline, it had been cut short.

Without enough intelligence gathered and analyzed, Orochimaru couldn't tell whether the Ninja Wars would still erupt again just a few years after the Second, as they had before.

"Did you get results on what I asked you?" Tsunade's face showed no change.

"Too many eyes and ears here. We'll talk later," Orochimaru replied. Tsunade knew there might be spies from behind-the-scenes figures among the crowd.

Just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi, having finished his family time, walked toward a small, hastily built platform. The crowd gradually quieted down.

"Where leaves dance, fire burns on. The fire will continue to illuminate the village, and let new leaves sprout..."

The Third Hokage launched into another long-winded speech. Tsunade, as usual, felt drowsy on cue, her head bobbing like a chick pecking at rice. Orochimaru's eyes slowly turned into dead fish as his mind wandered far away...

"Five years! The Second Ninja War lasted a full five years! Villagers, do you know how I've spent these five years..."

A string of Z's was already floating above Tsunade's head. But Orochimaru, scanning the crowd while zoning out, noticed the light of idealism shining in Sakumo's eyes...

Looking further, he saw that many—including the advisors—had been brainwashed by the Will of Fire. Whether some of them were putting on an act, however, was a matter of perspective.

"To honor outstanding contributions in this war, all ninja who fought on the Rain Country front will receive a pay raise! Double the compensation for fallen ninja!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Furthermore, I must especially commend two people who rendered tremendous service in this Ninja War. They are the most outstanding young ninja in the village! The village has worthy successors, and I am deeply gratified."

Mito Uzumaki poked Orochimaru in the back to alert him—his turn was coming.

"Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru—step forward!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi called out to those below.

Orochimaru and Sakumo both stepped onto the temporary platform. There, Hiruzen Sarutobi lifted a corner of his Hokage Robe, activated his Wind Chakra in his hand, and cut out two red-and-white strips.

"I will personally tie the Hokage Armband on you. I hope you will continue to uphold the First Hokage's Will of Fire and protect Konoha!"

Sakumo and Orochimaru each extended an arm, letting Hiruzen Sarutobi bind the armband around their sleeves.

"Bearing the name White Fang and the Hokage Armband, I will protect Konoha with my life!"

Hatake Sakumo's resounding voice rang out.

Since Hatake Sakumo had spoken, he had to say something himself.

This time, the Third was clearly hinting to the outside world that the two of them were candidates for the Fourth Hokage, though how much of it was to win people's hearts was unknown.

"I'll say it again: I will make Konoha great again!"

Orochimaru couldn't think of anything else on the spot, so he pulled out the words from the last rally before departure, making a hand-organ gesture as he shouted.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction and announced the end.

Seeing the fighting spirit in Hatake Sakumo's eyes, clearly taking him as a rival, Orochimaru felt a bit helpless.

But this time, whether it was Sakumo or himself, their prestige in the village had greatly increased. More ninjas would inevitably gravitate toward them, and with proper maneuvering, they might even attract investment from the ninja clans—someone like Orochimaru, who dabbled in research, was never short of needing money.

Though the ninja clans were more likely to hedge their bets.

Evening, Konoha Izakaya, the same place as last time, only this time Jiraiya was absent.

"Sorry I'm late, there was a lot going on."

Orochimaru had arranged to meet Tsunade in the afternoon, but after the morning ceremony, many people had latched onto him—old classmates, ninjas offering their allegiance—and he couldn't break free for a while.

Looking at the bottles lined up on the table, Orochimaru felt apologetic.

"It's fine, I understand. There are plenty of people trying to cling to you now."

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Tsunade was called the Slug Princess of Konoha. She had never lacked opportunists around her since childhood, so she understood Orochimaru's situation.

"Is Dan's case very tricky?"

"Either the intelligence Anbu or the village's higher-ups leaked the information. The Anbu are too secretive, and the teacher won't let anyone interfere. If it's the higher-ups, it's even more troublesome. In that case, even the teacher, as Hokage, would have to consider the repercussions."

Orochimaru had already guessed who it was, but he had no evidence.

Besides, even if he had evidence, compared to a disciple, Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably side more with his old friend, and it would end up being swept under the rug.

"I see..."

Tsunade furrowed her beautiful brows and downed another bottle of sake.

"This can't be rushed. If it really is the work of a higher-up, then toppling a village elder would take years at least."

Orochimaru noticed many people had turned their attention to them. Two of the Three Ninja were quite eye-catching, not to mention he had made a big splash that morning.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Tsunade hoped to speed things up, so she intended to give Orochimaru some assistance.

Orochimaru felt a surge of joy. Though Tsunade gambled away all the money she earned from missions, as the most direct descendant of the Senju Clan, she must have inherited a vast legacy from the First and Second Hokage. That legacy wasn't just money—it included things money couldn't buy, like connections, jutsu, intelligence, knowledge, and more.

"I need the Senju Clan's connections to investigate the intelligence."

"Done!"

"I need to learn your Medical Ninjutsu to raise my standing in the village."

Orochimaru had taught himself some Medical Ninjutsu for his biological research, and his skill was decent, but far from Tsunade's level. Tsunade agreed without hesitation.

"Lastly, I need a batch of equipment..."

"You bastard Orochimaru, what do these equipment have to do with the things I need you to help with?"

Orochimaru gave an awkward smile. His requests were getting more and more excessive, like he was pushing his luck.

"I'll give them to you, Orochimaru!"

Tsunade suddenly said.

"Hm?"

Orochimaru looked into Tsunade's eyes and understood she wanted him to go all out for her, and the price was this batch of expensive experimental equipment.